Hitchcocks Forum

Sorry for yet another thread, but I am still trying to get to the bottom of yet another electrical problem. My rear lights seem to continue to trip out my efi system or oerhaps the power relay - either way, from time to time, when I put lights on, brake or indicate my fuel pump dies and the bike soon follows. I replaced two relays last week as one burned out (power and efi relay are beside each other) but still the system trips out. Arghhhhhhhh!!! I am at a loss.




Even scalyback's wiring diagram hasnt helped me solve this. Could a dodgy earth from the rear lights cause this (based on scaly's diagram)?? How would I check it? Should I just run a length of cable from the common earth to battery negative anyway, to rule that out. Or, do I finally admit defeat? Thus problem left me in a dangerius position on the motorway the other day so the sledgehammer next to my bike is looking appealing right now!!!!! Any more ideas? Wiring loom under the mudguard is intact btw - is there another route to earth I am missing?

A bad earth prevents a circuit from working, relays and e.f.i. need a good voltage/amperage. What are your battery voltage readings before switching on, when cranking, on tick over, at 2/3000 rpm, when switching headlight on, when pressing the horn, when applying the front brake,when applying the back brake,when flashing????????????????????? I don`t mean at the neighbours.

Hi Michael, there is no easy fix in this situation and I doubt it is an earthing problem, possible but unlikely, it sounds like a chaffed wire somewhere that when you go over a bump shorts out enough to blow a fuse and thus knocking out the power relay. Sometimes these are very difficult to find. Unplug the wires to the pilot lights and see if the problem could be there. I have been caught with them

Fuse?? Tripping out?? I`m con(fused) here.

Fuses remain in tact... its the relays switching off that is the issue. You reckon this is a short problem as opposed to earth?

As my last post.

As my first post not last.

Michael, if you say the relay trips out how do you reset it?

Let`s get real here, it`s not blowing a fuse or tripping out, it could be switching off due to low voltage/amperage. As my first post before losing my hair. (what hair?)

Mostly it resets b switching lights off quickly, releasing brake or switching flashers off. Low voltage or current drop seems sensible as per Jaffa... Jaffa are you suggesting a battery voltage problem, ie needing replaced (will check obviously) or a current leak somewhere? Or both?