REDRIDER
Expert Class
Posts: 120
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posted August 13, 2003 11:02 AM
Ignition switch
Whats the poop guys?My switch is starting to act up,takes some gentle jiggling to power up.Phoned the dealer and they tell me I have to replace the whole shiteroo,switch, tumbler and keys.Can you replace just the switch?Do'nt feel like paying $170.00 cdn for a new switch.
  
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted August 13, 2003 11:11 AM
No, you can't replace just the switch. The bottom cap on the assembly is held in place with "security" screws and can only be removed by drilling them out. The switch itself is just some spring loaded copper contacts and a "special anti theft device". Pretty basic.
Sadly, you can not get just the "guts" of the switch and use your tumblers. You could move them from the old assembly to the new, but it would be kinda difficult and basically not worth the effort.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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REDRIDER
Expert Class
Posts: 120
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posted August 13, 2003 11:38 AM
Thanks Redelk.
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Cowboy
Pro
Posts: 1061
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posted August 13, 2003 01:25 PM
REDRIDER,you can contact me a davegalbiati@shaw.ca if you are in the market for a lock set.
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fly zx12
Novice Class
Posts: 38
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posted August 13, 2003 03:53 PM
I have a problem with my switch but it is not the tumblers, the switch just does not provide power to crank the bike. Could be from the tumble it took. So that means I need to buy a new switch? How hard is it to replace ?
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted August 14, 2003 09:59 AM
The switch assembly is really easy to install. I think that there are just two bolts that attach it to the top triple clamp. There's a large white plug and a seperate wire that connects under the airbox on the left hand side.
If the bike is not getting any sign of power, you can check the voltage at that connection. If the bike gets power and will turn over, but will not fire (not even once), it could be the "anti-theft" device in the switch. If this is the problem, when checking the voltage at the connector, all the wires that are supposed to be hot will show voltage. The thing is that if the two wires getting votage have the same reading, the "device" is not working and your bike will never fire off once. At least not until you replace the switch.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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fly zx12
Novice Class
Posts: 38
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posted August 14, 2003 06:55 PM
Thanks for the info Redelk. I did not know about the anti theft device. The two white wires do have the same voltage so I guess that means I am screwed until I get another switch.
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted August 14, 2003 08:15 PM
 Edited By: redelk on 14 Aug 2003 21:15
I'm not at home, so you need to check your service manual to be sure. You need to just check the wires from one side of the connector. If I remember correctly, it goes something like this...
White - hot wires from the battery
I believe there are two of these on the "bike side" of the plug. On the "switch side", one of them is white with a black stripe. Actually, we're not interested in measuring either one of these two wires since we know that they will read what ever the battery reads when metered.
Brown and Grey - Ignition
These are the ones we are interested in measuring the voltage on. The other three are for the lights and such. Both of these wires should indicate voltage when the switch is turned on. The trick is that the voltage of the brown wire should NOT be the same as the grey wire. What the numerical reading of the two is not as critical as the fact that the two are not the same value.
If you have no reading on either one, it is the connection between the spring loaded copper contacts in the switch that has failed. This is likely due to one or more of the springs in the switch getting weak and not making good contact. If this is the problem, it will depend on which contact is not being made as to what the symptoms are. Usually, the bike will act like you haven't even turned the key and nothing powers up. You might try removing and reinserting the key, pressing it as far down as it will go (no major force needed here). You might also try turning the key off and on several times.
If it does eventually power up and the bike does start, this probably means that the contact springs are weak, but have not failed yet. This can create all kinds of unforeseen problems. One of them being a melted harness and/or connection plug. Not too serious if the "melting" occurs on the "switch side" of the harness (most likely), but if it melts any part of the "bike side" of the plug, it could be a problem. The "switch side" of the harness is probably around 2' long and comes with the assembly. On the other hand, the "bike side" of the plug is part of the bike's main wiring loom. Not even worth thinking about what hassles are involved in replacing the main harness.
The reason it could possibly over heat is that this connect basically carries the highest amperage load then any other part of the bike's wiring. If a connection becomes weak, there's a possibility that there will be a dramatic increase in the amperage. It's the "weakest point" that will start to overheat first and that would likely be where the switch plugs into the main harness. I not saying that this will likely occur, it's that it has happened to me before.
If the both read the exact same voltage, then it is the "anti-theft" aspect of the switch that has failed. If this is the case, when you press the starter button, the bike will turn over as it normally should, but the bike will make absolutely no attempt to start. It will not fire off one single time. By now, many have probably figured out what the "anti theft" device is (if they did not already know), but for security reasons (of all of our bikes), I won't go into any detail on what it is or how it works.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Like I said earlier, I am not at home and I can neither refer to my service manual or perform the test on my on bike to confirm that this information is accurate. It is CRITICAL that you first refer to you service manual before doing any of these tests. The color of wires might have changed since the '00 A1 model (what I have). More importantly, I'm doing this from memory and that is hardly a reliable source for such information. I could just as easily be confusing my previous '97 7R's wiring with that of my '00 12R. Always, I repeat... ALWAYS refer to the manual first.
In other words, I, the other moderators and the administrators of this site take no liability in any damage or harm that might occur to anyone's bike or to them personally.
Having said that, I'm still pretty sure that I'm right on this. I will try to get home soon and confirm it. The most important thing here is that it is NOT the two white wires that you should measure from. If you try to present that information as evidence of a faulty switch to your dealer's service department, they will laugh you out the door.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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