Perplexed

[Eljeef]

Ok, I went through all of my wiring and cleaned up four or five connections. Going through the wiring diagram was intimidating at first (looked like spaghetti at first to me) but once I sat down and attacked one wire at a time with a pass or fail grade for continuity (pencil and paper for record) my confidence grew and the amount of unknowns diminished. Once I got to the black wire that runs power to many devices I ran into trouble. Continuity through part of the path but nothing after that. I traced the wire using said diagram (I really got to thank Steve for that diagram. I couldn't have attacked this without it. Thank you Steve.) and it went to my horn but was also supposed to branch off and continue on. Here's the weird part; My horn stopped working so I had taken it off to try to fix it. I tested continuity at the twin leads that connect to the horn and got it through one of them. I hooked up an aftermarket horn and now have continuity all the way through the black wire from the cluster near the rectifier to the other end in the headlight bucket. I installed my battery and checked for voltage at the points. 12 volts! Yee Haa! Hit the starter and kept checking the points voltage. No volts or 4/5 volts as I cranked the starter. Flicking the starter switch would give me 12 volts again. Ok. Must be a starter switch problem. I took the switch apart and cleaned it up, sanded the contact and the small spring and everything tht was copper or brass. Put it all together and when I went to reinstall the battery guess what happened? Yep, soon as I touched the ground strap to the battery (after connecting the positive terminal) the starter engaged. Yikes! What did I do wrong? I am pretty sure I put it back together exactly as I took it apart but obviously something is different. It's making contact constantly. Does anyone have a picture of the switch taken apart or a schematic blow up? Still chasing ghosts, but making progress. Jeff H.

[conbs]

You can check this the fastest by taking your starter switch apart and leaving the Y/R wire so the brass contact for the switch is not touching the handle bars. Try connecting the battery ground again and if the starter engages, the problem is not in your switch. If it does not engage, something is cobbed up in the switch or in the insulation on the wire right near it

You have some kind of short to ground between your starter button and your solenoid. If it is not in your switch it has to be somewhere else along that wire. The starter switch grounds the circuit to kick in the solenoid and that means it is hot all the time. Use your meter as a continuity tester and you can isolate the problem. Disconnect the Y/R wire from your solenoid. One lead on the Y/R wire the other on ground and you should get a beep (or meter swing). Follow that wire to the next connector and disconnect it. Check both ends there and one will show continuity to ground. Keep following and isolating. You should find a problem with the insulation on the wire somewhere.

It might be possible that you have wires melted together in your harness and creating the connection to ground in another wire, but if that happend you will probably notice an obviously melted area in your harness.

Hope this helps.

[conbs]

Your parts manual shows a good exploded view of the starter switch.

[Eljeef]

OK. Fixed the starter problem. The wire was exposed at the end of the yellow/red wire. I used liquid electrical ttape on it. Still grounding out at the spade. I coated the spade at the underside of it and voila!; Starter works like it is supposed to now. Note to everybody, don't sand the underside of that spade! But I am again only getting 4 or 5 volts at the points. One step forward...

[conbs]

Check the Red wire in and out of the connector uder the tank by the forks. Look for corrosion or melted areas.

You should be getting 12v. at the points with the key "on" per Steve's switch matrix. If you do not have that, the bike won't start or run. As LM suggested, look in the headlight bucket and particularly the main switch. 12 volts in with the red wire into the switch and 12 volts out (in "on" position) in the black wire. If you have 12 votls out of the switch start checking the points power wire back to the switch.

If you have 12v. with the key on, but only get 4 or 5 volts when you hit the starter, you could have an issue in your starter or solenoid which is grounding out when the solenoid/strter engage. Try disconnecting the cable at the starter. Hit the starter button and if your solenoid clicks and the points voltages drops to 4 to 5 volts, that would indicate a problem in your solenoid. If you get 12 volts at the points without interruption with the starter cable unhooked, your starter probably has issues.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.

[Eljeef]

Check the Red wire in and out of the connector uder the tank by the forks. Look for corrosion or melted areas.

You should be getting 12v. at the points with the key "on" per Steve's switch matrix. If you do not have that, the bike won't start or run. As LM suggested, look in the headlight bucket and particularly the main switch. 12 volts in with the red wire into the switch and 12 volts out (in "on" position) in the black wire. If you have 12 votls out of the switch start checking the points power wire back to the switch.

If you have 12v. with the key on, but only get 4 or 5 volts when you hit the starter, you could have an issue in your starter or solenoid which is grounding out when the solenoid/strter engage. Try disconnecting the cable at the starter. Hit the starter button and if your solenoid clicks and the points voltages drops to 4 to 5 volts, that would indicate a problem in your solenoid. If you get 12 volts at the points without interruption with the starter cable unhooked, your starter probably has issues.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot next time I'm in the garage.

[e3steve]

Check the Red wire in and out of the connector uder the tank by the forks. Look for corrosion or melted areas.

You should be getting 12v. at the points with the key "on" per Steve's switch matrix. If you do not have that, the bike won't start or run. As LM suggested, look in the headlight bucket and particularly the main switch. 12 volts in with the red wire into the switch and 12 volts out (in "on" position) in the black wire. If you have 12 votls out of the switch start checking the points power wire back to the switch.

If you have 12v. with the key on, but only get 4 or 5 volts when you hit the starter, you could have an issue in your starter or solenoid which is grounding out when the solenoid/strter engage. Try disconnecting the cable at the starter. Hit the starter button and if your solenoid clicks and the points voltages drops to 4 to 5 volts, that would indicate a problem in your solenoid. If you get 12 volts at the points without interruption with the starter cable unhooked, your starter probably has issues.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot next time I'm in the garage.

....and with the points OPEN. With the points closed (or shorted, if they're not installed correctly) you may experience such a low-to-decaying voltage via hysteresis from the condenser; with the ignition ON and the points open a voltmeter will show battery terminal voltage, or very close to it.

You could also have a duff battery / cell whereby the terminal voltage will collapse once any current is demanded.