2007 XB12Ss ignition/starter

[XbTurtle]

I have a 2007 xb12ss and I have no clue what is going on with it.

I was driving down the freeway at about 70 when all of a sudden the engine completely shut off. Scared the crap out of me. On my way to the shoulder I tried hitting the ignition and kill switch to no avail. It wouldn't push start either. I got it in a truck and back to my house.

Right now, if I turn the key, the bike turns on normally. The problem now arises with the kill switch. When I turn off the kill switch it won't start the fuel pump priming and the check engine light doesn't come on either like it usually does with the start up sequence. All the fuses are good. I replaced the relays under the seat. Sometimes if I shuffle the relays into different slots and then hit the kill switch everything fires up like normal and it has no problem turning over. But then if I turn off the bike and turn it back on, I'm back to the beginning and have to shuffle them again until some combination works and it fires up again.

Where do I start?

 

[Chicknstripn]

1) Have your battery tested. Buell's do not like old or nearly dead batteries.
2) Insure that all your grounds and battery connections are clean and tight.
3) check fuses
4) Have a good look at your wiring, leave nothing uninspected, to insure there is no chaffing or what not causing a short.
5) I would replace all your relays. If you can pin point which is the one that's giving you issues then replace that one but since you've already mixed em all up, and they're fairly cheap, Id just put all new ones in there.
6) If the fuell pump is not priming normally you might want to look into pulling it to check the wiring for said fuel pump that lives inside your fuel tank

Go to www.buellmods.com and download a service manual for your bike. That should help you out while you try to locate the source of your issue.

Good luck

 

[Cooter]

If I had to guess, I would check the red kill switch for continuity. They get corroded up there on the bars. I bet if you get it running and wiggle that switch, the bike dies.

Easy to clean or replace.

 

[user_deleted]

you had a faulty key switch relay and shuffled it about until you hit the right combination.
also do what carlos and shaughn suggested. spray something like kano kroil....NOT wd-40 down the barrel of the ignition switch as well as into the right switchgear housing trying to lube up the red run switch.
get it running again....turn it off...check the 3 relay temps. if 1 or more feels very warm to the touch you have a faulty connection between the female lugs and the male relay lugs. they must be cleaned to look like new. dirty/corroded female lugs cause the relays to heat up to the point of failure.
get it running and wiggle the key in the ignition switch. if lights flicker and motor shuts off it's a switch assembly headed to death row.

 

[XbTurtle]

So I've narrowed it down to the female key switch relay being a bitch.

How do you clean them out?

 

[user_deleted]

So I've narrowed it down to the female key switch relay being a bitch.

How do you clean them out?

i'm assuming you're referring to the female plugs that accept each of the 3 relays. if one set of plugs is problematic the other 2 sets soon to follow so i'd remove all 3 relays and do all at the same time as follows:
a top quality cleaner/penetrant/lube such as kano kroil or even PB blaster better than nothing. spray liberally...use a small hand held wire brush about the size of a tooth brush...scrub....blow out with compressed air....repeat. make damn sure the male ends of each relay are pristine. that's how i clean them. and in the future never wash under the seat area on your lightning. that is what affects the electrical connections and components found under there.

 

[XbTurtle]

I might just have this wrong in my head but I'll just get everything out that I know so far and you can tell me if I'm right or completely off.

So I have new male relays. The connection in the female portion for the key switch relay is being touchy and will only work if the male relay is in a certain position. The ends of the male relays are perfect. So the connection issue would be arising in the female slots in the actual fuse/relay housing.

Is there a way to clean/replace the female portion of the relays?

 

[Cooter]

Of course! Let me help you. I would use:


"a top quality cleaner/penetrant/lube such as kano kroil or even PB blaster better than nothing. spray liberally...use a small hand held wire brush about the size of a tooth brush...scrub....blow out with compressed air....repeat. make damn sure the male ends of each relay are pristine. that's how i clean them. and in the future never wash under the seat area on your lightning. that is what affects the electrical connections and components found under there."

I give fantastic advise don't I??:applause:

If you don't like that advise, CRC makes a aerosol electrical terminal cleaner that works ok. and you can replace those terminals with new ones but it's a huge PITA.

 

[XbTurtle]

Okay thank you.

I just wanted to make sure that method was for the female connector. The way it was phrased made it sound like it was for cleaning the male end of the relays. I didn't want to go spraying cleaner into some electrical components on my bike and breaking them if I did it wrong.

And yes, I may be a novice when it comes to working in bikes, but at least I'm trying to learn. I come here because there are a lot of people with much more knowledge than I will ever be able to acquire. But when you say something like lunaticfringe, it humiliates newer people such as myself even though we are just double checking. And frankly, it makes you sound like a condescending jerk. Thank you for helping me.

Have a good day.

 

[Cooter]

The simple answer is that you'll be ok spraying into the terminal block (the part that holds the relays). Theres only those terminals and insulated wires in there. No need to flood it.

The complicated answer is (as a self described noob), you will have to put up with not understanding the clear, concise, information you are given, because it is you that doesn't understand it. It's ok to be confused and ignorant because you're just starting out. I've been doing this since 'old' was brand new, and I'm still schooled by more experienced people than me.

Whatever you do, I find it very poor form to lash out with your frustration to someone who is trying to help you for the total cost of free when no one owes you a G0DD@MN THING!

Life lesson:
Get your head on straight, ask politely, and most people are willing to help a stranger. Be a D[ck, and see what happens then.

 

[XbTurtle]

I am not trying to understand it all, just reassure that what I do know is correct. Both of you provided me with that information and reassured that what I understood was correct which I thanked you for. I am just learning and I hope to still be learning for years to come just as you are.

I however did not "lash out". I was simply trying to say to him that I find it very poor form to make such a condescending remark to someone who is just starting out. I know that no one owes me anything in life but I would hope that if I ever needed help there would be people to support me. If anyone ever needed my help I would provide any assistance I could in a heartbeat.

Life lesson:
Try to see things from other people's perspective and don't make assumptions on their situation. Not everyone is an internet troll looking to be a keyboard warrior. Most people are polite and would prefer not to have remarks and assumptions made about them.

Thank you again for your help.

 

[Cooter]

Life lesson:
Try to see things from other people's perspective and don't make assumptions on their situation. Not everyone is an internet troll looking to be a keyboard warrior. Most people are polite and would prefer not to have remarks and assumptions made about them.

Exactly. Thank you for understanding my point about you. You'll get much farther remembering that.

Good luck, I hope you get your bike fixed soon

 

[user_deleted]

Okay thank you.

I just wanted to make sure that method was for the female connector. The way it was phrased made it sound like it was for cleaning the male end of the relays. I didn't want to go spraying cleaner into some electrical components on my bike and breaking them if I did it wrong.

And yes, I may be a novice when it comes to working in bikes, but at least I'm trying to learn. I come here because there are a lot of people with much more knowledge than I will ever be able to acquire. But when you say something like lunaticfringe, it humiliates newer people such as myself even though we are just double checking. And frankly, it makes you sound like a condescending jerk. Thank you for helping me.

Have a good day.

just caught this and even by board standards i'm shocked. read and re-read my posts to you. you had an electrical problem. i correctly diagnosed same and gave you simple step-by-step procedures to trouble-shoot same, confirm my diagnosis, and even remedy/repair the suspect culprits. how in the hell anything i said or any info i provided could be even remotely construed as condescending or humiliating absolutely escapes me. the divisiveness, thin-skinned exterior surfaces and confrontational attitudes some of you FNG's bring to this board escapes all logic or understanding. God Almighty!

 

[XbTurtle]

how in the hell anything i said or any info i provided could be even remotely construed as condescending or humiliating absolutely escapes me. the divisiveness, thin-skinned exterior surfaces and confrontational attitudes some of you FNG's bring to this board escapes all logic or understanding.

The exact post sadly has been taken down. I believe everyone has a right to say what they want and I respect what you said. It was your direct reply to Cooter and more indirect reply to myself that is the post in question. I do not want a confrontation I just want information which you gave me plenty of and I am very greatful for that. Your reply was to the post where Cooter simply took your information and directly posted it again. This would have been fine ending it there because it got the point across and made me realize I was at a misunderstanding with the first time you posted it. Your reply may not have had bad intentions at first and I'm sure it actually was completely innocent on your part when you submitted it. However when you said that the information was in such simple term that even a novice could understand them, you were in a sense mocking my lack of ability to understand it. I know this wasn't your intention but it is how it came across.

As I said early I do not want to argue. It is the last thing on my mind. What I do want is to get my bike fixed.

No that that is in the past, I did what you said to no avail. I sprayed the connections with Kano Kroil and scrubbed with a wire brush and cleaned out the excess with compressed air. The fuel pump is still not priming when I flick the red switch. The two smaller female connection on the key switch relay are very loose and are wiggling in the housing. You said it is possible to replace the connection although it will be difficult. How can I go about doing this or do you have any other suggestions? I have inspected all of the wires under the front fairing and under the relay center and none show signs of chaffing or wear.

Thank you again.

 

[Chicknstripn]

You should be able to use a pick tool to actually pull the female connectors in question from the relay box. Once you do that I would suggest lightly squeezing them with needle nose pliers. This should restore the right fitting connection you are missing.
I would suggest you do this one wire at a time. That way you won't put one back in the wrong place.
This will also give you a better look at the female connector to insure the wire is attached properly.
Hopefully this is the piece to the puzzle you are missing.
Good luck

 

[XbTurtle]

I hope so. Thank you guys so much. I'll tell you how it turns out after this.

 

[XbTurtle]

So I checked all of the connections in the relay center and they were all good. They all were sending a signal from the relay center under the seat to where they exited the harness. So luckily I shouldn't have to replace those. But I still don't know what exactly is wrong with the relays.

 

[Cooter]

Quote Me from post #3:
"If I had to guess, I would check the red kill switch for continuity. They get corroded up there on the bars. I bet if you get it running and wiggle that switch, the bike dies.

Easy to clean or replace."

You never said if you checked that switch? Its the thing that turns on the.....

So I've narrowed it down to the female key switch relay being a bitch.

How do you clean them out?

How did you diagnose this? It doesn't seem to be the problem.

 

[Chicknstripn]

Oh sheesh!
How did I miss that!?
You have taken the switch housing apart and cleaned it as Cooter suggested, right?

 

[XbTurtle]

I took apart the switch housing and cleaned that out. There wasn't any corrosion. I double checked with an ohm meter and the circuit was good.

I narrowed it down to the female connector for the key switch relay because I was able to move it around while the bike was in and if I got it in just the right position, the fuel pump would prime and the light on the dash would come on. Then I could fire it up no problem. Once it was running I wiggled the switches on the handlebars and nothing effected it. I wiggled the key and key switch and nothing happened. As soon as I would move the key switch relay it would shut off.