New Headlight Issue

[MnBueller]

Hey Gang.
My favorite ride has new little issue that has me wondering.
When I turn on the ignition key now, the high beam light on the dash lights up and stays lit even after starting. While it is lit the headlight is dark.
When I click the bike into gear and start out the dash light goes out and the headlight comes on.
Doesn't happen every time, but most.
Is the high beam light an indicator that the headlight is burnt out? If so, maybe that means a poor connection at the headlight?
Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or anything like it...
Thanks!

 

[shawnd]

Year? Model? Sounds weird but I think you have an issue that involves the neutral switch wire is shorting/supplying ground to the high beam indicator.

 

[MnBueller]

Oops.
It is an 07 XB12X.

 

[user_deleted]

before you do anything else....and shawnd might be correct.....remove the flyscreen and check both the wiring plug coming from left handlebar control mounted lo/hi bean switch and the harness plug containing the 4 wires that plugs into the headlight bucket plug. both must be squeaky clean and tight.

 

[MnBueller]

Will do Lunatic. I was planning to remove the flyscreen this week anyway, to take a look at the ground wires behind there. I've seen quite a few postings where problems have been solved by cleaning or reattaching bad grounds. An update on the problem; it is not as I first thought connected to shifting into gear. That was just a coincidence. When it does happen I can often make it go away by turning the bars left or right. Something is loose.

 

[user_deleted]

it's simple. remove flyscreen and look at headlight module plug. orange is 12 volt power...yellow low beam...white high beam...black with tracer is ground. carefully check the plug to plug connection. with key on and run switch off and switch on low beam wiggle the plug. light blinking? there's your problem. not blinking? go to harness at headstock area. wiggle it. blinking? there it is.

 

[MnBueller]

Alright, opening the flyscreen today. I will do all you suggest Lunatic, as well as checking all other connections and grounds. Thanks as always for the helpful ideas!

 

[MnBueller]

Well, I went under the flyscreen and checked the ground cluster...all seemed fine there.
So I unplugged and replugged every connector I could see. Three times!
I never could make the lights blink by wiggling wires, but since I've done this not a single bit of weirdness.
So maybe I got it?...
Thanks again for the ideas boys, I believe you may have solved my problem. For now.

 

[user_deleted]

my pleasure. obviously you handled 1 or more of the culprit connections and if the problem crops up again and you revert to same procedure...get yourself a can of Kroil. use the supplied red tube and carefully spray each and every connection when apart. then plug together and wipe off. Kroil will displace corrosion, clean the tiny connector ends, and provide a light film of protection. it is amazing stuff.

 

[MnBueller]

Lunatic, who makes Kroil? Is it available at any auto parts store?
Sounds like something I need in my garage!

 

[Cosworth]

Its good stuff, nobody around me keeps it so I have to order it.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2k4ruwn6ry_b

 

[user_deleted]

what cosworth said. some napa stores have it as does vendors on amazon and evilbay. get the smaller aersoal bomb....not the squeeze can style. the smaller can will last 5 years if you don't go nuts with it. tremendous stuff.

 

[MnBueller]

CRAP! The problem is back, and I even lost the headlight altogether while riding home at 11:00 pm this weekend! Now today I stop for a minute at a store and come back out. Turn the key and the little pistons light does not light up. Then crank....and crank again...then turn off and try again and it finally starts. I'm starting to worry about this now. Guess I will try to find some Kroil and check all the grounds again. Crap...[mad]

 

[MnBueller]

Update: My second trip behind the flyscreen and I am checking every connector very closely. In the main plug to the headlight harness I notice the female half of the ground wire seems to be spread open a bit and there even appears to be some black discoloration on the plug surrounding it. Arcing? So I used a tiny pick to close up the connector and once again plug/unplug a bunch of times to scrape the metal parts together and hopefully clean them a bit. Then I shoot a bit of dielectric grease in each connector hole (No Kroil here guys) and plug it back together. Then I do the same for every other plug back there. Then I pull the headstock ground bundle apart, clean all surfaces, apply the grease and reassemble everything super tight. Then the same treatment for the battery ground under the seat. One test ride the next day to work and no weirdness. Not jumping up and down just yet, but promising.
By the way, my service manual lists 5 different grounds on the bike...does anyone know where the others might be? Of course the wiring diagram doesn't tell me where they are. I'd like to check and service them all.
The saga continues...

 

[MnBueller]

New Update! I think I have it...the headlight went out completely last Friday, so I had something to work with when I pulled the flyscreen off again. The blinking started when I wiggled the Main Harness to Headlight Harness plug. So what I suspected is now confirmed. Next question: can I order either whole plugs or internals somewhere? I'm going in again today.

 

[MnBueller]

Final Update: The main harness to headlight harness plug was the culprit. I tried crimping new OE terminals on and using the stock plug, but without the "special" crimper they would not go back into the plugs. So I cut them all and just crimped shielded spade connectors on each side. Not as convenient as a single plug, but how often will I be taking them apart anyway? Works good, and cheap too!
Thanks again for the ideas folks...

 

[Shawns]

Make sure you use some dielectric grease in there.

 

[MnBueller]

Did it! But thanks for the reminder Shawns...I am getting forgetful in my advancing age.

 

[Shawns]

I know exactly where your coming from You can always make your own plug out of one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=321151669501&view=all&tid=1307051574011 or something similar. When I did my Firebolt conversion I used one of these to mate to the factory pug. I just soldered the pins to the wires instead of purchasing a crimper. Just food for thought.