An electrical problem | |
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Three days before "Vechta" I drove, with the excuse to get aquinted
with my fairing, to work. Ede-Doorwerth is a nice and quied route. But
at the last traffic light I noticed bthat the car behind me did not react
to my braking, and a few minutes later I saw that the temperature meter
was not functioning.
I slowed down, put my indicator on, but no flashing lights. There's
something wrong, I guess. I park, but there's no 'neutral' light.
I turn the contact off, and think about it. But when I turn the contact
to 'On' nothing works. No oil warnig, no neutral, no indicators,
and the worst of all: no startermotor. It must be the main fuse, but why?
Sure enough the main fuse is gone. But there is a spare one, located in the fuse box. After a slight hesitation I place the new fuse into the fuse holder. Now the electric is back the engine will start at once. But I still don't know why the fuse was blown.... The fuse stays good, ans all the electric is working again. No problems. One hour later I have to go to another location. The CX is running again, so no problem. And there is no problem until, five metres before the destination, just as I turn right into a parkingspace, all the electric failes. Silently I grumble a few not such nice words while I park my rebellius "Red Rascal". After the job is done I start the CX by holding a screwdriver across the fuseholder. It's riscy, I iknow, but I've drove a few kilometres without any problems, so I'm rather sure that it will do no harm. Before I ride home, I get 4 20amp. fuses, and while I ride very carefully back I keep a sharp eye open for anything that can happen. Nothing happens, all functions normal. Was it an old fuse? Mayby.... That evening I remove the fairing, to look into the wire mash behind it to see if there, where a few days ago I have been tinkering to connect the fairing and a sigaret-lighter, is something wrong. The sigaret-lighter, meant for the TomTom navigator, is fused with a 0.5Amp fuse, and that is still intact. But where is the fault? I reconnect some wires, check the rest and test connections. When I remove the saddle I notice that vthe main fuse is blown again. Everything is checked, wiring underneath the saddle and in the rear are very neatly put in place, and whatever I try, everything keeps working. Have I found the problem? I place the fairing back, and hope for the best. The next morning I first look if everything is working. The "Red Rascal" start normal, and maybe we can get to Doorwerth. I get into my motorsuit, put my things into the tankpack and leave. But I don't get far. just on the street I notice that all teh electric are gone: main fuse. I turn around, put the motor away, and take the car, wondering what the h** is going wrong. The end of the afternoon I buy a box with 10 fuses 20Amp. and remove the fairing again. More that three hours I try, with the light on. Sometimes it goes well, but than, at once, without any clear cause , the main fuse goes "flash", two three times in a row. I check and reconnect the wiring from the rightside rear blinker, but "flash", thats not the one. I place the wiring at the front inside a plactic tube, but "flash" that's not it eighter. Time to do something totally different. The switch-arm from the indicatorlights has been missing the 'knob' since I bought the CX. Now I have a spare one lying around, so maybe it is time to change this swithcing arm. I replace the switch-arm, and place the switch bach onto the "Rascal". Test, and "flash", main fuse gone...... Maybe........ The switchunit goes apart again, and now I don't look just to the switch-arm, but also how everything inside is placed. There, in a far away corner, is a black wire, wich I cannot locate on the wiring diagram. But black means 12V. , and the messing plate sits loose in the switch unit, and can make contact with the chrome handlebars, wich are frame/ground. I get the small plate back into place, fix it with a small piece of wood, and tape it with insulationtape. | |
 ... not right ... |
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Try. Always exciting. But whatever I do, shaking and pushing and
pulling, the main fuse stays intact. No spark, no flash, nothing.
More and more I get convinced that I have found the problem. I put
the wiring beach, wrapped in plastic to be sure. Then the fairing, and
now it's time for a testride.
Wrong. Testing the electrics, with light on all the time, has drained the battery beyond the piont that the startermotor will turn. Pushing seems to be the only solution, that or waiting until the battery is recharced on the battery loader. I call a son to help me, but only when someone else is helping, we succeed to start the CX. At first reluctant, but after a while with more conviction. I have to do a testride and a battery-charge ride at the same time. Bumpy roard, 100km-raods, and lots of corners, the electric still works. When I, 45 minutes later, return I have hope to go to Vechta onto my own CX. The next morning the "Red Rascal" starts as nothing has happened. To work, and back, no problems. It looks like it was that one wire what incidently made a connection to the handlebars. It took eight fuses to find the problem, but 'sometime' problems are the most difficult to find. I'm happy all is allright again. But I take the remainder of the fuses with me to Vechta, to be one the safe side..... | |
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Later I compared the two switches, and I saw a difference. It looks like the PA switch on my CX is broken, and while testing the switch don't work. It is not the most indispensable switch on the whole handlebar, but must be fixed some day, later......... | |
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