Barn Find 2004 R1150 GS Adventure ( odd electrical fault )

[olliem1]

Hello All,

I got the above motorcycle from an old friend that parked it up for seven years...with gas in it. I've got the tank off and I'm resealing it. I put a fresh battery in it, turned the key, all the dash lights flashed, and that's all. With the bike off it's center stand and on the kick stand, i can get more life out of it, mainly by holding the start button down while turning the key on/off/on in neutral. The starter solenoid makes that loud "click" sound and once actually turned the engine over a few times. The engine is free ( I checked before trying to turn it over on the starter )


A friend suggested changing the kick stand switch, which I'll do. Any of you guys have any other suggestions ? The bike is untouched, apart from what I've done. My buddy completed his last 14k mile trip, parked it up in his car port and hit the local Irish bar, and has pretty much styed there ever since.

Any help / pointers much appreciated.

 

[jnrugg]

The only obvious thing I have is to take it outside, blow out all the accumulated dirt and debris.
Then look for chewed wires.

Good luck and keep us informed on how it's going.

 

[52184]

Put a charger on the new battery overnight then have it load tested. Even a new battery can be a bad battery…

Best,
DeVern

 

[cajunrider]

I put a fresh battery in it, turned the key, all the dash lights flashed, and that's all.

Don't start buying switches and such yet... do the basics first (especially since it has sat for that long). If the dash only flashes, you have a main power issue... not a kickstand issue.

First, clean it up and look for damage to the wire harnesses. You're looking for chewed wires, melted insulation, corroded plugs/connectors, lose connections, etc...

Second, make sure the battery connections are good, and make sure the ground connection at the frame/block is good (make sure neither has any corrosion). Have the "new" battery load tested (yes, some are bad from the factory).

Third, check all fuses (use a meter, don't just LOOK at them) and check operation of all relays (again, use a meter).

After all that, if you still only get a flash when you turn the key on, you need to find exactly where the power is getting lost... which means you need a detailed wiring schematic and an electrical guru to trace the power from battery through to everything else, one wire at a time.

 

[Omega Man]

Sometimes a "flash" when turning the key means the key switch is gummed up. A slow, deliberate turn of the key is an easy try.

OM

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

Don't start buying switches and such yet... do the basics first (especially since it has sat for that long). If the dash only flashes, you have a main power issue... not a kickstand issue.

First, clean it up and look for damage to the wire harnesses. You're looking for chewed wires, melted insulation, corroded plugs/connectors, lose connections, etc...

Second, make sure the battery connections are good, and make sure the ground connection at the frame/block is good (make sure neither has any corrosion). Have the "new" battery load tested (yes, some are bad from the factory).

Third, check all fuses (use a meter, don't just LOOK at them) and check operation of all relays (again, use a meter).

After all that, if you still only get a flash when you turn the key on, you need to find exactly where the power is getting lost... which means you need a detailed wiring schematic and an electrical guru to trace the power from battery through to everything else, one wire at a time.

Pretty much spot on.

 

[olliem1]

Pretty much spot on.

Thanks a million fellas. I'll get cracking this weekend. I'll keep you all posted. /Ollie

 

[senseamidmadness]

CajunRider is definitely right, but I do have one thing to add to what he said. The most common electrical problem for vehicles is a ground fault. If power can't get to ground from the wiring harness, usually through just one or two little terminals, a wide variety of electrical issues show up.
In that first step he mentioned of looking for damaged wiring, you should pay special attention to any wires or terminals that directly connect to the frame or engine. They'll of course be shown in a wiring diagram, usually as a wire going into something like this:
|
| |
| | |
| |
|

Three parallel lines of descending length, basically.

 

[eastbay]

the fact that you got it to turn over once by fiddling with the ignition switch could be a clue. Those connections at the bottom of the switch can get loose. I
had an 1100 that would cut out at extreme turning angles. If you suspect the sidestand switch, it is pretty easy to bypass it by shorting the contacts where it plugs in to the harness. Electrical gremlins suck on these machines, so many possibilities. good luck.

 

[olliem1]

Found the fault



Hello Guys,

Well after messing around with the multimeter for a hour or so, turns out its the Key Cylinder. If I turn it to the one position while applying a fair bit of lateral pressure, she lights up like a Christmas tree. Horn, turn signals, lights, stater engages. Of course one I release the key...its dead again.

So I imagine I'll have to replace / clean that. is there a special took for removal ? Any suggestions ?

Thank you all.

Ollie

 

[classicvw]

Good to hear you found it!
I've never used it, but there's a product called WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner (sold on Amazon and elsewhere) that the description says is safe for circuit boards, rubber, plastics, and you just blast the **** out of whatever electronics you want cleaned and it flushes dirt away and it dries right away. I would try that first and see if it solves the problem.

 

[Omega Man]

You can flush it out hard with regular WD-40. If there is "play" in the switch mechanism, it will most likely remain intermittent. If a fair amount of dirt/corrosion flushes out and turning the key switch seems reasonably smooth, I like DeOxit for the cleaning of contact terminals.

OM

 

[gsaddict]

Hello Guys,

Well after messing around with the multimeter for a hour or so, turns out its the Key Cylinder. If I turn it to the one position while applying a fair bit of lateral pressure, she lights up like a Christmas tree. Horn, turn signals, lights, stater engages. Of course one I release the key...its dead again.

So I imagine I'll have to replace / clean that. is there a special took for removal ? Any suggestions ?

Thank you all.

Ollie

The one way security screws will need to have the heads be drilled off. (difficult to do in situ)
Start with a 1/8" pilot hole 3/8" deep.
Then follow with 11/32" drill at slow speed until the head falls off.
Warm the leftover stud (blue loctited in) and remove with needlenose vise grips.
Replace with M8 allen bolts.

Before you go that far, remove the ignition switch and carefully disassemble on a large white cloth, keeping track of the small components.
Many switches of this vintage have the grease harden and inhibit contact operation.
Clean the contacts and sliders, lightly lube with dielectric grease and reassemble.

Switch removal below, use a slot jewellers screwdriver

 

[gsaddict]

Switch disassembled - dirty contacts and old grease.
Polish the contacts with scotchbrite
Lube lightly with dielectric grease.