Electrical SOS

[arbarryf]

I have an '80 850 and I'm having some electrical problems. I've read the stator papers and I'm pretty sure I need to upgrade the system, but I can't afford to do it right now.

My main problem started about two months ago - the turn signals started failing intermittently - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Around the same time the battery started to drain - I get about a week on a charge now (brand new battery in March). Now my headlight is out. Any thoughts?

[ryonker]

First thing I would do is take some time and do your homework.

Read this thread and buy the book on MC electrical systems.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=129156

Good luck!

Rick

[plotski]

It is a 28 yr old bike

I am not by any means an expert on the electrical systems for these bikes,as a matter of fact the guys(and gals?)on this site have been a Major help to me in troubleshooting my charging system issues.But just going by what I have recently learned and the issues my bike was having.I would suggest going back to the stator papers and follow the instructions for testing your system.Good luck.

[seuadr]

test all your connections. sounds like an intermittant ground problem. clean any that look cruddy, you can find little bottles of connector cleaner at the auto parts store. it will melt the corrosion right off. then test your grounds and wires for continuity.

[spyug]

As you will read over and over on this forum and any other bike related, the majority of electrical problems can be attributed to a)bad grounds b)corroded connectors.

By all means read the stator papers but arm yourself with the wiring diagram for your bike, a digital multimeter, a circuit tester, small files, picks and wet / dry sandpaper and a tube of dialectic grease.

Start at the battery and clean up your terminals. Clean connectors to the starter solenoid, regulater/ rectifier ( and wire in the ground to battery negative lead mod while your at it). Pull apart all terminal blocks and clean all connectors you can.

Referring to BassCliff's excellent site of tutorials you may want to replace some bad connectors with the spade type.

Keep cleaning connectors. Under the tank and into the headlight bucket.

If you are having trouble with lights, You might have corroded sockets for your bulbs and or even bad bulbs themselves. Clean and replace if necessary. As the lights are grounded make sure your ground connectors are clean and tight.

With turn signals and head light controls the handlebar switches can be gummed up and or corroded so you need to open them up and clean also. Brake cleaner or electrical cleaner sprays are good for getting gunge out but anywhere you have a metal to metal contact clean it shiny with some 600 grit wet and dry paper.

This is tedious work to be sure but necessary if you want your electrics to work properly.

Go to it and let us know how it works out for you.

Cheers,
Spyug

[BassCliff]

Cooking with electrons

Hi Mr. arbarryf,

You say you can't afford to fix your bike? I say you can't afford not to. Your life depends on it.

I have repaired my electrics a few times since I've owned my bike. We'll talk about the headlight first. The first time it went out, it was just a bad bulb. I replaced it with an Sylvania Silverstar H4 bulb. I picked it up for about $20 from a local auto parts store (Pep Boys). The second time my headlight went out, the low beam would work, but the high beam would not. I replaced the bulb again, but this time it still didn't work. Upon closer inspection (disassembled the headlight bucket), I found the wire from one of the socket connectors had broken off. I was able to strip the wire and re-solder the wire into the socket. You'll also want to check your fuses. Even fuses that look good can be bad - test them with a multimeter.

When my turn signals quit working recently, I read the manual and found out that the stock turn signal relay units on our bikes will not work properly if the battery voltage falls below a certain level. Since I had recently replaced the battery, stator, and r/r on my bike, the system voltage tested within normal working parameters. So that meant I had a bad turn signal relay. I didn't want to pay $40+ for the OEM part and wait a week for delivery, so I went to my local auto parts store and replaced the turn signal relay with an off-the-shelf Bosch-type unit. You can read about it here.

You also need to ensure your charging system is working properly, according to The Stator Papers. If your charging system is not working correctly you can ruin your new battery, and it is probably the reason your turn signals work intermittantly. (You charge the battery, they work for a while - the battery drains because the charging system is not working, the turn signlas stop working). What voltage do you see across the battery terminals at idle? At 4000 rpm? The Stator Papers procedure will point you to any charging components that are failing.

Clean all electrical connections and grounds, from the headlight bucket to the tail light. Connect the ground wire from your regulator/rectifier directly to the negative terminal of the battery.

Have you had a chance to download a manual for your bike from my website? There are wiring diagrams and other pictorial guides to help you keep your bike running well. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Steve]

... about two months ago - the turn signals started failing intermittently - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Isn't that the way they are supposed to work?

That's the way mine are. I push the switch to either side and look at the lights.
They work, they don't work, they work, they don't work.

.