wires connections inside headlight/photos

[greg maz]

I am putting back together this XJ and I just blew fuses reconnecting the wires inside the headlight compartment.
Not too shaby.
Anyone with a picture or a clue of what's supposed to look like in that box. The owner's or service manual is too esoteric on this part.
I had everything working, two "male" wires coming from that F/L & F/R signals were solo, two female wires were solo as well, I did 2+2 then the brake light didn't work, reversed wires and it blew signal and tail light.

[DiverRay]

Two of the wires are GROUND!!! Use a VOM to find the ground wires, and then use it to find the turn signal lines, if the wires have been replaced. Otherwise just use the color code to try and get them connected properly. BLACK is usually ground, but NOT always.

[greg maz]

turn signals were replaced
I am troubled with a pink hot female wire - so to speak, and another. Will post pix tomorrow. Thanks for first reply.

[fredintoon]

Extra wires

Hi Greg,
dunno about your XJ but my XS11SG had 2 wires inside it's headlamp shell that I simply couldn't find a place for them to connect with. Turned out they were connectors for lights on an optional factory fairing that my bike didn't have.
BTW, I can see blowing fuses if you mistake a ground wire for a hot wire. (Hey, I've done it. Effin' dark brown power & black ground & poor light inside the headlamp shell will blow a turn signal fuse real quick) But to blow a lightbulb? 12V to both sides and it won't light. Same with 2 ground wires giving ZeroV. How you do that?

[greg maz]

Didn't blow bulbs - pardon my french, did the fuses.
I dig the extra wires for the optional fairing theory as far as for the pink wire, since everything worked before I tripped the extra wires, but it still leaves me with one extra wire per signal. I reckoned they were ground but where to plug'em?
I wish I took pictures before, these colors "chocolate" and "brown" as well as "blue" "light blue" are very close to one another after all these years. The fact that I replaced the signals as well might have switched color side.
I will try to check sides and post pix tomorrow.
If somebody can compare and diagnose, it would prevent another fire in socal.

[Dragon Tamer]

Many turn signal light systems have dual element bulbs so that they can be used for running light/turn signal light. This would give you three wires to each. I don't know if the XJ wiring supports this feature, if not just use the the wire that gives you the brightest light. Sounds to me as though you might have wired the power wire to the ground wire somewhere along the line and that will absolutely take out a fuse faster than Hillary can change her mind.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Greg,

The XJ does have/use running lights up front along with the turn signals. The chocolote and dark green are the turn signal leads, the blue are the running lights, the black are the grounds!

If you replaced the turn signal lights with others that do NOT use the running light feature, then you'll have some blue wires extra to NOT plug in. Just the Brown and Dark Green ones for the turn signals. Just tape off the pink one!
T.C.

[Dragon Tamer]

Thanks TC,
That explained it better than I was trying to do, was just looking up the wiring schematic when I noticed that you had already chimed in with what I was going to do, saved me the trouble.

[greg maz]

put new fuses in - they were 15A all alround from PO
then notice no headlight anymore, but right tail light when looking from behind is constant lit. Lost brake light action on lever and pedal.
I am swimming in it.

[greg maz]

reversed signals and got them go
connected chocolate male to female for brake lever signal
still stuck with constant tail (fairly hot), no brake pedal signal (no fluid in yet but I doubt this is the issue) and no headlight
will post pix within the hour
thx for advices this site rocks

[greg maz]

I can't manage to post pix, guess I need more light on this topic...

The tail is constant on which is good

one wire per signal (front signals come with 3 wires each) is left solo namely a black/white stripe and a blue

two female blue connectors left solo: one light blue single wire, one normal blue with double connector and double blue wires at its back

headlight no go, there is a funny blue clip on connector on the black wire which is left solo

[fredintoon]

About the headlight

Hi Greg,
if you are new to XS/XJs, one of their neat little tricks is that like all modern North American bikes the headlight is always on
BUT the Yammie's don't light up until the alternator starts charging. Heard tell of a Brit who imported a US model XS and cut up his wiring harness into 4" lengths looking for an open circuit.

[greg maz]

Thx for your clairevoyance.
It was bugging, a bit like that Brit.


Score now down to:

to 3 solo female connectors

light blue
blue
fisty pink one - the one who blew the fuses, hot always on for fairing accessory I guess

2 male taped out signal wires

black /white stripe
blue

both for running lights


the tank is drying some por15 until monday


moving onto filling the entire brake system:

with these front / back calipers on the same master cylinder, how to you get the fluid correctly filled in that front line going above the MC?

I heard you should bleed both lines at the same time. How do you japanese that?

Have face, just go ahead, avoid the brit's complication?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Greg,

Now you've got me confused regarding what wires you have left.

You say that your new turn signals DID have the 3 wires for using running lights? Then you can connect them to the BLUE wire, I think you said that the bike side of the blue wire was an actual dual plug??

According to the wire diagram, the black/white or white/black is either a wire for the sidestand relay, or the brake fluid level, that's the only two places I see that color combination??

The only Pink one is the ground side of the horn system?? It could be a faded red, which comes off the main fuse and regulator!

Bleed the rear caliper first. The front one since it's higher will allow the bubbles to rise up to it and less likely to get back into the MC! You'll probably need a friend helping to pump the lever while you break/bleed the front if you are doing it manually! Leave the cap loose, just lay the rubber seal on top so you can remove to check it OFTEN to keep it topped off! Remember to find the correct front caliper, think it's the left one, the right one you should see running to the front MC!
T.C.

[greg maz]

Good looking out

turns out only the left honk works even though the installation on both looks straight, could have something to do with it, another real pink is currently plugged to a darker wire

and

the previous "pink" sounds more like the "strong" red for it blew my fuses, always on coming from the gene - if the gene is open until that point without the engine reviing - for a fairing accessory

only one signal was replaced - by another 3 wires OEM - but the side were switched for a moment
right signal reads black / blue (solo) /brown
left signal reads black / red / black white stripe (solo)

I did connect them but nothing happened, which sounds logical if yamahas only light up when the alternator charges

my lantern is a little brighter already

I will try again tomorrow before bleeding front MC, then prep tank for exterior paint

as far as the rear MC, if I get it right

the principle is to fill until you can bleed the rear caliper, which gives time for fluid and air bubbles to rise in the line above the cylinder,
then purge by pumping and bleeding the front left brake


How do you post pictures?

Very thankful of you guys time and knowledge