GL1100 short in the harness

732 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by boxesofparts, May 27, 2013

boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · May 26, 2013

I took the battery off the the tender, put it in the bike and she fired right up. Great start to the season, right? The next day I hit the start button and got nothing but a click from the relay. Sure enough, the battery was dead.

I turned off everything and put an ammeter across the battery connectors and found virtually no resistance. After a few hours with the schematic and the meter, pulling connectors here & there I finally found that the black/white wire between the kill switch and the coils is shorting to ground.

The relevant piece of the schematic is shown. The short is actually between the two connectors.

Suggestions? I'm not thrilled at the thought of pulling the entire wiring harness, but I can't see where it's worn through. I haven't got any bright ideas for bypassing that wire either.

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DriverRider

· #2 · May 26, 2013

boxesofparts said:
I turned off everything and put an ammeter across the battery connectors and found virtually no resistance. After a few hours with the schematic and the meter, pulling connectors here & there I finally found that the black/white wire between the kill switch and the coils is shorting to ground.

With an ammeter you are looking for Ma or A draws not resistance?

If I am reading the schematic correctly the B/W wire is 12V+. If shorted it would not allow bike to start the day before and drain the battery overnight the next unless the ignition key is left on. Am I on the right track?

Someone more familiar will be along.

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boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 26, 2013

I should have said multi-meter I suppose. Checking resistance. Clipped one lead to the frame and connecting the other lead to either end of the wire in the connectors shows no resistance to the frame.

That wire is supposed to be hot. I'm guessing the bike started because either there was enough oomph in the fresh battery to overcome the short or I moved the harness into contact with something later when doing some other work. Either way, the short's there, and there's nothing between the two connectors but harness. Moving the harness around doesn't seem to break the contact either. I'm guessing I'm going to have to pull it.

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glhonda

· #4 · May 26, 2013

boxesofparts said:
That wire is supposed to be hot. Either way, the short's there, and there's nothing between the two connectors but harness.

No, it's not suppose to be hot, and yes, that's probably your problem.
Honda's "hot" battery source wires are red, red/white, but always red.
Black, black/white, black/blue.....are ignition sources.
Check this post for a little insight as to where your problem MIGHT be..
http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/2-goldwing-technical-forum/426754-cant-shut-gl1100-off.html

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DaveO430

· #5 · May 26, 2013

boxesofparts said:
Clipped one lead to the frame and connecting the other lead to either end of the wire in the connectors shows no resistance to the frame.

.

You or me is a little confuzzed.

Do you mean 0 resistance as in a short to ground or no resistance as in the meter doesn't show anything? As DriverRider stated, that wire could not have caused the battery to go dead unless you left the switch on. Also it ran the day before so unless you left out the part about you changed the battery or jumped it off another one and now it will not run I don't see how you even began looking at that wire.

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boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 26, 2013

I guess I mis-spoke when I said 'hot'. From what I can figure from the schematic, the line runs from the positive battery terminal through the starter switch, through the ignition switch, through the kill switch to the coils and shouldn't be hitting ground anywhere along the way. It doesn't look like there should be anything between those two connectors but one wire, so I can only figure theres some chafing somewhere. I'm just not sure whether to try pulling and unwrapping or replacing the harness or just bypass that wire somehow.

The switches seem fine. There's continuity when there should be, none when there shouldn't and (with the line from kill switch to coils disconnected) no continuity to ground.

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DriverRider

· #7 · May 26, 2013

boxesofparts said:
After a few hours with the schematic and the meter, pulling connectors here & there I finally found that the black/white wire between the kill switch and the coils is shorting to ground.

? You will likely get a resistance reading because you are going through the coils primary windings to wherever it goes on the other side. Points, spark units or whatever.

boxesofparts said:
The switches seem fine. There's continuity when there should be, none when there shouldn't and (with the line from kill switch to coils disconnected) no continuity to ground.

?? Put it back together and verify good battery. Do a draw test with the mutimeter mA or A in series and pinpoint where the DRAW is coming from. Stay away from resistance and continuity checking for now.

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maplewingnut

· #8 · May 26, 2013

Hey Boxes.....Welcome to the forum.

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boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 26, 2013

Oh geez, Dave, you're right, it shouldn't have drained with the switch off. Maybe I've got more than one problem.

Ok, I'll see if I can nail down the draw. I'll be running out of daylight shortly, but work on it tomorrow and get back with whatever I find.

Leave it to me to be chasing the wrong squirrel up the wrong tree. Thanks for the help all!

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boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 26, 2013

Thanks MW. I've actually been lurking for years but just finally getting old enough to not care about showing off how much I don't know.

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DriverRider

· #11 · May 27, 2013

To prevent blowing the meter fuse do this first. With key out and everything shut off and positive battery cable connected and negative disconnected.

Tap negative cable to battery post only the slightest of a spark should show. If you get a healthy spark use a 10A fuse between cable and post and hopefully it wont blow, then try a 5A. Depending what your meter can read for Amperage you don't want to blow that tiny fuse in it. It will take longer to track down a replacement for the meter fuse.

Start with the meter in the A position then go to the lower mA if it safe to do. A general figure is no more than 5 mA draw and my 1500 draws 1 mA.

Got it.

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maplewingnut

· #12 · May 27, 2013

boxesofparts said:
Thanks MW. I've actually been lurking for years but just finally getting old enough to not care about showing off how much I don't know.

The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. Don't worry, you are amongst friends here!

I have an 1100 sitting in my garage that works! If you need me to check out anything and give you feedback, let me know. If you want to compare notes, come on over, you are not too far away!

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boxesofparts

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 27, 2013

Well, you know what they say about assumptions.

No load at all with the key off. Hmmm... that'd make it kinda hard for the battery to have drained wouldn't it?

Screwdriver across the starter solenoid terminals and nothing. Cable direct from the battery to the starter and nothing.

I'll let you all know what happens when I swap the starter. :sadguy:

Thanks to everyone for pushing me in the right direction!
(anyone wanna help push the bike?)

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