Gear select indicator ghost

[Guest]

Hi all,

I've been doing a lot of work to my GS550e and I'm pleased to say it's going well. However a few things still have me stumped.

One of them is my gear indicator, which shows 1st gear but not the 2nd, then shows 3rd, 4th and 5th. Does anyone know how to solve this?

Many thanks!

[mnferwerda]

Have you checked the bulb for second gear? It could be burned out.

[1978GS750E]

You may want to check the sensor that is down by the sprocket. It could be dirty and not making contact.

[Wes51st]

Have you checked the bulb for second gear? It could be burned out.

I haven't. I thought there was just one bulb for the display, not one per gear. I'll look for how to get in there and check.

Thanks

[Wes51st]

You may want to check the sensor that is down by the sprocket. It could be dirty and not making contact.

That sounds like a good idea, I'll do that. But I must admit I don't know what the sensor looks like, is it obvious where to find it?

[Steve]

What year is your 550E? Different years have different displays.

Is yours a series of individual lights that go across the display or do you have a 7-segment single digit?

If you have individual lights, suspect the bulb.

If you have a single 7-segment digit, suspect the switch unit. Look under the front sprocket area, you will see a cable disappearing toward the shaft. You will likely have to remove the sprocket cover, then a screw or two to remove the switch assembly, but BE CAREFUL!!! There is a small spring and possibly a small ball in there that makes the actual contact. The spring is not strong enough to spit the switch assembly back at you, but it makes things interesting when you see stuff fly that you were not expecting.

.

[Wes51st]

Thanks, I do have the single digit display so that narrows it down. I'll do as you say and be careful investigating the sensor.

Thanks for your advice.

[Wes51st]

One last thing and sorry if its a stupid question. But will oil leak out when I open the sprocket housing? If so I just want to make sure I've got some more oil on hand to top it up.

[Steve]

Normally, oil will not leak out. However, there is a seal in the mechanism that stays in the engine, if it is bad, you will find some oil, but it will already be obvious before you remove the cover.

.

[Wes51st]

Thanks for your help Steve. I took of the gear sensor off and cleaned it. Most of the contacts were filthy, so I cleaned them until they shined.

However, it still didn't show gear 1 and 2. Then I realised I was wrong and do have the 7 bulb indicator version, so I swapped the bulbs over and tired again. Unfortunately, still gear 1 and 2 don't show, but 3,4,5, and 6 do.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Many thanks

[JTGS850GL]

Connector problem or wiring broken then.

[Wes51st]

Connector problem or wiring broken then.

Thanks, I'll take a closer look and replace in needed. Cheers for your help