Weird stuff. Very weird stuff.

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 14:04

Here's a bit of a queer one for you electrical gurus on here. It's got me fucked, Drew will find the issue but he might have to pull the entire loom to bits to sort it. Someone may have an idea that hasn't occurred to us muppets.

A bike is (electrically) running fine. Everything works except the neutral light on the dash which is of no major concern and the indicator fuse is blown. Engine and fairings are removed from the bike to fix a completely unelectrical problem which takes 18 months, in this time the bike sits (engineless) uncovered in the rain. Bike is repaired and reassembled, indicator fuse is replaced because no indicators is a pain in the arse.

Upon turning the key on, indicator fuse blows instantly. Check indicator wiring for shorts and can't find a damn thing. Finally trace fault back to the temp gauge in the dash (WTF?) so this is removed and isolated from the equation. No more fuse blowing and miraculously, the neutral light now works just fine. (WTFF?) So it's riding time. Everything works great (no tempo gauge) but the bike feels a little out of tune. Hunting a little on very light throttle in top gear and feels a bit woolly on acceleration up to mid revs. Other than that, it's fine.

Now it gets weird. Upon serious load (top gear, 3/4 throttle, mid rev range), the bike gives a complete ignition failure for a nano second (feels like a big miss), blows the indicator fuse, and the dash (rev counter and warning lights) goes dead. However, the "out of tune running" completely disappears. (WTFFF?) This is getting strange. Bear in mind the indicator fuse was previously blown but the dash worked fine with the exception of the neutral light.

So logic tells us, that the dash is the problem and it's all our own fault for leaving it to fill with water in Newlands for 18 months, right?

Well last night we completely unplug the dash, removing all power and replace the fuse. This will be sweet, we're clever bastards we tell ourselves over four Steinlagers. Hmmmmm, riding to work today, "out of tune" is back and upon a big wind up on a private closed road, *miss/backfire*, no indicators. Bike feels mint again though.

We're going to have to strip that fucken loom aren't we……..

**Bald Eagle** · 9th September 2010, 14:07

Bike feels mint .... go with hand signals and leave the electro gremlins in the little box.

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 14:10

Originally Posted by Bald Eagle

Bike feels mint .... go with hand signals and leave the electro gremlins in the little box.

I'm with you, but it's Drews bike and he doesn't like having shit semi sorted. It also makes it almost impossible to renew the warrant.

**Juzz976** · 9th September 2010, 14:14

Bike model and year?

If the temp gauge is Transducer type which gives signal to CDI/ECU then it may be running cold/hot/limp maps for ign/fuel. Did u test the temp sensor?

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 14:26

Originally Posted by Juzz976

Bike model and year?

If the temp gauge is Transducer type which gives signal to CDI/ECU then it may be running cold/hot/limp maps for ign/fuel. Did u test the temp sensor?

Aha! A smarter man than us, just as I'd hoped.

It's a mid/late nineties RF900. Being carburetted I wouldn't have thought it would have such gadgetry.

**MSTRS:Me** · 9th September 2010, 14:34

Well known for corrosion problems around plugs 2+3. My old GSXR1100 (same basic engine) would cut in and out on number 3. New plug cap fixed it. Didn't pop fuses and shit tho.

**Juzz976** · 9th September 2010, 14:36

Originally Posted by White trash

Aha! A smarter man than us, just as I'd hoped.

It's a mid/late nineties RF900. Being carburetted I wouldn't have thought it would have such gadgetry.

Most likely not, although it may set ignition advance/retard.

will look at wiring diagram if I can find 1 and I'll have an opinion.

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 14:38

Originally Posted by MSTRS

Well known for corrosion problems around plugs 2+3. My old GSXR1100 (same basic engine) would cut in and out on number 3. New plug cap fixed it. Didn't pop fuses and shit tho.

Nah. It's nothing like that. When it "misses" it drops all four. It's a complete momentary ignition loss. I'm thinking a CDI wire or perhaps coil wires are bridiging with an indicator wire. But that doesn't explain why the fucking dash now goes dead on the indicator fuse where it never used to. Arrrgghh, I hate electrical shit.

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 14:40

Originally Posted by Juzz976

Most likely not, although it may set ignition advance/retard.

will look at wiring diagram if I can find 1 and I'll have an opinion.

Awesome, that'd be very much appreciated because I'm about to tear my receding hairline to bits.

**MSTRS:Me** · 9th September 2010, 14:46

It's not something like 2 circuits sharing a bad earth?

**Juzz976** · 9th September 2010, 15:31

Check wiring associated with oil level sw + lamp, side stand switch, fuel level switch + Lamp.

as you said its on high load it may be oil or fuel level switch operation due to front of bike being raised. Never ridden an RF which is a shame because you can tell what kind of sensors are used, an oil lamp is generally a switch where as a fuel sensor can be complicated.
I noticed the TL had a trickery 1 that flashed intermittantly.

If only you could use my DC clamp ammeter, youd have it sussed pretty quick as you'd see where the fault current is going as it seems to be in a permanent state of fault and when additional load is applyed blowing the fuse. unless the fault current is close to the fuse rating and its slow thermal tripping.

Might have to ask suzuki if they would like me to teach them to draw schematics properly.

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 15:37

Originally Posted by Juzz976

Check wiring associated with oil level sw + lamp, side stand switch, fuel level switch + Lamp.

as you said its on high load it may be oil or fuel level switch operation due to front of bike being raised. Never ridden an RF which is a shame because you can tell what kind of sensors are used, an oil lamp is generally a switch where as a fuel sensor can be complicated.
I noticed the TL had a trickery 1 that flashed intermittantly.

If only you could use my DC clamp ammeter, youd have it sussed pretty quick as you'd see where the fault current is going as it seems to be in a permanent state of fault and when additional load is applyed blowing the fuse. unless the fault current is close to the fuse rating and its slow thermal tripping.

Might have to ask suzuki if they would like me to teach them to draw schematics properly.

Cheers dude.

We'll smash a few Steinlagers tonight going over these poits and report back tomorrow with our findings.

Jimmy

**Gremlin** · 9th September 2010, 15:54

Originally Posted by White trash

We'll smash a few Steinlagers tonight going over these poits and report back tomorrow with our findings.

This is probably one of the sources of problems. Hilarious to the observers, but frustrating for the fixers, when pished as newts, they can't figure out the problem

**Juzz976** · 9th September 2010, 15:54

I'll Have another look at the diagram I got and narrow it down for you. Don't wanna have to pull everything apart, especially when sensors are involved unless you have an electronics or instrumentation degree to know if they working or not..

**White trash** · 9th September 2010, 15:59

Originally Posted by Gremlin

This is probably one of the sources of problems. Hilarious to the observers, but frustrating for the fixers, when pished as newts, they can't figure out the problem

Listen here, we're not rookies mate, been doing this for quite some time. Bit of lubrication always make the job go sweeter.