[bobami]

My front and rear lights come on when the ignition switch is turned on. I just replace the whole switch assembly on left handlebar with a new one and they still come on as soon as ignition swirch is turned on. Yeloow light switch does nothing? Hi Lo work dfine just cant shut lights off if ignition is on. I looked at schematic in clymer manual and cannot for the life of me figure out where the power is coming from. Has anybody out there ever had this problem?
Thanks

 

[Helmut]

I don't have a '94 wiring diagram, but according to the '95 wiring diagram, the black wire coming from the keyswitch sends power to the handlebar switch and then to the hi/low switch which sends power to either the blue or white wire which would either be the high or low beam. Since you've already replaced the handlebar switch, I don't know what the problem would be.

 

[bobami]

Helmut thanks for the quick reply. My diagram shows a Darg Green wire coming out of both headlights and going to the Coil and also the CDI Unit (whatever that is). Yhe dark green wire alo goes to taillight so it must have something to do with that CDI thing is my guess.

 

[Helmut]

The green wire is the ground wire. The blue wire and the white wire are the power wires for the high beam and low beam.

 

[bobami]

The green is definatley the ground wire. I'm done for this weekend and have to travel all week. I will have to put the multitester to the new switch assembly next weekend and test the switches. stay tuned.

 

[shadetree]

got a wire wrong somewhere..could be your ground wire ( green ) not hooked up ?

 

[bobami]

Shadetree, if ground is not hooked up correctly would lights still go on? The lights ago on as soon as I turn ignition key on. I just tested the switches with a mutitester and they are fine. In off position rhere is no comtinuity to blue and black or white and black. In On position there is continuity to the black and blue or white depending if on hi or low setting on dimmer.

The diagram refers to a frame ground? Do you know where on the frame this is located?

I cannot figure out how the 12volts is getting to the lights. It has to come thru switch I would think.

This machine seems possesed. I really want to get the lights to operate correctly before hunting season cause I do not like to use lights on trails going into tree stand just like them in the fields Ihave to go through.

Thanks.

 

[Pain]

the only thing I can imagine off the top of my head is that you have the yellow switch wired wrong, or at least you have power going directly to the white hi-lo switch and not to the yellow switch first.

 

[shadetree]

Shadetree, if ground is not hooked up correctly would lights still go on? The lights ago on as soon as I turn ignition key on. I just tested the switches with a mutitester and they are fine. In off position rhere is no comtinuity to blue and black or white and black. In On position there is continuity to the black and blue or white depending if on hi or low setting on dimmer.

The diagram refers to a frame ground? Do you know where on the frame this is located?

I cannot figure out how the 12volts is getting to the lights. It has to come thru switch I would think.

This machine seems possesed. I really want to get the lights to operate correctly before hunting season cause I do not like to use lights on trails going into tree stand just like them in the fields Ihave to go through.

Thanks.

if you don't have the ground hooked up for your lights..you shouldn't get lights at all..at least thats the case when i went to elec school..lol..with your key turned on...check the power going into your light switch..it should be yellow..with a red stripe if i remember right...from there..it powers the head lights and tail lights..the front side of this power..turns the head lights on..in other words..it powers ..say the dim side of your light switch..then when you turn the dimmer switch to high beam..your lights should go to high..soooo...some how..your going into your light switch..and you bypassed the on/off part..the power needs to go to the on and off switch..then to your dimmer switch..this is why your lights are comming on when you to the key switch on from the start...just trace your power going into the light switch..then it should jump to your on/off switch..if all this seems to be correct..you may want to check your light bulbs in the front and rear sockets..i have seen some wierd crap when they get corosion in them....case in example..turn head lights on, one light is bright..other side is dim..or not at all..then flip light switch..to another setting..then both lights work right...sooo..check your light sockets for corsion.

 

[shadetree]

the only thing I can imagine off the top of my head is that you have the yellow switch wired wrong, or at least you have power going directly to the white hi-lo switch and not to the yellow switch first.

yeah..thats kinda what i thought too pain...he's putting power right to the light's for high/low beam.

 

[Helmut]

I know you said you replaced the handlebar switch with a new one, but make sure it is for the exact year, because some of those handlebar switches are different for different years, even though they look the same.

 

[bobami]

spent lots of time with the wiring diagram and mutitester checking out where the power source is coming from when key is turned on to make lights go on. With the switch harness totally disconnected from main wire harness I narrowed down the DC power coming into switch through the brown wire on main harness side of connector that is supposed to go to the tail light???? The wiring diagram shows absolutely no power to the brown wire unless the headlight swith is in the on position? Something major has to be wrong. The diagram shows a jumper from dimmer switch to light switch and if brown wire is hot this will provide power to lights no matter what position the light switch is in. The big dilemma is how power is getting to the brown wire in the main harness without coming from the switch. Helmut the diagram you referred to for 95 300x FW is same as my 94 300XFW. No clue what more I can do to trace source of power getting to that brown wire. There is only one brown wire on this machine and it is supposed to go from Light switch straight to tail light via connector from switch harness to main harness.
Stumped byond belief.

 

[Helmut]

Try removing the taillight bulb and see if the brown wire still has power on it.

Does the black wire coming from the wiring harness have power on it where it plugs into the light switch or just the brown wire?

 

[bobami]

Helmut, I disconnected the brown wire in battery box that leads to light bulb (same as taking bulb out). The harness side of that connection is hot when the ignition switch is turned on. I definatley have power in black single wire coming out of main harness that connects to switch harness when ignition switch is turned on. Problem is even when I disconnect the black wire power is coming into switch harness from brown wire when ignition is turned on. The brown wire connects to the on/off light switch and has a jumper to dimmer switch, thus always getting power when ignition is turned on. Its real strange becasue the diagram shows the brown wire in main harness not connecting to anything but the tail light and connector that goes to switch harness??

 

[Pain]

Helmut, I disconnected the brown wire in battery box that leads to light bulb (same as taking bulb out). The harness side of that connection is hot when the ignition switch is turned on.

I can see what Helmut is asking and I would have not disconnected it from the battery box and removed the lightbulb instead, for testing purposes.

You're correct that the problem is power on that brown wire.

Can you post the wiring diagram so I can look at it?

 

[Helmut]

Here's the wiring diagram for the '95 which should be the same, I think.

 

[Pain]

Added: Never mind. See below.

I can't see it clearly, but I think the short is down at the engine stop switch.

Actually, be sure the new switch is good. Pull the connector loose to the new switch unit, turn the key on and check voltage on the brown wire [or if the tail light is on.

If there is no voltage then use an ohm meter and go from the 12v connection on the switch unit [is that black?] to the brown wire with the headlight switch in the off position. It should be open.

 

[Helmut]

I can't see it clearly, but I think the short is down at the engine stop switch.

But didn't he say that he had power on the brown wire on the harness side with the switch unplugged? The brown wire is the power wire to the taillight and shouldn't have any power on it when the switch is unplugged.

 

[Pain]

I can't see it clearly, but I think the short is down at the engine stop switch.

But didn't he say that he had power on the brown wire on the harness side with the switch unplugged? The brown wire is the power wire to the taillight and shouldn't have any power on it when the switch is unplugged.

I made additions above. If that is the case then just run a new brown wire back to the tail light.

I see now he says there is voltage on brown with the plug loose [the plug above the engine stop-starter switch on that diagram?] so the brown wire is obviously shorted somewhere. You could try to check it all the way back along the harness, or just pull a new wire.

Also check in the connector itself for corrosion or shorts.

 

[Helmut]

If that is the case then just run a new brown wire back to the tail light.

Yeah, that's what I was about to suggest. That's why I asked, in a previous post, if the black wire had power on it.

Maybe there's another power wire in the wiring harness running beside the brown wire and they've rubbed together, wearing the insulation off and the wires are touching. That's the only thing I can think of.