Persistant Blow of 20A Main Fuse

Because I'm sick & warped and enjoy electrical t-shooting... Yeah I know, I know.... :blush:

Maybe this will help...
Every connection inRED box, d-connect....
Coming off the ignition switch BROWN conductor, this connection normally feeds into R-Bar control housing.

As can be reviewed in GREEN box, take switch housing red/yellow and connect into ingoing brown conductor.... This bypasses the housing but still provideds on/off power control via the ignition switch....

Now with everything d-connected as depicted start the engine and do your test (Stick :S )...

This is your bare bone baiscs for if it still blows the problem is not in your harness/lighting but more in your charging system only....

EDIT: One other thing may be in the ignition switch itself... Mentioned before, battery to inline 20amp to SPST switch... Directly to coils it it still blows in bare bone configuration....

Translation, bad regulator ground, AC generator (Dynamo), generators rotor in the engine case off balance etc....

Now if it doesn't blow, then begin with the r/hand control switch housing. re-connect Brown & red/yellow conductors as original. Test...

Then re-connect the starter motor... Test
Then one by one re-connect the brake switches test...
Keep going until you find the one connection that blows the fuse....

Very important, one connection and test only.... Take your time, test with stick, giggle conductor/harness feeds into the component you just plugged back in....

Good luck... You're there.... Victory is close by....

OMR

This is a tool I have had for many years, I slid the cover off to take a picture for you. All you need is a circuit breaker and either a buzzer or a light bulb in Parallel to the circuit breaker. This way when the short occurs the circuit breaker will open, and the current will flow through your buzzer/ light. Great piece for finding faults. I would still use a fuse from the 12v + side to feed the circuit breaker, as I had mine fail, stuck on and let some of that Magic Smoke out of a couple wires years ago. The meter you see is sorta like a compass it is moved along the harness and the pointer will show which direction the short is in, it does work, if it is a constant short, but intermittent ones well it sometimes fowls up the search.
Easy enough to make the tester part anyway.
Here is a link to once source for the product, I got mine off the Tool truck.
www.jcwhitney.com/short-circuit-finder/p...zmac=129&zmap=18164G

Sized it once, still to big, wait, oH there it is!

Old Man Rock wrote:

giggle conductor/harness

What the hell is this OMR??? :laugh:

Laymens terms for wire conductors in the harness assembly...

Meaning wiggle individual conductors and or harness...

alexnelson wrote:

...It all started when I opened my headlamp to tighten the nut holding the left signal light to the headlamp housing. Now you're all thinking, "Well, your problem must be in there!" Maybe it is. But like I say, I've had then thing open so many darn times and can't see anything wrong.

I took my tac and speedo off a while ago. I rode for at least a couple weeks with them off before this happened though.

My point is I've been all over the bike and I can't see the problem with my own eyes so a method of testing is all I have to go on.

Maybe overkill, but would again closely inspect for possible short by reason of a frayed wire in passing through the hole in the headlight shell.

This could be any of the wires that feed switched voltage through the hole into the headlight shell, such as for example running lights, headlight, etc.

Good Fortune!

Well if you've been d-connecting the HD light harness connection and it still blows the fuse?

Ok, that one has me baffled....:S

Even with all connectors detached inside the headlight shell, there is still juice on the switched voltage wires running through the hole into the shell, which wires might short against edge of the hole.

And which short could blow the fuse.

Good Fortune!

If say every connector is detached, and fuse still blows --- Indicates a short in some wire before reaching a connector.

But which wire is shorting? :S
And where along the wire? :blink:

Time to dig out the compass. :lol:

Good Fortune!

(Forgive if already noted.)

What is battery voltage measured across the terminals ---
(1) ignition switch OFF;
(2) engine at idle;
(3) engine at 3000~4000 rpm?

Thinking maybe voltage regulator malfunction allowing battery to over-charge.

Just guessing here.

Good Fortune!

He's blowing a 20amp fuse and not the 10amp that feeds the instrument cluster/lighting inside the shell and such?

Hmmm, I guess anythings possible in a 30 year old KZ....

With all d-connected as in the red boxed image, can;t see how that is possible if still wired to OEM specs but considering PO wiring/bypasses... who knows....

Ignition switch connector goes through the grommet into head lamp shell? This would be white off of main fuse heading to Ignition switch, then out of switch to fuse panel sub circuits.

Old Man Rock wrote:

He's blowing a 20amp fuse and not the 10amp that feeds the instrument cluster/lighting inside the shell and such?

Good point: on mine, the main power comes through the ig switch and goes to the 20A fuse and feeds the ignition coil then goes to the two "sub" fuses of 10A each. Sounds like the short is on the front end before the smaller fuses.

Have you tried disconnection the coil power to see if it's a bad coil?