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1997 R1100RT Electrical Issues

97RT

New member
Looking for some help on three issues...
Headlight - low beam just stopped working. High beam flash works, but will not lock on. Changed bulb and same issue.

Turn Signals - will not cancel using the right cancel switch...have to press both L & R switches at same time. Issue comes and goes. Have not taken the switch all the way apart, but have used contact cleaner...no help.

Front brake light switch - will not turn brake light on when squeezing the lever. Foot switch works. Pulled the microswitch, not broken or bare wires and I can hear the switch opening and closing.

Got a gentleman's "C" in EE 34 years ago, so the wiring diagram in my Clymer's manual is just enough to get me in trouble. Do all of these share a common ground wire? Have seen some posts about wire ties cutting wires over time. Any leads on troubleshooting and fixing greatly appreciated!
 
Looking for some help on three issues...
Headlight - low beam just stopped working. High beam flash works, but will not lock on. Changed bulb and same issue.

Turn Signals - will not cancel using the right cancel switch...have to press both L & R switches at same time. Issue comes and goes. Have not taken the switch all the way apart, but have used contact cleaner...no help.

Front brake light switch - will not turn brake light on when squeezing the lever. Foot switch works. Pulled the microswitch, not broken or bare wires and I can hear the switch opening and closing.

Got a gentleman's "C" in EE 34 years ago, so the wiring diagram in my Clymer's manual is just enough to get me in trouble. Do all of these share a common ground wire? Have seen some posts about wire ties cutting wires over time. Any leads on troubleshooting and fixing greatly appreciated!

Here is a little easier to use schematic: http://www.mac-pac.org/tech/electrical-diagrams/
 
That was fun...!

Just got done cleaning all the connections and contacts in the L & R multifunction switches. Had fun chasing springs around my garage floor, but eventually got them all back together. No Joy on fixing the issue with the low beam headlight, the turn signal cancel switch, or the front brake light switch. If anyone has some additional thoughts, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Thanx!
 
Sorry about the springs.
This needs more thought.

All issues have the right handlebar wiring in common.
:blah
When you flash the high beam, the power comes through the green-with-blue stripe wire instead of the yellow-white wire.
So, you don't have power on the yellow-white wire. But you do on the green/blue path.
Green with blue is controlled by the ignition switch and is not fused.
Yellow/white is tied to green/blue inside the right clamshell. European models have an additional switch there.

This implies a break in either green/blue or yellow/white close to the handlebar, or in the clamshell.

The cancel switch brings brown/white to ground (brown). The cancel switch and the jumper or whatever ties yellow/white to green/blue seem to be close together in the clamshell.

It sounds like you've already had a pretty good look around in the clamshell, and,
If either the green/blue or yellow/white were shorted to ground I'm afraid you'd have a fire by now, since they are not fused.

Cancel doesn't work, but right does, which connects blue/yellow to brown.

So brown is connected, not broken, and blue/yellow is good.
For cancel to not work then, brown/white has to be broken, or possibly shorted to +12.
If it were shorted to +12 (at least through green/blue) there should be arcing, heat, smoke, drama whenever you push cancel.
(no fuse to blow) - so I think it is safe to say brown/white is broken.

The front brake switch sends +12 to the brake light (via grey/yellow), in parallel to the rear switch.
The +12 comes from Fuse 1 over green/black.
If green/black were shorted to ground then Fuse 1 would blow and the brake light would not work.
If grey/yellow were shorted to ground - same thing.
So if the fuse is not blowing then one of these paths is broken.

I think it is doubtful that at least 4 wires would break at the same time.

So there must be a connector that is trying to come loose, going to the right handlebar.
You'll have to trace the wires.
It should have six wires on this connector:
green/blue
violet (or gray) / blue
yellow/white
brown/white
brown
blue/yellow

The right side grip heater may also go through this connector, a black wire and a brown ground wire.
 
Ancient Hieroghlyphs

I don't know who to credit for these.
These are scans from someone's service manual for an RS.
The RT has some additional wiring that is not shown.
The quality is bad, it's for the wrong model, the colors aren't true.
And it's a GIF.
But it shows color codes and groups wires with their connectors.
 

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1 outa 3 aint bad...

Many thanx to Scott for the assist on the electrical issues. I got the headlight working yesterday...combination of crud on the switch and missing the upper metal connector on the right side of the switch. I found it under my workbench after taking the switch apart for the 3rd time. Still no luck with the front brake switch (I'm pretty sure I need a new microswitch) or the turn signal cancel (thinking it is a broken brown-white wire, but could not find the break). Hoping the monsoons clear out so I can get out on the road tomorrow. Thanx again!
 
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