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Horn and turn signals not working? Totally Stuck....
- Thread starter estcstm3
- Start date
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- Tags
- electrical light wiring
You are correct, none of the wires in the left control are a ground wire. One side of the horn button is connected to the aluminum casing of the left hand control unit. The aluminum casing must pick up its ground from the handle bars.
You need to use a VOM on the X1 ohms scale to test for ground on the handle bars. Connect one probe to the battery negative cable, where it connects to the frame. Now touch the other probe to the handle bars. If the bars are grounded, you should see a very low reading in ohms,such as 0 or 1 ohms.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
HI GGG yes my starter button works, all my functions on the right hand controls work. There is a ground wire that before I took things apart went from the bottom of the riser to where the triple tree meets the gauge cluster (under the hex bolt). The wire was not long enough to go from the bottom riser to inside the light bucket and around ground on the ground on the turn signal inside.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
Thanks I will try this. here is my multimeter (i have never really used it before) which setting should I put it on?
Attachments
If your starter PB works, then the handle bars must be grounded. The horn and the starter PB's use the same ground...................i.e. the handle bars.
The setting is just as I already mentioned..................ohms X1 scale.
Edit: Your meter only has a X 10 scale so use that.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
So looks like what I need to do to troubleshoot is the following
1) Test if there is a break in my Horn/Turn signal wires running from control into the bucket
-how do I test to see if there is a break in that wire?
2) Is there a fuse that all of those controls go to that may have broke?
Is there something else that I need to look into? Im fumbling here now. Tempted to just buy a new left hand control at this point. (feels like quiting though)
1) Test if there is a break in my Horn/Turn signal wires running from control into the bucket
-how do I test to see if there is a break in that wire?
2) Is there a fuse that all of those controls go to that may have broke?
Is there something else that I need to look into? Im fumbling here now. Tempted to just buy a new left hand control at this point. (feels like quiting though)
Lets start with a simple test to see if the horn is even getting power. The horn has 2 wires, brown and pink. Select the VOM to read volts on 20 volt scale. Connect the VOM negative probe to the battery negative terminal. Connect the VOM positive probe to the brown wire terminal at the horn. Turn on the key, and you shoud see the VOM needle move to approximately 12 volts.
Testing the wires for breaks is called testing for "continuity", basically testing to see that the wire "continues'' through from one end to the other with no breaks or shorts to something. To do this on your meter, set it to the lowest "Ohm" scale, in your case "Ω x 10". Touch one probe to one end of the wire, the other to the other end. If the wire is good and has "continuity", the meter pointer will swing all the way to the right.
To add to your woes it could be the wire is broken but the insulation isn't.
Yamaha liked to use multiple connections on one wire(grd) and the break could be where the wire was crimped at one of those connections. It tests good while you have everything separated in the open bucket then you stuff it all back in and it doesn't.
Yamaha liked to use multiple connections on one wire(grd) and the break could be where the wire was crimped at one of those connections. It tests good while you have everything separated in the open bucket then you stuff it all back in and it doesn't.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
Good and bad news. Good news finally got the bike to kick start again, bad news is I did the volt test VOM from the negative terminal on my battery to the brown wire with the spade? connector on the horn. I tried two ways touching the red probe to the spade while hooked up and pulled the brown wire off and touched it (all with ignition on)....Nothing I didnt get it to move. I did notice the batter in my VOM was dead so I replaced it but I think the battery only comes into play when measuring Ohms and not volts? Could be wrong there. Anyways stuck again, not sure my next move as I didnt touch anything but the handlebar area, not sure why I wouldnt be getting power from the brown wire? (I have some pics I will upload when I am at work)
Side note - Finally got the bike to start I pulled one of the spark plugs to make sure I was still getting a spark, I had it connected but unscrewed laying on the side of the engine case, on a fin, to ground. Kick afew times and no spark. I wire brushed my spark plugs off tried again and boom pretty clean spark. Hooked everything back up and then it kicked over..... Must have fouled them good when I had the idele messed up. Still need to adjust the idle screws but down to a much more reasonable 1.2-1.4 rpm range not 5k.
Side note - Finally got the bike to start I pulled one of the spark plugs to make sure I was still getting a spark, I had it connected but unscrewed laying on the side of the engine case, on a fin, to ground. Kick afew times and no spark. I wire brushed my spark plugs off tried again and boom pretty clean spark. Hooked everything back up and then it kicked over..... Must have fouled them good when I had the idele messed up. Still need to adjust the idle screws but down to a much more reasonable 1.2-1.4 rpm range not 5k.
No voltage on the brown wire. Well, now you have to do some detective work. Look at the wiring diagram that is posted above on this thread. The brown wire comes from the ignition switch and feeds to the various loads including the horn. Start checking around at other loads and see if they get voltage on the brown wire. Maybe you have one wire broken, or maybe a bullet connector in the headlight bucket is not connected. This is part of owning a classic bike....................it takes time to sort out the problems.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
Can somebody point out the ground ALL ground points on my 75? I would like to doublecheck all my grounds.
1) On the riser connected to triple tree
2) Neg terminal on battery
3) Where else???????
Lastly where are the fuses located I only found one 20amp clip in fuse that I believe a PO must have put in.
1) On the riser connected to triple tree
2) Neg terminal on battery
3) Where else???????
Lastly where are the fuses located I only found one 20amp clip in fuse that I believe a PO must have put in.
The early years the ground path for the e-start and horn was from the buttons to the housings, to the bars, from the bars to risers, risers to a top tree clamp bolt. Through the top tree to steering stem, bearings to frame, frame to battery.
Sometime, I think 78 or so the ground path was changed, They removed the wire from the riser bolt to the tree clamp bolt. They ran a ground wire from the left side switch housing down into the headlight bucket to the harness ground.
I would run the wire from the riser bolt around under the tank and hook it under the coil mount bolt.
The only switches that need a ground are the horn and starter buttons.
Inside your headlight bucket each turn signal should have a ground wire from under the mount nut to the harness ground. The headlight grounds the same way.
Also in the headlight bucket there is a brown for the headlight and a chocolate or dark brown for the turn signals. Don't confuse them.
when I rewired my 75 I ran the headlight and turn signal grounds together and ran them out of the bucket to under the tank and attached them to the same coil mount as the ground for the bars.
Leo
Sometime, I think 78 or so the ground path was changed, They removed the wire from the riser bolt to the tree clamp bolt. They ran a ground wire from the left side switch housing down into the headlight bucket to the harness ground.
I would run the wire from the riser bolt around under the tank and hook it under the coil mount bolt.
The only switches that need a ground are the horn and starter buttons.
Inside your headlight bucket each turn signal should have a ground wire from under the mount nut to the harness ground. The headlight grounds the same way.
Also in the headlight bucket there is a brown for the headlight and a chocolate or dark brown for the turn signals. Don't confuse them.
when I rewired my 75 I ran the headlight and turn signal grounds together and ran them out of the bucket to under the tank and attached them to the same coil mount as the ground for the bars.
Leo
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
Thanks Leo do You happen to have a picture inside your headlight bucket earlier in my post I showed a picture inside my headlight bucket for your reference
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
RESOLVED!
Okay so I had one ground wire that wasn't connected to anything in the headlight bucket which I thought was abandon the whole time I looked at my notes I had indicated that one of the junctions only have three brown wires one from the handlebars to two in the bucket so I didn't question it. I had a friend come over and he said why was that brown not connected we connected the brown and Viola everything started working horn turn signals brake light was just one brown wire in the bucket.
To sum up my issues
1 black ground wire broke in bucket to headlight
2 bad ground connection under gauge/triple tree point had to sand clean
3 brown hot wire not connected in bucket which controlled horn turn signal and brake light
Thanks everybody couldn't of done it without you.
Once we figured out the horn didn't have power I've been tested the wire that went from the flasher relay to the battery it had continuity so I knew there wasn't a break pass my handlebars then finally after looking at the wiring diagram realized that you probably needed to be another brown connection point that wasn't been made to complete the circuit and the rest is history
Okay so I had one ground wire that wasn't connected to anything in the headlight bucket which I thought was abandon the whole time I looked at my notes I had indicated that one of the junctions only have three brown wires one from the handlebars to two in the bucket so I didn't question it. I had a friend come over and he said why was that brown not connected we connected the brown and Viola everything started working horn turn signals brake light was just one brown wire in the bucket.
To sum up my issues
1 black ground wire broke in bucket to headlight
2 bad ground connection under gauge/triple tree point had to sand clean
3 brown hot wire not connected in bucket which controlled horn turn signal and brake light
Thanks everybody couldn't of done it without you.
Once we figured out the horn didn't have power I've been tested the wire that went from the flasher relay to the battery it had continuity so I knew there wasn't a break pass my handlebars then finally after looking at the wiring diagram realized that you probably needed to be another brown connection point that wasn't been made to complete the circuit and the rest is history
Great job.................well done. This is typical of wiring snafu's found on old bikes. You're now a veteran trouble shooter and can help others
