Ignition Switches

[bikerphil]

JAT, why don't you take the old switch apart for comparison or clean it up and use it?

[crazy steve]

I'll second that. I hate to say it, but most aftermarket electrical stuff I find is rarely as well built as OEM. They usually cut a few corners on the repo stuff (lighter contacts, smaller wire on the leads) which doesn't help with performance. The OEM switches are actually pretty well built (other than the cheesy horn/start buttons) and can usually be cleaned up and reused if they haven't been abused too badly. You may even be able to use some of the mechanical bits off the repo switch to 'renew' the old one.

[TopCatGr58]

I remember getting the switch from PNM back in ~1999 when doing my rebuild, and I wasn't impressed with the thickness of the wires, and they also didn't match up with my plug. IIRC, I pulled the wire/switch/contact base from my old switch and put it into my new switch. The old one was messed up with the key/mechanical section. The new mech. parts top worked just fine, and worked with the contact plate/and switch mechanism of the old switch. JAT!!!

T.C.

[gene]

Long story short....My wife cleaned and thought it was trash. I'm stuck waiting for another one.

[cajun31]

and

I bet if you asked her it was all your fault to begin with for working on that crap in the house. You might also want to do a search for the switch rebuild/cleaning thread that Dgxser put together. He has a good pictorial included to compare parts.

[Prisoner6]

Hi, Gene -

Here is Don's (DGXSER) ignition switch thread that crazy steve referenced earlier in this thread:

Key Switch cleaning (or Re-Keying)

[cajun31]

Oops

I only read the second page of this thread.... missed that steve had already posted a link to the thread. Hope you get the switch sorted out.

[gene]

Im back to square one. I received the new ignition switch. Confirmed it is 12-0046. Plugged it in, turned the key to the on position and no tail light. The oil light and Neutral are still the only lights coming on. Is there a relay I need to consider in this circuit? Must be a little more complicated than I first thought.

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving.

[jetmechmarty]

Have you checked the fuse? It looks like 12v is fed directly to the switch from the fuse. Check the connector at the tail lamps. I've had trouble there with my SG.

[gene]

I checked the fuse and it looks good. I have ohms on the blue from the headlamp connection to the tail light plug. Your right about the tail light plug. I have a new one to change the old one out.

[jetmechmarty]

I found mine to have been corroded a bit. A good cleaning got both lamps lighting up.

[gene]

Cleaned and tested. Still not working. The break light comes on, but not the regular tail light. Bulb looks good also.

[gene]

Aslo, when do the gauge back lights come on. They are not coming on either when I turn the key on.

[cajun31]

on my 80LG

They come on once I have the bike cranked. That applies to the headlight too. To be honest I am not sure about the tail light, never looked. May be the same. Are you starting the bike? Then checking the lights? Looks like you have the right switch. There is more then one 10 amp fuse ... move the one from the ignition with another just to be sure it is not the fuse. Only other thing I can suggest is to go through your entire harness connection by connection and spray each one with some deoxit. It really helps and you may find the problem as you work through the process.

[cajun31]

I see

in another thread that you have done the fuse box mod with the newer type plug in fuses. Has the bike acted right since that mod or just since you have been messing with the ignition switch?