K-bike electrical glitch

[johnnyquest]

Hello everyone:
Between grad school, soccer, and playing in a rock band I haven't had much time to read the threads or post here. I finally got my leaky fork drain bolts fixed and my bike's been running fine. Rode without my hard bags for the first time and got nearly 47 mpg on a tank in mixed city driving. Just changed all my fluids and am thinking it will need a new tire by summer's end, at which time I'll lube the drive shaft splines. I've gotten about 12,000 miles out of my rear tire which I'm quite happy with. All is well except.....

The other day I rode to the AFB where I attend classes. It was hot out, probably 101 or so....when I got to the traffic light i heard/felt my cooling fan come on (a good thing since I had one seize on me this past winter and had to replace it). I turn left, am pulling up to the gate and as I apply the front brake I hear the fan motor slow, I look down and the battery/generator light is on and then the motor stops. I stop the bike, cycle my ignition switch (not sure why I thought that would help) and the bike fired back up. I didn't have any other problems that day.

As I mentioned, I changed the cooling fan recently as well as the battery. From time to time when I apply the brakes my battery/gen light will come on dimly, more noticeable at night. I read this was common and not a real problem. I now am suspicious that I have an intermittent short. Has anyone heard of this problem before? If not, any suggestions on what part of the system to look at first? Any and all input from the community and the resident K-bike gurus is greatly appreciated.

JQ

[deilenberger]

VERY long posting - I think your question is somewhere in the middle.. but a quick test.

Turn on your ignition. Wiggle the key - do the lights on the instrument pod flicker or get bright/dimmer? If so - your ignition switch needs cleaning.. for a FAQ on how to do it see:

http://www.eilenberger.net/K75S/IgnitionSwitch/index.html

If that isn't the symptoms - please elucidate a bit more succinctly..

Oh - the glowing alternator light isn't a problem. VERY common, it is fixable but not worth fixing IMHO. It does tell you the bulb is still working - so it's sort of a feature..

[jdiaz]

Oh - the glowing alternator light isn't a problem. VERY common, it is fixable but not worth fixing IMHO. It does tell you the bulb is still working - so it's sort of a feature..
I use it to tell me that my heated grips and KTail Enhancement are working. :laugh

[johnnyquest]

VERY long posting - I think your question is somewhere in the middle.. but a quick test.

Turn on your ignition. Wiggle the key - do the lights on the instrument pod flicker or get bright/dimmer? If so - your ignition switch needs cleaning.. for a FAQ on how to do it see:

http://www.eilenberger.net/K75S/IgnitionSwitch/index.html

If that isn't the symptoms - please elucidate a bit more succinctly..

Oh - the glowing alternator light isn't a problem. VERY common, it is fixable but not worth fixing IMHO. It does tell you the bulb is still working - so it's sort of a feature..

Hi Don, thanks for taking the time to reply. I was just out in the garage working on it, and I think you're right....I'm chasing this problem around in circles, misinterpreting symptoms for causes.

When I wiggle my ignition switch the instrument indicator lights don't change; however, when I repeatedly turn the ignition off/on for 3 to 4 times the lights will come on very dim the forth time. When I pull in my front brake lever the lights will go completely out and then come on for two to three times, then come back full brightness.

My high-beam switch has always been sticky and the blue indicator bulb has been intermittent for months, so thinking it may be the problem I took that switch apart and cleaned it with contact cleaner and put dielectric grease on the contacts. I also did the same for the starter button, but I didn't take that switch completely apart. Is the whole brake lever thing just a decoy? Should I clean the ignition switch as per your directions? Thanks.

JQ

[gsmetal]

It's possible it's the rubber dampers in your alternator.

Put the bike on the centerstand and start the bike - then bend down so your ear is near the alternator.

Are you noticing any rough sounds coming from the alternator at idle or as you increase the trottle?

[deilenberger]

Hi Don, thanks for taking the time to reply. I was just out in the garage working on it, and I think you're right....I'm chasing this problem around in circles, misinterpreting symptoms for causes.

When I wiggle my ignition switch the instrument indicator lights don't change; however, when I repeatedly turn the ignition off/on for 3 to 4 times the lights will come on very dim the forth time. When I pull in my front brake lever the lights will go completely out and then come on for two to three times, then come back full brightness.
Interesting symptoms.. The wiggle test is pretty accurate. I think your problem is elsewhere, but it won't hurt to clean the inside of the ignition switch (providing you don't loose any parts while doing it..) I would also take of the tank, and clean each and every electrical connection under the tank. I am not a fan of dielectric grease - I like clean contacts with nothing on them.

I'd also suggest cleaning up the main ground point - which is the bolt where ALL the brown wires come together under the tank - bolt goes into the side of the center spine on the frame. Remove the bolt, and clean the frame surface with a bit of sandpaper - then clean each terminal that was on the bolt, reinstall and retighten the bolt.

My high-beam switch has always been sticky and the blue indicator bulb has been intermittent for months, so thinking it may be the problem I took that switch apart and cleaned it with contact cleaner and put dielectric grease on the contacts. I also did the same for the starter button, but I didn't take that switch completely apart. Is the whole brake lever thing just a decoy? Should I clean the ignition switch as per your directions? Thanks.

JQ
Something is loosing voltage or floating the ground. The additional load of your brake light is causing something odd to happen. How handy are you with a VOM or DVM? If you don't know what those letters mean - that is more or less an answer in itself, and I'd suggest looking for someone who knows what they do.

I'd want to watch voltages around the system AS this happens. Someplace you're going to find a bad contact of some sort.

Best,

[AntonLargiader]

My high-beam switch has always been sticky and the blue indicator bulb has been intermittent for months, so thinking it may be the problem I took that switch apart and cleaned it with contact cleaner and put dielectric grease on the contacts.
Don't bother. Replace it. The contacts have worn away and/or have overheated and recessed into the plastic.

[johnnyquest]

Thanks again to everyone for the help. Sorry it took so long to get back but I went TDY and just now got the bike fixed. After checking the ground on my starter and the ground point under the tank I was still baffled so I look at the ignition switch again. I tried wiggling it harder and it then started to duplicate my problem. I tried to follow the instructions on how to take it apart and clean it but after a couple of hours of frustration I just ordered a new switch...the part was on my work bench when I returned and it took me all of 20 minutes to change it out and put my bike back together. Seems to be running great now with no electrical anomolies. Thanks again for all the help.

JQ

[deilenberger]

JQ - glad to hear we were a help! That's what the K forum is for.. :type