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Buell Motorcycle Forum » Old School Buell » Archive through June 24, 2009 » Tach Lead/Electrical Gremlins (I think) « Previous Next »

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Jmkybf
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 08:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My bike has been cutting out on me recently. I will be going along and then it will cut out and sometimes, while I'm still rolling it will fire back up. Other times it will not fire, but if I let it sit for a minute or two, it will fire back up. Right before it cuts out, the tach starts reading incorrectly. It jumps all around, and then when it cuts out, the tach sometimes reads 9k rpm. Yesterday, I checked all the main ground wires, the main one on the swing arm, the voltage regulator ground, and the battery ground all the way to the top motor mount. They were all tight without corrosion. I also unplugged and replugged in the CDI box. I went for a 20 mile ride and everything was alright. I get back on it today, and the same thing is happening. My bike is a '97, so it didn't originally come with a tach;thus, it is not in the wiring diagram. What wires are the tach leads coming off of? Is is coming from a signal in from the CDI? I'm thinking that a wire might be grounding out on something, but I'd like to have an idea of where the tach leads are coming from so I don't have to go looking through the entire harness. Also the side stand switch is bypassed.
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Ratbuell
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 08:11 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Tach wire usually feeds from the signal wire to the coil.

The good news? the tank is easy to pull off, to give you clear access to all the wires.

At least you don't have to dig through an '85 Dodge truck to figure out why there's 13v at the battery and NO power at all in the cab. grrrr...
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Jos51700
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 08:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

At least you don't have to dig through an '85 Dodge truck to figure out why there's 13v at the battery and NO power at all in the cab. grrrr...

THIS, I might be able to help with. I had problem after problem with my Dodge truck's electrical system. One thing to look at is bypassing the ammeter, if there is one. I just hooked the red ammeter lead to the black ammeter lead and bypassed the crapped ammeter. That restored power to the cab.

Once I ran a heavy-gauge line (WITH FUSIBLE LINK) directly from the alternator output stud directly to the battery positive lead (at the starter relay), ALL my other electrical problems went away.

Note that if your ammeter is still functional, adding a parallel circuit to the battery will render it massively innaccurate.

Maybe that helps?
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Kyrocket
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 08:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

How old is your battery? Mine did the same thing you're describing a couple of years ago, turned out to be a bad battery. Good thing is you can take 'em to a parts store and have them checked for free. Also check your ground on your battery, sometimes they'll break inside the insulation and you'll never see it. When my battery was on the fritz my tach needle would completely die then run all the way to redline and back, all this when I was steady at about 3500.
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Jmkybf
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:26 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I have no clue how old the battery is. It's the same one that was on the bike when I bought it a year ago. I'll have to take it into Auto Zone and have it checked. I'll also do a continuity check on the ground wires. I wasn't suspecting a battery because it is so intermittent. I should have known that the tach leads came off of the coil - same as a car.

As for the '85 Dodge, I know your feeling. I was installing a Painless Wiring harness in my '72 Cutlass, and I had power throughout the engine bay, but nothing in the interior. Had me stumped for a week. I finally called Painless and they told me to take apart the fuse box. Turns out the main power terminal that feeds all the power to the inside circuits popped out of its holder and wasn't making contact with the inside terminal.
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Buellistic
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:52 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

BUELLers:

If you'll do not "TYE WRAP" your wiring so that it does not do the "WIGGLE TEST" while riding you will get "MYSTERIOUS" electrical problems ...

If you keep your "BATTERY" until you get the "LAST ELECTRON" out of it with the
"ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEMS" of today you will get "MYSTERIOUS" electrical problems ...

If you put "TOO SMALL" of a fuse in a fuse holder you will get "MYSTERIOUS" electrical problems ...

MAY TH LONG LASTING BUELL BE WITH YOU !!!
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Ratbuell
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:56 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Not to continue the hijack...but, I don't have an ammeter in the truck. Speedo, gas, temp, idiot lights. I gotta get a diagram from a buddy at a dealer....but thanks for the tips. Your the second person to tip me to the ammeter though, so there might be something there. I checked for power at the buss bars where they go into the fuse panel...nada. Tight connections, at least right there.

For the bike - check your grounds. They like to come loose - gotta love a big twin! Star washers on your ground lugs are always a good idea, they help lock the studs/bolts in place without the insulating characteristics of threadlocker...and they can cut through powdercoating/plating where needed, too. Put one between the body and the wiring terminal, then another between the bolt/nut and the terminal. Should keep everything nice and snug for ya.
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Bluzm2
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 05:24 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My S2 had a simular problem.
I replaced all my circuit breakers (4 of them) and the problem went away.

Brad
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Bad_karma
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Ratbuell 85 dodge truck, fusable link. On the drive side fender. Hi jack? John do you loose all electrical or just the engine dies?
Joe
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Jmkybf
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

No need to worry about hi jacking. I took off the battery ground wires to check continuity and they check out fine. I put them back on, went for a ride, and everything was good. I don't know if there was some corrosion in between the connections or what. I have also read that the vibrations will fatigue the connectors, so if it acts up again, I will be tracing the ignition wires from connection to connection checking for breaks. Thanks for the help everyone. Now if you guys could solve Ratbuell's Dodge problem.
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