Headlight and left blinker

[Bonz]

So that would also say the fuel gauge is powered by the same white wire that goes to the tach, thus when the tach goes dead, my fuel gauge goes ka-put.

[CaptonZap]

i am using a electronic meter from kelin tools i find it pretty good it is fully automatic and a clamp on.. i tested all the wires dis connected this morning.. i dont fully understand if u want me to test the white wires while connected or disconected? do any of this solve the problem of me not having no rpm?? i have a neutral light but no high beam light and my rmp is not working this is why i am thinking that my problem is before all of this.. there is some fuses on the right side of my battery above the rear bake resivour and i cant get no power to them.. although one says turn singles but my turn single and hazzards lights and rear lights and horn all work fine

Don't get distracted, one problem at a time. We are figuring out the tach problem right now.
Alright, when you test ohms through the white wire in the headlight relay connector, with both HL relay and VR connecters DISconnected, what did you get? Did you get continuity from the VR connector to the HR connector on the white wire? Try it on all three white wire in the VR connector to the single white wire in the HR connector.
This is the important reading. Test it both way with the meter leads.
The brown wire at the fuse block should have 12.## volts to ground, measured at either end of the installed fuse, with the key switch on. With the fuse out, the side of the fuse block with the three brown wires should be hot, (have voltage to ground) when the key switch is on. This is not part of the tach problem, but while you have the meter in your hand, you can check it.
Let us know what the white wire answer is. We're honing in, don't fret.

CZ

[CaptonZap]

QUOTE=hbonser;407470]So that would also say the fuel gauge is powered by the same white wire that goes to the tach, thus when the tach goes dead, my fuel gauge goes ka-put.[/QUOTE]

Not quite.
The brown wire to the tach carries the POWER to both the tach and the gauge. The white wire carries the SIGNAL from the alternator to the tach, while the green wire sends a query, anthropomorphically speaking, to the gas tank unit, asking how much resistance there is to ground. It then uses that info to move the gauge needle appropriately.
If both gauges go out at the same time, it would be because the brown wire feeding them is dead. Check that signal fuse.
If the headlight and ignition go at the same time, there may be an interruption of power from the main key switch, which feeds all three brown wires on one side of the fuse block, through their respective fuses, or the fuse on the left side, which feeds the main switch.
Here is an '80 wiring diagram that I use for diagnostic purposes. There may be mistakes in it, but I haven't found any, yet.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/...1ae5cbd4_o.gif
CZ

Pardon me Howard, but I would like to piggy back a word to Captjanes, who, if he downloads the schematic, can see the white wires that we are testing, and their relationship to the components discussed.
Seeing is believing, eh?

[captjanes]

Don't get distracted, one problem at a time. We are figuring out the tach problem right now.
Alright, when you test ohms through the white wire in the headlight relay connector, with both HL relay and VR connecters DISconnected, what did you get? Did you get continuity from the VR connector to the HR connector on the white wire? Try it on all three white wire in the VR connector to the single white wire in the HR connector.
This is the important reading. Test it both way with the meter leads.
The brown wire at the fuse block should have 12.## volts to ground, measured at either end of the installed fuse, with the key switch on. With the fuse out, the side of the fuse block with the three brown wires should be hot, (have voltage to ground) when the key switch is on. This is not part of the tach problem, but while you have the meter in your hand, you can check it.
Let us know what the white wire answer is. We're honing in, don't fret.

CZ

i was testing it wrong yesterday sorry.. when key on i am getting 12.56vdc to all fuses with key on so that solves that problem.. i tested HR white wire with all 3 VR white wires and i am getting 15.02 milli ohms. so i guess the diode is ok i must have a bad connection somewhere.. i notice the big plug coming for inside coil (in behind rear brake resivior) has one connecter in it that is burnt pretty bad so im gonna remove the block and soilder the wires together and see if that fixes my problem

[captjanes]

i just unpluged the plug behing fuse box that comes right from inside coil and measured resistance and on all white wires across each other i get 0.4ohms

[captjanes]

started bike and no headlight and rpm so i let her idle while i was testing wires then i noticed a white light in my gauges and it read headlight so i pluged in my headlight and it worked but still no rpm.. i had 86 mv at white and black wires for rpm then i rev it up and it went up to 180 mv seems like i was getting reading.. then i measured battery and i was only getting 12.4v so i took positive terminal off battery and she cut off.. so she is not charging.. then i started her back up and no headlight again and still no rpm

[CaptonZap]

ii tested HR white wire with all 3 VR white wires and i am getting 15.02 milli ohms. so i guess the diode is ok i must have a bad connection somewhere.. i notice the big plug coming for inside coil (in behind rear brake resivior) has one connecter in it that is burnt pretty bad so im gonna remove the block and soilder the wires together and see if that fixes my problem

Now we're getting someplace.
OK, back to the HR white wire and the diode. Unplug both connectors, and put the black meter lead on the HR white wire. Put the red lead on one of the white wires at the VR. Make a note of the reading. If you don't get a reading, i.e. no continuity, reverse the leads.
If the readings are the same, you have a shorted diode, which would be why the tach doesn't work. If you download the schematic that I included in a previous post, you can find the white wire at the HR and follow it back to the VR connector, and see the position of the diode. What you are trying to do is to get the leads of your meter on either end of that wire, with the diode in the middle, and then reverse the leads and see if the reading changes. It should show continuity one way, and none the other way. If it is the same both ways, the diode is shorted.


On to the bad connector from the "inside coil". By that, I assume you mean the coils inside the alternator cover. There are two sets of coils inside there. Three are the alternator, and one is the field coil. At this stage, you should get a manual, and look in the electrical section for the complete testing procedure for the alternator and voltage regulator.
By all means clean up the bad connection, but be aware that it got hot for a reason, and if you don't find and fix the reason, you can do more damage to the system.
A quick test is to put your meter leads on the battery terminals, in the 20 VDC setting, and start the engine. The voltage should rise from the 12.?? volts that you have at the start, up to 14.5 V, +/- a little. If it doesn't, you have a problem with the regulator or the alternator. If it goes past that, you have a regulator problem, and should shut it down immediately.
Let us know what you find.
CZ

[captjanes]

Now we're getting someplace.
OK, back to the HR white wire and the diode. Unplug both connectors, and put the black meter lead on the HR white wire. Put the red lead on one of the white wires at the VR. Make a note of the reading. If you don't get a reading, i.e. no continuity, reverse the leads.
If the readings are the same, you have a shorted diode, which would be why the tach doesn't work. If you download the schematic that I included in a previous post, you can find the white wire at the HR and follow it back to the VR connector, and see the position of the diode. What you are trying to do is to get the leads of your meter on either end of that wire, with the diode in the middle, and then reverse the leads and see if the reading changes. It should show continuity one way, and none the other way. If it is the same both ways, the diode is shorted.


On to the bad connector from the "inside coil". By that, I assume you mean the coils inside the alternator cover. There are two sets of coils inside there. Three are the alternator, and one is the field coil. At this stage, you should get a manual, and look in the electrical section for the complete testing procedure for the alternator and voltage regulator.
By all means clean up the bad connection, but be aware that it got hot for a reason, and if you don't find and fix the reason, you can do more damage to the system.
A quick test is to put your meter leads on the battery terminals, in the 20 VDC setting, and start the engine. The voltage should rise from the 12.?? volts that you have at the start, up to 14.5 V, +/- a little. If it doesn't, you have a problem with the regulator or the alternator. If it goes past that, you have a regulator problem, and should shut it down immediately.
Let us know what you find.
CZ

white wires from HR to VR all read 8.3mili ohms. i aM gonna strip wires now and test the diode.. i fixed that connector and i also took thed alternator cover off and i am reading my manual to try and test that field coil.. my battery shows 12.5 and when i start her it shows same thing then starts to drop.. she is not charging the voltage dont rise and when i rev her up it drops and i took terminal off battery and she cut off so she is not charging..

[crazy steve]

white wires from HR to VR all read 8.3mili ohms...

You're misreading your meter; if you're seeing a 'M' in front of the ohm symbol, that's megohms and you've essentially got an open circuit (very high resistance). Hand-held meters will read millivolts and milliamps, but won't read ohm values below about .1 of a ohm, certainly not .001 ...

[CaptonZap]

white wires from HR to VR all read 8.3mili ohms. i aM gonna strip wires now and test the diode.. i fixed that connector and i also took thed alternator cover off and i am reading my manual to try and test that field coil.. my battery shows 12.5 and when i start her it shows same thing then starts to drop.. she is not charging the voltage dont rise and when i rev her up it drops and i took terminal off battery and she cut off so she is not charging..

OK, glad you have the manual.
There is a procedure in the electrical section that tells how to check the rectifier and regulater.
Also you want to check the continuity of the three coils in the stator, which can be done with your meter at the plug coming from the coil. It will be the three white wires in the four prong connector. Between any two terminals, the three readings should be the same. (That will be three different readings).
Keep us posted. CZ

On a side note, for others reading this, I can't get access to Catatonic Bugs manual section. Are others having the same problem?
I did find a site that I didn't try, but they say that it is free.

http://www.bmanual.com/Yamaha-XS1100...ce-Manual.html

[captjanes]

i found the idode and one way it read 11.2 milli ohms and the other way it read 1.25 milli ohms so do this mean that it is weak or is it ok?

[captjanes]

you want to check the continuity of the three coils in the stator, which can be done with your meter at the plug coming from the coil. It will be the three white wires in the four prong connector. Between any two terminals, the three readings should be the same. (That will be three different readings).
Keep us posted. CZ

i checked these 4 wires and the meter goes back to 0.00 and one of them goes to 0.1 ohm.. one of teh whote wires on this plug got a hole melted right through the side of the connector.. i think this may be the culprit

[captjanes]

i checked these 4 wires and the meter goes back to 0.00 and one of them goes to 0.1 ohm.. one of teh whote wires on this plug got a hole melted right through the side of the connector.. i think this may be the culprit

this was wrong i just checked again and all the white wires read 0.6-0.9 ohms and the green and brown (field coil) reads 3.4 ohms so all that checks out to be ok i would think

[captjanes]

i found the idode and one way it read 11.2 milli ohms and the other way it read 1.25 milli ohms so do this mean that it is weak or is it ok?

i was on youtube learning how to test diodes and i put my meter on the didoe settting and i measured .549v one way and 0 the other way so the diode is working properly.. this is starting to hurt my head now haha

[crazy steve]

this was wrong i just checked again and all the white wires read 0.6-0.9 ohms and the green and brown (field coil) reads 3.4 ohms so all that checks out to be ok i would think

The field coil number is good, but the stator (white wires) numbers aren't. You should see between .3 and .5 ohms, ideally .4 ohm. More than that will kill the output; each 'extra' .1 of a ohm will reduce alternator output by almost two volts.

Check the alternator plug behind the fuse panel; that's the one that usually fails. Make sure that the stator readings at that plug to the stator are as above; if they're not, the stator is bad. If good, then make sure the connections in that plug are clean and tight. You should get the same readings between the white wires at the regulator plug if they are.

If the alternator coil windings check good and the connections are solid, you can check the regulator by grounding the green wire from the field coil; this bypasses the regulator and you should see voltage to the battery go up with RPM. Note that this only checks the 'regulator' part of the regulator/rectifier; if the rectifier is bad, you still won't get proper output.

And disconnecting the battery while the bike is running is extremely hard on the regulator... you may have killed it....