First ever 'issue' with the bike - would love some electrical help (lights fuse)

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vicenzajay

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Appreciate any help in advance:

Rode the Firebolt this Monday - all good, ran perfect.

Today was the nicest day we've had in a month. I got all suited up, straddled the bike, and when I pressed the start button I heard a click and then nothing. Battery is good, btw. Double checked it again anyway - all connections tight.

Anyway, while troubleshooting, I noticed with the key 'on' everything sounded and looked good - but no headlight.

Checked the fusebox - sure enough, the lights fuse was popped (15a), all the others are good.

I replaced the lights fuse, tried again - and it popped immediately.

What's the next step....this was *very unexpected.

Cheers - Jay
 
jay: got your pm and follow the steps below. should resolve it. i know you have a firebolt and the fuse location different as well as the headlight harness plug but steps below should resolve it. think about what's on that fuse: headlight assembly....lo/hi switchgear...tail light....starter switch.
1-the headlight circuit is fed thru the starter relay assembly for "lights out during start phase" so that the relay is constantly shut. extremely rare to have a problem in that circuit BUT i have had identical situation to yours where the low beam was burned out and when the starter switch was pushed to attempt to start it immediately popped the headlight fuse via the starter switch. BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE check both low and high beams after replacing the fuse then proceed to steps 2-6
2-key off....red run switch to off....replace fuse.....unplug headlight assembly harness plug....under seat unplug tail light assembly harness plug
3-key now on....red run switch stays off....plug in tail light harness plug and see if it lights and fuse remains ok. if so proceed to step 3. if NOT you've found the problem. either a short in the harness plug or tail light socket-to-bulb assembly.
4-key now on...red run switch stays off....plug in head light assembly harness plug and see if it lights low beam and fuse remains ok. if SO go to the lo/hi switch and switch to hi beam. if fuse pops it's either the white wire in the harness or the switch.
5-if performing the above doesn't resolve it the problem is in the starter switch and it's wire. possible corrosion in the switch gear housing.
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE check both low and high beams after replacing the fuse then proceed to steps 2-6
do the above and let me know how you make out.
 
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Cool - I'll do this later this evening and get back to everyone....

I don't think I clarified:

When it popped the second time - it did the same thing as the first time - i.e. it didn't pop *until I pressed starter button. Front headlight came on with key on (red switch on or off).
 
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Lunatic,

I'm down to step 5 - can't get it to pop with the lights and/or high beams. I've taken the switch gear housing completely apart, cleaned everything, and now I have
a reassembly question:

When reassembling the right switch gear housing, how does the tiny ball and spring get mounted in the kill switch assembly? I thought I was meticulous in putting it all back together, but that switch moves more freely than it used to (and than I'd like).

Also, the ignition press-to-start (yellow) tab now 'clicks' when pushed in. The spring bounces it back fine, but I'm not used to the click (and it wasn't there before). I'm 100% sure I re-assembled that bit correctly, so why would it now click?
 
So I think I found the problem - wires loose, etc. inside the main headlight boot (notably the ground wires, including the ground wire to the voltmeter I have mounted on the left fuse box). That wire was crispy fried hard and loose in the housing. That cost one more fried fuse to sort out (3 so far)...

I'll fix that tomorrow (going to solder like I mean it this time); however, I *still need guidance on the switch gear housing reassembly questions above. I'm wishing I hadn't taken it apart at all at this point, but that's water under the bridge. I just want the button and switch to "feel" normal again - if a less "snappy" kill switch and an ignition button that "clicks" at the end of its throw are alright - let me know that as well, and I'll just let it be.

thanks in advance,
Jay
 
Sounds like you might want to take that switch housing back apart. Not much to them and its for sure odd that it "clicks" now. I know they're kinda fidly to assemble. Although I'm not sure how or what would cause the change in the switch feel, my personal curiosity would have me taking it back apart.
 
"kinda" fiddly is the thing...I spent a complete hour taking it apart and then trying to put it back together (2 hours total). I was SUPER meticulous in everything I did. So I'm not sure I'll have any different results by taking it apart again. There is *nothing about the housing's construction in the service manual, and there is *nothing online (pictures, etc.) that I can find to help. So I'm in the dark at this point.
 
If it wasn't like that to start then you are missing something or it is not back together right . That is the only 2 things it could be. Like BuellyBagger said take it apart again. If you are burning wires then you have to much on said circuit.
 
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Update (not successful yet)

Switch gear housing is good. Remembered I had bought a backup pair from 'paulpud' over on the facebook page several years ago. I did the A/B thing. The ignition switch is perfectly put back together...so I just sanded a bit off the yellow tab end, and it's playing just fine now. Perhaps the screw was tightened just a bit much and caused a bit of bowing on the face that tab moves against.

Anyway - for others in the future searching for how to put the kill switch assembly back together again - the spring on the non-electrical contact side of the assembly *must be mounted on top of the ball bearing and then (very carefully) the whole assembly pressed together and held until the elec. contact holding plate is snapped back on...then it's good.

So on to the 'other' stuff:

Fuse blew again when trying to start the bike. Everything else on steps 2-5 are fine. I'm at a loss where to go next.

Of note, when the fuse blows, there are two loud "clicks" - one in the area of the battery/rear of bike and immediately after the lights fuze blows. This all happens in less than a half-second. I've checked the 30 amp fuse in the battery box - it's good.
 
njloco said:
What about the relays ?
Click to expand...

jay: got another pm from you and answered. what kenny said above. for $6 i'd try replacing the starter relay. with the burned wiring you mentioned before it might have affected that relay which carries the voltage from the starter button circuit as i mentioned before. bike not here in my shop so throwing darts at your problem but i'd try that. an amateurish way to trouble-shoot that relay is to remove it.....i'm talking the starter relay here....replace the blown fuse...turn bike on...red run switch to on....try starter button. if it now does NOT pop the fuse it's the relay and its circuit
 
It's the relay and its circuit (I used the 'amateur' troubleshooting John outlined above).

Noone in town has the relay....tried all three stores this evening.

Going to be mid week next before I can get one here.
 
So - for google searches in the future, part numbers for auto parts stores that don't have a data base cross-referencing motorcycles:

Buell XB ignition and starter relay part number: MC2205 (different branding out there, e.g. BWD MC2205, SMP MC2205)

Harley Davidson part number for Buell XB ignition and starter relays: 31522-00B or 31522-00C

Hopefully putting it this way will help this thread to actually show up on searches for those terms, both from within the site and from google, simpliciter.
 

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