No power after carb clean

[MrWickk]

I bought a 79 XS1100 on Marketplace a few weeks ago that I've been wrenching on. It was idling crazy high so I took the carbs out to clean and rebuild, put everything back together and the bike still started up fine but I had a carb leak on carb #3. Took everything apart again, did another rebuild and clean and now after re-mounting everything I get no power when I turn the ignition on. I pulled the battery yesterday when this happened to trickle charge it and this morning I can verify the battery charged but I still get no response. Battery reads at 12.8v and the fuses all read as good. I by hand checked that nothing came disconnected under the gas tank in case I did something putting it back on ( I put new hoses in and had to be a little firm getting everything re-seated ).

Is there anything specific I can/should be checking? I'm confident nothing is wrong and this is extreme operator error but Im honestly at a loss as to where. I do have the service manual but I couldn't get any good ideas out of there on what the problem might be.

[cajun31]

could be the start button is going bad or the actual connections in the right hand controls. I see by looking at your profile you have a 1979 SF or special. You could try turning the ignition switch on and using a screw driver short the solenoid. It is located under the right side cover. If the bike cranks then the right hand switch is probably the source of the problem. Have you verified the run stop is in the on position? It is the toggle switch located on the right hand controls. I always make it a point to disassemble and resolder all the connections and check the wear on the start button. Over time they just simply come loose and it is not a difficult job to resolder them.

[MrWickk]

Thank you very much for your input this is the farthest I've gotten so far. It does indeed crank when I short the solenoid. I'm pretty sure the RH control is in the on position, dead center. Idk if this helps but even though it cranks I get no indicator lights on the speedo or tach at all anymore whereas before I was

[DiverRay]

Does the bike still have the glass fuses? If so, use a DVOM(volt meter) to check for voltage at the top of each fuse. Check at the holder, not the fuse itself, as this will show if the block is bad. Also, pull the tank again and look at the mount screws for the Reg/Rec. There is one with a few wires to it. This is the main ground for all the electrics, other than the starter. Make sure contact is good, and there is no rust under the screw.

[MrWickk]

One of the PO's rewired blade fuses for the main and headlamp fuses, I actually bought a full blade box to just completely replace as part of my my plan to go over the bike. I used a paperclip ( made sure it wasn't coated ) to verify that wiring for the 20amp fuse reads 12.8 but the glass fuses read 0. I also checked the tank and its one of the few places on this bike that I have not found rust so that's clear. Below is a pic of my fuse setup

[LAB3]

There's a lot of references on this site as to replacing the fuse block but hardly any references to replacing the main fuse under the left side cover near the battery. Have you checked that fuse and it's holder? I replaced mine with a generic inline fuse holder that uses the newer style fuses and FINALLY fixed a large voltage drop that I was chasing around for over a year.

[MrWickk]

I've seen this fuse in videos and other guides trying to diagnose this but I can't find a fuse near the battery on the left anywhere. I have an inline fuse on the upper left near the underside of the handlebar area but that's it

[LAB3]

So then, if you have zero volts at the fuses then there's two possibilities I can think of.

First, the main fuse as already mentioned. If the wiring has been messed with it's hard to say where that has been relocated to but I can assure you that on my bike (1980 Standard model) that it under the left side cover. There are no other inline fuses on mine so I you have an inline fuse under the handlebars that's probably where the PO relocated it unless of course there was an auxillary outlet wired in at some point.

The second spot is the main key switch itself malfunctioning. On my bike there's a thick red wire that carries the power from the battery through the fuse and to the switch. It unplugs from the wiring harness very easily and you can check to see if power is making it to the switch. If power is not there's a good chance the problem exists with that main fuse or the wiring either side of it. If power IS there then the switch itself is faulty. You CAN take the switch apart and clean the contacts inside, this worked for me up til it didn't again at which point I replaced the switch.

[bikerphil]

The 78-79 models do not have the main fuse in a separate holder on the left side, only 80 and up will. The main fuse on these early models is in the fuse panel on the right.

[DEEBS11]

I have a 78 and like Phil stated, the main is in the panel (left side heavy red wires) with the other three fuses. You should probably replace your panel and go from there. This is known weak point with these bikes.

[DEEBS11]

[DiverRay]

I saw the breaker, but is it working? I did have a '79 Standard that would burn up batteries. There was a short in the harness due to a burned hot wire between the connectors and the reg/rec. The best way to troubleshoot his bike is with a charged battery and a VOM to find the opens or shorts.

[MrWickk]

Hey guys so it was the RegRec unit. Since Sunday night I just spent the time learning how to properly read the wiring diagram and then a little after work chasing each component, this morning after cleaning the RegRec and reconnecting I instantly gained full power again. I'm really nervous after this so I'm going continue clean everything including the right hand control and I'm going to upgrade these fuses over the weekend

[cajun31]

Hey guys so it was the RegRec unit. Since Sunday night I just spent the time learning how to properly read the wiring diagram and then a little after work chasing each component, this morning after cleaning the RegRec and reconnecting I instantly gained full power again. I'm really nervous after this so I'm going continue clean everything including the right hand control and I'm going to upgrade these fuses over the weekend

You will never regret that. I have always done this on every bike I have. Keeps me from chasing my tail. I also use this product on everything as I clean. Not cheap but really keeps those connections from oxidizing as quickly. deoxit d5 - Google Search

[MrWickk]

I've used Deoxit to help rescue a craigslist guitar before, I'm familiar with it thank you for the heads up I'll keep it in my kit