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Electrial problem on the Weee

2K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  Jocko 
#1 ·
I hate to do this but my first real post (other than introduction) is to ask for advice. Here are the details:

- 07 DL650
- purchased used a month ago with 10,000 miles on it
- has worked like a charm for a month
- suddenly will not start. Rode it yesterday. Stopped to run into a store and do an errand; came back out 10 mins later. Dead.
- dash would not light up at first but does so intermittently , but as soon as the starter button is depressed, everything shuts down. No rhyme or reason to getting the dash to light up again. It just seems to rest a bit and then lights up when you turn on the key again.
- When the dash does light up, if you don't press the starter, everything (eg. fuel pump, signals, horn, etc) works. It just goes "black" if you hit the starter.
- all fuses are fine
- cycling kill switch has no effect
- battery load tested and is fine
- bypassed the clutch switch - no starter action when the button is pressed but at least it does not cause everything else to shut down.
- side stand up, in neutral, clutch switch bypassed - everything works except nothing from the starter.
- It has heated grips and an outlet for heated gear as well as 4 accessory, marine grade outlets. Isolating all the auxillary wiring (ie. disconnecting the accessory fuse box) does not change anything.
- clock works but goes blank if the starter button is pressed. It does come back on if you cycle the ignition key.

Right now it is at the shop but it has them baffled although they have not looked at it extensively yet.

Hoping someone here can offer some sage advice.

As luck would have it, my daughter was going to leave tomorrow with it on a 2000 mile trip. Looks like she may have to suffer a bit on her sport bike.

Thanks

Rod
 
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#2 · (Edited)
First thing I would do is check the battery terminals for being lose or corroded.. If they aren't lose I would put some current into it (ie: boost it) and see if the problem appears to dissappear. If so, the battery may be fried.

edit: I just noticed you load tested the battery. Does the clock lose the time? If not then the problem may be elsewhere. I vaguely recall an issue with the wiring harness wearign through on some model years.

Hopefully Greywolf wil kick in here.


..Tom
 
#3 ·
Tom,
Thanks for the reply. Battery terminals are clean and tight. Clock does not lose time.
A head scratcher for sure. What is weird is that the system wakes up kinda on its own (except the starter) after everything blacks out. ie. nothing repeatable can make it wake up again. For instance it woke up when I rocked the bike back and forth to get a switch gear screw to fall out from inside the body work where I dropped it.

Rod
Rod
 
#4 · (Edited)
My first guess would be the starter relay, but I don't know how to test that...

Did you check the big connector located inside the front-left fairing? (It's probably the biggest electrical connection on the bike) It's covered with a black rubber boot. Some folks have found corrosion in there, which could cause a multitude of issues...
 
#6 ·
The dash lighting up intermittently means power is getting to it intermittently. It going dead when the starter button is pushed indicates the battery is not supplying sufficient power to the system. Did you check both ends of the battery cables? Did you try a jump from a car battery with the car not running?
 
#7 ·
Ye old clutch switch and side stand switch working properly?
red kill switch flaky?


Clutch switch bypassed, Side stand up, bike in neutral (should negate any sidestand switch issues). No joy.
When the dash does light up, the kill switch will work properly. ie. turning the kill switch on and off will cycle the fuel pump.

Rod
 
#8 ·
Don't jumper the clutch switch. It won't help and can cause problems if you leave it that way on an '07 Wee or later. It's a power problem. Also check the main fuse under the clear plastic cover over the starter relay.
 
#9 · (Edited)
check the main fuse under the clear plastic cover over the starter relay

I checked the 2 30 amp fuses under the translucent white cover beside the main fuse box. Are these what you are talking about or is it located somewhere else? Sorry to sound like a dunce, but I am just learning my way around the Wee.
Thanks
Rod
 
#10 ·
One is a spare and held loosely. The other should be very tight as it handles all the electrical power the bike uses. Take it out to make sure it is securely held and not cracked. Check the main cables at both ends. Do you trust the person and equipment involved in load testing the battery?

I've got to tell you, 99 out of 100 cases like this are due to a bad battery or loose main connections. A distant second is a bad ignition switch.
 
#12 ·
Well I had to leave town but my daughter went and picked up the bike. New battery and they found a loose connection somewhere. It appears to be working fine now so I won;t know if it was a battery or the connection until I get home next week. Good news is that it is running fine now so she is good to go to take off this weekend for a 2k trip. She is going to ride it around town tomorrow as well to make sure before she heads out.
Thanks to all who offered advice. I really appreciate it.
Rod
 
#13 ·
I agree 100% with Greywolf on the battery issue. Your '07 is now 5 years old and batteries are normally good for about 3, maybe 4, but after that it is questionable. I'll bet they found that battery was bad and replaced it.

I had an '07 Wee and on a ride one day, I noticed that the dash display started flickering off and on, and I'd lose some power. I thought, "Uh, oh," this is a problem. When we stopped for lunch I popped the seat off and checked the battery and sure enough! the ground lead connection was loose at the negative terminal. Tightened it up and I was good to go. GW is right, most power delivery issues are either a bad battery or a loose cable.
 
#15 ·
Hello, Jacques here, from Ottawa, Canada. My first post on Stromtrooper, although I've been reading many posts since I bought my 2005 Wee last year and joined this group soon after.
The post I'm quoting was the most helpful: I'd been having electrical problems for a few weeks. I'd turn the key to On and put the Kill switch to on and would then lose all power. The first time it happened I checked all the fuses, and while doing so the power came back (with the clock reset of course). I found that when this happened I just had to bang the seat as if to jiggle things. The bike always started fine after the power came back and running the starter is a big power drain,so I never thought it could be the battery. Last Friday nothing I could do, checking all fuses, rocking the bike, could bring the power back, and I was stuck in Toronto wanting to get back home. The short of it is that I replaced the battery and now it's fine. A 2005 Wee, the owner had never done any major maintenance, including battery replacement.
 
#14 ·
The battery connections were the first things I checked. Clean and tight. I think my experience illustrates what others have said. A bad battery can cause all kinds of weird electrical problems. In my case, the battery tested fine on the bench. Goes to show that test is not 100% reliable.
Take home message......if you have weird electrical problem, hook up a battery that is known to be good and see what happens. Easy to do and it is a great diagnostic procedure as well.
Thanks again to all those who offered help and advice.

Rod
 
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