Gauge lights and head lights

[tinman905]

Hi this is my first post here and it's my first bike in over 18 years. I bought a 80 Xs special and after dealing with a few ignition problems .I have now a problem with my head light , speedo and tack lights are not working .Does any one know if the two are related or do could I have two problems.

I set out on a ride and my right flasher would not blink and then about 30 min into my ride I noticed it was working fine but my head light ,speedo and tack lights were out. I thought that it was the relay but isn't the head light relay seperate from the gauges?
Any help would be appreciated.

James

[EZMoney]

Hey tinman, welcome to the site.
I would check all your ground wires and metal to metal grounds.
If the right flasher is going on and not blinking, check all the bulbs on that side, alot of the time the sockets are corroded and you aren't getting a good connection. The flasher unit needs a load to make it flash and if you have a bulb not connecting it will do this.
My $0.02 worth

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tinman,

Welcome and congrats on your machine!

IF you haven't reviewed them, it would be a good idea to browse thru the TECH TIPS, scrolling down from the MAIN FORUM PAGE, not just the links in the left column. They will answer a lot of your up coming questions.

The headlight is on a separate circuit from the gauges. The turn signals are also separate. Your symptom of no flashing and then flashing is common and related to mostly dirty electrical contacts.

Removing/unplugging and cleaning ALL of the wiring harnesses contact plugs, main battery cables, grounding cables, engine ground straps, etc. will go a long way in eliminating many electrical gremlins! Hopefully you have a multimeter, and can check your charging system for proper functioning.

The fuseblock is a prime spot for trouble, fuses can appear good, but the thin copper tangs can get weak and be ready to break providing poor contact, fuses can be bad, etc.!

The turn signals can be problematic due to fuseblock, corroded contacts on flasher, worn out flasher, poor grounds of the lightstalks...the rear uses a large washer around the mounting shaft, dirt and rust inside the fender can interfere with it's ground, also the bulb sockets can corrode under the lens cover, etc.!!

Okay, that should get you started! Don't forget to post some photos in the Member's Lounge Bike Photos thread!
T.C.

[egsols]

Hey Tinman,

Another Canuck from Ontario!

What TC says. After picking up one of my 79's I had all sorts of intermittent electrical problems. Ending up making a new fuse block and it solved all my problems. That was almost twenty years ago when we didn't have this great forum for info. If you need a new fuse block check out the mods in the tech tips section.

Ernie

[tinman905]

Thanks guys I appreciate the help. I am baffled now ,I went through every connector and plug and cleaned it and still no gauge and head lights.
I noticed it was harder for my bike to start today like the battery was dying so I took the battery out and hooked it up to a charger and it was at full charge.I guess I missed something so I will be having another look tomorrow.Thanks again.

[egsols]

Hey Tinman,

Check out the thread by petejw:- "electrical problem fixed :-)" He describes something close to yours and say his unhooked horn wires were shorting everthing.

Ernie

[mro]

every connector and plug

There are three behind the fuse block and then several more under gas tank as well as the ones inside the head light bucket.


mro
when all else fails,
get a multi meter and find where the power is and is not

[TopCatGr58]

Also,
The main ignition switch can get corroded as well, you can take it off and apart to inspect, clean, check the solder joints, etc. Same thing for the handlebar switches as well!

How old is the battery, they can go bad, hold a surface charge but can't provide the deep cranking amps, might want to have it load tested at local auto store.
T.C.

[tinman905]

The battery is new last fall. The battery is keeping a charge .I cleaned the terminals and it seems to be fine now except the headlight and gauges are still not working.
It must be a short somewhere but I can't find it, the running light to the front are showing less than 1 volt .I only have a bit of time each night to trace the problem so back at it again tomorrow.Thanks for all the replies I appreciate it.

[scott0757]

One other thing to remember is the headlamp will only come on when the bike is running. You can't really trouble shoot it with the bike off. That piece of trivia cost me a few hours when I overhauled my system earlier this year.

I also recommend replacing the barrel style fuse block with a new bayonet style. You can find that thread (and a source for them) on the tech tips section.

[renegade_xs11g]

JUST A STAB IN THE DARK.....

RLU???????????
reserve lighting unit, it senses voltage after motor running and turns on the light

Also, like TC said use a VOM on the alternator when running....

[tinman905]

Bandits!!!!!!!!

Well I gave up searching for the problem with my headlight ,front running lights and guage lights not working .I checked all the conectors grounds and even stripped the wiring harness down from one end to the other to check for a broken wire.
This shop I took it to in Orangeville ,Ontario well lets just say I had to walk out of that place in reverse if you know what I mean .The guy just looked at the bike and said I need a new regulator and sat and field coil assembly and it would be around $500.00 didn't even check anything. I asked him what made him think I need all three replaced and he said "I have worked on 1000'nds of XS 1100's so I know what is wrong. He also mentioned that the yellow wire from the stat went to the oil pressure switch that's when I decided this was not the place for me.

I changed regulators and same problem. So I am now taking my chances on a stat and field coil from E-bay a $5.00 gamble.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tinman,

You didn't ever post about your fuseblock, do you have the OEM or have you replaced it with a spade type block?? Have you taken a VOM and checked for power on both sides of the fuseblock clamps?

There is a tech tip on bypassing the RLU as has been suggested to get headlights. But there is a separate headlight relay that also provides power to the running/gauge lights, has 4 wires to it, black, white, red/yellow, and blue/black, it's the latching relay that receives the power signal from the ALT via the white wire, and throws the relay and sends power thru the blue/black wire which feeds the gauges, as well as the RLU!

IIRC, the headlight relay is near the front near the tipover switch.
Keep at it, you'll find it soon! T.C.

[tinman905]

Thanks for the tips .Yes I found the relay at the front of the bike under the tank .I noticed something in the wiring harness that I have never seen before looked like some kind of diode or resistor between the headlight relay and the white wire from the stator. I am not sure what it is but it doesn't seem to stop any current.

I also bypassed the RLU too and no luck.

The fuse box checked out okay and it's the OEM one .
I am not getting any power to the relay near the tip over switch or whatever it's called either.

I enjoy working on this bike I have owned a few years ago but don't mnd when a problem pops up. I guess having a place like this site to go to makes it more enjoyable .Thanks to everyone for all the great replies and tips .

[TopCatGr58]

Originally posted by tinman905
Thanks for the tips .Yes I found the relay at the front of the bike under the tank .I noticed something in the wiring harness that I have never seen before looked like some kind of diode or resistor between the headlight relay and the white wire from the stator. I am not sure what it is but it doesn't seem to stop any current.

That diode is the one that is designed to provide DC pulses to the relay, since the power from the white wires is actually AC! Some folks have reported that the diode has gone bad, but if you're reading voltage on the end at the relay, then it's probably okay! Hope that last relay will be what you need to fix!
T.C.