Electrical problems... Help?

I just got my bike ready for the road and now all of a sudden I have no lights(headlight, taillight, and instrument lights). Turn signals work and so does the brake lights. Anybody got any ideas what it could be? I checked all the connectors that I could see. Checked all the wires inside the bucket and still nothing. I will check the relay and see if that is it. Still looking for other possibilities. I have had the bike for many years and just got it legalized to ride. I want to ride! Any help would be great.

 

Fuse?

 

That was the first thing I checked. Sorry forgot to mention that one.

 

Original fuse block or did you upgrade?

MN

 

It is a fuse block that has the round fuses in it but I did take out my old one and put that one in.

 

On my XS400L I have to wiggle the connectors to the fuse box to make sure the connections are made. The wires connect to a metal prong that moves on the fuse box. A real hassle. I bought another fuse box where the connectors are all in one piece but didn't put it in yet.

I once lost the headlights and got them back that way.

Hope this helps.

 

Something is definitely amiss...

According to the wiring diagram:

1. Power flows "from" the BATTERY to and through the MAIN fuse.
2. From the MAIN, it then goes to the IGNITION SWITCH.
3. There, it divides. One wire goes directly to the TAIL LIGHT and the other feeds power to the HEADLIGHT fuse, the TURN SIGNAL fuse, and the IGNITION fuse.

Now, you state that your turn signals work, so we can pretty much assume that you're getting power to the TURN SIGNAL fuse. Here's what you do:

1. Remove the MAIN fuse from the FUSE BOX.
2. With a voltmeter, check to see if you have power on one side only of your MAIN fuse terminals.
   • If you have no power at all, you either have a dead BATTERY or a broken/bad connection somewhere.
   • If you have power on both sides of the MAIN fuse terminals, you're back-feeding power from somewhere. Look for a short in the harness.
   • If you've got power on only one side of the MAIN fuse terminals continue.
3. Reinstall the MAIN fuse, remove the rest of the fuses, turn on the IGNITION SWITCH, and perform the same test on the remaining fuse terminals.
   • If you have no power at all on any of the remaining fuse terminals, you either have a dead IGNITION SWITCH or a broken/bad connection somewhere.
   • If you have power on both sides of any of the remaining fuse terminals, you're back-feeding power from somewhere. Look for a short in the harness.
   • If you've got power on only one side of some of the remaining fuse terminals you may have a broken/bad connection where the wire from the IGNITION SWITCH splits to feed power to the remaining individual fused circuits.
   • If you've got power on only one side of all the remaining fuse terminals continue.
4. Reinstall the fuses.
5. If you've made it this far, your HEADLIGHT and DASHLIGHTS should be working. Further testing will be required if not.
6. If your TAIL LIGHT is still not working, check to see if the bulb is burned out. If the bulb checks good you'll need to probe the wire feeding it for power.
   • If you have power to the socket check for a faulty ground.
   • If you have no power, you'll need to get at the harness for the IGNITION SWITCH to see if you're getting power from it. This requires removing the HEADLIGHT from the HEADLIGHT BUCKET and testing for power going in and coming out of the IGNITION SWITCH.

Hope that helps!

 

Wait... I think a missed a step or two in there. Let me edit my comment.

EDIT: Done.

 

I think we might have figured it out... Hopefully. Checked the battery and when I reved it up 2k-3k rpms it was at 12.2 v. So my guess is the stator went. Am I correct? Checked the resistance of the coil it showed that it was shorted out.

 

Got it. I messed up when I reinstalled the stator cover. Wire did not get put back where it belonged and it was compressed by cover and wore through the sheathing. Thus shorting out. Thank god I still had the extra stator. Also figured out my tail light. Wire was broken off from the ignition switch. Thanks to you all that gave me some ideas. I appreciate it!!!!!

 

Don't chunk the old stator, wrap the exposed wire up and throw it back in to test if it is still intact. A daub of liquid electrical tape should set things right provided the wire strands aren't broken. Then you have your spare back on the shelf!

 

The wires were almost completly sheared off. I still have 1 more. Hopefully I won't need it.

 

Got a 900F 300 watt soldering iron? Replace the line if you can, those silly hunks of metal are bucks!

 

I am sure I can get it fixed. It would be nice to have extra around after all it is almost a 30 yr old bike.

 

Could anybody tell me if a stator from a seca 750 would work in a Seca 400?

Thanks

Ken

 

what years?

 

They are both 1982.

Ken

 

According to the parts fiche the part numbers are the same. So if you go by that they should work. It is worth a shot.