Blows ignition fuse when put into gear

[DAVINCI]

Yes Randy, that's a good area to check. My point is that to get the current flow Steve is talking about through the TCI, would require smoking the TCI, so it would happen exactly once, and the bike wouldn't run afterwards. While biasing the power transistors might push them further into the saturation zone, the limiting factor for current here is the COILS not the TCI.

That said, I'm done arguing. I've got too many other things that I have to deal with that actually have impact on my life. I'll finish up my writup on the 2 prong flasher mod, and I'll post it here and on .org, and then I'm washing my hands of this place. I don't need the stress and increased blood pressure. Once that's posted, I'll be available to answer questions about the mod over on .org, I probably won't be actively over on here anymore.

I with you on this one, Cy, the pickup amp is an AC amp, in the presence of a DC input, it will just sit there and do nothing.

[crazy steve]

I with you on this one, Cy, the pickup amp is an AC amp, in the presence of a DC input, it will just sit there and do nothing.

Ah, but is it DC? This probably isn't a 'solid' connection, and fluctuating DC can look like AC under the right conditions.... anybody remember 'vibrators' in car radios?....

What's the big deal? Some seem to think that removing the neutral lamp from the circuit is somehow a bad idea, but in reality if it's not the problem it will make no difference one way or another; it simply removes that as the possible problem source...

[fredintoon]

If you don't like it here you'll hate it over there.

- - - That said, I'm done arguing. - - - - I'll be available to answer questions about the mod over on .org, I probably won't be actively over on here anymore. - - -

Hi Cy,
I'm also on both sites and IMHO this one is far nicer.
The average .Org string segues into personal abuse by the third reply; here it takes longer and sometimes it don't even happen at all.

[cywelchjr]

Hi Cy,
I'm also on both sites and IMHO this one is far nicer.
The average .Org string segues into personal abuse by the third reply; here it takes longer and sometimes it don't even happen at all.

Personal abuse I don't mind. Ignoring those with experience in an area, who try to explain why you can't be getting a particular effect is different. At this point, while I can't ignore steve as he's a moderator and the software won't allow that, I will be doing so manually. I just will not participate in any threads he disagree's with me in, cause he doesn't listen. Once he gives a dissenting opinion I'm just gonna shut up and let him say what ever he wants, it's not worth the blood pressure.

And your right, there are some over there who get pretty vitriolic, and I'm just doing the same thing there, just pretty much choosing not to engage them in conversion, at least not in the areas where there is disagreement.

[DAVINCI]

Personal abuse I don't mind. Ignoring those with experience in an area, who try to explain why you can't be getting a particular effect is different. At this point, while I can't ignore steve as he's a moderator and the software won't allow that, I will be doing so manually. I just will not participate in any threads he disagree's with me in, cause he doesn't listen. Once he gives a dissenting opinion I'm just gonna shut up and let him say what ever he wants, it's not worth the blood pressure.

And your right, there are some over there who get pretty vitriolic, and I'm just doing the same thing there, just pretty much choosing not to engage them in conversion, at least not in the areas where there is disagreement.

Hey, Cy, waddaya expect from a guy whose first name is "CRAZY". None of this is worth gettin twisted about.

[crazy steve]

... cause he doesn't listen...

I'll always listen Cy, but I expect more than just a statement that I'm wrong with nothing to back it up.

This turned into a exercise in proving me wrong, not for helping the original poster. If I was wrong, doing what I suggested wouldn't have made any difference, so I don't understand why you and Greg got so vehement about it. In the big picture, none of this is very important...

[BigDick]

Hi Guys,
all this trash talk ain't getting David back on the road, eh?
WTF do you think you are? .Org?
Dave,
you got current flowing where it shouldn't.
There's no quickie answer here. You just gotta check out every switch, connection, component and wire until you find the problem.

Fred is most right here, I feel it's the most simple answer. Dave, work from the component most likely to fail and work your way up the circuit to the component least likely to fail.

Hi Cy,
I'm also on both sites and IMHO this one is far nicer.
The average .Org string segues into personal abuse by the third reply; here it takes longer and sometimes it don't even happen at all.

I agree here Fred, with a caveat: Most of us are pretty good friends (online if not in person) and that's the same way we talk in person to each other. But it's only because we like each other. If someone there doesn't like someone there's a different tone to the personal abuse. *shrug*

[davidsymons53]

Well, I was working on the bike over the last two days. I pulled the tachometer and remove the neutral light bulb. The fuse still blows. I reinstalled the bulb and started up again. I was watching the neutral light closely when I pulled the clutch lever and noticed it dims. When I release the lever the light brightened up again. I looked at my parts bike, the one without the exhaust attached and found the screw that disconnects the wire to the neutral switch. I noticed the screw was loose. I tightened the screw, started the bike pulled the clutch lever and the neutral light remains bright. I thought things were looking up, put the bike in gear and the fuse blew.

I remove the screw from the neutral switch and made sure the wire wasn't connecting anywhere to ground and and did the "pull the clutch, shift into gear routine" and the fuse blew. If this keeps up I'll have to invest in the company that makes these fuses.

Next I thought I would hold the clutch in and shift up into fifth gear. As I was upshifting the fuse blew. Most interesting. The next thing I tried was just holding the clutch lever and and in a few seconds the fuse blew.

Now I am suspecting that the problem is not in the neutral switch circuit but in the clutch interlock circuit. Does this sound right?

So now I need some advice so I can find the "clutch switch" and try to bypass it (temporarily of course) to find a definitive solution to my problem.

David

[DAVINCI]

Do yourself a favor and save some $ on fuses. Install a bulb in place of the fuse. The bulb will glow bright when the short is present.

[davidsymons53]

I went back to the bike and followed the the wiring for the clutch switch from the clutch handle into the headlight bucket. I disconnected it there and the bike runs in gear. Unfortunately when I pull the clutch handle the bike is still in gear i.e. the rear wheel continues to spin. I'll have to look at the clutch adjustment.

Now I need to find out where the "clutch interlock switch" is. My bike is and 81 XS 1100SH. When I look at the wiring diagram for this bike in the Clymer's manual I can't even find the wiring in the headlight bucket so I can't follow the wiring back to the switch. Does anybody know where this "device" is located on the bike? I do have a parts bike and I can try switching out the device.

David

[DAVINCI]

Looks like you've temporarily fixed the problem. You can ride it like that till you find the relay.

[cywelchjr]

I'll always listen Cy, but I expect more than just a statement that I'm wrong with nothing to back it up.

This turned into a exercise in proving me wrong, not for helping the original poster. If I was wrong, doing what I suggested wouldn't have made any difference, so I don't understand why you and Greg got so vehement about it. In the big picture, none of this is very important...

I didn't just make a statement. But I can't give you a course in basic electronics here online. As I said, having looked at the circuit (and this is what I do for a living and have ALL my adult life), it CAN'T do what your saying it's doing. That circuit can only do that if it blows out and shorts, and then it won't work at ALL. Randy fixes the things, I'm and electronics and computer tech (came into computers from communications electronics) who used to teach electronics, so both of us know what we are talking about. If we are talking about higher voltage household or industrial stuff, I'm sure that you are the expert there, it's what you did with your life. So BOTH the guys who know the circuit in question are telling you that circuit can't do what your suggesting it's doing and your just ignoring us. And then to top it off, the problem turns out to be right where I was saying it was, in the clutch lever interlock.

I've dabbled in electronics since I was a kid. I was building audio mixers when I was 14, from scratch, building my own DJ consoles. I build the studio for my high school radio station. Electronics is my passion, it's what I live.

But I'm not sure why I'm writing this, I'm not sure your even going to listen. Just like we all do here, sometimes we have to just listen to the guy who are speaking in their area of expertise. If we get talking fuel injection I'm sure going to listen to what Jesse has to say and in each are there are guys who are the ones who know that field. Just sayin.

[crazy steve]

But I'm not sure why I'm writing this, I'm not sure your even going to listen...

Would you be interested in a polite, rational discussion of this in a PM?....

[DAVINCI]

Don't take the bait, Cy. That's how it started with Prom, and things quickly flew off a steep cliff.

[cywelchjr]

Don't take the bait, Cy. That's how it started with Prom, and things quickly flew off a steep cliff.

It's ok, I do actually believe that Steve is a good bit more rational that Prom. Frankly I'll have to admit, this is the first REAL heavy disagreement that Steve and I haven't been able to work out.