All my lights went out on my way home tonight...any thoughts

[Anonymous]

I started home at about 9:00 this evening - usually a 25 minute drive. About 3 minutes up the road, my headlight flickered. I thought since I had been switching back and forth between high and low beams, maybe I had hit the switch and thought nothing of it. A few seconds later, the light flickered and went out...and STAYED OUT!!!

I was able to get the bike back to my house - don't ask how - about 2 1/2 hours later.

My question is, what happened???

None of the gauge lights work, the head and tail lights are out. I have no brake light, and no directional signals.

The starter works, the gas gauge works, the oil pressure light works, the neutral light works, and the horn works.

I checked all the fuses and everything seems fine on that end. The headlight bulb looks fine. What else is there?

I took a look at the wiring diagram, and it looks like everything shares a common ground. But if that's the case, why do I have a gas gauge and horn - which share the same ground?

The bike is a 1978 GS1000

I really need some sort of help, even if it's the support of "Hey man, I've been there, too." It's nearly 12:30 a.m. and I am pretty down-hearted about this.

Thanks so much,
Jay

[Nerobro]

Take off your gas tank, and reseat the connector that comes from the left side switch group.

[focus frenzy]

change the fuse and take some light sand paper and clean the contacts of the fuse holder.
the tarnesh on the brass plated fuse holder is a poor conductor and the resistance makes enough heat to melt the solder that holds the itty bitty fuse wire to the end cap of the fuse.
you look at the fuse and it looks fine but in the end where you can not see it the solder has melted and it is not making contact.
I have been there and done that.
that is why I upgraded to a aftermarket fuse box that uses late model blade fuses.

[Planecrazy]

Another good reason to swap out the entire fuse box, is that you may have corroded or broken connections in the box, itself. This is not uncommon in older bikes. If everything else checks out, the fuse box itself could be the culprit.

Good Luck!
Steve 8)

[Anonymous]

Where can I get a good aftermarket fuse block that isn't huge?

I've seen them here and there, but they all seem pretty big.

After looking at it quickly this morning before work, it looks as though some part of something melted in the fuse block. The old headlight fuse was in fact blown (after testing with an ohm meter) and there was some silver gunk on the clip to the left of the fuse. I'm guessing this could have been melted solder from somewhere.

The ends of the fuse had a caramel kind of goo on them where the glass meets the metal ends.

I think when I go looking later I'll probably find something behind the fuse block....

Thanks for the help,
Jay

[Planecrazy]

Jay,

I haven't swapped out my fuse block, because my '83 already uses the newer "blade type" fuses (and I haven't had a problem ... yet.

You could do one of two things. You could check places like Cycle-Recycle Part II for new replacements or you could try Ebay for newer style replacement blocks off a parts bike, but there's always the risk that the "new" old block might not be perfect...

I have an '82 GS1100G parts bike with a block I might be willing to part with, but I don't know what it's worth AND I don't know how well the block will fit your bike. I know that all The circuits appeared to work fine before I began parting out the bike, but of course there's no guarantee with a used block.

Others here might have some suggestions as to whether my block will work well with your bike. If so, PM me if you're interested.

Regards,
Steve 8)