Almost back on the road ... minor electrical glitch

[Gio]

Hello comrades,

 

Following the recent accident - repairs are progressing, and injuries healing. The good news is that the bike starts / runs just fine, and with the exception of a replacement screen for the magni all the parts have come together.

 

But there is one curious electrical glitch with the idiot lights - no neutral indicator (already checked the connector down below) oil pressure or charge light indicator. Hi-beam and turn-signal indicators working ok (fuse 7 was blown after the left indicator got scraped away - but replaced that).

 

All main electrical functions seem to be working : headlight - both hi/lo, horn, indicators, tail light, brake light. Even the sidestand switch still works - despite the fact that the part that actually activates the switch got ground away in the slide!

 

So I'm thinking there must be a problem inside the warning light module - kiwi roys diagram tells me that the feed for the warning lights comes from the headlight relay - but so does the headlight / horn / brake light and these all work.

 

Perhaps a ground wire came loose in all that mayhem?

 

It's also strange not to recall with certainty which warning light is in which position (when they are not working) ... memory tells me neutral is top right and charge next to the bottom or next to it and oil pressure below the indicator - ie from top to bottom along that middle row of four it would be ind / oil / charge / fuel ... could someone confirm my memory?

 

If anyone has any other ideas about what the problem indicator lights have in common I would be eager to know - planning on opening up the dash later today to have a poke around inside. The only one I really would like to fix would be the oil pressure ... although it would be nice to get the neutral indicator back to life.

 

Cheers,

 

Gio

[Scud]

Perhaps the impact caused some filaments to break in the bulbs. Have you verified that all the bulbs are working?

 

Maybe this would be a good time to install an oil pressure gauge?

[Gio]

Quite possibly Scud ... but it would mean it took 3 of them out (oil / neutral and charge) - but no, have not yet opened up the dash to verify - hoping to get to that later today. An oil pressure gauge would be nice ... but a working oil light has been sufficient to date. Famous last words anyone ...

[Scud]

Re oil gauge -

Unless you suspect a problem, or just enjoy monitoring gauges, you're probably fine with an oil light. I had a concern about oil pressure on my LeMans, and a gauge helped me monitor till I finally found the problem (two missing bits of a gasket around internal oil journals). I have no concerns on my Scura and don't feel a need to install a gauge. Might I put one on anyway? Probably someday... just for fun.

 

Re lights -

It does seem unlikely that 3 bulbs would go out at the same time, but it's worth verifying that you have good bulbs before fussing with all the other stuff. I've spent many hours trying to get burned out bulbs to light up. 

[Kiwi_Roy]

Look for a red wire with black stripe, it feeds the charge light, oil and neutral lights, it comes on with the headlight. Check for 12 Volts on the red/black wire at the Voltage regulator.

The same wire also powers the tachometer, is that working?

 

The strange one is the neutral light, it's fed from a different source.

 

 

It's perfectly safe to short the neutral switch, oil pressure switch and the male pin of the male female connector where the regulator plugs into to chassis, this will test the lamp.

The female part of the plug where the regulator plugs in should have 12 Volts on it.

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/1999_V11_sport.gif

[stewgnu]

Definitely not a crudded up neutral switch?

[Gio]

Hey Roy ... always comforting to hear from you. I still haven't had chance to delve in (up to my ass in Haskap harvest) ... but to answer your question - yes tach is working. With Ign on, but engine not running, I measured 9.8v on the x2 red male and 12v on the single green/red female (bullet connector). I'm rushing so not sure if I'm measuring in the right place here ..?

 

Stew - first thing that came to my mind also (often have to wiggle the connector on the gear-box to get the neutral light to work, but not this time).

 

Will hopefully get a chance to make some more measurements later this evening

 

Update :

 

Having studied the wiring diagram more closely, and read your instructions again - I realised I was measuring at the wrong place.

 

In my case there is also a double connector with a black (male) and white (female) wires coming from the reg/rec. The female side to the black is red/black and this has 11.4v with Ign on, but engine not running. The male side to the white is blue and also has 11.4v.

 

If I'm understanding correctly, that red/black is the 12v feed to the tach/fuel/oil and gen lights (so this looks ok)

 

I'll open up the dash panel tomorrow and see what's going on in there?

[docc]

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=12716

 

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18247&p=199453

 

 

Early (1999-2002) light arrangement. Later clusters differ.

 

(I'm sorry I can't seem to make the image simply appear in this post )

[Gio]

Thanks docc ... exactly how I recall them when working!

[docc]

Glad to hear you are making such great progress (yourself and the V11)!

[Gio]

Quick couple of updates ... haven't had much spare time recently, but did take the dash apart today ... nothing obviously wrong in there, but interestingly - the oil warning lamp is now working again. I also removed and checked the neutral lamp - seemed to be intact and measured ~ 15 ohms. But then I lost the little bugger ... one of those days!

 

Edit - so now just chasing the neutral and charge lamps - looking at Roy's diagram again and see that the 12-way AMP (instrument panel, #8) carries all those signals and thinking this may have become partially disconnected ... hence the oil lamp re-appearing whilst taking the dash apart ..?

[Gio]

OK - tank off today ... and found the missing neutral lamp in the process (must have dropped down there whilst trying to re-fit)! Checked the 12-way connector (seemed ok) and then put the neutral lamp back in - voila ... it works again. The oil lamp still works (although less bright than when neutral wasn't working?) ... and so now I just need to get the charge lamp to come on.

 

Roy - just to make sure I understand the test you gave above ... if I ground the male pin of the two-way connector from chassis (blue wire) this should fire the charge lamp - correct? This on the same side of the connector where the 12v supply to tach etc would be on the female side (red/black) as checked previously.

[Kiwi_Roy]

The regulator has a short black and white wire going to a male/female (2 way) connector. The male part of the connector it plugs into goes to the charge light so if you touch it to chassis the light should turn On.
The oil light shares the same supply as the charge light, it will also light if you ground the wire at the pressure switch. If the light is dim it could be a bad contact in the switch, shorting it to ground will confirm that if it gets brighter.
I'm told if you purchase the rubber boot for the switch they last longer, I have little faith.

[Gio]

OK - thanks guys - shorting that male pin does indeed fire the charge lamp Roy. But the lamp still doesn't come on when Ign is switched (but engine not running) - then again experience tells me the charge lamp operates in a parallel universe and so am not overly concerned. I'll check contact at the oil switch next to see if things can be brightened up a little ... there is much grime in that area so I suspect this may well be the reason.

 

At least I have oil and neutral lamps working again - progress, not perfection - right?

[Kiwi_Roy]

A parallel universe - that's an apt description.
For it to work the regulator has to have power (be working) if for some reason the headlight relays not closed you get no warning that the bikes not charging because the electronic switch in the reg that turns the light on is powered down, brilliant Luigi!


I have seen the electronic switch burnt out and the regulator working well, it's a separate function, best to confirm by checking the battery Voltage.