Electrical Chaos

Hi, I've got a '94 model, and in the year that I've owned it there have been no real problems- until last night. I was called out to the hospital as my father had been admitted, so I was in a bit of a hurry. Luckily it was dark or I might not have spotted the problems.

The first fault was noted as soon as I turned the key; both indicator warning lights were illuminated, and this freaked me out somewhat as I had to negotiate the city, but things weren't as bad as first thought, because the indicators worked fine off the switch, and the relevant dash bulb flashed as it should, although the "redundant" light remained lit.

The next fault concerned the headlights. On my way thru town several cars flashed me. This confused me, as the switch was set to DIP but the blue MAIN warning light was on. After a bit of experimentation I found that the light switch was working in reverse; With the switch on main the dip beams were working, and vice versa!

Finally I discovered that the dash illumination wasn't working and the digital clock was blank.
This has really confused me as all the electrics were performing faultlessly less than 24 hours ago and, although it rained during the night it wasn't what I'd call excessive, and it's been out in much worse weather before with no ill effects.

I was supposed to be riding down to London on Tuesday- could anybody advise me as to what the possible cause might be? All I could think of was either water ingress (possibly on the earth side) or a manifestation of the infamous regulator problem, though the charge seems to be OK. However, I'll be honest and say that vehicle electrics aren't really my forte so any pointers/advice would be extremely welcome

Thanks for looking

 

The most likely cause is the rain getting to the relays and wiring near the front of the motorcycle. I'd start by drying out the motorcycle. Electrical faults due to rain can be sporadic and occur even if they haven't before.

As you mentioned, the problem could be with the charging system and you might want to check the voltage at the battery per the shop manual. Although I doubt low voltage would cause the headlight beams to suddenly swap--sounds like an issue with the relays/switch/wiring.

 

Clean and sand earth points wherever you find them. Unless the bike's been submerged (doubtful, eh ?) relays are sealed and entirely waterproof on VFRs.

 

Hi Leafy

It looks like you snuck in under the radar and have missed out on being formally welcomed to the VFRWorld forum.:welcome:


So when you get a chance please post up in the introductions sub-forum, tell us a bit about you and your VFR and make sure you include at least one photo of the bike or you will get folks raggin on you fairly quickly.

Ok you have a "94" and are posting in the 3/4th gen section but it can be a bit uncertain what we are talking about with the various VFR 400 and 750 models and different worldwide release dates - so it really helps if you are explicit about precisely what bike you own. Can you update your forum profile "My Profile" link at the very top of the page to include the specs of your bike and an approximate location city/town is fine. That way the information will appear automatically beside all your posts and if you need help you might find someone nearby is willing to swing by and offer advice - especially if you have a well stocked beer fridge.

:focus:

Your post implies the problem occurred after the bike was parked outside during rain. If the bike is normally parked under cover then the root cause may simply be down to water getting into the switchgear or the main electrical connector at the back of the instrument panel. Depending on where water managed to infiltrate it could allow power to cross circuits producing the sort of weird results you observed. I suggest you spend some time drying the wiring and ensuring in particular that the instrument panel connector is clean and dry and that the rubber seal around the connector is then pushed fully home.

Yes these bikes have a history of charging system gremlins - but the symptoms you report do not seem to match those typically observed - of clocks resetting and the battery being drained leaving you stranded. If you think it is relevant, then follow the link by mello dude which explains what you need to do to check the health of your charging system.

However IF the bike is actually firing up normally and not showing the typical signs of a dead or dying battery, then the weird symptoms report suggest your bike has some sort of switchgear fault - with the combined indicator and headlight switchgear a prime suspect. Personally I would just open it up and check for damage or signs of corrosion/water infiltration - you may get lucky and find it is fixed by just cleaning and drying things out, but you might conclude if it looks really manky that after 20 years service it is time to buy a replacement. If you are good with a test meter you could also inspect the wiring diagram to identify potential common mode of failure points where some or all of the affected components meet and then carry out methodical testing of the affected circuits to work out what is defective.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.





SkiMad

 

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying: 36 hours after posting I collapsed with pneumonia. Still, it was nothing that 4 days in hospital, loads of oxygen, steroids antibios etc I'm now fit and can do anything on the bike that can be achieved from a crawling position, holding any tools required in my teeth. Finally plucked up the courage to slink outside and see whats what. First impression was reasonably encouraging- turning the key made all-and I mean all- the dash lights illuminate. Unfortunately what hopes I had were swiftly dashed when I thumbed the starter and was rewarded with silence and everything but the digital clock dying! Funnily enough the clock stayed on even when the key was removed. Assuming the battery needed charge I took it out and tried, but even my "smart" charger (the ones guaranteed to resurrect even knackered batteries) refused to even attempt a recharge. Looking at the symptoms- battery defunct, seat full of water, stood in horrendous rain for 10 days- I've ordered a new battery. When it turns up I'll fit and report back. Thanks for all the suggestions, hopefully I'll get to try a few out before too long.

 

Sorry to hear about the pneumonia and hospitalization, but glad you're feeling better. New battery is definitely the place to start.

 

Yeah feeling loads better, and i know I'll improve further once this poxy weather has moved on. Electrical probs have taken a back seat for a while. Was out for a trundle last weekend when my foot slipped off the brake pedal. looked down to see my boot was looking incredibly shiny, so stopped only to find the clutch casing was hemorrhaging oil at a worrying rate! Limped it home (pretty tense experience) only to find that the gasket had split. When I bought the bike I was intrigued to see that a previous owner had fitted what appeared to be a new casing. Seems now that he didn't bother to repd lace the gasket at the same time. Anyway, went to my local Honda dealer (Are you listening Mr. Minion?) only to be told that a gasket set (for both sides) could be had immediately, albeit for an horrendous price, whereas the specific item would take three days to obtain. That was last Wednesday so today, feeling a trifle miffed at the lack of service/communication I rang them to be told it'll definitely be here today (Thursday), or possibly Friday but Saturday at the latest. In the meantime I've sourced some cheap new Road Pilot tyres from Andalucia; ordered Friday, arrived Tuesday, fitted this morning by my mate. As soon as I get the bike back i'll get onto the electrical gremlin. Interestingly, just before the oil made it's bid for freedom I made what could be a useful discovery; namely if I turn my lights off all the switchgear functions correctly, whereas operating even just the sidelights turns on the idiot lights for both indicators, high beam and sidestand so it's looking like anearth problem methinks. Still, onward and upward. I'll try and post updates more promptly in future.

 

hey leafy2 I had similar problems on my 1999 and when I checked all the connectors they were corroded so after cleaning them and putting them back together everything seemed to work