No power after having it in storage

- 1979 KZ1000 LTD

I was going to change the oil and go into the gauges recently to discover my bike had no power. I had a blown fuse which I replaced, and still no power. I replaced the battery, and still no power, and a blown fuse which I replaced. What are the odds that I have a defective battery? What else could it be. It powered up fine before I had it in storage, and all of a sudden no power. I could not be more pssed:angry: Before this my gauges did not power up, so perhaps that's a sign of an electrical problem. I can understand the battery being dead after being in storage for too long, and the fluid level was below the line. Any how, I don't know where to start, as I don't really know what else to look for.

Post edited by: sakiguy, at: 2005/12/10 21:15

Look for a bad ground (main ground). Check all connections. Condensation can cause issues with electrics. Bad ignition switch maybe. Does headlight come on (non-US model)? Any chance of rodents getting to bike and chewing a wire. I've had spider nests in connections before that cut current. Actually had baby spiders inside my speedo gauge one spring.

I know it's happened before, you aren't overlooking that your kill switch may be off are you?
Ride safe,
Les

Sakiguy, you're saying no "electrical-power". Meaning no head-tail lights, no horn, no idiot lights and no starter?

I would first the battery connections,as Rom'knight suggests, then I would suspect the fuse you replaced is not making contact both sides/ends or has blown again. If fuse is blown again, you would have to suspect a short around the inside of the head-light shell (re- gauge lights).
Check voltage of battery (fully charged about 12.8 volts). Check connections to battery and starter.
If it is just the starter not working Milkman is probably correct...Kill-switch! I've done this before.

Regardz

Is the "new battery" you bought filled and charged? I just replaced the one on my wife's bike and it doesn't come charged, you have to fill it and trickle charge it yourself. Or have the shop do it for you. Like the guys said, check with a volt meter.

I did fill the battery with acid to the top line and even bought a 750ma charger/tender to charge it over night. I think the battery is good, but I'm going to get a multimeter today and do some tests. Fuses seem fine, although I think I am going to clean the contact points any way.

There is absolutley no electricity when I turn the ignition switch. I played with it last night though and I gave the iginition switch a little slap, turned the key, and I had electricity! It was like a miracle! Lights, came on, blinkers worked, etc. After thirty seconds or so electricity turned off, and would not turn on again no matter how many times I slapped the iginition switch. That was like the worst tease ever!

I don't believe I'm overlooking the kill switch. Sorry for being a noob, but I'm assuming your referring to the run/off switch on the right handle bar. Forgive my ignorance. I have it in the run postion when I turn the ignition switch if that's what you mean.

Did have a mouse problem, so I suppose it would be a possiblity that it chewed on my wires. Man, what bad luck that would be if it chewed my wires. That guy was pretty slick around the mouse traps too, so it wouldn't surprise me if he strategically immobilized my LTD.

Where is the main ground? I'd like to check it but am honestly not too sure where it is.

I have all winter to get this thing ready for spring, so I'd rather save and figure it out myself. Good chance to up my KZ IQ. I'm going to get a multimeter at kragen today - remove the headlight and check the battery, ignition switch connections, etc. I'll get back to the post, hopefully with some good news and progress.

In regard to your kill switch, it can be in the on position, but not making contact inside. You need to flip it back and forth to see if that makes your power come on. The contacts in the kill switch can be weak or corroded. The electrical system can be a real pain, but buy a book with a good wiring diagram and buy a good volt meter. I use only Fluke brand meters. There are others, but I have used them for 30 years and they are the best. They are available at electrical supply stores and I think even Sears carries them. Good luck!!

Well, I bought the multimeter and tested the battery...it read 12.77 volts. Then I checked the connection that goes to the ignition switch, and kill switch and all was well. I had sanded the baterry wire ring terminals yesterday and they seemed fine. Today I took the protective jacket off the ground cable and found some horrendous corrosion on both ends. Going to get some new cable and some new terminals first thing tomorrow...hope that solves the issue.

Oh yah, here is a pick of one end of the corroded ground cable. The other end is basically just as bad. I'm thinking it may not be the problem since the multimeter read 12.77 volts any how. Let me know what you think.

To recap just a tad, you have 12VDC at your new battery with a fresh charge. You slap ignition switch and suddenly you have power... OK... here is what I would do with the bike...

The ground cable didn't look particularly bad. Go ahead and replace them and coat the ends of the new ground and positive cables with dielectic grease. I readily agree that a cable that looks OK will sometimes be corroded UNDER the cable cover. Once you have replaced these cables, note that power comes from the fuse area and goes along the wire harness to the ignition switch. It goes through a major connector between the harness and ignition switch. Remove the positive lead from your battery when doing any further work...

OK, with this connector open, slightly bend the male prongs... take an emory board and swipe them slightly with an emory board to remove any corrosion. Get some spray contact cleaner and spray them. Once they dry, get some dielectic grease and coat the male prongs and cover the female. Put the connector together and then put a wire tie around the two halves. Tie it where it won't loosen from getting bumped. Oh yeah, the connector is in the headlight shell if memory serves.

The ignition switch itself may be a problem. Rather than take this thing apart, inspect the back to ensure you see no corrosion or bare wires. If you do, Emgo makes a replacement switch. You will then need two keys... one for the ignition and one for the seat and fork lock, etc... The switch plugs right in and you can get one from www.z1enterprises.com . They are not real expensive.

Out of the ignition switch is yet another connector which I think is ALSO in the headlight shell but you will have to trace. Clean and secure it in the same manner. It connects to the kill switch/right hand switch gear assembly.

Your right hand switch gear assembly (kill switch) carries the current that powers everything on the bike. It goes through the kill switch so open that thing up and make sure contacts are clean. The kill switch, in particular, is a problem area as this mechanism wears (plastic) and contact becomes poor.

Out of the kill switch, is yet ANOTHER connector and this one is on the right side of your frame where the right hand switch gear connects back into the wiring harness. This is a very big problem area and this connector seems to loosen more than the others. Again, go through the connector tightening and cleaning steps.

If you do this stuff, you will probably fix many of your problems but you had blown fuses... these may have been from a LOOSE connection BUT you may have a bare wire. Look in the headlight shell for a bare wire that touches metal.

hope this babble helps. After you have done your cleaning, you can reconnect the battery and check the voltage at every step in this path by turning the key on and checking the power wire to ensure that power is making its way along this path. You may want to consult a wiring diagram to figure out which wire should have 12VDC in each connector.

i think that wiredgeorge is right on the money with his advice. And as far as Fluke meters go, i am in the Air Force and that is the only brand we use on our $50 million aircraft, so that should tell you something about them.

I opened and inspected the kill switch. The connections seemed fine on one end, but I cleaned them using emory board any way. Couldn't figure out how to remove the kill switch completely, I was only able to remove the top portion with the knob. I cleaned the two small ring terminal connections. Then I also inspected the connection that connects from the ignition switch to harness. It looked real clean, but I cleaned with emory board any how. I basically did a thorough investigation of all the wires and connections and did not find wire without insulation/exposed whatsoever, or any corrosion in any of the connections. I checked the connections along the frame by the gas tank. Made sure they were clean and tight. After that, I connected battery and turned key....no luck. I did find red and black wire that the previous owner had linked together with yellow wire crimps under the gas tank. I'm wondering if he had soldered them or just tied the wires together and crimped them, and if perhaps if it could be loose and faulty.

I opened the back plastic case cover that exposes the ignition switch and indicator light sockets. I found what seemed to be spider egg sacs around that area, webbing, and dirt/possible corrosion by the ignition switch. At this point I'm betting that it's the ignition switch, and already ordered one on ebay for $20 and shipping which didn't seem too bad of a loss. I'd like to take the ignition switch out to get a better look, but it doesn't seem to pop out from the rear. Can anyone guide me on taking the ignition switch out? I thought it simply popped out, but I'm afraid to muscle it out with a flat head and damage something. Perhaps I should just replace the kill switch with a more modern one as well to alleviate future problems? Anyone know a good brand/model replacement kill switch that I can get online?

Post edited by: sakiguy, at: 2005/12/13 22:29