Bike got wet on way home now electric ignition wont start

[butterbeats]

Hi xs400ers,

Bike got wet in heavy rain on way home now electric ignition wont start?

Kick start works.

Lights work.

Wires seem intact.

Fuses all good.

So far I have checked the fuses, wiring, sprayed WD40 on contact point on inside of the ignition switch.

I have been told to use compressor to blow any water out of ignition keyhole......


Any suggestions??

 

[BBS360]

Looks like this got answered in the other thread.

 

[butterbeats]

Tried putting old bars back on to make sure contact was earthing but still wont start using electronic ignition and now wont kick over either.

Must be water in system??

 

[TazzTheJynx]

Possibly a wire in your controls themselves came loose?

 

[butterbeats]

some success - I put on old bars to reduce possible issues. Then I pulled down the ignition button box and clean all points that carry electricity. Got rid of all gunk, dirt, excess WD40 residue etc with a number.

Then pulled apart ignition and blinkers lighters box and then used a blow dryer to dry out all points that got water in it. Let it dry for ten minutes..... had to change back to all metal bars rather than the new painted black bars I had just installed so the contacts were grounding.

Ignition button now working but battery needs recharging.

 

[butterbeats]

changed plugs too... which were heavily coat in black soot (next issue to look at)... bit of metho in the tank.....

success this morning....

pictured with new clubman bars, new master cylinder.. slowly getting there...

 

[XSLeo]

On your black bars, You can use them if you remove the paint or powder coat so the contact on the switch housings can get good contact with bare metal.
With your switch housings off loo near the center of the lower half, you might find a steel tab that touches the bars. Where this tab touches the bars, remove the black down to bare metal. Do both sides.
The left side should have a black ground wire that hooks to the switch housing and runs down into the headlight bucket and pugs into the harness ground.
If not your bars may ground through the bar risers. Under the nut that holds one of the risers on, a wire runs around to an upper tree clamp bolt. This provides a ground path of bars, risers, wire, upper tree, steering stem, through bearings to frame. Not a great ground path, but was used on older bikes.
I often suggest to a person with a new to them bike that one of the first things they do is start at one end of the bike and work toward the other. Cleaning and tightening every electrical connection in the system. This includes all the switches. Some are held together with screws, others by staking. The ones with screws are easy to get apart and put back together, those staked are a bit tougher to unbend the stakes and rebend later.
A bit of grease on all connections prevents corrosion.
Leo

 

[butterbeats]

XSLeo thanks for great reply. I have been slowly working my way through the various bits on this 39 year old bike. Although I am reticent to really start pulling apart the electrical. The harsh Australian sun makes allot of these connection points fragile, as does the usual aging. I do need to make the front brake light signal device as it does not work. I think I will splice the old wires into the new master cylinder indicator switch which has a hopefully working front brake indicator.

I have already replaced the faulty back brake signal device. With the back working I do get a braking signal and I feel safer and less likely to be faulted by the police. New RPM guage cable as the other was broken. The circular nut that connects the cable to the RPM guage had shattered. Allowing the rapidly revolving cable to push out of the centre spot in the guage.

The bike does indeed electrically ground thru the bar risers. I could see no ground wires. For now I installed the clubman bars pictured. I have already tried removing the paint but it still did not ground. I attached the old metal bars to the ignition switch box then grounded them to the motor and success. The risers are painted black from manufacturing I believe. Which makes me ask myself is the manufacturers paint able to conduct electricity. Or is there a ground I cannot see. Anyway I moved onto the clubman bars and they are working great.

 

[butterbeats]

1978 XS400 pictured with new bars... afternoon run up Mt Nebo, Queensland.