Hitchcocks Forum

Had this a couple of times now on my 2011 EFI Electra. Rain, wet roads, lights on, after a couple of hours MIL light comes on and engine cuts out. Switch lights off, engine chimes back in, MIL light goes out and all is well. Dry weather. No problems.

Have checked most electrical connections for water ingress but is there a favourite, bogey, vulnerable connection that ties in ignition and lights that I am missing.

Not sure if it is applicable to the EFI but earlier models seem to suffer from the wiring to the rear light wearing through. I should check the cable run around the rear mudguard.

Ay up. Trouble in t'MIL... Sorry.




I have heard about some kind of insulation/waterproofing spray, can't remember the name of the stuff but maybe someone here can help?

It's called Aquastop..


See it here:




Blog post about the stuff.





Contact:



JD Airsoft Limited


Unit 5 Virage Park,

Green Lane,

Walsall Road,

Cannock,

Staffordshire, WS11 0NH



Tel: 01543 466356

Email: [email protected]

Clive... check the tail light. Water gets in easily there - cover the wiring in vaseline! Also, check that your fuses are dry and separated from each other. The only other things to consider checking would be you right hand handelbar switch - is water shorting out the cutoff ... and also the back of the ignition switch - it can be loose and shoogley, cusing MIL light to come on.




My money is on the tail light though - the loom sits in a puddle of water and crud inside the chrome box bit!

Thanks chaps, will hotfoot to garage and take a look at the rear light and chromy thing. Never looked in there before.
Fuses are ok Michael. I re-wired all three soon after I bought it. Spaghetti junction in there. Disgrace really. I will also have a look at the Aquastop spray for future use.

Michael, It's obvious what "shoogley" means by the context but it's a new one to me.
Good word!

Michael, if water gets in there easily, either seal whatever it is that is collecting water to stop it getting in and if you can't, drill a hole in the bottom to let it out

Had a similar problem with my bullet, the rear light wiring connector kept working loose and the connections were ony in partial contact, eventually the plugs cam apart altogether. The connection is in between the mudguard and the rear metal bulge on which the plate and rear light mount. Good place to start looking

Had the whole rear lamp cluster and chromy thing apart. Dry as a chip. checked the hole in the mudguard where the loom goes. It even had a grommet ! Had to re-make all the fixings to the mudguard though as they all sheared off when I took it apart. AND the rear wheel had to come out to get at the bolts !! Traced the loom back to the main connector near the battery and all was well. So you had all better start thinking again !

I can't recall now but I may have had the heated grips on. If the total load with headlight on, heated grips on etc is greater that the alternator output might the ECU recognise it and illuminate the MIL light and cause the ignition to start shutting down ? Grasping at straws really as I don't know what the alternator output is at modest revs.