850 possible bad ignition switch?????

[jimfj]

82 850G

This bike has run wonderfully for the longest time....

Until a couple of nights ago, then it left me stranded.

History;
The wiring on this bike is factory, the only person that made any changes was me and that was for the coil relay mod.

The night before this happened I took a 10 mile ride and pulled up in the driveway and tried to shut her down with the ignition switch. I turned the switch to off and the bike kept running but the dash lights dimmed, not completely off but dimmer than normal running. I hit the kill switch and killed the motor. The dash lights went out. I thought that was very strange and turned the ignition switch back on along with the kill switch and restarted the motor. Same procedue for shut down and the same thing happened.

I go on the bike the next night, fired her up and took off, kind of forgeting what had happened the night before. I was riding on the highway, pulled to the exit I wanted and on the exit ramp I tried to accelerate through the final turn and no power. Quick glance at everything and no bad signs. Pulled in the clutch to downshift and the engine dies. Tried the starter and nothing. Dropped it into second while coasting and popped the clutch. It came to life for maybe 10 seconds and then same thing..dead.

Another roll start and nothing. I got into a parking lot and though one of the wires from the coil relay mod I did came loose, not the case. Walked the 4 miles home.

The next morning I checked the fuses and found the ignition fuse was blown. Replaced that and the relay for the coils. I got the engine to turn and still no fire.

Towed it home and found that a six connecter plug had melted. It would normally be inside the headlight bucket but I have a Vetter Quicksilver fairing on the bike and the wiring goes into a provided bag. I have since cut the wires off of the plug one at a time and re connected them via spade connectors back together. Still no fire to the plugs.

Kill switch works, starter switch works, engine spins, dash lights and everything else work.

I ran a continuity test on the ignition switch and it checks out with the key turned to on, but does not checkout in the "park" setting.

I am stumped here and would appreciate any thoughts on this. Sorry for the long post but tried to include all facts.

[duaneage]

Fairly common problem, you can move your key assembly to a new switch easy enough. I have a few ignition switches, with keys even, that I can sell you cheaper than a dealer.

Send me a PM if your interested in replacing it. You might be able to clean the contacts and get lucky as long as they are not burn or damaged.

[BassCliff]

Hi jimfj,

Have you had a chance to check and clean EVERY electrical connection and ground on the entire wiring harness? You've learned the hard way that you also need to clean the connections on the ignition switch and fuse box. You're bike will be glad you did. Be sure to check your charging system when you're done. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[jimfj]

Anyone have a procedure (that kind of sounds like I'm talking to Nasa) for removing the ingnition switch? I have the cover pulled from the idiot lights and I see two allen head screws that need to come off. How does the switch itself come apart? Does the black cover surrounding the piece that the key goes into just slide off or is there something I'm missing.

How is it disassembled? I have a parts bike (79 850) that has a switch and a key, might start there for practice.

Thanks for the replies,

PS The rest of the wiring is in great shape and I've tried to clean everything I can.

Jim

[duaneage]

After you remove it from the triple tree there is a plastic cap on the bottom that pops off. There should be two screws holding it on. Put the ignition in Park before removing it so you know which way it goes.

[jimfj]

I just finished tearing down the ignition switch. Nothing wrong there. I cleaned everything and regreased the contacts. tested everything for the correct continuity, worked fine.

Where do I go from here.

Jim

[duaneage]

Well, a bit of investigation is in order, you can start with pulling all fuses except the 15 amp main fuse and seeing where a short might be. Something is taking a short cut in the wiring and you have to start wiggling things until you find it.

It's not possible for any of us to point to the problem as it could be anywhere. These bikes are pretty straightforward and simple, you start with a wiring diagram and follow the lines,

The RH controls on the handlebar pass power right from the key to the coils and starter solenoid. A short can develop there which can pop fuses and cause all kinds of problems. Pull the throttle control off and see if there are any exposed wires, loose connections, spider webs, etc.

[jimfj]

I appreciate all the replies and the input.

She is running again

After going throught the ignition switch I started working over everything to see why the coils weren't getting power.

I went back to the relay that I replaced thinking that would be a good place to start now that i knew the Ignition was working. I used a meter to test the voltage from the relay to the coils .5 volts!!!

Okay, knowing that I remebered that instead of cutting wires for the coil relay mod I made it so I could switch it back by just unplugging the wires from the relay and plugging them back on to the coils. Tried it and the bike fires right up.

The second relay was bad as well. I'm not sure why or how, but it is.

The reason I installed the relay wasn't because the bike had trouble starting or even because the voltage drop was that much. I did it hoping to cure some of the poping I was getting on deceleration. Better spark equals better burn right??? Shimming the needles cured that, not the mod.

I ran the bike and tested the voltage at several different rpm levels and everythings good there. I also held the wires that were attached to the connector that melted. Not even warm to the touch. No problems with the ignition switch whatsoever. I think she's cured. Not so sure I'm going back to the relay either. The bike starts up cold, no choke, the instant I hit the button.

Again, thanks for the help with this, its kind of frustrating but now I know.

Jim