PCIIIs are they worth it?

Dudes, what are your thoughts on this? i responded to another thread with this but then thought it should have one of its own:

Bottom line is if one or the other doesn't give you what you want, get a PCIII and custom map for your bike.
Most everyone is satisfied with that combination.[/quote]

ya know im not so sure about this PCIII thing. ive had 2 dealers trying to suss a stalling problem. i installed a PCIII with the 02 eliminators a year ago with my exhaust. it was fine for maybe a month, then started flashing the FI light, the dealer said it needed the 02 sensors so we reinstalled them and all was fine, no more light. he naturally said KTM didnt recommend the PC. fine but kept it installed anyway. the bike tends to stall when braking hard (and incidentally its done this since it was new without the PC installed). this is maybe a year later. another dealer, where the bike is now, is trying to solve this.
he got on the phone with a KTM tech who had him balance the throttle bodies. the stalling is still there. this KTM tech also suspects the PCIII and said they dont recomend them and said some people are having issues with the bikes stock ECU being toasted by the PC. he recomended disconnecting it and remapping with the latest KTM Akro map and that what they are doing now.
honestly i dont know what to think. i would think KTM or any company would discourage 3rd party parts unless sanctioned by them, but PCs have been around forever now and are proven yet i hear mixed reviews from some owners and dealers.

Anyone fitted a pc111 to a standard bike and have it mapped to run efficiently?
Mine had the pc111 fitted and mapped when the standard "silencer" was exchanged for a freer breathing/lighter set-up and ran better.Then re-mapped again when Motobox and SAS removed.
I have no issues with fuelling but told the dyno operator that I wanted a smooth throttle response and at the last re-map could have had an extra 1 HP top end had I chosen max power over throttle response.
Bike had a tendancy to stall when shutting throttle around town at low revs but seemed to be like a tight motor needing running-in and all was well after first service which I didn't manage until 900 miles.A mates' SD was similar from new.Ran my one standard for about a year but find the fuelling vastly superior albeit with the other mods.Incidently the dealer's not even vaguely bothered about the mods which were done within the warranty period and by myself,in fact the mechanic commented on the neatness of the PC install in the headlight mask....saving as much room under the seat for tools,puncture repair kit,bulbs,etc for trips abroad.

Strat,

I still have mine disconnected and the bike is running fine with Leo's, Motobox, SAS & O2 sensors removed. This is on the stock map from the factory.

Similar to your experience, my problems started 3-6 months or so after I installed the PCIII and had a custom map installed. Chased my tail for months trying to sort out which sensor was bad, ground lug loose or eliminate water in my fuel, etc, etc, etc.

Decided to bypass PCIII to eliminate it as a possible cause to my issues (stalling, erratic idle, etc.). That's when I noticed the moisture in the BGC. Thoroughly cleaned, dried, and lubed the connector (and bypassed the PCIII) and the bike has run great ever since. Not once has the bike stalled or idle risen above the normal 1600-1700 rpm range (this is in 2000 miles of riding).

Was thinking of hooking the PCIII back up since I’ve sorted the problem but have found no compelling reason to do so. The bike runs really well on the stock map with the mods I’ve done. The corked up airbox is probably the biggest contributor of the snatchy throttle syndrome everyone complains about.

One thing of note, on the backside of the BGC there are several wires running into the connector through rubber grommets which are supposed to seal the connector from moisture. On the OEM side of the BGC there is one wire per grommet which should create an adequate seal. On the PCIII there are 2 and sometimes 3 wires (if memory serves) per sealing grommet. These grommets were not designed to seal around more than one wire. So, if I were to hook this thing back up I would have to find a way to seal the backside of the PCIII’s BGC. Probably a little silicon RTV on each of the grommets.

Having said all that, a friends bike with no PCIII was running the same as mine, pulled that connector apart, cleaned, dried, and lubed it (again, very thoroughly-lots of dielectric grease) and his bike has been running fine ever since.

Hope this long winded post helps some of you. All of my previous posts on this subject seem to be falling mostly on deaf ears. Only a few of the members here have tried this but the ones that have have had similar results. Again you can’t force too much grease into the female contacts.

Ok, I’m done.

John

My bike's still dealer serviced here in Scotland and most of the electrical connectors are sprayed with some sort of silicon grease at the services...no problems with the running thru' the PC.

weather isnt the issue i hardly ride in the rain unless im caught, dot see the point really.

well i dont think the PC was the problem, as its not connected right now. there are several things wrong with the bike. the first and why it was there this time was to sort the stalling when braking.
the second was a hesitation situation. imagine grabbing a handfull of throttle to pass a car and having the bike lose power. i started doing this after having its fuel tank replaced and we figured it was a vent hose crushed. well they checked all that, said it was fine. i went to the dealer to ride the bike and see and low and behold that problem is still there. its like the tank isnt venting. if you stop an pop the lid up its fine for like 30 miles then starts again, vague at first the after a few miles the bike is a total dog cant get out of its way. i rode it today till it did it again (it happened 4x total in maybe 100 miles of hard riding), went back to the dealer, and didnt even shut off the bike, made the mechanic ride it and he agreed it was awfull. the thing is when you lift the fuel cap, there is no sound of air rushing back in, it just fixes the problem... till you ride another 30 miles or so. he blew air into the vent lines and they are clear.
very frustrating. he has been working with a tech to sort the stalling issue which its still doing, and is now going to mention this. i am so sick of not being able to ride the thing. its been there for 6 weeks. to their credit they are being good about the whole thing and calling KTM direct but nothing so far has worked.
funny though that i started this thread because they thought it was the PC. well its not connected any more and the bike runs really strong till with the stock akra map (till the tank starts starving for air...) in fact i cant tell the difference.

FWIW, when mine was not responding to the throttle it was a clogged fuel filter.