KZ650 Problem today

650Dude wrote:

loudhvx wrote: The brown wire at the regulator is the end of the path. The other things I mentioned are also in the path, along with connectors. After the fuse holder, the next most likely culprit is the ignition switch and its connectors etc.

I thought you mentioned something about replacing the harness in the near future. Is that true?

No, I have no plans at this time to replace the harness. Other than this issue, all seems to be fine. Hmmm. Maybe I should replace the ignition switch though? (after tracing everything out?)

Find and fix the problems first. Then if you want to randomly replace components for no particular reason, have at it. At that point, if something starts to act up or quit working altogether, you can be pretty confident that it is the new component causing the problem. Oh yes they do.

TexasKZ wrote:

650Dude wrote:

loudhvx wrote: The brown wire at the regulator is the end of the path. The other things I mentioned are also in the path, along with connectors. After the fuse holder, the next most likely culprit is the ignition switch and its connectors etc.

I thought you mentioned something about replacing the harness in the near future. Is that true?

No, I have no plans at this time to replace the harness. Other than this issue, all seems to be fine. Hmmm. Maybe I should replace the ignition switch though? (after tracing everything out?)

Find and fix the problems first. Then if you want to randomly replace components for no particular reason, have at it. At that point, if something starts to act up or quit working altogether, you can be pretty confident that it is the new component causing the problem. Oh yes they do.

OK well I have Friday off and will be checking those connectors. Will also put dielectric grease in all the connectors as well - preventative measure.

How hard is it to get to the main switch? I havent had a look at that....ever.

Wiring schematic shown here.

Cleaning terminals isn't overly difficult. Pull the connector apart and see if you can get some scotchbrite on the brass and remove any corrosion. Pinch the female terminals closed a little too so they will bite into the male counterparts. Deoxit works okay if you have no better way to clean, but it's not as effective as physical cleaning. And don't forget about grounds; I'd take them direct to the battery post instead of the frame in this instance. Oh, and I would not use dielectric grease. It's not necessary and messy.

650Dude wrote:

TexasKZ wrote:

650Dude wrote:

loudhvx wrote: The brown wire at the regulator is the end of the path. The other things I mentioned are also in the path, along with connectors. After the fuse holder, the next most likely culprit is the ignition switch and its connectors etc.

I thought you mentioned something about replacing the harness in the near future. Is that true?

No, I have no plans at this time to replace the harness. Other than this issue, all seems to be fine. Hmmm. Maybe I should replace the ignition switch though? (after tracing everything out?)

Find and fix the problems first. Then if you want to randomly replace components for no particular reason, have at it. At that point, if something starts to act up or quit working altogether, you can be pretty confident that it is the new component causing the problem. Oh yes they do.

OK well I have Friday off and will be checking those connectors. Will also put dielectric grease in all the connectors as well - preventative measure.

How hard is it to get to the main switch? I havent had a look at that....ever.

NOooooo! Do not use any dielectric grease! It will potentially make things much worse. I have trouble-shot your exact problem on several bikes in the past and the only ones that were a nightmare were the ones where the owner put dielectric grease on the connectors. I had to cut out and replace many connectors after that to get the bike working properly. The grease is an insulator and is very hard to remove completely. It wicks into the contacts and the contacts then stop making contact. This will often lead to overheating of the contacts and melting wires.

Your next course of action is to use a voltmeter to identify the exact locations of the voltage losses. Post when you are ready to do that.

Ed's (Nessism) diagram is a very good synopsis of your system. When the time comes I will look at the full diagram and give detailed explanation of where to actually check voltages with the meter.

loudhvx wrote:

650Dude wrote:

TexasKZ wrote:

650Dude wrote:

loudhvx wrote: The brown wire at the regulator is the end of the path. The other things I mentioned are also in the path, along with connectors. After the fuse holder, the next most likely culprit is the ignition switch and its connectors etc.

I thought you mentioned something about replacing the harness in the near future. Is that true?

No, I have no plans at this time to replace the harness. Other than this issue, all seems to be fine. Hmmm. Maybe I should replace the ignition switch though? (after tracing everything out?)

Find and fix the problems first. Then if you want to randomly replace components for no particular reason, have at it. At that point, if something starts to act up or quit working altogether, you can be pretty confident that it is the new component causing the problem. Oh yes they do.

OK well I have Friday off and will be checking those connectors. Will also put dielectric grease in all the connectors as well - preventative measure.

How hard is it to get to the main switch? I havent had a look at that....ever.

NOooooo! Do not use any dielectric grease! It will potentially make things much worse. I have trouble-shot your exact problem on several bikes in the past and the only ones that were a nightmare were the ones where the owner put dielectric grease on the connectors. I had to cut out and replace many connectors after that to get the bike working properly. The grease is an insulator and is very hard to remove completely. It wicks into the contacts and the contacts then stop making contact. This will often lead to overheating of the contacts and melting wires.

Your next course of action is to use a voltmeter to identify the exact locations of the voltage losses. Post when you are ready to do that.

Ed's (Nessism) diagram is a very good synopsis of your system. When the time comes I will look at the full diagram and give detailed explanation of where to actually check voltages with the meter.

Thanks for taking the time out! I plan to painstakingly go through the harness. This is the diagram:

A good choice for cleaning the connectors is a dedicated product like Deoxit. Their D5 formula does a good job of cleaning the contacts and will leave behind a corrosion inhibitor that does not inhibit conductivity.

I know we already talked about this, but for anyone who looks at this 100 years from now and wonders:

My ignition switch was causing me some major issues too. I did a custom harness but your issue with the brown wire may be in the ignition switch

waktaylor wrote: I know we already talked about this, but for anyone who looks at this 100 years from now and wonders:

My ignition switch was causing me some major issues too. I did a custom harness but your issue with the brown wire may be in the ignition switch

How difficult is it to remove / replace the ignition switch.

Before replacing anything else you should measure wiring resistance. Check for voltage loss from battery to the ignition switch for example, and then check again coming out of the switch. Do some checking instead of part replacing.

Nessism wrote: Before replacing anything else you should measure wiring resistance. Check for voltage loss from battery to the ignition switch for example, and then check again coming out of the switch. Do some checking instead of part replacing.

Right. I wasnt implying I was not going to do the recommended checks. I will do those.

BUT when I had an issue on one of my other bikes it too turned out to be the ignition switch, and as another poster pointed out in this post, he had a similar problem and it was down to the switch.

So, in case it IS the ignition switch, I was asking for guidance on how to remove it.

Don't you have a manual?
Steve

SWest wrote: Don't you have a manual?
Steve

I think im closer to the issue. I dont have to be in the office until the afternoon so I had time this morning to work on the bike.

I took out the headlight assembly and disconnected all the connectors within it. Then I sprayed them with WD40 brand Electrical contact cleaner on all the connectors. I saw no rust or corrosion within them to begin with, but cleaned them up a bit anyway. I also sprayed the contact cleaner within the ignition switch, etc.

I moved on, I disconnecting most of the connectors under each side cover and sprayed those connectors as well, cleaning and then reconnected them.

Then I started the bike. At idle the voltage reads 15.01v. At 5k rpm its at 15.3v. Voltage no longer shoots up to 16v.

I checked the voltage at the voltage regulator while the bike was running and it reads 14.5 v at 4k rpms, BUT still reads 15.3 at the battery.

My guess, since Ive checked most of the connections, is that its the battery or that DYNA S sucking power/dropping voltage. I rode the bike around and its seemed fine. For now I can live with 15v at idle and will change the battery and see what happens.