My fuse keeps blowng

[raynalyn]

Okay the kill switch went bad a winter ago and shorted out and we rewired it it seems to be a good connection but lot of bare wire for it to short against the handlebars. How can I make it safer connection tape handlebars and god some dielectric grease on it?

If I can't find this short would it be bad to run a wiire from my headlight to my taillight at least to pass inspection or not?

[ROJ]

Dielectric grease would make the short more noticable, as it allows an electrical charge to go through it firly easily. If you can wrap the wires, individually, in electrical tape or shrink tubing, or even liquid electrical tape will work (makes a mess though). I personally wouldn't run a wire from headlight to tail light, but it could be done, you may have to add a relay or something, and an in-line fuse would be good too.

[raynalyn]

Okay I ran a wire from headlight to tailight. It works but when I turn my highbeam on the tailight goes out. I know I can resolve this by connecting into the hot wire from the ignition switch but I am thinking I would rather find the short and get the bike in sound electrical order. I obviously have a ground problem but have no idea what that means. My buddy tells me not to be afraid to disassemble my wire harness to find the offending part. Is that sound advice?

[83FirstHawk]

coming off the ignition switch is fine, better than from the headlight, just make sure that you install a fuse inline.

btw, do your guage lights work?

[raynalyn]

No. My gauge lights do not work and I actually just realized they were supposed to. I wonder what that means?

[83FirstHawk]

same fuse as the tail light, should be the same brown wire

[ROJ]

You can check up in the guage cluster to see if a wire there is causing a short.. unlikely, but it is possible. I still think its the kill switch though, as all power to the running/common lights runs through there.

[raynalyn]

Here is what i managed to find. The cluster that runs the kill switch electric start and brake lights is the cluster that causes the short. I know this because I took a volt tester and placed it between the two prongs of the tailight fuse it stays on but when I unhook that cluster. Now if i take that unhooked cluster and put a wire between the brown.blue and the hot that tester lights up it makes me think then its the brown blue wire. But where it is shorting I have no idea.

Does that sound right?

[ROJ]

Look for any pinch points or bend/stress points, typically near plugs. For a short in that wire, it would have to be between the switch and the ignition I belive, so check along the handlebar to the ignition switch and to the fuse box.

[raynalyn]

Is it possible that the brown/blue wire I think is the culprit is not really the problem but only completes the circuit? The brown/blue runs into a cluster and comes out blue and goes to my brake(Assuming operates my brake light which is fine.

There is a green wire that runs from my ignition to a cluster and directly to my tailights.

Then there is the Brown/Whte wire that runs from my ignition switch(which was shorting now seems to be fixed after taking it apart) to a cluster splits: 1. Goes to another cluster that goes to my Turn Signal Dimmer Horn Switch.(Seem to be working)
2. Goes to another cluster and out to a split that goes to my speedometer and tachometer lights(That don't seem to be working).

This bown/white wire also goes to the fuse with the brown/blue wire.

It would help If I knew how the current runs but I don't.

[83FirstHawk]

do you have a wiring diagram for this bike?? I can be a LOT more helpful, If I have the diagram for the actual bike, comparing it to an '83 650 might not be exact.

[raynalyn]

Good News!!!! I think. I unhooked my gauge lights and now my fuse doesn't blow and the tailight works!!! I am so excited!! Now all I need to figure is what is causing that short in my gauge lights. I took them apart and noticed that the wire harness to the gauge itself is completely smashed flat where it enters the tachometer. Should I take that rubber cover off and look in there!??

It is hard to tell if those little bulbs are blown. The filaments are so small! is there a safeway to check those gauge light bulbs?

Thanks for all of your input so far it really is great to have more eyes and ideas!

[raynalyn]

It is the speedometer electrical for sure rpm light works fine soon as speedometer plugged in boom fuse blows. Would you recommend I removed the smashed rubber or change bulbs first? How can i check the bulbs safely.

[ROJ]

If the bulb has black residue on the inside, its blown. Also hold it up to the light and see if you can see if the filament is intact (it should look almost curly). I'd take the smashed rubber apart as there may be wire/connectors touching each other or something else. This sounds promising..  good luck

[raynalyn]

Roj! I think the bulbs are blown. Could a blown bulb cause a short?

[83FirstHawk]

Roj! I think the bulbs are blown. Could a blown bulb cause a short?

uncommon, but not rare. It can happen, depending on how violently the bulb blew out.

[raynalyn]

Thanks Roj!
Guess what I replaced the bulbs and no more short! Just one final issue. My signals no longer blink. As you know I replaced the headlight and the bucket with a new one. On the original bucket was a tab for a ground. The new one doesn't have one. Is it possible that this ground is affecting the blinkers. My wiring diagram shows a dotted line from this ground tab to both signals. If this is the problem how would I resolve it?

[ROJ]

Glad you figured out the fuse problem. With the ground wire, I check to see if touching it to the frame allows the blinkers to blink. Try that first and I'll check out the wiring diagram again.