Headlight and Instrument light

OK 82 550 Maxim
Going good and all of sudden No HD or Tach/speedo light.
No high or Lo beam
Checked battery 12.6 V
Checked voltage at fuse box at both side and get 12.4V in all 4 fuses.
Went to HD light relay checked R/Y wire and get 12.4 V
Still no lights.
I am out of ideas.
Any suggestion would be appreciated. :idea:

 

Fuse box is a good place to start.
Simple but did you check the fuse?
Work back from the lights that don't work, when you get power you'll know where the problem lies.
ie no power at the headlight, power on the battery side of the switch, probably the switch.
But check that fuse box again.

 

Fuses all good since I get 12.4 V on both sides of the box.
Also I get 12.4V at R/Y light at the relay point. Got used relay still no lights.

 

Bypass the headlight relay and see if everything comes on. If it does, then either your relay is no good, or your alternator isn't producing enough current to latch the relay. Check your alternator brushes and alternator output, too.

Edit: With the key on, if you supply 12V+ to the white wire going to the headlight relay and they turn on and stay on, the relay works. I would definitely look at the alternator for problems.

 

Well I am narrowing thing down a bit.
With engine running I don't get any voltage from white wire going to the relay. There should be 12V coming to that wire from the alternator when engine is running right?

 

Yep, it excites the relay and causes it to latch. Once it latches, power feeds from the switch side back into the relay to hold it open. That way it stays on even after you turn the engine off. It'll only turn off if you turn the key off.

No power means you're not charging or the diodes are fried. I think they're located inside the headlight bucket. Someone may need to hop in here with more accurate information on this. You're probably going to need a repair manual with instructions on how to check the diodes to make sure they are good. Do you have one?

 

From what I have seen so far charging system appears to be OK.
I will recheck to charging system again tommrow.

As for the diodes any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Take your voltmeter and hook it to the battery leads. Start the bike and run the Rpms up to around 2500. Your meter should be reading ~14.5V. If not, you've got troubles.

 

OK at 2500 RPM I get about 14.35V
Now it is the diodes in the HD box correct?
Is there any way to check for them??

 

Hey its funny u should have this problem! I just had the same thing on my 82 maxim 750 and the problem I found was a wire coming loose from a connector right under my fuel tank on the right hand side, had to take the tank off to get at it or even see it, Also found poor connection on lh side connector also. Repaired both and been working great since. Hope this helps

 

I vote loose wire too. Battery doesn't produce 14.35V, if you're seeing that then the alternator is charging the battery. Two relays, same symptoms=loose wire, betcha...

 

OK I finally figured it out.
It is the diodes inside headlight assembly. Somehow there must be some kind of jump occured. My guess is that cursed fuse box. I will get a blade type and put it in ASAP.
Thanks everyone for your informations.

 

shogunl, if you get it sorted and the diode block turns out to be junk, let me know. I have an extra one that I believe to be good I can sell you.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you've got more questions.

 

Thanks for the offer Gamuru but I got one from my spare parts bike and is working now.

Does anyone know if I can repair the old burned out one so I can keep it as a spare? They want over $25 for them.

 

Yes you can. Which diodes are used I don't know (never hacked one open to find out). The Haynes shows the diagram on page 246. It is as simple as can be and I'll almost bet you could whip one up in minutes using your old pigtail. 1 resistor and 3 diodes, not too much to that is there? Of course when you look at the time involved, you could see the $25 as a bargain to get the right thing in the right package without any doubts. I'm voting for doing it yourself as the experience is what is important.

 

Instrument light colour is natural from stock. I just went to Canadian tire and bought some red bulbs and installed it in instrument pod.
Now I get that red aircraft type display which I like much better.

 

I changed mine to red also.
As a budding astronomer I learned that the red will not affect your night vision when riding after dark.
Not that the instrument lights were bright enough to do much damage anyways, but I figured hey! it can't hurt :lol:

 

I changed mine to blue on both bikes.
There's definitely an improvement in seeing beyond the instrument panel at night.

After reading your post about the red ... I might just do that, instead.

 

I tried red LED lights in the cluster but I had light in one spot. It would not light the gas or voltage gauge. Switched in regular red colored bulbs. I have red 194 LED lights for sale!!

 

I'm curious, how many and how much?

 

Sent PM.

 

No response I will sell the pair of lights for $10.00 plus shipping. PM me if anyone is interested.