Blowing Fuses

I'm having an issue with the main fuse blowing every time I turn the key on. Recently I've swapped engines on my bike and have made several adjustments that may or may not have anything to do with my electrical problem.

Swapped out the stator inside the a/c generator.
The wires to the oil level switch had to be spliced.
The side stand relay switch is cut and the relay is removed.
The clutch switch is bypassed....inside the headlight there are 2 pairs of wires that the PO had spliced together(not sure what they are), and the wires from the clutch lever are cut.


The bike was running perfectly and the last thing I did before all of this started happening was place the battery on a trickle charger while still hooked up to the bike. I ride an xj700 and it comes equipped with the blade style fuses under the control panel,replaced the fuses but no need to replace the fuse box. I've checked the bike pretty thoroughly for any obvious signs of a short. and everything looks good. I've read through the forums and I've found a couple similar posts, but nothing that has helped me. I am far from being an electrician so If anyone has any thoughts or similar experiences, please chime on in. Thanks.

 

time to get out your ohm meter

 

Yeah, so that's another problem. How can I test anything if my main fuse immediately blows out when the ignition is switched on?

 

Pull apart all the connectors & push them back together one at a time, untill the fuse blows, then you can look closer at that circuit.

 

Great Idea. I'll give it a whirl.

 

UnPlug the Ignition Switch ... Itself.
The Ignition Switch Plug-in is a 3-Prong Plug.

Test the Ignition Switch for a Direct Short.
Then, use a Test Light on the Connector that attaches to the Switch.
Find the +12Volt Lead and the Blade to the Ignition Circuit.
Jumper across those two Blades and see if the Fuse Blows.

 

In addition to what Rick and wizard said, pull apart all of the connectors and look for scorch marks.

Also, do a quick trace of all of the cabling on the bike, checking for anyplace where vibration may have worn through the insulation all the way down to bare metal. You should only have to pull the tank, seat, and headlight on most XJs for this, at least to look in the likely places.

Doing those quick inspections can help you find the problem without going through as many fuses. Even if you don't find it, you'll have re-familiarized yourself with the cabling, which you're going to need anyway.

Disconnect your regulator/rectifier and your TCI. If they're the problem, you'll know real quick. If they AREN'T the problem, keeping them out of the system while you look for a short is a good idea. Same goes for the diode block inside the headlight shell (if you have one). Same for relays. Same for the signal cancellation unit (if you still have one). Most of that stuff is at least a pain to replace, and not needed to detect this problem.

Besides, simpler is better when you're looking for a short.

Another good place to look for scorch marks is inside blinkers. Pulling the blinkers is a pain. Pulling the bulbs isn't too bad. This is probably only real likely on the front blinkers, since most bikes don't have "running lights" on the rear blinkers, so they wouldn't get power immediately after turning the key.

Hopefully, it isn't something really obnoxious like your hand controls. Not too hard to detect, but a pain to repair.

 

So...I went through and cleaned up some connections. I turned the key to see if the main would blow again and now something is starting to melt. There was smoke coming from behind the headlight and smoke coming from somewhere around the rear fender. I'm almost certain it is the solid blue wire. It appears to travel from the headlight to the brake light.
I'm not too sure what to do.

 

Get a CO2 extinguisher.

 

Well think about it, What happens when you turn the key, You get power to several places. One place your taking about is the tail light comes on. Remove the light and see if you have a short in there. My 1100 had melted wires in the tail light. Unplug it and see if your short goes away. Try a smaller fuse so its not so hard on your wires. Good Luck

 

Yesssiree. It is indeed the tail light wire that has the issue. There are two areas along the wire that seem suspect but it's hard to tell what the culprit is since some melting took place. I'm going to rewire the whole thing and hope this problem is solved. Thankyou guys for all of the input.