Gremlins II

[docc]

So, the ground actually was from the regulator? It's just that you can't actually short a ground to the frame. So, if there wasn't a hot wire melted into it, I would think the regulator played up and shorted itself through the ground wire.

 

1) Is there a separate ground to the regulator case?

 

2) What does the green 30 amp fuse and its connections look like?

 

3) You could mention the two lovelies at the bank to the wife and probably get of of dinner plans.

[czakky]

no it was just a ground straight from the battery... there were several wires melted to it.

 

1)Just put one on

 

2)look clean but i'll give it a thorough cleaning

 

3)Yea but her name's on the lease...jk

[docc]

But that ground . . . I'm thinking of it as coming back to the battery. But from where? The regulator? Maybe the headlight?

 

That will be where the short likely began.

 

And what about The Mystery Ground? What was that wired to?

[czakky]

dont know originally but I got traced it back to the battery. According to the schematics it went into the crankcase somewhere, it was nowhere near there when I found it.

 

yea that was the mystery wire I found like 8 shorts couldnt tell you why or how nothing looked pinched??

 

Gotta go gettin bi..... at er, paged

[gstallons]

The  ground wire melted because of a poor connection at the battery or where it goes to. I don't think it is going to hurt to add grounds to help. How much trouble will it be to replace this ground wire ? I am not near a wiring diagram to offer any sure assistance...

p.s. be sure to use shakeproof washers on all ground ( between the terminal and frame) connections .

[docc]

C'Zak:

 

Just to be sure: when you traced the bad wire to the battery, it went to the negative side for sure? The picture looks like a black wire form the factory harness (not an add-on from the PO). Can you confirm this?

 

If so, my schematic seems to only show black ground wires from the headlamp and the regulator.  And one big, short one to the back of the gearbox.

 

Some continuity testing using an ohm meter with the key off might be a good idea to find what is connected where. Most of us would not use a black wire to power positive to a vehicle device, but . . . ?

[czakky]

It definitely looks factory, in plastic rubber casing etc. negative side no doubt. Followed it all the way.

 

Same schematic I have, I'm sure..

 

Oh boy that continuity testing now ya got me worried again....

[docc]

The good thing about continuity testing is you're using 1.5 volts from the Ohm meter and it leaves very little smoke to get out of the wires.

 

The question about your melted black wire is: where did it come from on the front of the bike? Is it the regulator ground?

[czakky]

That is very good to know, so I'm losing power on my current system?

 

Uuuh there is a regulator ground? if there is, then no

 

 

Here's my discovery of this wire going back to the third or fourth day I owned the bike.  Workin on my TPS which I didn't understand at first.  Wheel my bike out of the garage and I hear a tink tink, like something metal fell what I found was a screw (self tapping sheet metal screw). Then, I went to start the bike and it wouldnt start, acted weird so I recharged the battery hooked it up still acted weird saw smoke coming from the front of the bike and saw a dangling "mystery" wire bouncing off a frame bolt.  Connected to a solid ground and life was good for a while.....

[docc]

I could be asking the wrong questions. But, there's no doubt that melted black wire is trouble. And we know it went to the negative side of the battery.

 

So, where did it go forward from there? Had to come from somewhere . . .

 

The other end of the wire?

[Kiwi_Roy]

But the starter engagement stayed weak, oh well, I think to myself maybe it's one of those weak connections I've read about on the forum.

 

But that ground . . . I'm thinking of it as coming back to the battery. But from where? The regulator? Maybe the headlight?

 

That will be where the short likely began.

 

And what about The Mystery Ground? What was that wired to?

Docc, you just solved the mystery.

Looking back at the original post czakky made

"But the starter engagement stayed weak, oh well, I think to myself maybe it's one of those weak connections I've read about on the forum"

 

Heres what happened.

The main large ground is disconnected so all the starting current has to make it's way from the battery to the front of the bike through the small black wire in the loom,

of course it can't handle the current so the starter is weak and eventually it let out the magic smoke and shorted to many others.

 

Czakky, trace the large ground from the battery, it should connect somewhere at the rear of the gearbox, it's probably corroded, broken under the insulation or loose.

As for replacing the black wire that did all the damage, instead of running it back to the battery connect it to the motor somewhere, that way if ever you get a loose main

ground it will not re-occur.

Back through the motor and the now re-connected main ground is a better path also.

 

I think this should be a warning to us all, check the main ground connection, especially if starting is weak, this bike could have easily destroyed itself.

[czakky]

I think that sounds about right!

 

Yet another reason why electricity is such a bastard

[docc]

All about right except docc didn't solve the mystery.

 

Kiwi-Roy to the rescue, and gstallons who also saw this for a bad connection. Makes perfect sense (now) that the starting was seeking a new ground path that couldn't take the juice.

 

The main ground strap is a little hard to see, but look under the seat release at the back right of the gearbox and the terminal should be visible:

 

[czakky]

Electrics seem fine now, but it's not running anymore, reset the TPS and it seems to be getting worse

 

I did do most of Docc's tank off checklist while I had her apart. Do you think that my new o-ring on the timing sensor is messing me up?

 

Also I feared i might have been banging up against the TPS so thus my resetting it after it now isnt running.  Is it possible I butchered this harness after so many probings?

 

The other thing that I mentioned earlier is my coils getting bumped around, possible effects? they do seem to rest on the fuel pump.

 

The last and least likely is the random breather tube I found real small vents out the bottom not sure where it was supposed to go thought maybe it was a tank overfill line that I missed last time.

 

I hope I'm getting her close, I'm sick of working on this thing

[docc]

There are some replacement mounts available for the coil mounts from Touratech.

 

When you replaced the timing sensor, you are certain it seated fully and everything got plugged back up?

 

This doesn't sound like TPS at this point. The two nipples on the bottom of the tank each get a small hose that drops out behind the gearbox (one for tank vent sometimes has a small one-way valve in line, and the other for tank over flow).

 

So, what does the bike actually do? crank over, fuel pump primes, starts and stalls?