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Thread: Newbie here .. XB12R Firebolt CEL/Error Code 21 Muffler Actuator Question:

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    Newbie here .. XB12R Firebolt CEL/Error Code 21 Muffler Actuator Question:

    Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, Ive searched the forums and haven't found the exact answer so thought id ask away..

    08 XB12R Firebolt.. CEL comes on and stays on, I jumped pins 1 and 2 of the diagnostic plug and got the error code 21, previous owner says the CEL came on after the bike was towed from a sporting event by police Dept .. I was wondering if there would be anything that was affected by the tow in ? Also checked voltage at the plug for the muffler actuator and it has 12v
    manual says turn on key, run switch on and twist throttle fully open and actuator should move ... mine doesn't.. any other ideas how to test or anything I may be m missing ?

    thx again for helping a newbie....

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    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
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    Welcome ,I copied this from the from the Buell whisper,

    you have a few issues that need addressed though your thread content a bit ambiguous. will attempt to resolve as follows:
    1-all 1203cc XB models have interactive exhaust. it consists of 4 components: ecm programmed for same....actuator drive box which sits atop the airbox inner cover....drive cable...muffler with interactive exhaust power valve.
    2-any failure even intermittent in the actuator box, cable or valve will dump fault code into your ecm and activate the CEL.
    3-"so my first question is".......ambiguous. do you or do you NOT have stock XB12 muffler installed?
    4-when installing aftermarket muffler on an XB12 that muffler will typically NOT have an interactive power valve. when that's the case it is highly recommended that you purchase "ecm accessing goodies" to gain access to your ecm. that access will enable you to , among many other things, clear any and all stored fault codes and DEACTIVATE the interactive exhaust feature. this will terminate your CEL(check engine light) and clear the codes.
    5-in all likelihood a problematic chain-of-events lead you to this situation as follows: prior owner dicking with bike who was clueless to the inner workings of the XB models. the actuator drive box stripped its internal gears for 1 or more reasons....very common. the PO then instead of properly addressing the given problem just removed the drive cable and took a chance this would resolve the issue. clearly it did not

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    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum!

    Sounds like you have properly diagnosed a faulty interactive exhaust motor, or stuck cable. The cable could have been damaged by the nightmare of a tow driver 'slinging' the bike. Check it by simply removing the airbox cover and pulling on it. If it moves with some slight resistance then it's ok so I'd E-bay a actuator or get a new one from SPHDonline.com

    There is a hack (also from Lunatic Fringe) for getting a new one and metal gears or something, I'm not sure? A stock muffler is the first thing that hits the junk pile

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    Thank You for the reply..

    Answer to question 3: YES I have the stock muffler installed.

    I just ordered a BuellTooth dongle so I can run ECMDroid, and will have it soon around the first of the week or so ... I have checked simple things like power to the actuator harness and I have 12v
    I have not taken off the bottom spoiler to see if the cable is actually hooked up to the muffler. If my gears are stripped as you may suspect can I replace the gears ? My other idea is may just use ECMDRoid
    check the box clear the code and open the muffler butterfly all the way open and go with it ... but with that said I would like to have the part/parts working correctly .. also very open to any thoughts you would have ...

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    Cooter: TY for the reply..

    I will remove the chin spoiler and ck cable movement and if any damage to muffler... just may be a new exhaust in my future

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    Senior Member 34nineteen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Markw2640 View Post
    Cooter: TY for the reply..

    I will remove the chin spoiler and ck cable movement and if any damage to muffler... just may be a new exhaust in my future


    You should be able to move the valve on the muffler easily. It may be corroded and sticking, or a whack on the bottom in just the right spot may be jamming it up.

    Like the Cootie monster said, most people toss the stock muffler (I like it, though). All of the aftermarket mufflers (that I know of) do not use the actuator and valve assembly, and there should be a way to turn it off in ECM Droid.

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    Joe is spot-on as usual with my copy & paste info.

    Danny Hurda and Ken Taylor spent hundreds of hours designing and testing the XB exhaust system in totality. the 12 has a IEV for a reason. fix the damn thing if you intend to run the stock muffler. wiring the valve open is amateurish to say the least.
    early and later style actuators are now permanently listed as NLA. good luck!

    S0138 1AA -----NLA
    S0138.2AAA ----NLA
    Last edited by user_deleted; 11-11-2018 at 12:14 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lunaticfringe View Post
    Joe is spot-on as usual with my copy & paste info.

    Danny Hurda and Ken Taylor spent hundreds of hours designing and testing the XB exhaust system in totality. the 12 has a IEV for a reason. fix the damn thing if you intend to run the stock muffler. wiring the valve open is amateurish to say the least.
    PM me and i'll tell you how to resolve everything and the cross reference part number and procedure if you need a new IEV actuator assembly for a hell of alot less money than OEM.
    PS-early and later style actuators are now permanently listed as NLA. good luck!

    S0138 1AA -----NLA
    S0138.2AAA ----NLA

    Thank you Lunaticfringe, I will tear into it tomorrow and see what I find ... definitely let you know what I find .. I appreciate all the help !!!

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    Senior Member 34nineteen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lunaticfringe View Post
    Danny Hurda and Ken Taylor spent hundreds of hours designing and testing the XB exhaust system in totality. the 12 has a IEV for a reason.

    S0138 1AA -----NLA
    S0138.2AAA ----NLA

    Is S0138.1aa the nylon geared in while the S0138.2aaa the metal geared one? I thought they functioned the same?

    Pro tip to OP: always listen to the lunatic! That guy is a wealth of information (and one heck of a decent guy too). But don’t tell him I said that!

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    Is S0138.1aa the nylon geared in while the S0138.2aaa the metal geared one? I thought they functioned the same?

    Pro tip to OP: always listen to the lunatic! That guy is a wealth of information (and one heck of a decent guy too). But don’t tell him I said that!



    THANKS A TON for that aaron. coming from you it means alot to me.

    the following info should probably be held captive on here somewhere as i'm seeing these actuator assemblies failing now at an alarming rate. the CORRECT info on them is as follow:
    order of issuance from the factory for all 2003-2010 XB models:
    S0138.1AA---------next issued S0138.2AA--------next issued S0138.2AAA------last issued S1138.1AA
    DIFFERENCES: plastic sleeve on later part numbers....orientation of bracket slightly different on later numbers....later numbers riveted together instead of screws.....last number has metal internal drive gears.

    personally i no longer f*uck around with the stockers unless i can find a S1138.1AA on the cheap. HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:
    go online and order a Dorman 911-912.
    once in-hand remove the bell crank from your broken POS and the little cable bracket. transfer said bracket over to the dorman along with bell crank in its proper orientation along with a tiny spot-weld atop the transferred bell crank. half the cost...metal internal gears....twice the quality.

    top is DORMAN....next is stocker.....bottom is modded unit. courtesy of Jason on the pics. works beautifully.
    and Mark.....i appreciate the "thank you" sent my way. that's rare as hell on this board which seems flooded lately with unappreciative assholes and know-it-alls who actually don't know dick.
    xb1.jpg
    xb2.jpg
    xb3.jpg


    Last edited by user_deleted; 11-10-2018 at 09:24 PM.

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