Blown fuse. Any Ideas?

So yesterday I went to Poway for a meeting, that's 100 miles from where I live and all the way there and with all the other rides I have taken prior, I have not had any problems with my bike (2009 VFR 800 non ABS). However, when I got back on the bike to head home, while the bike was idling and I was putting on my gear, my instrument console suddenly went dead, everything but the clock. The temp gauge, fuel gauge, tachometer, all went dead, I didn't touch anything, move the bars, bump the bike, nothing. I figured it was a fuse so I rode literally down the street to the NAPA auto parts store just in case I needed more than what I had with me (tools, fuses, etc.). So I took off the right front panel and got to the fuse box and found what would have been apparent, a blown fuse. I used the spare fuse that was in the fuse box and turned the key and viola, everything was good again...or so I thought. I turned the key off put the panel back on and then went to start the bike, again, no instrument console! WTF?

I went into NAPA and bought some 10A fuses and replaced the blown fuse, turned the key and all was fine. Started the bike, let it idle and then put the panel back on. I drove about 50 miles stopped for gas and everything was still good. When I got home I parked the bike, let it sit for a while and after dinner I went to put the bike in the garage and it was still fine. With almost 10K miles on the bike, this is the first time I have had any issues with it, I have not gone out today yet to see if the problem has returned but I will later and report back.

Is it all possible that the factory fuses that were in there were not quite that good and that the ones I got from NAPA had a higher tolerance? I would imagine that if there was a short or problem, the NAPA fuse would have blown too, as I didn't do anything but replace the second blown fuse. I figured if the third one blew, I would need to do some further investigating before I tried to ride 100 miles back home but all was good all 100 miles.

Any ideas?

 

I hate Electric Gramlin..............:crazy:

 

Just a suggestion.
Check the last thing you worked on prior to the problem.

 

It sounds like the bike is still rideable after the fuse goes, so how deep you look into this really depends on your nervousness. Even a simple wire and handlebar shake may be all it takes to satisfy your fears, while you wait to see if it happens again.

Although it is possible that both your fuses were fatigued, it is is more likely that there is an intermittent short. The obvious places to start are the connector and cluster harness. Check for corrosion and any signs of heat as well as any signs of chafing, or pinching/wearing of the harness.

Good luck.

:crazy:

 

Great minds think alike, however the last thing I touched was the forks and I pulled the internals out the top rather than removing the whole fork. So I don't believe I went near any wiring harness or connections. The closest I came to any connectors was when I put in the clutch line in the day prior, so I'll double check that side first.

Since the bike seemed to run fine, my nervousness was really being 100 miles from home with no gauges, MPH, RPM, Gas, Etc. However, once the last fuse went in and everything seemed normal, I went ahead and started home. Now as far as "heat", that maybe something to consider. Because unfortunately I had to park my bike in the sun and being close to 90+ degrees yesterday, the bike was basically under the sun for roughly 3 hours before I came back to it. I also did pull into the shade at NAPA and worked on the issue there giving the bike time to "cool down". But I would imagine that "external" heat (i.e. The Sun/Environment), rather than "internal" heat (i.e. Electric current generated) would not really be a factor, but it seems to be a possible explanation, because as mentioned in the initial post, I wasn't even near the bike when the first fuse blew, and when the third fuse was put in, the bike was in the exact same position as when the second fuse blew, albeit the bike was much cooler being that it was in the shade for a while. That being said, while I was on the street and at stop lights I was turning the bars back and forth to see if I could trigger the event, but this never seemed to trigger the failure.

I will definitely look into the wiring harnesses and check the connections on the clutch line side first, as that is the only place I got near any wiring in the last few days, and turning the bars plus 100 miles of riding didn't seem to re-trigger the issue.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Get a wiring diagram. Only those things after the fuse can blow the fuse. Look around the ignition switch. Fuses are not really known to fatigue as much as just blowing to do there job. Fuses are there to protect the wiring and devices after the fuse. A fuse is really a piece of metal that melts when a certain amount of current flows through it. Especially since it has blown twice I suspect a real problem exists. More than likely a short which can be caused by a loose or pinched wire. Could be a piece of metal contacting a wire. You have a problem find it and fix it for safety and peace of mind.

 

Search the entire harness for a short.

 

I would look for a short also. But would check the charging system just for peace of mind. If your regulator/rectifier is putting out to many volts it will blow fuses as well. Its very simple to check.

 

The key to finding the problem is within the wiring and components on the circuits that blow that one particular fuse.

Sometimes helps to unplug components one at a time to eliminate any possible excess current draw or short to gound.

 

FOUND IT! It appears to be the front brake brake light switch. After the first episode I was not able to replicate the blown fuse condition. I looked over the "main" connectors that would have been obvious and nothing looked out of the ordinary, I have even put more than 500 additional miles since and still no blown fuse. Yesterday I put over 300 of those miles. Well today I went to work and when I got back on the bike I noticed the instrument panel just went out again. I rode over to the gas station filled up and then replaced the fuse. Started the bike grabbed the front brake to put the bike in gear and "pop" the fuse blew again. I had to go to another job site so I rode without the instrument panel and went to Auto Zone after I was done to pick up more fuses.

I now had suspect, so I put in a new fuse and pulled the brake lever and again the fuse blew. I again replaced the fuse and wiggled the wires and pulled the lever and nothing...everything was good. Squeezed the brakes a few more times and all was good. I knew I now had a place to investigate further and figured I would check it when I got home. Mid way to the freeway, pulled the brake and out went the lights! I rode as far as I could on the fwy before it got too dark and I pulled over at a place that was out of the way and well lit. Replaced the fuse and disconnected the brake switch wires and rode the remainder home without incident. Hopefully it will be an easy to spot issue as well as an easy fix.

With that, I found these fuses (Easy ID by Bussmann) at Auto Zone that light up when blown so that the blown fuse is easy to identify in the fuse box. They've probably been around for a while, but this is the first time I've seen them. I mocked up one of the blown fuses I had so you could see what it looks like when the fuse is blown and is "powered" by a circuit.

 

Glad to hear that you have found the trigger for the short. Just don't assume it is the switch, as it could still be a wire snag. Atleast you know which wire to check now.

:crazy:

 

I'm with you there brother. I do not suspect the actual switch more so the wires that are connected to it, when I wiggled the wires yesterday and got it not blow the fuse immediately when pulling the brake lever, I knew there was something more to this. It was the weirdest thing, as I mentioned, out of nowhere the fuse just blew and apart from an immediate blown fuse right after replacing the first one, I could not get it to happen again even with miles of riding! I'm just glad I was able to see when it happened and could repeat the event more than once.