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another coil relay gone bad prematurely

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    another coil relay gone bad prematurely

    This is what I just installed: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=330-070

    Mounted it under the tank, on the frame with a zip tie, nice and tight. No apparent vibration but also no ventilation. It seems a bit warm from the heat off the top of the engine but nothing out of the ordinary. I don't have 200 miles on this relay. What gives? Just bad luck? I'm going insulate it from the frame with a piece of rubber the next time but would it help if I mounted it where it could get air? I have one mounted on the front of the bike for the horns and it's over 3 years old and still going strong.


    #2
    i dunno, personally, i've mounted mine at the battery box. the only failure i've had was the fuse popped when i accidentally grounded out a connector :P

    Comment


      #3
      I went to the homie G section at Auto Zone ( neon lights ) and found a no name China 40 amp relay there.

      I've put over a 1000 miles on it so far and all seems well. I did my dad's bike the same way and his seems fine, both are mounted by the fuse box.

      Comment


        #4
        homie G section
        LOL
        1983 GS 1100E w/ 1230 kit, .340 lift Web Cams, Ape heavy duty valve springs, 83 1100 head with 1.5mm oversized SS intake valves, 1150 crank, Vance and Hines 1150 SuperHub, Star Racing high volume oil pump gears, 36mm carebs Dynojet stage 3 jet kit, Posplayr's SSPB, Progressive rear shocks and fork springs, Dyna 2000, Dynatek green coils and Vance & Hines 4-1 exhaust.
        1985 GS1150ES stock with 85 Red E bodywork.

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          #5
          Mine is by the battery box. Cheapy relay. OK so far at 2200 miles but I do carry a spare just in case.
          1980 GS1000G - Sold
          1978 GS1000E - Finished!
          1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
          1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
          2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
          1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
          2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

          www.parasiticsanalytics.com

          TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

          Comment


            #6
            I mounted my Parts Express relay on the Electrical Panel, I guess I better buy a Spare

            Steve

            1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

            Comment


              #7
              That panel is also rubber mounted & cool... should be fine there
              1980 GS1000G - Sold
              1978 GS1000E - Finished!
              1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
              1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
              2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
              1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
              2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

              www.parasiticsanalytics.com

              TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

              Comment


                #8
                I've often wondered why we don't use a thyristor here instead of the relay. No moving parts to worry about being shaken loose and quite cheap. It would be quite a simple job to mount it to the frame and use some thermal compound or a pad to improve heat dissipation.

                Which makes me think that it seems strange that no one here has tried it!

                Comment


                  #9
                  it's my understanding that they opperate on high voltage AC applications. not sure it would work with low voltage dc.

                  for that matter, you could just get a solid state relay for about as cheap as you can buy the normal relay for.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by seuadr View Post
                    it's my understanding that they opperate on high voltage AC applications. not sure it would work with low voltage dc.

                    for that matter, you could just get a solid state relay for about as cheap as you can buy the normal relay for.
                    It's been a long time since I meddled with electronics at component level but I was pretty sure a thyristor was effectively a switched diode and would operate on DC. I'm also pretty sure you can get them to work at lower voltages as well

                    But thinking about it you wouldn't really need a SSR you could quite easily knock up a MOSFET (or whatever modern equivalent you can think of) as a simple trigger device with a couple of resistors and you'd have a quite robust solution that would be vibration proof to a greater extent than a relay

                    Comment


                      #11
                      fair enough, but i think it's heat, not vibration that is killing these relays, i haven't had any trouble at all with mine, and it was a cheapie. but i have mine near the battery box. most of these i've seen failing are near the motor.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by seuadr View Post
                        fair enough, but i think it's heat, not vibration that is killing these relays, i haven't had any trouble at all with mine, and it was a cheapie. but i have mine near the battery box. most of these i've seen failing are near the motor.
                        I think I agree. I'm going to dissect the one that went bad to see if I can find out what happened. I'm feeling less than confident on creating a single point of failure like this in the ignition circuit at this point.

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                          #13
                          The three of mine that failed were by the battery box. I tore apart all 3 and on all 3 the tiny wire connecting the coil to the terminal had broken. Vibration killed them. So I spent $100 on a new ignition switch and don't worry about it anymore. And BTW for most models (but not mine) there are cheaper aftermarket ignition switches. I think ~ $30. Might be worth a shot.
                          Last edited by Guest; 08-05-2008, 11:45 AM. Reason: nasty grammer

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Very good.. except I lose a volt through ignition, another through the kill switch & a third one through the loom itself! Not practical to replace that lot!

                            I'll try to post a pic of my install at some stage. If you use a relay socket when you fit it then it is really easy to switch them out... carry a spare as I do.

                            Dan
                            1980 GS1000G - Sold
                            1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                            1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                            1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                            2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                            1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                            2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                            www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                            TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by don_gibb6512 View Post
                              I think I agree. I'm going to dissect the one that went bad to see if I can find out what happened. I'm feeling less than confident on creating a single point of failure like this in the ignition circuit at this point.
                              that's why i didn't cut any wires to install mine. if i have any failure of the relay and i don't have a replacement, i can simply revert the wiring to stock

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