Being like Lucas...

[seriousjimmy]

Lucas Electrics..."The Prince of..."
You all know how that one goes...

Anyways, was on a glorious ride this morn and noticed that my turn signals, 'dash' lights, horn, brake light and tach were no longer functioning...
All were just fine at the beginning of the ride.
Speedo light was still working ok.

Will check all connections, fuses and what-not in a few...
Looks to be the stock turn signal switch as it also has emergency flashers...which, by the way, didn't work when I bought the bike a few months ago.

Anyone know anything else that I should be on the lookout for? Have gone thru several threads but still looking for any/all wisdom.
Is an '80 Special that starts as soon as I touch the button and runs like a very p.o'd grizzly bear whenever and wherever I ask it to...

As usual, all input is greatly entertaining and soooooooooo very helpful!

Thanks,

SJ

[Renegade]

Check the usual suspects first. Connectors, ground connections, fuse holders, etc. That is most likely your problem.

Another problem area (at least on mine) is the solder connections at the handlebar switches. I have resoldered most of them because they were coming loose and sometimes would work fine, and other times nothing.

[Dragonrider]

Check for corroded connectors...particularly on your ground connections.

Also, check your fuse box...the old glass-type fuse boxes are prone to not pinching the fuses tightly enough....they fall out, burn out, and just plain corrode to the point current will not flow.

I replaced mine with a blade-type fuse holder from Radio-shack and had no more problems.

[seriousjimmy]

Thanks to all for the timely replies...
Will be going thru the bike this afternoon!

Happy 4th!

SJ.

[pathfinder]

Used to work on M/G's A, TD and Midget's when I had to and I know all about the Prince of Darkness. Always clawed it way to the top when least expected. Never did figure out why an Electrical lighting company would be named Lucas.
Anybody know why M/G went out of business?
Because they couldn't figure out how to make a computer leak oil.

[81xsproject]

I was told here that no tach can be a sign that the stator isn't making any juice. I don't know if all the other stuff could be a subsequent result. Just an idea.

[missinglink]

I had a MGB once. I would drive it for an hour, then work on it for two......I should have known I was in trouble when I found out that the electrical ground was "positive". They drive on the wrong side of the road too.

[Hobbit]

Luca

I heard that Lucas tried to get Ohm's law repealed.
And their factory mottto was "Good days work and ohm before dark".

[John]

Y'all know why the Brits drink warm beer, don't you? It's because they use Lucas refridgerators.

[seriousjimmy]

Gents!

Fortunately, was just a blown fuse; re-fused, cleaned a bunch of connections and rode away laughing...
However...just blew the same fuse again...
Noticed the non-functioning tach, turn signals and what-not about 6 or so miles into the ride...
The diagram on the fuse block calls for a 20 amp fuse...do I go to 25 or 30amp?
Have no idea what electrical mods are in this bike's past...All wiring seems pretty clean, though.
Save for the emergency flashers and high beam indicator not lighting up, all else is fine...
The positive thing is, well, fuses are really cheap nowadays.....

Be safe!

SJ

[GNEPIG]

.. the problems that the brit bikes were having with their electrics are similar to the problems that we are experiencing on our bikes now.. the lucas connectors were large and round ,the female parts of those would get loose easily from the excessive vibration those bikes would generate and they had crap for insulators so moisture would get in and cause electrolysis [corrosion] between the two parts causing them to lose contact with each other very fast and very often.. this is how lucas became infamous
.. the connectors on our bikes are way better then those so it has taken about 24 years for ours to start acting like that

.. but it sounds like you have a short

the sales pitch for their vacuum cleaners
... "if it says lucas, you know it sucks"

[prometheus578]

The rating of the fuse used is determined by the guage of the wire and the anticipated load that it will carry. Have too much load, the fuse blows. Have a wiring short or bad connection drawing too much current, the fuse blows. Put in a heavier fuse... fry the wiring!

"""The positive thing is, well, fuses are really cheap nowadays"""

Yeah, but wiring harnesses cost a bundle!
I recommend that you search for the short that's blowing the fuses.

[seriousjimmy]

Yessssssssssssss...

Despite my attempts at 'cheap humor', I'll definately be checking for a short or something to see why this fuse has blown twice in two rides..
The turn signal switch seems to need a good cleaning as it's action is kind of stiff...I checked the emergency flasher switch to make sure it wasn't in the on position, but...

I'm kind of reliving both rides to see if I did a combination of anything that would cause an overload or short...

Will be going thru the rest of the wiring in the near future...

The high beam indicator doesn't light up...probably a burned out bulb, but who knows? May be related.
Looking forward to finding this issue and fixing it myself...

Thanks to all for being the "voices of reason and safety!!!"

Be Safe!!!

SJ.

[prometheus578]

I figured you were joking about the fuse. But, one never knows about some people. Had a buddy, decades ago, that decided to put a penny in the fusebox of the old farmhouse we were renting. Luckily we were home at the time and managed to keep the ensuing fire confined to one room !
With friends like him, who needs enemas!

[seriousjimmy]

Prometheus 578:

And speaking of fuses...
Whilst perusing the condition of said fuses, seems as if a previous owner really thought fuses were cheap and interchangeable...
All of the 'pinchers' had 20 amp fuses...only the 'turn signal' pinchers need 20 amp fuses according to the labels on the fuse block...
Is fixed, ridden on and seems to be fine again...
What was that about 25 year old electrics?

Did I ever tell you about the time, back in my youth, when a buddy and I used a small concrete nail as a so-called fuse to get the Ford Cube Truck started???
Both the headlights and fuel pump were on the same circuit...was 9:30 in Saugus, California.
The girlfriends and beer were waiting...no spares to be had...
"What's small and metallic and will fit...in a hurry..."

The folly of youth...

;-}

Best,

SJ.