question re: electricals

[dchrist]

Hello. I need some help. My bike has a major electrical problem. The only things that work on it right now are the oil pressure and neutral indicator lights. Everything else is out. I tested the battery and it is giving 12.4 volts so I think thats pretty good. not great but good so let me know if you think that might be an issue. I also tested for power drain and there was practically none, like .003 so I think thats pretty good. And this is were my electrical ability pretty much ends. After studying the wring diagrams, my latest theory is that a bad ground is shorting everything out. Well, I can't even find the ground on the bike to check it.... sad really. I need some pointers/ideas/input from anyone with the knowledge. anything and everything electrical is welcome and appreciated! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

also. after inspecting under the headlight housing I found the sidelight to be completely missing..... is that normal?

After I check the ground I plan to dive in a start testing my switches and relays and various components..... anyone have an opinion on what to test first?

Thanks!

d

[beRto]

What is the condition of the battery?
Is the battery old?
Do you ever charge the battery?
Did the bike die suddenly or were there intermittent problems first?
Have you tried jumping the bike from a car battery?

[ben2go]

Check this out for checking your charging system when you get running. http://www.bbburma.net/Documents/JohnBates_ChargingCircuitTests3.pdf

There is a fuse that's hidden.See this thread for a pic.It's at the bottom of the page.There maybe more info to help you out too. http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=14021.0

[dchrist]

how old does a battery have to be to be considered old? ... mine is at least three seasons.... I put it on a tender, I think its fully charged. still 12.4volts should be enough to run the lights at least is that enough to crank the starter motor? I was having some problems with the starter button not responding occasionally before the power went. also the side stand relay was cutting out on me before the whole thing went dead. the same symptoms as this post from Phaedrus.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24981.0

then one day I went to test some stuff and there were no electricals except for the two dash lights on the left side.

as soon as I get a 12volt battery I'm going to test that relay but according to that post it wasn't a faulty relay it was too little juice from the battery. I hope I have enough juice.... guess I won't know until I hook it up to the car. I've visually inspected all the connectors and switches I could find. the starter button and engine cut off switch all looked like they have good connections. I haven't tried hooking it up to the car. I figured since there is no response to the starter button there's no use there. Its not like it tries to turn over and fails because there's not enough juice, you know? there's just no power to anything but those two dash lights, oil and neutral... so no turn signals or signal indicator, no headlight, no brakelight, no horn, no starter response.

beRto, you suspect battery? anyone know if 12.4 is too low to start the bike? there has to be some other issue or I would at least have headlights with that voltage. I've had the battery too low to start the bike and still had lights...

Thanks, ben2go. I've checked the fuse and it has not blown... I should probably replace it anyway but if its not obviously blown and the connectors are clean I can't imagine thats the cause. Once I get juice through the bike to run it I'll certainly be testing the charging system.

d

[sledge]

First check the ignition switch with the battery disconected, make sure you are getting a circuit between the Brown and Grey cables and the Orange and Red cables with the ignition in the ON position, also check that the contacts in the connector block are clean and sound.

[beRto]

how old does a battery have to be to be considered old? ... mine is at least three seasons.... I put it on a tender, I think its fully charged. still 12.4volts should be enough to run the lights at least is that enough to crank the starter motor? I was having some problems with the starter button not responding occasionally before the power went. also the side stand relay was cutting out on me before the whole thing went dead. the same symptoms as this post from Phaedrus.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24981.0

then one day I went to test some stuff and there were no electricals except for the two dash lights on the left side.

as soon as I get a 12volt battery I'm going to test that relay but according to that post it wasn't a faulty relay it was too little juice from the battery. I hope I have enough juice.... guess I won't know until I hook it up to the car. I've visually inspected all the connectors and switches I could find. the starter button and engine cut off switch all looked like they have good connections. I haven't tried hooking it up to the car. I figured since there is no response to the starter button there's no use there. Its not like it tries to turn over and fails because there's not enough juice, you know? there's just no power to anything but those two dash lights, oil and neutral... so no turn signals or signal indicator, no headlight, no brakelight, no horn, no starter response.

beRto, you suspect battery? anyone know if 12.4 is too low to start the bike? there has to be some other issue or I would at least have headlights with that voltage. I've had the battery too low to start the bike and still had lights...

Thanks, ben2go. I've checked the fuse and it has not blown... I should probably replace it anyway but if its not obviously blown and the connectors are clean I can't imagine thats the cause. Once I get juice through the bike to run it I'll certainly be testing the charging system.

d

I'm trying to suggest that you should test the simple/obvious stuff (like the battery and switches) before you get too far into the nitty-gritty electricals.

First, I'd check the switches (ignition, clutch, sidestand) to make sure then they were ok. Then I'd look at the ground connection on the frame (and Buddha's always ranting about an auxiliary ground connection; I'd figure out what the heck he was talking about and check that too!). Then I'd try a new battery (or at least a boost from a car). Since your battery is three years old, you're probably due for a new one anyways.

I wouldn't automatically rule out something as simple as a battery just because it's showing 12V.

If the simple stuff doesn't check out, then you get into the progressively more complicated stuff.

[dchrist]

cool. keep it simple is good advice. I found the auxiliary ground but I can't find the main ground. I have looked the bike over and have no idea where it is or should be. I'll be testing switches and relays over the weekend starting with ignition.

I don't know any other way to test if the battery is good other than its voltage. I'd prefer not to buy a new one if I can determine that the one I have is ok. I'll know more after I hook it up to the car battery. do you really have to just up and buy a new battery every three years or so? I suppose thats possible, they do have a limited lifespan.

d

[beRto]

cool. keep it simple is good advice. I found the auxiliary ground but I can't find the main ground. I have looked the bike over and have no idea where it is or should be.

These threads show photos (thanks, Kerry!)
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=10015.0
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=39499.0

I don't know any other way to test if the battery is good other than its voltage. I'd prefer not to buy a new one if I can determine that the one I have is ok. I'll know more after I hook it up to the car battery. do you really have to just up and buy a new battery every three years or so? I suppose thats possible, they do have a limited lifespan.

You can bring the battery to a shop for testing (they often do this for free!). Battery lifespan depends on how well maintained the battery is. (That reminds me, is the fluid in the battery cells full?). Three years doesn't actually seem that old, but it depends on how well you've taken care of it (keeping it charged, storing it properly, maintaining fluid levels, not forgetting your parking light on and letting power drain completely, , etc.).

A couple of relevant threads (which seem to confirm that your battery is in fact not that old):
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=35563.msg396200#msg396200
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=39240.msg440619#msg440619

[dchrist]

awesome.... thanks for the links. I hadn't found Kerry's pics in my searches. the battery has actually been pretty abused over my time with it I have to admit. I've had some starting issues in the past (all fuel system related, not electrical until now) were I would crank the engine until the battery died and then charge it back up. also I didn't tend it over the winter, just charged it in the spring. This winter I didn't even take it off the bike (bad, I know). I understand it can only take so much of that. the fluid levels are good in all the cells though and its holding a charge so I guess I should take it to the shop to see if that charge is high enough before buying a new one. I know I have a different problem than just the battery though... I'm confident there's at least enough juice left to run the lights!

thanks for helping me find that ground. I had been frustrated over that one...

d