Hi all, been a while since I posted on here and hoping some of you learned folks can offer a sad focer some pointers on my problem.
My 2003 600 foxeye has lost all electrics while I was riding it. No lights, no dash lights, no nothing!
I always ride with full lights on and recently after I had started the bike, let it warm up and then switched my lights on I noticed the oil light would come on for a second along with the orange light and the tacho dropped to zero but the engine didn't falter or cut out.
Anyway today I was luckily only half a mile from the house and going round a corner when everything just died.
Battery is only a year old and showing 12.7v but doesn't dip when I turn on the ignition switch. Disconnected the earth lead and no leak from positive to ground so I'm guessing its the ignition switch or maybe starter solenoid but I'm not splashing out till I'm sure.
Any advice on what to check to narrow down the issue?
I'd have a good look at the fuses and connectors around the battery area and those in the plastic enclosure under the tank as a first step. Anything that looks like it's got overheated means the volts are getting lost there.
Totally dead suggest a break somewhere in the wiring. Could be a fuse or poor connection to the battery or a worn ignition barrel. It could also be a dodgy/melted connector or wire in the loom. I'd be leaning towards a melted connector somewhere because you're getting funny stuff happening on the dash so it sounds like things are touching off each other that shouldn't be. You're probably going to have to take all the connectors in the loom apart and check them for burning. What happens is they come apart slightly or a bit of water gets into them and they start to corrode so you get more resistance at the connection and so more heat and they start to melt and these intermittent problems happen. You could do it the smart way and check the wiring diagram for the most likely culprits but most of the connectors are in that box under the tank so I'd start in there. They can look fine from the outside but be melted on the inside so you'll have to separate them to know for sure that they're ok. Try the connection coming off the ignition first. I had similar problem where the bike totally died and that connector had melted
(02-06-15, 02:01 AM)His Dudeness link Wrote: Totally dead suggest a break somewhere in the wiring. Could be a fuse or poor connection to the battery or a worn ignition barrel. It could also be a dodgy/melted connector or wire in the loom. I'd be leaning towards a melted connector somewhere because you're getting funny stuff happening on the dash so it sounds like things are touching off each other that shouldn't be. You're probably going to have to take all the connectors in the loom apart and check them for burning. What happens is they come apart slightly or a bit of water gets into them and they start to corrode so you get more resistance at the connection and so more heat and they start to melt and these intermittent problems happen. You could do it the smart way and check the wiring diagram for the most likely culprits but most of the connectors are in that box under the tank so I'd start in there. They can look fine from the outside but be melted on the inside so you'll have to separate them to know for sure that they're ok. Try the connection coming off the ignition first. I had similar problem where the bike totally died and that connector had melted
Cheers Dudeness, looks like I'm going to have to start splitting all the connectors. Does anyone know if you can get meter prongs into the back end of the ignition barrel to see if the contacts are being made? Is there a multi-plug that just pulls off? I wouldn't have thought so as that's surely an easy way to steal the bike!
The ignition switch routes to the plastic box under the tank where there are 2 connectors for it, I've just taken mine off as part of a front end strip.
(02-06-15, 11:54 AM)Freck link Wrote: The ignition switch routes to the plastic box under the tank where there are 2 connectors for it, I've just taken mine off as part of a front end strip.
Thanks Frek, does that mean I can split it there and get a meter on it and check the ignition switch function?
If the main fuse in the starter relay is intact and all the battery connections are ok, check the red connector for the ignition switch in the box under the tank, it may be burned and corroded from arcing.
(02-06-15, 01:19 PM)Freck link Wrote: Yes you can unplug both connectors in the box and slide the whole loom out
Slide? That's a bit of an understatement, last time I took out loom to do headlight mod, I wish I was an octopus, the blocks I wanted were underneath every other block and was a nightmare :eek
Colin
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Ride fast, ride a red bike :-)
I must have been lucky Colin, the plugs on mine were right on top and could literally just be slid out
In fact the whole front end strip has been easy peasy, even the rusty header nuts came off easily, which was a surprise as it looks like this bike's been very neglected for quite some time
I had the same problem with mine whilst riding on the motorway, i checked everything ended up at the local bike shop and they found that the fuse had blown but was not visable until a meter was put accross the terminals.
so for the cost of a 10amp fuse i would just change it and see if it makes a difference.
Checked all the plugs and fuses last night and they have all been greased by previous owner and all look good. I have a copy of the electrical diagram and will get to work checking continuity across all the connectors.
First port of call is the supply to the ignition switch then the feeds from there to the rest of the bike, this looks like the culprit but yet to prove it. Not looking forward to replacing it if this is the issue. :o
Well I found the problem. It's the harness leaving the underside of the ignition switch that is fractured in one or more places.
I checked the supply coming out of the ignition switch (red 5-pin plug under the tank) and was only getting 12v out of one of the five pins (the hazards / indicators feed). Just by chance I pulled on the harness while the ignition was switched on and Hey Presto, the dash lights and neutral indicator light came on. When I got her started and switched on the headlights the whole lot went down so clearly needs further investigation but not tonight.
Anyone managed to salvage a situation like this or am I likely to need a new switch? Also how easy is it to remove the front end fairing, clocks etc as I doubt i'll get a soldering iron in about it with all that gubbins in the way.
Lastly for anyone else that might encounter this problem in the future and for anyone wanting to avoid this happening to them, when the bars are turned hard left the main harness pushes on the ignition return harness and this flexing looks to be the cause of the problem particularly like me if you use the steering lock all the time. Try it yourself and you will see that a few cleverly positioned tie-wraps would have stopped this happening. Of course it could be that my bike has been dismantled in the past and not been put back together properly.
Glad you found it
Electrics are a pain.
Is it the ignition wires your talking about?
You say your going to try and get it out and solder it, can I suggest if it's goosed, you might be better 'adding' new wire to it, using heat shrink for each wire, then wrapping the whole lot in amalgamation tape this will also add a wee bit of slack that could help in the future.
I use a bit of cable tubing round the wires at the front, cheap as chips but saves this sort of hassle as like you, I use the steering lock alk the time.
Colin
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Ride fast, ride a red bike :-)
(04-06-15, 10:32 PM)sinto link Wrote: Glad you found it
Electrics are a pain.
Is it the ignition wires your talking about?
You say your going to try and get it out and solder it, can I suggest if it's goosed, you might be better 'adding' new wire to it, using heat shrink for each wire, then wrapping the whole lot in amalgamation tape this will also add a wee bit of slack that could help in the future.
I use a bit of cable tubing round the wires at the front, cheap as chips but saves this sort of hassle as like you, I use the steering lock alk the time.
Yes Sinto, its the group of five feed wires coming out of the bottom of the ignition barrel. They have the usual black plastic sleeving over them but it's cracked due to flexing and I suspect one or two of the wires inside are broken. Good suggestion about adding wire to give more slack.
I just hope it is a broken wire or two that can be easily fixed because buying and fitting a new barrel would put me off the road for weeks just as the weather is getting nice.
