Ignition Switches

[gene]

Any advice on new ignition switches. The one I have at Partnmore is not turning on the tail light. I can jump it by switching the wires on the switch.

[jetmechmarty]

Is this what you're talking about? Did you buy the right one? The correct main switch is peculiar to the 1980 and 1981 XS1100. OEM 4R0-82508-50-00

If you add the model bike you have to your signature, it will make it a little easier to help you.

[gene]

Looks like I need to find a short.

[gene]

So let me ask you this. You have 4 wires on the main switch. Red, Tan, Blue, Blue with tan tracer.

Red to Red, thats an easy one. Tan to tan, the lights on the tach come on. The blue to blue nothing happens either way you connect.

I took the tan on the switch and connected it to the blue going to the tail light and it comes on. unless I'm missing something in the circuit, the blue wire to the light does not have a break in contact.

What am I missing?

I had to order a voltage meter. Arrives wednesday so I can checks ohms on the blue wire.

[crazy steve]

Sounds like a defective switch, but that's easy to check.

Red is incoming power. With the key off, you should have continuity between the red and one other wire; that will be the hazard circuit (red w/yellow tracer on the bike). With the switch turned to 'P' (past the 'lock' point), you should now have continuity between the red, the above wire, and one other; this is the tail/front marker light circuit, blue on the bike. The last wire is power to all other circuits (headlight, ignition, and turn signals/horn/etc), tan on the bike. This should have continuity to the others when the switch is 'on' only. If that's not what you have, you either have the wrong switch (unlikely) or a bad switch (probably).

[gene]

Well, I received my new meter through Amazon. Awesome deal by the way. With the switch off, I do not have continuity between the red and any wires. With the switch on, I get continuity to the brown wire only.

Looks like this switch is bad out of the box.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Gene,

Don't be too hasty. The switch ON position like you stated is the normal clockwise rotation of the switch, and brown activated is right for ON.

The Park position involves first pushing in on the switch with the key, and then as you slightly release it rotate it CCW, that's how you get to the PARK position, and then test the other leads with the red.

T.C.

[gene]

It pushes in, but will not turn to "P".

[gene]

Ok, I got it into park. I'm not getting ohms to anything.

[crazy steve]

The switch ON position like you stated is the normal clockwise rotation of the switch, and brown activated is right for ON...

With the switch in the 'on' position, you should have continuity between all the wires, not just the red and tan...

Bad switch.

[gene]

Who would you order another switch from? I sent an email to Partsnmore. I bought that switch in 2009. It's been in a box till now, so Im not sure they will exchange it.

[gene]

[gene]

Something doesn't match up here. No way to have the tan and blue circuit closed at the same time with these components.

[crazy steve]

Here's a OEM switch.... http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39868

The movable contacts look right, but you don't show the contact side. It may be mis-wired.

[gene]

Yah, the red on my switch looks wrong. I have one point of contact for continuity. There is no combination to close the circuit for red and blue. I just emailed partnmore.