[glhonda]

Well,, he can as a matter of course but he'd have better results with......

Just about anybody, since you don't answer yours!:lash::raspberry::ROFL:

 

[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.

 

[DaveO430]

I'd suspect the connector for the fuse box.

Sorry bro but there is no connector for the fuse box on an 1100.
I think the water is coincidental, I would split the cover off the harness where it flexes at the steering head, some wires may have rubbed together in there and bypassed the switch.

 

[DaveO430]

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.

Nope, not in there. That is the turn signal cancel solenoid clicking and there is no way the short is in there.

 

[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?

 

[glhonda]

Disconnect the rectifier and see.

 

[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.

 

[glhonda]

I always step on myself with the 1100's. They're just the same, but only different than the 1000's and the 1200's.
My 1100 manual shows a rectifier/ regulator assy like the 1200 uses. Under the faux tank on the left side. Eight pin connector. Three yellows, two red, two green and a black.
If yours looks like this, it's quite possible the regulator is feeding back into the ignition circuit. Unplug the connector. The bike will still run, it just won't charge. Test only.

 

[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.

 

[glhonda]

So just what does that tell you, glhonda?

It tells me it's not the rectifier. And you're right. Not much more.

 

[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.

 

[trashtruck]

underneath the faux tank you have found the regulator/rectifier on the ouside of the frame rail. on the inside of the rail, closer to the fuse box (on my 82 anyway) is a small 2 prong little box. that should be the seleniunm rectifier and is connected inline between the switch on the clutch and the starter solenoid. it is also operates the neutral light. it's so when you pull the clutch in and the bike is in gear it will start but wont start with the clutch out unless it's in neutral.

 

[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.

 

[lyleapgmc]

There is water in the ignition switch? Maybe. There could be a chafed wire that showed up when the bike got wet. What do you have to do to start the engine? Do you go through the normal routine? Will it start with the key in the 'off' position? Will it start in gear or without disengaging the clutch?

The starter solenoid only powers the starter when it is engaged. It does not power any other part of the bike.

Water is not a particularly good conductor. It is the chlorine, fluorine, salt, medications, dissolved minerals and other chemicals that make it conductive. Those are present in city water.

A nice, warm day with lots of sunlight might be your best friend.

 

[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.

 

[DaveO430]

Try removing the fuses one at a time. If one of them kills the power it will help narrow down the circuit that has the short.

 

[DriverRider]

You need to take a full inventory of bike electrical. Does everything work like it should and if not figure that out. Then on to any PO added wiring or previous repairs from a visual inspection and check that work.

With a wiring diagram for ignition system find out where it is supplied with juice (ignition switch) check for juice on that wire with it unplugged and then work back to next connector and so on and so forth until the fault is found. And also do a wiggle test of harness looking for a correction of fault.

 

[Broke Winger]

There is a four wire plug on the starter solenoid. inspect it very thoroughly. Make sure the wires are where they belong and that none of them are shorted.

One pair of the four wires is the main power feed for the bike and are normally switched via the keyed ignition switch. If those two wires are shorted together, or connected to the wrong spades the bike will have power without the key switch.

Normally there is a plastic connector for that plug that keeps the wires where they belong. However when i bough my wing that plug had been eliminated and there were just four wires with spade connectors. Took me two days to figure them out when i accidentally got them mixed up.