AuctioneerNJ

Please help. Central New Jersey Here..Exit 9...I have an Orbea Orca All Carbon with a old version of Di2. The one where one junction box is located under the bottom bracket and the the other is on the cables under the stem but not attached to the stem. My Front Derailleur is not shifting at it's current location but shifts when hooked up to the rear derailleur. I have a new battery in fully charged. When I press and hold on the shifter the led on the junction box lights up solid green but no response to from the FD-6770 (front derailleur) when in the front derailleur position. Everything else works. Pushed the cables in and heard them click. Anyone have any suggestions on how to determine if the cable between the junction boxes, the junction boxes or the cable between the junction box below the bottom bracket to the derailleur is faulty. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Am considering buying a sm-pce1 or sm-pce2 to diagnose but want to also make sure if i do buy one or the other that it can work on both newer and older systems. I also do not have any knowledge on how to diagnose these systems using any software. Thank you for reading and considering my needs...Doing big hills without that little ring is killing me!..Thanks--Steve

Schlafen

There should be a button on the derailleur. If it doesn't move the derailleur when pressed, it's time for a new one.

sch

If the FD moves when plugged in to the RD cable, then I would suspect the cable to the FD from the dumb jxn box
is bad or not 'properly' plugged in at one end or the other. I have had experience with both problems and with
the bad connex was SURE that I had fully plugged the cable in ('it popped') but it wasn't. Second failure was indeed
a 'bad cable' which when replaced solved the problem. Both problems diagnosed with the Shimano software box.
Check the cable and its connections first, with a new cable if available, a dicey proposition these days.

FWIW both failures were with systems that had been running fine for 4-6 yrs. The connex problem occurred after
a fallover that moved the L brifter on the bar and inadvertently disconnected the FD. The bad cable occured several
years later. My bike is using the 2013 10spd mechanical brake brifters to operate an updated 11 spd FD/RD installed
in 2016.

Iride01 

Is the wiring internal to the frame? You might need to follow the wiring from the FDR all the way along it's route and make sure it's got a good connection. Some of the internal connections can be hard to find if you weren't the one to put it together. And some you might not be able to get too unless you know which way to pull the cable out of the frame or which inspection cover to remove. If you can find them, then unplug and plug them in again. Might find a loose one.

Before you spend money on a new PC02, why not just take it to a shop and let them deal with it. The PCO2 won't fix it anyhow. You'll still have to figure out what is wrong to make it show you why it can't communicate with the FDR.

Yelbom15

I gotta say, and it sucks to say, Di2 is definitely not a forever group set. I’ve had countless guys come in with their first or second gen systems with a problem such as yours. Countless times of finding pinched wires, replacing junction boxes and hours of calling up Shimano to be told the same “procedures” to diagnose it. A bike shop will plug it up to a computer, give you some hope because there’s 50 software updates and then just show that the FD isn’t found and you’re back where you started.

Your best bet is to wiggle around some wires. The front derailleur wires have some pretty sharp angles that over time shred and you lose that connection. Just start wiggling stuff until something works. Also, the bottom bracket is horrid for everything electronic. I’ve ripped out destroyed wiring and junction boxes so don’t be surprise when you start taking it apart.

But a user above me said, maybe time for a new upgrade or Ebay search. I’m not a fan of electronic anything because of this. They blow mechanical systems out of the water when it comes to performance. Longevity though? Horrid. And I want longevity above all else when spending that kind of money.

Iride01 

You don't find just as many or more with cable pulled DR's that have issues too?

I never thought Di2 was supposed to be a "forever group set". Though I'm not quite sure what that means.

Yelbom15

Mechanical FD can be fixed fairly easily and if in need to be replaced, will be cheap,

And what I mean by “forever group” is a group set you can have for twenty years down the road. I can’t remember the last time I saw an old Di2 system. Everyone gets the newest edition because their old one broke or they upgraded to Sram Etap.

Iride01 

I suspect that many of us up in the price range of electronic shifting get caught up in getting the latest and greatest just like we have to have the latest and greatest iPhone or whatever is the hot at the moment Android phone.

And for some, mechanical groups are just as confusing as electronic groups. But if you know the ins and outs of both, they are equally easy to trouble shoot. At least from the little I've had to do so far.

Schlafen

I suspect these electronic groupsets will have the same faith as smartphones. The manufacturer will 'kill' it with a software update at some point, forcing the consumer to upgrade.

I plan to use modern mechanical groups for as long as possible.
edit: ***** spelling

Riveting

If a mech RD breaks, it's not "easily fixed", broken is broken, if it's just a cable, then yes. And cheaper to replace than Di2?, that's for sure.

Di2 got released in 2009, so you wouldn't see 20 yr old "forever" systems. And an original 12 yr old Di2 system would have initial design flaws that would take them out of service early, which is true for almost any initial release of any product, in any industry. Which is why early adopters pay the ultimate sacrifice.

My Di2 is from 2016-17 and I have ~18,000 miles on it, and at ~13,000 miles I had to replace the entire RD ($300) due to it mechanically failing internally without notice, while JRA on the flats on a sunny and dry day, and under almost no load, though that bike was quite often ridden very hard and put away wet, as they say. Gravel, singletrack, rain, snow, slush, you name it. I haven't yet taken apart (by force) the bad Di2 RD to actually see what the root cause of the failure was: dust, corrosion, lack of grease, broken part, worn part, loose screw, etc... Though you could still hear the motor attempting to shift but no cage movement at all. Other than the RD replacement, it's been flawless, and requires zero maintenance, nor adjustment, other than a recharge every 1,200 miles.

squirtdad

there are tons of 20,30,40,50 year old mechanical deraillers that are working great and in use daily so I would say issues with those are far less for the volume of use as compared to electronic.

the newer the component the less ability there is to fix/rebuild vs replace whether mech or electronic

Iride01 

Oh heck, I didn't mean to start a which is better war between electronic or cable pulled systems.

However the fact that the FD worked when connected to the RD cable likely points to an issue with the connections or the wiring, which is very much like the cable pulled derailleurs common issues. Simply that the cable... wire in this instance, needs some attention and possible replacement.

How many mysterious cable pulled DR issues haven't been just due to the cable. A frayed cable in the STI, a poor routing around the BB to the FD or simply attached wrong on the pinch bolt.

All easy fixes for those that know what to look for and have some skill to do it. Same for this wiring. The OP needs to be able to figure out how to get to and inspect every inch of wire between the FD and the shifter. However being new to DIYing their Di2, I still think they'd be better served to take it to someone that is familiar with Di2.