[randames22]

I have a"new to me" '82 GL 1100. My son-in-law washed her down the other day and now we can't shut the thing off. Have to pull the ground to kill 'er. I have taken the switch off and when I hook the ground up, the power is still there. I KNOW there are some guru's on here that know EXACTLY what is wrong but I sure don't. If it comes on without the key, where is the problem then? The key switch looks okay and I have cleaned all the contacts. Is there a relay that could be shorted somewhere? HELP!!!!

 

[randames22]

Can't shut it off - '82 GL 1100

I have a"new to me" '82 GL 1100. My son-in-law washed her down the other day and now we can't shut the thing off. Have to pull the ground to kill 'er. I have taken the switch off and when I hook the ground up, the power is still there. I KNOW there are some guru's on here that know EXACTLY what is wrong but I sure don't. If it comes on without the key, where is the problem then? The key switch looks okay and I have cleaned all the contacts. Is there a relay that could be shorted somewhere? HELP!!!!

 

[randames22]

I have taken the key switch apart and totally cleaned it, but if I connect the ground everything comes on with or without the key, makes no difference. I have to think that something is wrong somewhere else and not in the switch.

 

[randames22]

I have totally cleaned the key switch and there is NO water in it. When I hook up the ground it comes on regardless of whether the key is on or not. Don't even have to plug the switch in and it still comes on. Something somewhere else as got to be the problem, but I just don't know where to look next.

 

[randames22]

The starter is not spinning, but all the lights come on and won't go off until I disconnect the ground. Doesn't matter about the key at all. In fact, I don't even have to plug the key switch back in and just hoop up the ground and the lights come on and I can start it if I want. Just have to unhook ground to shut it off.

 

[randames22]

Can anyone help me combine these two threads, no need to have two of the same, but alas, I'm not sure how to do that. HELP, again.

 

[randames22]

Here is what I've done so far. I took the ignition(key) switch apart. Cleaned contacts and new grease and put back together. Unhooked starter relay and hooked back up. Doesn't matter what I do, the dash lights and the starter will work when I push the button without the key even IN the ignition. You wouldn't need a key to steal this thing right now. You can kill the engine with kill switch but that doesn't turn off the lights. The only way to do that, at present, is to unhook ground from battery. And thanks for moving the thread to make one, whoever did it. So if I have bleed back, what do I do to fix it? Only had this thing a week and I don't need this big headache already, lol.

 

[randames22]

New development. When I connect the ground now, there is a clicking sound in the light switch on left handgrip. I will be taking that apart now to see if that is shorted somewhere in there. Cross your fingers, maybe this is the "quick" fix.

 

[randames22]

Ya, the "quick" fix wasn't there. Turn signal cancel was all. I have fairing off, faux tank off, rear bags off(not that they needed to come off, but wanted to see how they worked anyway). I notice when I attach the ground when it has been off for a while, it takes a few seconds for the dash lights to light up. After that, it is instant coming on. Maybe it has to warm something up initially, just a thought. This is really perplexing, let me tell you. Oh, he washed over a week ago and we've had NO rain so it has to have dried up with temps in high 70's for several days, don't ya think?

 

[randames22]

I will check the steering head and the wires there and see what happens.

 

[randames22]

Check wires thru steering head and can't find any bare wires. Disconnected them, 3 of them and it still didn't make any difference. I did count to 15 tho when I connected the ground before it lit the lights up. Seems like when it is disconnected for some time then re-connected it takes some time. Could there be a rectifier that has to heat up or warm up before it fails and then when it is warm it shorts instantly?

 

[randames22]

Would that be the "selenium" rectifier? I'm not sure where it is but I will look. Being color blind, I can't tell what color wire goes to it and there is no one here at the moment to help with colors. Really sucks, I know, but so goes life.

 

[randames22]

Located that and it will still run, as you said, with it undone. Voltage when undone was 12.3. With it plugged in it reads 14.5. So just what does that tell you, glhonda? Because it doesn't tell me much, but then I'm used to saving lives for a living not saving wings.

 

[randames22]

Here's another little diddy I just found. Without the key on the horn makes a clicking sound but when I turn the key on the horn will honk normally. So there must be some voltage leaking and when the key is on then enough voltage is getting to the horn. I don't know if that will stir something up in your collective minds or not.

 

[randames22]

Thanks for all the help, guys. It's dark thirty outside and I have no lights to continue working on it, so I am going to put it to bed and hope it wakes up on the right side of the bed, lol. Will attack tomorrow and see what I can figure out. I'm sure my limited intelligence will NOT be expanded by the morning, but who knows, stranger things have happened. Thanks again y'all.

 

[randames22]

Had the ignition switch all apart and back together. It has been 6 days since the bath. Been pretty warm, too, for all those days. Bike will start without key. have to pull ground to kill it or use kill switch. key doesn't even need to be in ignition. I have pulled every plug/connection apart and can't figure out the problem. I'm sure there is NO water anywhere in the system now. Can't find any chaffed wires anywhere that I have looked. The horn won't honk until I turn the key on, however. It will make a sound with key off but will honk when key is turned on. Real baffling.

 

[randames22]

Got voltage when I put the 10 Amp fuse in the slot marked, "Turn Cancel, Tail, Meterlamp.

 

[randames22]

Got voltage when I put the 10 Amp fuse in the slot marked, "Turn Cancel, Tail, Meterlamp. Put ignition switch back in and starter will spin with key on and fuse out. With fuse in doesn't matter where key is so it looks like that circuit is the culprit. Working to find a short there, right?

 

[randames22]

WOOHOO - This may or may not be disturbing, but after all that I have done following everyone's suggestions, doing as glhonda described, this bike is running correct. But here's the catch, all I did was unplug stuff and plug it back and then things began to work right. Nothing fell out, nothing was broken, didn't find any wires that were bare or anything like that but when I disconnected the 9-pin Red plug and plugged it back things seemed to be okay. Tail lights work, turn cancel works. OOOOOOPPPPSSSS hold the phone. Just had to do several starts and stops and you guessed it, back not working. Okay, I will just try to figure this crap out again. That's life, at least I think I am closer to a solution.

 

[randames22]

P.S. I had NO tail light when it was running and now I do. That should mean something, right? Could it be the socket maybe?