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Where in the world do all these wires go?

  • Thread starter Thread starter andtheacademics
  • Start date Start date
A

andtheacademics

Guest
Hello all,

I've had a wee thread running on my carb/ petcock/ gas tank issues - which I have (for the most part) sorted out. And today when I tried to get the bike started to head over to the DMV and register her, she starts blowing fuses left and right. (well, there's only one fuse...)

Install fuse, turn on bike (cluster lights up) disengage kill switch, and I can see the neutral light, surge, dim, die.

Now, I pull the tank (which coincidentally finally 100% confirmed my petcock failure suspicions) poke around the wiring whilst simultanously scratching my head and drooling - as I often do. Then made a video.

Here is my sixth fuse attempt, which of course did not blow when I turned on the bike because I was filming it. I changed the outcome of the experiment through observation! (pardon the long attempt at focusing, my iphone was not cooperating either...)

So, what do the good doctors prescribe?

Thanks - A
 
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"Install fuse, turn on bike (cluster lights up) disengage kill switch, and I can see the neutral light, surge, dim, die."

If you just leave kill switch in "run" position ( i.e. don't use it), put in new fuse, does fuse still blow? The "surge, dim, die" sounds like power is grounding out- kill switch guts to handlebar or farther down wiring.
 
Not necessarily a "good doctor", but I would prescribe getting a wiring diagram for your bike and identifying the wires in question.

If you don't already have a manual, get one from BassCliff's site. There is a wiring diagram in there.

The connections shown in your video at 0:30 are puzzling.
The only white wire on the bike is the wire to the brake light.
The only black wire is the wire to the left turn signal.
The only green wire is to the right turn signal.
The only yellow wire is to the high beam filament.
There is noplace in the stock harness where all of those will be in the same place, that bunch of connectors must be added on.

Start tracing the wires to see where they go, good luck.

.
 
Do get a schematic, can find one on Bass Cliff site (I have one printed here) or other places. Maybe good to get a manaul also, that will also have schematic.

To address the situation of the fuse blowing when activate the kill switch:
THe kill switch puts power to three things:
- small little jumper over to the starter button right there in the right control. But blows fuse before you hit the starter button, so do not need to follow the starter solenoid circuit (green/yellow).
- the orange/white wire going to Ignition coil 1-4 and also to ignition coil 2-3.
- the orange/white wire that goes to the Ignitor.

So follow along on that orange/white wire, to find the coils and the ignitor. It is something along there that is blowing your fuse. Or one of the coils, or the ignitor. Or maybe something inside the starter button

I was going to suspect the ignitor (esch, expensive) and tell you to disconenct that, and then suspect the coils and tell you to disconnect them.

But, now, after watching your vidio,
I would suspect somewhere along that wiring harness you were moving around in the vidio since you moved that and then it did not blow fuse. May not have blown then, but probably is going to again something. So lets find it now. Move that around some more and see more what you find.

Also look along the wiring harness, what looks like the electrical black tape wrapped around, look and see if you see what looks like any melted areas. If you find any, peel back the black tape and see what surprize awaits you inside.

Tell us more what you find.


Dave

.
 
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Like the others said, be sure to download the wiring diagram. I too would be concerned about that bare wire going into your coil connector as well as the cut one next to it. Pull the tape off and look at things - you may be looking at having to repair some of your harness.

For the experts, could those three wires be the stator connection (assuming it's not connected someplace else)?
 
cowboyup3371 said:
For the experts, could those three wires be the stator connection (assuming it's not connected someplace else)?
Click to expand...

After reading the stator papers - wouldn't having a disconnected stator wreak havoc on your battery? Havoc in the fashion of being immediately noticeable?
 
andtheacademics said:
After reading the stator papers - wouldn't having a disconnected stator wreak havoc on your battery? Havoc in the fashion of being immediately noticeable?
Click to expand...

I'm no expert... but I do know you can disconnect the stator (which charges the bike) and still run fine for a while as long as you have a good battery.

I've had first hand experience with this when my R/R was not powering up do to an electical fault and the stator was frying wires. I just unplugged the stator till I could get it home to fix it.
 
ive bean following your other post, and im sorry about the ppo and this entire hassle, the @SS should be shot!
are you positive that the box in one of the pictures you have posted is an electronic ignition module? have you taken a look at your points cover to c whats in there? there is a possibility that the harness is from a different year bike, if that's the case, it might be worth throwing a stock harness back on the bike. also, in the picture you have posted, you did not have a flasher relay plugged in, idk if that was just for the pix or it is MIA.
 
Steve said:
The only white wire on the bike is the wire to the brake light.
The only black wire is the wire to the left turn signal.
The only green wire is to the right turn signal.
The only yellow wire is to the high beam filament.
There is noplace in the stock harness where all of those will be in the same place, that bunch of connectors must be added on.
.
Click to expand...

Without being there and seeing the color and stripes live, I will say I do believe one of the stator wires is yellow, the wire going to the starter relay has the same yellow look similar to the one in the video, and the entire bike has black ground wire (although the stripe is white).

Just sayin don't be quick to disbelieve those wires should be in that area.

As for what to do with a "fixed" short, with all the conditions right for the short - whatever has to be on for your short to happen turned on, reach in and start moving the harness around. Target any areas you suspect and places where you suspect tampering has "fixed" the problem.

From the video I suspect that coil wire is possibly grounding on the frame or something else. Get rid of that electrical tape, check the connection, and do it up proper with solder and heat shrink or as good as you have the ability to get it. Definitely make sure it's insulated. Possibly follow the wire, I suspect it was added by a PO, and make sure the other splice point is well done and insulated.
 
Crazy_Russian said:
ive bean following your other post, and im sorry about the ppo and this entire hassle, the @SS should be shot!
Click to expand...

Are you implying that we all here at the GSR should be shot too? I'm sure we all have redone, modified, "improved", or changed from stock our GS'es. Even with best intentions the next guy who has to wrench on the bike is going to see it as a big headache and wish it wasn't changed from stock. In honesty, I already see my own bike that way just from my "fixing/improving"; when it comes time to test the stator I'll be hating that I did away with the 30 yr old bullet connectors and soldered it directly to the R/R.
 
andtheacademics said:
After reading the stator papers - wouldn't having a disconnected stator wreak havoc on your battery? Havoc in the fashion of being immediately noticeable?
Click to expand...

Disconnected stator would only cause battery to not charge. Could also disconnect the R/R and only problem would be that battery will not charge. Some folks run like that, just cant go too far, and have to put on charger before next trip.

But seems here that your big problem is the fuse blowing on occassion (which stator papers will not help at all). What you finding with that?

.
 
Are there any forum members near you? At this stage it would be massively beneficial for an "expert" to have a look at your wiring. The mere fact that an earlier owner installed an ignitor means there could be a lot more going on.
 
Sorry for the delay in update fellas, I was finally able to limp over to the DMV and get Betty a plate! (which ate up the better part of my Monday) Much of my anxiety has been caused by feeling like "When I finally get this bike running I won't even be able to ride it!"

I pulled the harness out a bit, ran through all the wires under the tank for corrosion and exposure - found a few little bits and taped them up for the time being. Put the tank back on, bike on, kill off, no problem. Put the tail piece back on bike on, kill off, no problem. Tightened down the tail piece and BLAM blown fuse.

Removed tail piece, pulled out brake light wiring (three wires) cut back the little electrical-tape sleeve and wouldn't you know all three wires have been compressed to the point of severing their shielding in the same place - most likely from not being correctly fed through the wiring hole in the tail section, subsequently being squashed and likely ridden that way for a while...

(all I have right now is electrical tape, scissors, and a dream)

Taped those off individually, wrapped them back together, fed them correctly, mounted tail section - bike on, kill off, blow fuse.

Remove tank, poke harness again for good measure. Bike on, kill off, no problems for the rest of the day.

SO - obviously there is something happening either in the harness under the tank, OR nearer the battery.

I would love to rewire this bike, I mean like - really re wire it... On BikeCliff's site this company makes classic ford harnesses - but to rewire a bike am I going to have to go through the wiring diagram and order the correct lengths of all 20-some odd wire colors and connectors individually? (I'd rather do that because I'd learn more than just plugging in some harness, but not having to do the sourcing would be nice) someone somewhere mentioned a kit, but I think it was just a connector kit. I think I would want new wires...
 
Building a new wire harness is a pretty big project. I think there is a link on BassCliff's site for a place that does various connectors. You'd need to map out the wiring, determine what connectors you need, and then order 25 spools of wire to match the colors in the diagram.

NBD

Or you could pull the tank, and trace the wires going out of the kill switch for a short. If the bike lights up without shorting with the kill switch engaged, then shorts when you disengage the kill switch, look at what is on the other side -- i.e., coils and ignition. The coils are just a short distance from the switch, so root through those wires.

Hell, before you go whole hog and build an entirely new wire harness, you could just rewire the coils/kill switch portion.
 
Crazy_Russian said:
read this thread and then speak http://thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=192412&page=9

i am guilty myself of doing small mods to the bike, BUT, my stuff is clean and functional after im done with it and doesnt look like a rats nest and people dont go WTF?!
Click to expand...

Well of course people don't go WTF in your presence, it's the next guy that does it when your not around to tell him what you did.

My **** is clean too but my rewiring (as I'm sure most other's here is too) isn't found on a factory wiring diagram. Anyone who has ever resorted to a wiring diagram to sort things out only to find wires that don't match up to the diagram know what I'm getting at.
 
well, you are welcome to come for a visit and check out my wiring ;)
but, in this case, where a harness from a different model/year GS has bean used with wires that are broken, cramped, left opened and just randomly hanging out, yes, i think the PO needs to be sot

Killer2600 said:
Well of course people don't go WTF in your presence, it's the next guy that does it when your not around to tell him what you did.

My **** is clean too but my rewiring (as I'm sure most other's here is too) isn't found on a factory wiring diagram. Anyone who has ever resorted to a wiring diagram to sort things out only to find wires that don't match up to the diagram know what I'm getting at.
Click to expand...
 
Pretty sure Russian meant who ever the PO was and who butchered the wiring should be shot, what a mess he left all that in.

Killer2600 said:
Are you implying that we all here at the GSR should be shot too? I'm sure we all have redone, modified, "improved", or changed from stock our GS'es. Even with best intentions the next guy who has to wrench on the bike is going to see it as a big headache and wish it wasn't changed from stock. In honesty, I already see my own bike that way just from my "fixing/improving"; when it comes time to test the stator I'll be hating that I did away with the 30 yr old bullet connectors and soldered it directly to the R/R.
Click to expand...
 
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