Fuses

[Joho]

Hey guys, I have an 02 GZ with 7500 miles. Lately I've had problems with fuses blowing. Any advice?

1. Stock fuse blew on interstate at 65 mph. Engine shut off, pulled over, and after cussing and swearing i located the spare fuse (the GZ only has ONE fuse underneath the right side cover, the second is a spare!!). Replaced it, and rode home.
2. Two days later, the spare blew while I was going through an intersection at 15mph. I went to a gas station, picked up a grossly-overpriced fuse set, and popped it in.
3. The gas station fuse blew about 5 mins later as I pulled into a Bank parking lot. ARGHH!!


Now I have a fuse in there from a grocery store. (5.99..UGH!) I haven't had any problems for a day or so, but I was wondering if I should look for anything specifically on the bikes wiring.

I'm theorizing that the two fuses that were on the bike (original + spare) had "worn out", and I simply got a bad fuse from the gas station. Is my luck really this bad? Or could recurring blown fuses signal a problem?


Thanks guys, I appreciate the help, because I am planning a 500 mile ride next week!!

[Easy Rider]

I'm theorizing that the two fuses that were on the bike (original + spare) had "worn out", and I simply got a bad fuse from the gas station. Is my luck really this bad? Or could recurring blown fuses signal a problem?


BAD theory. Fuses don't "wear out" in a matter of years; decades maybe but not likely even then.

SO.....you have a short developing somewhere. The first clue to where the short is (a live wire touching ground) is to pay attention to which fuse is blowing.

Could be a pinched wire, some electronic component going bad or a light bulb shorting out.

Assuming that it is the main fuse or the headlight fuse, I'd get a new headlight bulb first.......for 2 reasons: They do occasionally fail in a manner that blows a fuse AND others have had pinched wires develop inside the headlight housing.....which you can inspect while you have the headlight apart. If you do find a pinched wire, then you have a spare headlight bulb.

The other alternative is to keep replacing the fuses until something starts to smoke. If you chose that avenue, I suggest carrying a fire extinguisher with you.

Seriously, you should not ride until you find and fix the problem. It really CAN catch fire. :skull:

[Joho]

Where is the headlight fuse? Is it in the headlight housing?

[Easy Rider]

Where is the headlight fuse? Is it in the headlight housing?

No. It is in the tiny little fuse box, along with the one that you replaced.

Inside the plastic fusebox cover should be a diagram showing what the fuses feed.
There are actually 2; headlight hi and headlight lo.

Which one have you been changing (by name or function)?

Wires for things other than the headlight actually go through the headlight housing........so that is a good place to look regardless of which fuse is blowing. Also trace and inspect the bundle of wires that is near the fusebox. On mine, I had to move it to get the cover open.

[Joho]

Alright, there are actually two "fuse boxes".

There is one fuse and one spare underneath the white plastic cover directly above the battery. Then there is the actual box of fuses underneath the seat storage.

The fuse I replaced was the slot-style fuse next to the battery. It was yellow-20.

This is the one that has been blowing, however I haven't experienced it in quite a while of riding.

I'll check the headlight housing today.

[Easy Rider]

The fuse I replaced was the slot-style fuse next to the battery. It was yellow-20.


That would be the main fuse so the problem could be almost anywhere.
Good luck; you'll probably need it.

[Sarris]

Please check your battery terminal screws. Mine get loose every 3 or 4k and the headlight gets dim and it has blown the main fuse on one previous occasion. The battery mfgr doesn't recommend locktite on the bolts (screws). Just remove the connections, clean and re-tighten. It MAY do the trick.

:bang:

[Joho]

Ouch... Looks like I'll be doing lots of "hunt & search"

Thanks for your help, I'll let ya know how it goes.

[5th_bike]

I once had the 'lights' fuse blow on me repeatedly, it appeared that a wire touched the head of the cylinder and the plastic had melted just enough for the copper inside the wire to touch the head occasionally, and blow the fuse.

Remove the tank (loosen BOTH rubber tubes at the petcock), then you will have a good view of all wiring near your engine, which is where I suspect the short. It could be anywhere though... good luck.

[thedum]

Man....I've had the SAME PROBLEMS....except, I've taken it to the dealership three times. They keep occuring so I haven't rode the motorcycle in four months. The first time I thought it was coincidence....but, it's happened to me over nine times (with 3 shop visits). The sad thing is the dearlship fixed it three times under warranty (but, the problem was never fixed) and I tried taking it back less than a month after my warranty expired and they want to charge $75/hr to repair a problem that was never fixed in the first place.

I don't know if the problem has bad mechanics or if this is a deffect from Suzuki. My greatest complaint is....The first time it happened to me I was riding at night going 55-60MPH and the fuse blew...resulting in me going down the highway at that speed (at night) with NO HEADLIGHT, couldn't see a thing....and that highway is full of barbedwire fences since there are a lot of farms around.

P.S. My bike started doing this around 1,000 miles and it has 3,000 total now (9+ fuses blew), (3 Visits to the dealership mechanics). 2008 GZ 250 purchased with "0" miles on it. Missouri dealership

[Water Warrior 2]

thedum, sounds like you should be doing a little trouble shooting of your own. Check all the wiring in the headlight bucket. Pull off the tank and follow the wiring. Not hard to do and you will self educate yourself a fair bit.

[Easy Rider]

thedum, sounds like you should be doing a little trouble shooting of your own. Check all the wiring in the headlight bucket. Pull off the tank and follow the wiring. Not hard to do and you will self educate yourself a fair bit.

YES...and/or see if any of your friends could help......and if nobody ever changed the headlight BULB, do that.
....AND....
I would certainly be contacting Suzuki Corporate Warranty department (number and address in your book) AND the State Consumer Protection agency or Attorney General's office. You are getting screwed by the dealer. Just a mention of contacting the State might get a quick "attitude change" from them.

[delgado3030]

I had this problem a while ago. Chased all the wires and everything was fine. It got to the point where the fuse would blow as soon as I put it in. I disconnected the battery for a few days and after I reconnected it no more blown fuses. I know there's not much to these bikes(no chip to reset) but it seemed to work. Have you been riding in the rain?

[thedum]

They've looked it over at the dealer more than once and said the problem was now fixed....i'm no mechanic for sure. Honestly, I don't want to mess with any of the wiring in the motorcycle. I definately don't want the dealer saying it's my fault because I tried to fix it or had an un-qualified mechanic...it would be easy for them to blame it my way. I've contacted the BBB over it...but, the company does not participate with the BBB. As far as riding it in the rain..... I try to avoid that. I have very few times when i'm on my way home from a short ride. The bike is garaged and when it was outside on visits/trips it would be under a motorcycle tarp. I haven't attempted to ride or start the motorcycle since I had to get it towed after it blew 4 fuses on a 35 mile ride. So....it's been stuck in the garage since November. The thing that makes me mad is I bought this as a gas saver for driving to college....i'm stuck with the payments + 8.5% interest. The dealer won't even fix the problem they said they fixed after three visits (when in warranty) and after I called like a month after it expired they would only fix it with a $75/hr labor charge. I was considering buying a new Suzuki RMZ450 from the same dealer......now? Of course not! lol
I've had nine+ fuses blow out in random times on major Missouri highways. Yes, they happened random times even after the dealer "fixed it". I love the motorcycle...It looks good and rides nice....amazing on gas. I just don't feel safe riding it anymore and would not feel safe even if the dealer says they fix it. I feel even if I take it into the dealer at $75/hr it's not really going to be fixed. Would I be in trouble if I had the GZ fixed....and sold the motorcycle...then it still blew fuses randomly? Would it be reasonable to ask the dealer for bluebook value on the motorcycle? (I'm taking a $1,500+ loss that way ---and they still can sell it and make profit after fixing) The motorcycle looks new....it's an '08 model.

[thedum]

I'll try these.... State Consumer Protection Agency and Attorney General's office.

[Water Warrior 2]

Thedum, invest in a testlight and a cheap meter. Take the headlight apart and pull off the tank too. Sit and look at the wiring for a while. Then follow the wire routing for places of stress, abrasion and possible loose connectors. Looking is free and you will learn a lot about the bike.

[dhgeyer]

I had a similar, frustrating experience with a Suzuki GS500E. It had a lot of problems, but that was the killer. I bought it used with very low miles from a dealer in Manchester, NH that specialized in used bikes. I can't fault their attitude. Every time I brought it in, they tried to find the problem. As far as I or the dealership could determine, the GS500E only has one fuse - the main one. That made the problem very difficult to find. They kept tracing and looking for problems, but with an intermittent electrical problem, it can be very tough to find. I eventually gave up. I decided that the dealership would never really find the problem, and I didn't feel safe on the bike. The dealership took it back in trade on a Ninja 500 (better bike anyway), and gave me most of my money back. I don't know if they sold it again after that, but I hope they didn't.

So that's my discouraging story. You may find it, and you may never find it, with or without the dealer's help.

I wonder if your state's "Lemon Law" applies to bikes. Might be worth an inquiry. In NH it does. I also would pursue the other legal avenues suggested above. I'm no lawyer, but I think that once a problem has been identified within the warranty period, it should be covered no matter how long it takes.

[Easy Rider]

I'm no lawyer, but I think that once a problem has been identified within the warranty period, it should be covered no matter how long it takes.

Absolutely agree BUT.......the owner has to do his part too.
You can't just let it ride for 6 months at a time and expect it to be treated as one continuous problem.

And...........Thedum......you have an owner's manual or warranty book from Suzuki, right ??
In that material, is a number and address to contact Suzuki directly about warranty problems.
You REALLY should do THAT.......really.

Did you keep copies of your service invoices ??

[thedum]

I have contacted Suzuki Corporate about the issue. They said if it's a parts issue it would be replaced but...the labor is up to the dealership...and the dealership said $75/hr.
I'll put it this way....I rarely drive distances more than 5 miles in one direction. I only noticed it blowing fuses when i'm driving usually around 15+miles going at 55-60 MPH. After the third visit I figured it was fixed...and just rode in town short distances. First time a few months later I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again. Very frustrating.....ended up in another call for a tow and a three hour wait along a curvy busy highway. (that would have been the 4th visit for the same problem)
I don't think the lemon law for motorcycles works in Missouri..... I just contacted the Attorney General office here. I'll see what happens. Thanks

[bonehead]

I have contacted Suzuki Corporate about the issue. They said if it's a parts issue it would be replaced but...the labor is up to the dealership...and the dealership said $75/hr.
I'll put it this way....I rarely drive distances more than 5 miles in one direction. I only noticed it blowing fuses when i'm driving usually around 15+miles going at 55-60 MPH. After the third visit I figured it was fixed...and just rode in town short distances. First time a few months later I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again. Very frustrating.....ended up in another call for a tow and a three hour wait along a curvy busy highway. (that would have been the 4th visit for the same problem)
I don't think the lemon law for motorcycles works in Missouri..... I just contacted the Attorney General office here. I'll see what happens. Thanks
Sounds to me like you have a small bare spot on a wire that does'nt touch all of the time. You have to look slow and close. Sometimes the bare spot gets dirt and grime on it so it actually looks normal. If it were me, I'd pull the tank and seat and do a thourough inspection of all the wiring, especially where it is wire tied or close to any metal parts of the bike.
Good luck

[mrlmd1]

thedum - One way to convince the dealer to fix this once and for all is to avoid bad publicity. If this got out to the public it could seriously ruin his reputation for sales and service, Call your local newspaper and TV station, see if they want to do a human interest story about you and your failed dealings with them to solve your problem. Put up a You Tube video.Tell the dealer you are going to do this, it's not slander, it's the truth, and how they wont help you after they have been paid 3 times to work on your bike for the same problem. Have you talked to the manager of the dealership, or just to the guy at the service counter? You'll get a better response if you go to the top. And if they get your problem resolved, then you can cancel the newspaper and TV exposure.
It can't be that hard to fix, it's most likely a wire with frayed insulation somewhere, and you could find it yourself if you trace every wire carefully. Don't forget to look in the headlight bucket where the wires enter, maybe the rubber grommet is missing - could be something as stupid as that.

[alantf]

I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again.

From what you've said, it seems to me that it's only happening on long rides ........... which is when the metal parts of the engine get HOT & start to expand. This expanded metal then touches the bare conductor that was exposed after the expanding hot metal melted the insulation, many moons ago. Seems to me (but it's only a guess!) that you should firstly give the cable loom a once over, to see where it passes really close (touching?) to any engine parts.

[burkbuilds]

I'll second what mrlmd1 recommends with an emphasis on going up the ladder until you get results. A lot of times just going up one level will get some results, it's possible that your problem is only known to the service department and they don't have the same incentive as the store manager or owner to see that a customer is taken care of. Unfortunately, the service department could care less if you ever come back, or whether you buy another bike off the showroom, but the store manager and the owner are very concerned about those things and they can get someone in the service department to put their best person on the job of getting your bike running right. You can be mad at the service manager all day and he really doesn't care, but if his boss is mad at him for not taking care of you he has much greater motivation to find the problem and fix it, or he might lose his job! If going higher up doesn't help, then go for the media pressure, but you seldom need to go to that scenario to get help, sometimes, but rarely.

[Easy Rider]

I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again.

This expanded metal then touches the bare conductor that was exposed after the expanding hot metal melted the insulation, many moons ago.

Very true but that is also when solid state components tend to fail......when HOT.
Exactly which fuse blew should narrow the search down to something reasonable.......should.