Brake Light Switch

[monolith]

I have a 05 manufactured Naked and have had three faulty stop light switches (the switch in the front brake lever) They seem to only last about 2000Km each.
The stop light doesnt come on when the lever is squeezed unles i pull the plug upwards with some cable ties......
Is this common or have I just had a run of them from a bad batch?

[3imo]

As a Tech, I would assume I had been replacing the wrong part, before thinking I was stuck in a bad batch.

lemme look at my bike and I'll be back.

[3imo]

Ok, with micro switches you might have run into a "batch" issue.

first, have you verified the switches went bad?  i.e.. ohm'd it out with an ohmmeter?

If not check it with an ohmmeter or anything you can check the continuity with.  check across the switch and depress the switch to see if it "switches" on and off.
---------------------------------

Until you know 100% if the switches are good or not, I would still assume something else is wrong. Your plug may be corroded or the wires may be damaged.  SEMI- broken cables are a real pain in the ass. 

Your symptoms sound like the wires going into you plug are damaged somehow.

good luck.

[dav8or]

I have an `06 GS500F with the same problem. I have checked the switch with an ohmmeter and the resistance varies greatly when you pull up and down on the connectors. I just put a call into Suzuki this past Saturday to report it as a possible safety defect to see if they have a recall on that part before I pay for a new one. My bike has about 1000 miles on it and a little less than a year I left a message buy have not heard back from them yet. I am thinking about reporting it to the U.S. NHTSA in case there are other complaints so they will possibly force a recall. I would like to see if others are having this problem as well though first.

[3imo]

When you ohm out a switch while it is connected to the circuit you will not read across the switch, you will get the total resistance of the entire circuit.

Pulling up and down on the connectors doesn't tell you anything because the switch is still in the circuit.

#1 -Take the switch out of the curcuit.
#2 - Measure across the leads with an ohmmeter.
#3 - Open the switch and you should have a reading of infinite resistance.
#4 - Close the switch and you should read (nearly)zero resistance.

If the switch is bad. Then you may be on to something.

IF not, then you have faulty wires or some other problem.

Good luck.

[starwalt]

I have a 05 manufactured Naked ...The stop light doesnt come on when the lever is squeezed unles i pull the plug upwards with some cable ties...

Unless the switches are filling up with acid rain due to being stored outside (I jest), this doesn't sound like a microswitch issue.

The world has a pretty good grip on microswitch technology and I doubt that you would have three in a row to be bad. These aren't high tech gadgets and are pretty simple.

Do what 3imo instructs as a test. CAVEAT - Some of the switches may have three contacts leads (blades) on them. One is common, the other two are normally closed and normally open. This is often marked as "COM", "NO", and "NC" on the device.

Your wires should be connected to the COM and the NO connection blades of the switch.
This is where you should be connecting the meter leads as per 3imo's directions.

dav80r: You should be connecting to the switch ONLY. Where are you inserting the meter leads otherwise? I wouldn't get so bent with being ignored by Suz. You are the final customer and should have been dealt with by a dealer. Besides, the person you called may not even work there anymore.


Please don't make us take pictures for this! 

[pbureau69]

Mine was dead as well, but 10K on the dial, ordered 2 more... 5$/each
meanwhile I use rear brake for lights

[dav8or]

I tested the switch correctly the first time, completely off the bike. by connectors I meant the spade terminals coming out of the switch. There are two spades. when switch is open resistance is infinity, when closed the resistance varies while moving the spades around in the switch housing. Resistance is also higher than one would expect for a closed circuit. Switch definitely has problems. connecting the two wires together operates the brake lights perfectly so absolutely no problems there.

Suzuki did leave me a couple of messages today. When I reached them they want me to take it to a dealer and pay them to check it. I will see if one of the dealers will do it as warranty work but not willing to pay more than $5 for them to check this. If they want more than that for diagnostic time I will probably just buy the switches as cheap as I can and report the problem to NHTSA so they will have a record of it in case others file similar complaints. This is how recalls are started.

[dav8or]

Mine was dead as well, but 10K on the dial, ordered 2 more... 5$/each
meanwhile I use rear brake for lights

Where did you find them for $5 each??

Thanks, Dan

[starwalt]

One point on this -- when changing a microswitch, be careful NOT to overtighten the mounting screws. In industry, we use sleeves inside the mounting holes to prevent body crush. When this happens the connection blades can do what is reported here.

I don't recall if the GS application has sleeves. Some switches attempt to eliminate the need for sleeves with reinforced mounting sections, but these are still prone to crush failure. The spades/blades that are external to the switch actually continue into the device and have the electrical contacts mounted on them. If the spade/blade can be moved, the switch has failed mechanically - for some reason - and is allowing the electrical contacts to change positions - thus the variation in the resistance you may be measuring.

I just may either x-ray a switch or perform a autopsy on one for demonstration.

I personally hate microswitches for the very reasons we are discussing. They work, usually well, and are simple; unless mechanically or environmentally abused. They will fail with use - eventually.

[ducati_nolan]

Is this the stock type switch? if it isn't I'd just try a stock one. An aftermarket microswitch may not be able to handle the power or vibration. Otherwise it could be a mounting issue. Make sure there is no tension on the wires, put in extra slack to prevent this from happening. That's all I can think of 

[pbureau69]

Mine was dead as well, but 10K on the dial, ordered 2 more... 5$/each
meanwhile I use rear brake for lights

Where did you find them for $5 each??

Thanks, Dan

greenville Texas suzuki dealership. 4.89 each to be exact was quoted to me.. I ordered 2.. why would they be any more expensive... theyonly cost 50 cents to build.

[ducati_nolan]

I read your original post again and since it works when you pull your plug, I'd try replacing the plug, or even soldering the wire to the switch. At least try cleaning the plug with some electrical parts cleaner. Some dielectric grease will prevent corosion on your cleaned/new plug.

[dav8or]

Where did you find them for $5 each??

Thanks, Dan

greenville Texas suzuki dealership. 4.89 each to be exact was quoted to me.. I ordered 2.. why would they be any more expensive... theyonly cost 50 cents to build.

[/quote]

Dealers here want $16-$20 for that switch. I am in the Houston, TX area. If I could get them that cheap here I would just order a couple and replace them when they go bad.

[dav8or]

One point on this -- when changing a microswitch, be careful NOT to overtighten the mounting screws. In industry, we use sleeves inside the mounting holes to prevent body crush. When this happens the connection blades can do what is reported here.

This would be a good thing to report to the Suzuki factory or dealer, whichever actually installs the part, as mine had not been removed from the lever before I tested it and the spade connectors could be moved up and down a millimeter or so each way. I don't believe there is a sleeve in the Suzuki stock switch. I think it is a poor design and the internal contacts are not properly protected from the elements.