No Power but fuse and battery work

[ZacharyB]

No power with ignition in ON or P, but fuse and battery are intact (battery is fully charged and works, tested on DC CPU fan)! Obvious suspect: ignition switch. But how do I test it? Is there a way?

Thanks for any help. Looks like I won't be able to take bike to Pennsylvania this weekend

[Anonymous]

Yes. There is always a way. Fortunately, there is an easy way.

Open your headlight bucket and pull out the four-conductor green connector. I believe the female side is the switch side. Use an multimeter on to check conductivity. You will know that it is working correctly if the meter confirms the following:

In ON: Red conducts to Orange, Green conducts to Brown
In P(ark): Red conducts to Brown

If you are really wanting to go awandering this weekend and your ignition switch is a loss, chop the switch off and just hotwire the leads together in ON conductivity. Wire in a toggle switch if you like. Reroute the green plug from the headlight bucket to where you can reach it without disassembling the headlight. Plug the hotwired section in when you want to ride and take it with you when you get off. Voila! Ride saved! Be sure you have your registration and it's in your name, so the cop will know that you didn't steal it. :twisted: :twisted:

If you will be replacing your ignition switch, and want to keep the same key, I'll send you my switch electrical part. It's held in by one little screw and a crimp in the housing. just swap the electrical parts and you're back in business. You might want to test your lock cylinder first to see where your breakdown really is.

If you want to get a complete assembly replacement: I used EMGO part 40-71010 on my 1982 GS1100E. EMGO catalog says same part for GS750 1978-1981. Cost me $30 or so total from local Yamaha dealer (whom I like better than the local Zuki shop).

And if the problem isn't the ignition switch, go pull the fuses and run them through the multimeter. Sometimes they look good but are not. Only the electricity knows for sure.

Good luck,

Michael

[ZacharyB]

Thanks a lot for the help and offer, Michael! Unfortunately my father took his multimeter with him and I am scheduled to leave tonight. I'm giving up for the weekend and taking my car, but I'll be all over the bike as soon as I get back.

Hey, have you ever heard of the ignition switch shorting out? (Regarding this topic)

I should add that this is a pre-eighties model, '78, which has only one fuse, simplifying things

[ZacharyB]

Nevermind, it was a deceptive fuse (looked good but was bad). Whew... now where's my short. Maybe it's just excess resistence