Headlight Won't Work???

[jshepard935]

It rained like crazy the other night and the next morning the headlight wasn't working. Everything else is fine. The fuse is blown, so I tried swapping the 10A "tail" fuse into the headlight slot, and the light STILL won't work.

On top of that, I can't find a 10A Glass Fuse that's the right size for my bike! (1980 XS1100).

Tomorrow I'm going to go pick up a new bulb from the dude who sold it to me, but something tells me that won't work. I took the bulb out and it looks fine, and the light is connected just fine.

Does anyone know 1.) What might be wrong and why, and 2.) Where can I find the right sized 10A fuse? Nobody seems to carry it, all the 10A fuses are too long.

[bikerphil]

Get rid of the old glass fuse box and replace with the blade type, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches down the road. Member Topcat sells them with the connectors for $10. If the bulb and fuses check out, it's probably either the headlight relay (which can be easily bypassed), or your charging system is on the fritz. Does your tach still work? It gets it signal from the alternator. The alternator also triggers the headlight relay to turn on the headlight after the bike starts.

[CatatonicBug]

There are several different lengths of glass fuses. I bought mine (before I swapped out the fuse block) from Advance Auto Parts. I had to buy kits with several different amp'd fuses in them to get all the right ones.

With the glass fuses, the problem can be in the actual fuse box itself - not necessarily the fuse. The metal clips get weak or even cracked, and no longer make a connection. Use a multimeter and check the continuity through all the fuse connections. Try using a 9v battery and use that to light the headlight bulb, to see if it's actually dead.

I definitely suggest swapping out the fuseblock though. I spent a total of $20 for the block and the fuses, and it took just over an hour to install.

[brcree]

headlight

Hey man....as suggested, get in touch with topcat in here and he will set you up with a great fuse block for 10! That includes shipping. I suggest taking the fuse block off the mount plate and unplugging it. Makes it easier to work with. Just run same wire to wire across the fuse. TopCat will give you some hints on how to crimp connectors.....easy peasy..Japanesy!

[natemoen]

As repeatedly stated already, GET RID OF THE OLD FUSE BLOCK! I really didnt want to do it when I ended up needing to do it. It was quick and easy. I wish I had the time to order one from topcat but I was kinda dead on the road. I just bought 4 individual fuse holders and put them in there instead of the crap glass ones. Not the prettiest but its not going to fail anytime soon!

Change out the fuseblock and then start troubleshooting if you still have a problem!

[Suckerpunch]

Had this problem. It was the fuse block.