junker Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Hey ppl, these forums have been a major help to me along my restoration project with my '88 FZ600. The Latest issue i have been having is with the Headlights. In previous posts i have told how i have gotten it running, idling, and it charges the system fine. When I first Got It to Run; everything seemed to work fine. When i turned the key to 'on', the headlights and the tail lights lit up like they were running lights, which i guess that they function as. After a few times of running it and a few days later, i turned the key on to be mildly concerned with the lights not coming on... i figured it was a fluke and i hit some switch i forgot about. Now it has been about two weeks and the lights do not come on when i turn the bike on. The Blinkers DO work. The tail light comes on ok, now that i replaced the bulb. Also, the High beams will go on if the bike is not running, however, if it is running, switching to high beams instantly kills the bike, even when very highly charged after running for awhile. Another thing that might be helpful in diagnosing, when i switch on the 'high' the blue indicator light DOES come on, so maybe the switch isn't bad... Is this something very obvious? I am not extremely proficient in wiring, i know how to trace wires and how to crimp and splice... Also, there is no exposed or uninsulated wires along the whole length of the system. thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosdyke Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Hi Not absolutely familiar with this bike, but sounds like a fault in the switch - either wiring or more likely a bad contact/earth. The brake light issue sounds like a problem with the rear brake switch - you could test this manually by pulling on the actuating lever/spring with the ignition on and seeing if the light works, it could just be an adjustment issue, or bad contacts. As to the main lights a wiring diagram would help, but in the meantime dismantle the switch gear and clean the contacts first. Good luck :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junker Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 Hi Not absolutely familiar with this bike, but sounds like a fault in the switch - either wiring or more likely a bad contact/earth. The brake light issue sounds like a problem with the rear brake switch - you could test this manually by pulling on the actuating lever/spring with the ignition on and seeing if the light works, it could just be an adjustment issue, or bad contacts. As to the main lights a wiring diagram would help, but in the meantime dismantle the switch gear and clean the contacts first. Good luck :rolleyes: Here's a wiring diagram i found that is from an fzr600... it is not my bike, as my bike is an ancestor, but it is close. Note; my bike also has two headlights, this one only has 1. http://server6.theimagehosting.com/image.p...&fullsize=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junker Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 actually lookimng at the wiring diagram myself, before i could'nt understand it... but i put the effort in to make sense of it. I think i narrowed it down to a list of things i can check myself... 1)the switch and its contacts 2) The start switch has something wrong with it 3) the 20A fuse burned out Any more variables that i didn't think of above would be of great assistance though still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlydan Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Hi junker. Try the fuses as a first, then locate the regulator/rectifier & check the connector. If it's got signs of over heating or burn marks then 1: it's probably knackered, 2: there's a overcharging problem. I suggest this as it's the problem i had. Another way of checking is to start the bike & see if the reg/rec is overheating(touch & smell). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted August 14, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2008 So with the engine running, if you switch main beam on, engine dies instantly What happens with engine running and dipped headlamp? With engine not running do both dipped and main beams work ok? On the diagram, it shows the bike has no headlight on /off switch, so they are permanently on this agrees with what you stated in your initial post, that they are as you said "running lights", According to the diagram the only time they go off (Whether dipped or main beam) is when the starter button is being pressed, Which does make sense as maximum power from the battery would be needed to turn the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junker Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 So with the engine running, if you switch main beam on, engine dies instantly What happens with engine running and dipped headlamp? With engine not running do both dipped and main beams work ok? On the diagram, it shows the bike has no headlight on /off switch, so they are permanently on this agrees with what you stated in your initial post, that they are as you said "running lights", According to the diagram the only time they go off (Whether dipped or main beam) is when the starter button is being pressed, Which does make sense as maximum power from the battery would be needed to turn the engine. completely correct; they are always on except when the starter button is depressed... and no, when the bike is not running, only the high beams work, when i toggle the switch to normal beams they go out. And when the bike is running, the normal beams do not work(no lights), and when i toggle to high, the bike cuts off. Like i said, this is very strange, i almost think my bike is just messing with me because it worked like a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted August 14, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2008 completely correct; they are always on except when the starter button is depressed... and no, when the bike is not running, only the high beams work, when i toggle the switch to normal beams they go out. And when the bike is running, the normal beams do not work(no lights), and when i toggle to high, the bike cuts off. Like i said, this is very strange, i almost think my bike is just messing with me because it worked like a week ago. lets start with the bike not running, with the ignition off take off the connector from the headlamp and using a multimeter on continuity find out which connector is ground and verify that it is a low resistance to the ground or metal parts of your frame etc, or your battery neg connecion. were looking for almost a dead short, make sure that it stays the same in both high/low beam switch positions. Next turn on ignition and switch your meter to measure DC12v and with switch in high beam, measure from the socket terminal you know to be ground to each of the other socket terminals, you will get 12v at one of them as you know the high beam is working. Switch to low beam and repeat to verify if youre getting 12v at the one remaining socket term to your ground, according to your symptoms you wont be getting this, if this is so we'll take it from there. Tip..If you cant get your meter probes into the socket to make a good contact, then unwrap a paperclip that is small enough to shove into the socket terminal and measure to that. Hope i'm not telling you how to suck eggs with this! Have you seen this post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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