No starter no headlight

[DaveR]

Today was to be the day for the end of the 79 GS1000s 12 year slumber.

New fully charged battery installed, kill switch off, turn key on... signal, oil pressure and neutral lights illuminated but no high beam indicator light or instrument background lights. Signal lights and rear brake light work.
No headlight, tested off the bike both high and low beam work properly.
No starter, not even a click.

Spent the morning using my limited electrical knowledge to try to find something obvious. No success.

Does anyone see a clue with the dead starter and headlight?

 

[Gorminrider]

Not sure on your bike exactly but most, including an '80 850;

Headlight and dashlights get their power from a yellow/white stripe (headlamp)and a gray wire (dashlights) connecting through a "multiconnector to Orange/Redstripe (coming from the fusebox).Usually the multi is under the triple tree or very close to the headlight bucket... or inside the headlight shell ..check that. open the headlight bucket and look for undone bullet connectors... The Yellow/white's other end goes to handlebarswitch but seeing as no dash lights I'd goto the multiconnector first. Follow them and you should find it.

Dead starter is a different circuit. but seeing as the solenoid actuator is on the handlebar, you might follow the green/yellow stripe in the same area-headlight bucket.

Have you tested the solenoid? apply 12 volt + to where the yellow/green stripe wire is soldered to solenoid....thereafter are other steps..screwdriver to take the solenoid out of the equation etc...

Oh, and DO identify the Black/white stripe that comes out near the headlight bucket and attaches to frame...check it out too. Important to know your headlight grounds through that little wire ...

We KNOW you've been "touching" things so try to retrace your steps.. but IF it's like the 850 your fuse is ok because Orange/red powers turn signals too.

 

[DaveR]

Gorminrider - thanks for the explaining where and what to check. I spent most of today looking for the headlight problem. Have learned lots and verified everything so far as good but haven't found the problem yet. Will keep looking tomorrow.

 

[Gorminrider]

This MIGHT help. I made it for my 650 as a learning aid but it seems to suit many GS of the timeperiod Right click save as or use your browser's option to zoom. I can send you a better version if it looks to be helpful but unreadable as posted here.

 

[DaveR]

Excellent suggestion Gorminrider. I printed a copy of the gs1000 electrical diagram and colored the main power circuits. Then checked all with a powered test light.
All wiring, connectors and lights show to work properly on the circuits you mentioned except the grey. The ignition switch doesn't seem to be sending power to it.

Ignition switch - key/on, with one probe of the test light on the red terminal, the other shows orange has continuity, grey does not. Brown looks like a factory orphan.

Question - does this testing show the ignition switch needs diddling?

 

[Gorminrider]

per the diagram, the grey wire also supplies your tail-lamp through that brown when key is ON. (in "Park" Orange supplies the taillamp) So turn the switch to ON and check your taillamp...OK? that means your connection of grey to orange /red stripe is ok so move on to where it goes to gauges....

also, best to Test for Voltage not ohms... Black probe to frame(gnd) , red probe to (as an example) grey (+) . ...(OR even better as a real world test, a tail-light bulb and socket with wires attached because it'll show you if there's power rather than just voltage...)

.I'm just now glancing at a GS 1000 shop manual and the key switch setup is the same...some of the rest of the diagram I have is hard to read as a pdf -I'll print it out to see diffs but from what I can see it is awfully similar to diagram above .

 

[DaveR]

Thanks for your patience. Tail lamp OK in Park
Used a bulb/probe tester, followed the o/r, power good from battery to the handlebar switch. No power out of it to Grey.
Took the switch apart. Hmm...

 

[Gorminrider]

I don't see the "hmm" in the picture. Strong guess it's bridging device across a choice of "copper tracks" on a board I can't see ... can't tell if this is lo/hi or the actual light switch but if you have power in and no power out when the switch is put together, you will be very near finding the problem....either this bridge is not touching the tracks or a wire is broken .

I'm looking at a basic 1000's diagram a bit closer and it's certainly a different light switch than the 650's but the ideas are always similar..... There are several diagrams for the 1000 to choose from too.

 

[DaveR]

The copper bridging device for the hi/lo switch is missing. No doubt that's a problem. I found a used 1/2'' copper pipe strap of the same thickness in the plumbing box. Yes, I had saved it, being a child of depression era folks. Spent an hour making a new bridging device, added a repurposed spring and installed it. High hopes.



No joy. Then this little revelation..



Half of the flush round copper contact points on the ''board'' are showing when the hi/low switch is on hi, the furthest it can move in that direction. Both ball/indents and the slot in the housing the switch lever protrudes from restrict any other movement. Neither hi/low nor light switch positions are interchangeable, neither are any of the other internal parts. Every part appears to fit in only one position.

I can only think now that the switch was faulty, was swapped out for a close but non correct part and installed without the copper bridge/spring before I bought it. Looks like the next step is to find a used switch.

 

[Gorminrider]

AHA! Good man. Finding the problem is most of the battle.

You may know the following already but Be aware that two of those wires are from the Infamous headlight loop (white/Redstripe W/R White/Green stripe W/G) Keep the function if you like but it can be dispensed with back near the Regulator/Rectifier ("R/R") or just twisted together ...personally, I repurpose them for auxiliaries, seeing as they go the length of the bike conveniently.

idea: maybe, the problem arose because someone was doing something to that (infamous) headlight loop?

For handlebar light switches, quite a few can be MADE to work IF you can't find a real replacement or fix that one. I put one from a Honda gl500 on the 650 for awhile (because I wanted running lights) but the gist of it was sorting the different colour codes per turn and headlights...and adapting the connectors to suit the Suzuki 's. If you go this way , don't screw up the Suzukis connectors against the day you find the correct replacement

 

[DaveR]

A replacement switch looks like the way to go.
Thanks for guiding me through this Gormanrider, much appreciated. The starter problem is for another day, maybe another thread.