SuzukiSavage.com - Power outage. Main fuse blowing

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #45 - 10/31/13 at 11:07:35 Yes, to the above And I apologize for getting the thread off..
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swedishbiker Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 119 Växjö Sweden Gender:	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #46 - 10/31/13 at 11:23:36 This is what happens with a bulb in the starter fuse. You can hear the solenoid click. http://youtu.be/JELIMtIa5dA
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #47 - 10/31/13 at 11:24:50 Yep,, Ive Seen,, Im just not understanding,, & That BUGS me!
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Steve H

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Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing
Reply #48 - 10/31/13 at 13:08:24

JOG

Think of the bulb as a flow restrictor. The heat generated by doing the work of resisting the flow causes it to glow. The resistance restricts the flow same as putting a flow restrictor in a water or air line. The restricted flow at the starter isn't strong enough to do the work required...Need a bigger line (less flow restriction).

The fuse is a safety pop off valve. Too much and it pops to save whatever is downstream of it.

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87 LS650, 2005 Ninja 250, 2009 Yamaha C3, 2001 Honda Reflex. On 2 wheels since 6/80.

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #49 - 10/31/13 at 13:17:44 Just a note of interest... the stock wiring to the starter has no fuse in it. Goes from the battery to the relay then to the starter. They figure if something blows up you'll take your finger off the button real quick.
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Dave

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Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing
Reply #50 - 10/31/13 at 14:09:12

Jog:

Think of the starter as a really wide gate in a fence. When you have a crowd of people (electrons) all trying to get through that wide gate (starter) it allows a lot of them to pass through quickly (low resistance).....a lot of people (electrons) can get through the gate quickly (high amps).

A bulb (narrow gate) provides more resistance (ohms) to the people (electrons) than the starter (wide gate) does. When you try to put those same people (electrons) though the smaller gate (bulb)....they get bunched up and irritated (heat and light), and not many of them get through quickly (low amps).

When you put the starter (wide gate) in the path ( electric circuit) with the bulb (narrow gate)......the narrow gate (bulb) still restricts how many people (amps) can get through.....even though the wide gate (starter) offers little resistance (ohms).

Does that help?

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swedishbiker Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 119 Växjö Sweden Gender:	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #51 - 10/31/13 at 14:09:51 Right, starter has no fuse. But it will look same if you put a bulb serial. This is a Volvo starter, I bypass the solenoid.
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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing
Reply #52 - 10/31/13 at 17:00:25

Thanks for all the input,,you guys made it work for me,, the lite is now lit in my head. I got 2 explanations, both worked for me, & the demo, while appreciated,, Ive done for myself in a sense,,

Using water flow works in describing simple circuits, but the people thing seriously made sense,, Thanks guys,,

& Now,, back to our regular programming..

I would rename the thread
Power outrage..

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walker

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Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing
Reply #53 - 11/04/13 at 17:52:09

Dave wrote on 10/31/13 at 09:27:04:

The wiring harness under the tank connects to the left and right handlebar electrical controls, to the coil, to the decompression solenoid, to the horn, to the speedometer cluster, to the horn, headlights, front turn signals......lots of stuff. The most common break in this area is the left handlebar wiring harness into the headlight, and often it is associated with the failure of the headlight low or high beam.....or a short that blows fuses.

The OP really needs to take the tank off and start looking at wires.

Thank you!

I really needed that encouragement to take it to the next level. I don't really have a background in anything besides changing oil on my Honda... so this was lots of fun (aside from the temporary despair and frustration).

I followed clymer's manual and took the tank off. It was really stuck on the two little rubber pucks that hold it up. I almost just gave up, but at the last moment in a bit of anger I really started thrashing around with the tank and it just came free! I don't think it's ever been taken off since it was built in 2004.

so for a moment I felt like a boss. I started looking at all the wires, I even cut open some of the black protector tubes... and everything was checking out. No burn marks. nothing out of place. With the tank disconnected and on the ground I put the key in the ignition and everything lit up. The bike even turned over, then I immediately turned it off-- vaccume tube, fuel line, and the California edition hose all disconnected, I didn't want to wreck anything.

At this point I was nice and down again. "dude, I don't know what I'm doing.... but I'm at least I'm trying"

I stepped over and started looking at the gas tank. I was almost finished chasing the wires in the cluster when I found the spot. Man I was happy. Heres a picture.

basically I just cut out the burned part and re-spliced it and wrapped it in hella electrical tape. I also checked the other blue wire with color distortion, cutting through the plastic with a razor. The copper looked good so I wrapped it all up again. wrapped all the suspect wires with more vinyl and then wrapped them all together like the black tube I had to cut through. Put it all back together.

BOOM! Back on the road! The gas feels old, but I'll ride through it in a week or so.

thanks again everyone. I learned a lot about current and electricity and lightbulbs (and I'm very glad I didn't have to rely on my shoddy handle on it hahaha!)

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burnedwire20131.jpg

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walker YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing Reply #54 - 11/04/13 at 17:54:39 spliced!
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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Power outage. Main fuse blowing
Reply #55 - 11/04/13 at 19:24:47

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 10/27/13 at 06:49:55:

Pull the seat, look around for wires that are crossing over the frame, under the seat & being pressed on.Nothing? Pull the tank, look around. Eyeball every wire you can see, anything close to stuff that moves, the belt, a pulley, anything. Look to see if wires got close enough to heat to soften them up & let electrons from a 12 volt wire pass into a ground wire or spill directly onto the chassis before they go thru the load theyre meant for,
You dont have a bad connection, you have a short, a short is when current finds a way to flow unimpeded by an electronic resistive load, The electrons too a short-cut & happily went to ground w/o doing any work.

& if youd rather swap an automotive flasher unit into it for a few buc\ks & get that variable outta the way,, thats problee a good idea. It mite save a coupla hours inspecting stuff..

Glad ya finally got to doing the things ya hafta do to chase something like that down,,
Thats spliced? Not really,, thats a mess. Get some crimp fittings or get some heat shrink tubing & solder it up. Tubing on the wire before it gets soldered,, solder it, slip the tubing into place, flick a bic at it..

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The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

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