Fuse trouble

[adam79]

Im ordering a new fuse box for my xs1100sf, but until then, I need help. My fuse box is gone, but the PO hooked all the wires to the fuses. The wires have open metal female connectors crimped to the ends, which the fuse slides into, and then I have them taped up together.

My bike will start and run great. Then, down the road, the bike will drop in rpm to around 900, and if you give it any gas, it will drop further, eventually it dies. When you try to restart, either the starter will turn on for just a sec and stop, or i wont do anything at all, no matter how many times you push the button.

Other times it just doesn't start from the get go.

The only way to fix it is to slap the wires (that connect to fuses), much like you would an old TV set. Which wire is giving me my problem? Their are 2 30amp fuses and 2 10amp fuses. Could the 2 metal connectors on a fuse, touching each other under the electrical tape, be a problem?

[Bigfoot]

That just sounds like a bad setup all around. I would have to check in my manual but I am sure that I have 1 20amp fuse and 3 10amp fuses. I don't think that is what is causing your problem. For a short term fix, you could remove the tape from all of them and crimp the connectors down a little with pliers to ensure that you are getting a good connection and then carefully retape everything.

[CatatonicBug]

Wow, you've got a mess there! Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there should only be ONE 30amp fuse. I would suggest getting the new fusebox from TC ASAP. Perfect upgrade, and uses the same kind of fuses you already have.

[trbig]

Doesn't the XS have a main GLASS fuse behind the plate the fuse box was on? If so.. could this maybe be the problem?
OK.. Just guessing. But I won't pick on the PO's way of using spade fuses... that's how I have done mine also.. lol.


Tod

[adam79]

there is a glass tube fuse, intact, to the bottom left off the fuse box (well, if there was a fuse box).

Also, the wires have been cut back a little to fit the fuses less awkwardly, so what type of wire should I use to rewire if they dont reach the fuse box?

Does anyone know the correct types of fuses to put in? I have a wiring diagram, but it doesnt list the fuse size

[CatatonicBug]

From front to back -
10a - Ignition
20a - Signal
10a - Head light
10a - Tail light

The glass fuse is the 30amp one. There is also the main fuse on the opposite side, just in front of the battery, all by itself.

From your description of the problem, it sounds like the ignition fuse is your issue right now.

[XSPastor]

there is a glass tube fuse, intact, to the bottom left off the fuse box (well, if there was a fuse box).

That's just the aux fuse for external equipment. The 30 amp main fuse is the one catatonic is talking about. I would definitely switch out the main fuse to see if the problem goes away. The glass fuses can look good and actually be bad. No problem with two wires going to the same fuse touching except it bypasses the fuse. Not good.

[adam79]

From front to back -
10a - Ignition
20a - Signal
10a - Head light
10a - Tail light

The glass fuse is the 30amp one. There is also the main fuse on the opposite side, just in front of the battery, all by itself.

From your description of the problem, it sounds like the ignition fuse is your issue right now.

When you say from front to back, I have no idea what you are relating to cause Ive never seen them hooked up through the fuse box.

When the bike is running, there are 2 of the 4 fuses that shut the bike off if I disconnect them. Which 2 are those? the diagram shows one of them (the fuse with the 2 red wires) connecting to something called the main switch and also the +bat cable. The other is connected to a brown wire and a red striped, but there are 2 of those on the diagram and I dont know which one it is.

[CatatonicBug]

The main switch is the thing you put the key into to start the bike (Ignition). That fuse should be closest to the front of the bike when in the fuse panel. I didn't think any of the other ones would shut the bike off if disconnected, but I may be way wrong on that.

[adam79]

Can I bypass a connector that looks bad by cutting it out and just crimping the wires together with a butt connector?

[CatatonicBug]

Can I bypass a connector that looks bad by cutting it out and just crimping the wires together with a butt connector?

Not recommended, but possible. I had to do that to the big white plastic connector that sits right behind the fuse panel. It had melted around the wires due to severe corrosion on one of the terminals. I soldered the leads together to be sure they would not corrode again. Those wires are for the generator, so I hope that my generator doesn't plan to die any time soon

Just never bypass the fuses. They are important safety features.

[adam79]

C bug, I cannot locate the main glass fuse. when I took that plate off, all I saw was the circular back of the starter button.

[CatatonicBug]

The main fuse is on the other side of the bike. Its just in front of the battery, strapped to the underside of the frame, in a little "case" with 2 wires looped on the outside. Remove the left side cover, and it will be near the upper left side of the area that the cover was covering. Of course, if the PO did all that stuff to the fuseblock, who knows what he may have done to the main fuse...

[adam79]

This is what is there. I didnt see the fuse

[CatatonicBug]

You're right. it's not there. It's supposed to be hanging on that bracket sticking up there next to the battery. Hmmmm... Perhaps the PO did something to re-wire it and located it somewhere nearby that area. I would just start digging around in there to try to locate something that looks like a fuse.