83 Maxim 400 electrical system dead

montechoate

montechoate

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Long story short: I had to try & jump start my bike. When I attached the jumper cables to my battery everything came alive like it should, as soon as I hit the start button everything died.

Things I have checked:
*Battery - Had it properly charged, still no life in system
*Main fuse - Intact, electricity running from battery thru main to starter button
*Ignition switch - Intact, nothing burned, looks ok
*Solenoid - Working
*Starter cutoff relay - Working
*Starter swich - Intact, looks fine
*Main part of wiring harness - Stripped wrapping & visually inspected, intact, nothing burned, no obvious shorts

I suspect it could be the "IC IGNITOR" or regulator/rectifier (pretty sure that's the correct name). I have the Seca manual from this site saved to my computer, but judging from the diagrams & discriptions, I'm pretty sure there are some critical differences in the wiring between the Seca, Maxim, & other XS models.

Also I'm 300+ miles from home where my go-to mechanic friends live & this is my only means of personal transportation. I do have some tools (the essentials I gathered specifically for my bike), a test light, & have access to a multimeter. I have a very limited budget so I can't just start replacing parts & see what happens & certainly can't afford to pay a professional.

What do? I've been trying to diagnose on my own for 2 days. I'm seriously considering throwing in the towel & getting towed home somehow.

Posted via Mobile
 
I'm no expert, but here are a couple of zero cost checks which I could think of.

Have you checked the ignition fuse as well?
Don't just check to see if the fuses are intact - are they making good contact? I was left stranded on the road a few weeks ago and I had to buff corrosion off the metal ends of the fuses and the insides of the metal sockets in order to get it going again.

Also, have you checked the engine cut-off switch to confirm that it is not faulty and failing to work even in the "on" position?
 
I have checked the cutoff switch and it's fine.
I checked the fuse, contacts, and wires going in & out on the ignition fuse, there's no juice going to it.
I'm no expert either :p

Posted via Mobile
 
So, what is it doing now? Please be specific.
You turn the ignition key on and the headlight, marker lights, oil pressure light come on?
You press the starter button, and?

The "IC Ignitor" is the TCI ignition module. It "only" controls the ignition. The Rectifier/Regulator "only" controls charging. There are some differences between the Maxim and Seca, and also for different regions that these bikes were sold. Don't let that confuse you. The basics are the same.
 
montechoate said:
I have checked the cutoff switch and it's fine ...
Click to expand...
When I read you first post, I thought you were referring to the cut-off which disengages the starter motor once the engine catches. I was referring to the manual mechanical "safety" switch on the bar above the starter button. Sounds like I'm confused, but I just wanted to make absolutely sure.

If no juice is coming to the ignition circuit fuse, but juice is flowing through the main fuse, then there must be a break or a short in the line between the main fuse and the fuse which feeds juice to the starter, mustn't there?
 
16VGTIDave: Nothing happens when I turn on the ignition switch, no light, push the starter & nothing.
So, in theory, if either or both my ignitor or rectifier got fried I would still have power to my instment panel & whatnot. The problem I have with the manual is all the wires are different colors than the ones listed. Also the wiring diagram and the wiring on the bike are different.
Also: I forgot to mention in my 1st post that I checked the wires going into ignitor & rectifier with a test light & there's no juice going into them.

Lou: I checked both the cutoff relay and the manual killswitch above the starter, both in proper working order from what I can tell.

Oh yeah, & now when the ignition switch is in the off position, the blue healight indicator light & the blinker indicator lights on the instrument panel stay on.
The plot thickens...

Posted via Mobile
 
Last edited:
Okay, I know that you said the ignition switch looked ok, but did you open it up? I'm going to take a guess here - the ignition switch isn't making good connections internally, probably due to corrosion or arcing. I had something similar happen to me last fall. I disassembled the ignition switch and cleaned it real well before packing it with grease and reassembling it. It has operated perfectly ever since.

You said you have power at the main fuse, do you have power at any of the other fuses when the ignition is turned on?
 
Dave: I took apart the ignition and it looked fine, no corrosion. No power to any of the fuses with the ignition on.

Poly41: There's electricity flowing from the battery, thru the solenoid, to the main fuse, from the main fuse to the starter switch.

Posted via Mobile
 
montechoate said:
... There's electricity flowing from the battery, thru the solenoid, to the main fuse, from the main fuse to the starter switch.
Click to expand...
And then on to the ignition fuse? If it does make it past the starter switch to the ignition fuse then it must be the fuse or the fuse connector. If not, then mustn't it be the starter switch?
 
This is where my "no expert" status reveals itself. I am not sure. The starter switch has a spring which keeps it open unless you push it. I suppose if you took the two wires off the switch and touched them together, it would be the same as closing a working switch. So I would reason that it could do no harm as long as you pulled them apart if the bike caught and ran.

If that doesn't work, I am a little more nervous about bypassing a fuse, however. Replacing the ignition fuse with a new one would be my first choice. Have you removed buffed and re-inserted the one that's in there?

I read in a thread on here about how to by-pass the whole system and jump the starter motor directly. I don't remember if it was the solution to a problem like yours or was the cause of further problems, however, if it could be found and read, it might help.

Sorry I don't know more about all this.
 
Thanks, any advice is appreciated.

Tried bypassing the start switch and nothing.

Replacing the ignition fuse won't do anything because there's no power getting to it.

Posted via Mobile
 
check for continuity from the starter switch to the ignition fuse. You might have a broken wire between the two. It may "look" fine, but the wire could be broken inside the insulation causing the "no power" situation.
 
When in the run positon, the start switch makes a connection from the main (red/yellow) to a blue/black wire that goes to the headlight dimmer switch.
When in the start position it makes a connection between a blue/white wire that goes straight back to the solenoid and a black wire which splits off, gets connected to a bunch of other things, but eventually gets grounded to the frame.

So nothing goes from the starter to the ignition fuse that directly.

Update to my status: I got AAA to tow me halfway home and from there I had someone come pick me up, so I'm no longer stranded, just baffled because electrical systems are my downfall.

Had one of my go-to mechanics look at it yesterday & he was baffled too. I have one more go-to guy to ask.

Posted via Mobile
 
When in the run positon, the start switch makes a connection from the main (red/yellow) to a blue/black wire that goes to the headlight dimmer switch.
When in the start position it makes a connection between a blue/white wire that goes straight back to the solenoid and a black wire which splits off, gets connected to a bunch of other things, but eventually gets grounded to the frame.
Click to expand...

Which give you a chance for a broken wire that many more times ;) Check continuity, disconnect connections you can (bullents, harnesses, etc), clean them, try again.

Just because there isn't a direct connection from the start switch to the ignition fuse doesn't mean you can't have a broken connection/wire somewhere along it's path. :shrug:

With that said, if your first "go-to" guy didn't check that stuff with a multimeter, have your next guy check it out. Not saying he's not good, just saying it's something easy to overlook...I've done it many times :doh:
 
So, to fix the wiring problem & at the same time preventing new ones. I've decided to completely rewire it using a "how to" thread I found here. It may seem a bit over the top, but at least then I'll know it was done (mostly) right & that I wont have to fuck with it for a long long time

Posted via Mobile
 

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