No Start - Wiring Mistake?

[Guest]

I think I'm losing my mind. I've stared at wiring diagrams for the past two evenings and can't figure out while all of a sudden my beautifully running bike won't start. It's my own error and I feel like the fix is a simple, incorrect wiring mistake. I will add all indicators and lights work fine as it is now, but no start.

Battery is fully charged. No "click" from starter when start button is pushed. I think the issue lies somewhere in the clutch safety switch wiring, start button wiring, or the stop/run switch wiring. I may have simply just plugged a wire into the wrong spot. It ran fine a week or so ago, but after I disassembled the headlight bucket to clean up my wiring now I am having the issue.

It may be something very similar to what Partagas is experiencing here:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=223087

I also feel like I should pay close attention to JTGS850GL's post here, and trace my wires to make sure the path is correct.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=2068215&postcount=12

I took some photos, towards the bottom is a connector (I believe ignition) that looks somewhat burned where a couple wires go in.

Note: The brown two-into-one wire is not plugged in. It doesn't affect any of my lights or indicators. The black/white wire right by it isn't plugged in either. Again, no affect on lights/indicators. There is also a single orange (red?) wire with a female end that is not plugged in.



Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[Steve]

You can start (pardon the pun) by minimizing some variables. Remove the clutch "safety" switch, then you will KNOW that it is not the problem. You will see two yellow wires with green tracers (shown in your third picture) that have bullet connectors. Separate them. Take the two that are connected to the main harness (not the switch) and connect them together. Do what you want with the wires that go to the switch, it won't hurt to just let them hang. If you still don't have success, follow that orange wire. First of all, are you sure it's "orange", not brown? Orange wires with various colored traces power the lights and ignition, but the brown wire will power the tail light. There is also a loose brown wire in the headlight bucket for auxiliary lights, if you have dual-filament bulbs in your front turn signals.

.

[Gorminrider]

maybe to help get stuff off the list as Steve is saying...
On my bikes at least, the kill switch has no effect on the solenoid and starting motor so you can take that off the list if you have the colours correctly connected.From my diagram it picks up (+)power (orange) and sends it via Orange white to coils so it should be separate entirely from the starting motor.

Black/White wires are always grounds. Negative polarity.

[growler]

Alright, I understand how to remove the clutch safety switch. I'll try that asap.

That lonely wire in the 4th photo.....I can't identify it on the wiring diagram. It's a solid color, no stripes. From looking at the GS wire color codes a solid orange would make it the ignition power. If that's it, I should have another lonely wire mate to it. I know it's not brown, because that would affect my tail & license plate lights which are working fine. Perhaps it is red....constant positive - battery to starter? Maybe I've stared at it too long. I know this has got to be something simple. Well, hopefully - hah!

You can start (pardon the pun) by minimizing some variables. Remove the clutch "safety" switch, then you will KNOW that it is not the problem. You will see two yellow wires with green tracers (shown in your third picture) that have bullet connectors. Separate them. Take the two that are connected to the main harness (not the switch) and connect them together. Do what you want with the wires that go to the switch, it won't hurt to just let them hang. If you still don't have success, follow that orange wire. First of all, are you sure it's "orange", not brown? Orange wires with various colored traces power the lights and ignition, but the brown wire will power the tail light. There is also a loose brown wire in the headlight bucket for auxiliary lights, if you have dual-filament bulbs in your front turn signals.

.

[Steve]

I know it's not brown, because that would affect my tail & license plate lights which are working fine.

Don't be so quick there. Over the years, the colors of the insulation can change in subtle ways.

That probably IS a brown wire. As I mentioned, there is probably an extra wire that can be used as an accessory wire for front running lights. If your bike did not come with them from the factory (I think they arrived with the '82 models), the wire did not connect to anything.

Use your test light (or volt meter) to verify if that wire becomes "live" in the ON and PARK positions.

.

[Grimly]

Some plastic colouring in loom wiring isn't stable over thirty years (and sooner). Red changing to brown isn't unknown, but you you'd normally see a proper red where it's been hidden under loom tape.

[Gorminrider]

You can test as Steve said, but from the diagrams I have, a brown wire up there will only be "Live" at the Furthest Right Lock Position "Park"...at least that is so on my 400.

idea..?
I could be wrong, and should test this but it seem to me that sockets per bullet connectors are usually the live side of these connectors, while the bullet ends are from the load to be plugged in..."not-live ".
If so, those sockets I see should be live and traceable given they are not from open switches or blown fuses... Disconnected bullet ends are merely continuity checkable to ground through signal lights etc.
At switches, this'd be a little more complicated, one lead is a bullet, the other a socket. The bullet would connect to a live wire socket (maybe from fuse panel ) which then makes the socket live when switched on.

[Gorminrider]

#4 is certainly a hard call as to filthy orange or lightish brown, yet it looks very familiar...
If it's Orange, It's the bus wire and likely returns to fuse box from the key switch.
If it's Brown, as you said, that relates to tail light.

[growler]

thank you for all the feedback. the past two days have been full of work and i'm gonna get back out to the garage tonight.

i would think that other wires that have "aged" in the bucket would tell me how fast colors have faded, etc. the only true fading i've seen is from red to orange (on my bike at least).

i think that pic #4 is either a red or orange wire. it comes down the same path with all the speedo/tach/indicator wires. i did switch to aftermarket gauges, and in doing so lost the fuel gauge and side stand indicators. maybe it has something to do with that.

in pic #5, i think that is definitely a brown wire.

we shall see tonight. if it's not a wiring issue, and something else went wrong and just had great timing (haha), where should i begin to look?

[OldVet66]

The red wires age toward the brown color. A missing ground on the solenoid mounting plate will also disable the solenoid and give the same symptoms.

[growler]

Well Steve, this did the trick. I bypassed the switch and connected the two Y/Grn coming from the main harness. Reconnected the (-) on the battery, pushed the start button and it fired right up. I may have even yelled "woohooooo" from the garage.

It's okay to just leave the clutch safety switch disconnected, right? I'm not used to having one, so I won't miss it.

Thank you for the help everyone. Time for a short ride!

You can start (pardon the pun) by minimizing some variables. Remove the clutch "safety" switch, then you will KNOW that it is not the problem. You will see two yellow wires with green tracers (shown in your third picture) that have bullet connectors. Separate them. Take the two that are connected to the main harness (not the switch) and connect them together. Do what you want with the wires that go to the switch, it won't hurt to just let them hang. If you still don't have success, follow that orange wire. First of all, are you sure it's "orange", not brown? Orange wires with various colored traces power the lights and ignition, but the brown wire will power the tail light. There is also a loose brown wire in the headlight bucket for auxiliary lights, if you have dual-filament bulbs in your front turn signals.

.

[Steve]

It's okay to just leave the clutch safety switch disconnected, right? I'm not used to having one, so I won't miss it.

No problem at all. It was Suzuki's first attempt at satisfying the safety weenies who were trying to protect us from ourselves. Its only function was to prevent use of the electric starter unless the clutch was pulled, to make sure that the bike did not accidentally take off in-gear when the engine started.

Most of us look for the green Neutral light before pushing the button.

.

[A-train]

You can start (pardon the pun) by minimizing some variables. Remove the clutch "safety" switch, then you will KNOW that it is not the problem. You will see two yellow wires with green tracers (shown in your third picture) that have bullet connectors. Separate them. Take the two that are connected to the main harness (not the switch) and connect them together. Do what you want with the wires that go to the switch, it won't hurt to just let them hang. If you still don't have success, follow that orange wire. First of all, are you sure it's "orange", not brown? Orange wires with various colored traces power the lights and ignition, but the brown wire will power the tail light. There is also a loose brown wire in the headlight bucket for auxiliary lights, if you have dual-filament bulbs in your front turn signals.

.

This solved the exact same problem on my 550.

(Ahh, just saw you got it running - nice work

[growler]

perfect. now on to the next thing on the list.

valve clearances.

No problem at all. It was Suzuki's first attempt at satisfying the safety weenies who were trying to protect us from ourselves. Its only function was to prevent use of the electric starter unless the clutch was pulled, to make sure that the bike did not accidentally take off in-gear when the engine started.

Most of us look for the green Neutral light before pushing the button.

.

[Steve]

perfect. now on to the next thing on the list.

valve clearances.

Almost as easy as trying to decipher faded wire colors.

Just follow the instructions carefully and completely, but above all, DO NOT ROTATE THE CRANK IF ANY SHIMS ARE MISSING.

You have a copy of my spreadsheet, the rest is all just wrench-turning (spanner spinning for those that are not in the USA).

.