Mitg
XS650 Member
Ok, 79 special, original wiring, modified by PO(????), key on, kill switch set to run, power to both coil but right side coil is hot to the touch. What is going on?
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right side ignition coil hot
- Thread starter Mitg
- Start date
That's normal. That coil is charging up. As the bike runs and the points open and close, the coils alternately charge up and then release that charge (fire the plug). With the bike just turned on but not running, you're not going through the charge/release process. Your bike just happens to be stopped at a point where the right coil is charging, the left one is not. It's not a good idea to leave the bike on for long periods of time like this. The charging coil, whichever one it happens to be, will keep on charging and get hotter and hotter. You can damage it or burn it out.
Mitg
XS650 Member
Ok, but if I am working on an electrical issue, trying to find a short, can I unplug the power to the coils and still trace the short, it just happens to be blowing the brown wire fuse in the fuse box and of course that wire goes everywhere!
Mitg
XS650 Member
Another quickie, I am using a circuit breaker during my testing and it is not tripping yet when I put a fuse back in, it blows when running the right blinkers. I think the flasher unit i s bad as with a fully charged battery the turn signals sometimes blink and alternately, sometimes just sit there, on. Flasher unit bad?
Sorry, I'm not much with electrical problems. My best guess would be the flasher or maybe an intermittent short in the wiring powering the right signals. I think I'd check the wiring 1st. The way these bikes vibrate, they'll rub wires bare eventually, loosen connections too.
Dennis
XS650 Addict
I am with 5twins
If it was the flasher then it would act the same when useing both sides
If it was the flasher then it would act the same when useing both sides
Mitg
XS650 Member
why is the circuit breaker not reacting but the fuse is?
With your 79 Special, leave the Kill switch off when trouble shooting other electrical. The Kill switch only powers the ignition coils.
Turn signals: Take each individual turn signal apart. Remove the bulb and clean any rust/corrosion you find. Its even a good idea to remove the rubber bulb socket and clean it well. I have found water, dirt, rust etc. around the bulbs and sockets. Check where the wire exits the turn signal mounting tube...........make sure the insulation is not damaged.
With the stock type flasher unit, the signals will not flash with 13 volts or less. The flasher needs about 13.5 volts, to provide enough current flow to heat the bi-metallic relay. Most of these bikes do not put out 13.5 volts at idle, some do some don't.
The stock type flasher is a load dependent flasher...............low voltage, or wrong size bulbs, or corrosion causing high resistance in the bulb sockets..............result is no flashing.
My stock type flasher would occasionally stop flashing at an intersection due to my idle going a little low, which gives lower voltage. That's a safety hazard
. I bought and installed a "Tridon HD12" which is an electro-mechanical type flasher. The HD12 works on capacitor charge time and is not load dependent. That means it will always flash even if my idle (voltage) drops off slightly at an intersection.
Turn signals: Take each individual turn signal apart. Remove the bulb and clean any rust/corrosion you find. Its even a good idea to remove the rubber bulb socket and clean it well. I have found water, dirt, rust etc. around the bulbs and sockets. Check where the wire exits the turn signal mounting tube...........make sure the insulation is not damaged.
With the stock type flasher unit, the signals will not flash with 13 volts or less. The flasher needs about 13.5 volts, to provide enough current flow to heat the bi-metallic relay. Most of these bikes do not put out 13.5 volts at idle, some do some don't.
The stock type flasher is a load dependent flasher...............low voltage, or wrong size bulbs, or corrosion causing high resistance in the bulb sockets..............result is no flashing.
My stock type flasher would occasionally stop flashing at an intersection due to my idle going a little low, which gives lower voltage. That's a safety hazard
. I bought and installed a "Tridon HD12" which is an electro-mechanical type flasher. The HD12 works on capacitor charge time and is not load dependent. That means it will always flash even if my idle (voltage) drops off slightly at an intersection.
To find what is causing the fuse to blow on the brown wires, you want to disconnect each load item, one at a time:
Front and rear brake switches
Light checker
Flasher cancelling unit (best to leave this permanently disconnected.....safety!)
Horn
Flasher relay
Front and rear brake switches
Light checker
Flasher cancelling unit (best to leave this permanently disconnected.....safety!)
Horn
Flasher relay
speez
XS650 Addict
intstead of a c.breaker put a light(12v) in where the fuse poped if the short is there it will be lit if you move some wiring or disconect somthing the light will shut off or dim telling you are getting close to problem
rg, do you have LEDs in your turn signals? if so, I assume they work fine with the Tridon HD12 flasher.
Mitg
XS650 Member
Thanks all, still trying to isolate the short. Patience......................
With the stock flasher, they will not flash well or regularly with just the battery. They often act the same with the bike idling. With the engine reved a bit, over 2000 rpms they tend to act right.
When the turns flash you are lighting two 27 watt bulbs as well as a 3 watt indicator light. That's a total of 57 watts. That's about the same as the 55 watt high beam of your headlight. So any weak spots in the circuits will effect the operation.
As RG said cleaning up all the connections in all the turn signal circuits will help.
Leo
When the turns flash you are lighting two 27 watt bulbs as well as a 3 watt indicator light. That's a total of 57 watts. That's about the same as the 55 watt high beam of your headlight. So any weak spots in the circuits will effect the operation.
As RG said cleaning up all the connections in all the turn signal circuits will help.
Leo
No, I use the stock type #1156 bulbs.
