Headlights not working

Richard1969 · 09-09-2016, 05:56 PM

Looking for a bit of help my headlights are intermitent. I have traced the wiring back through and cannot see anything amiss. Looking at some of the other threads on here it says to check the main ground. Is that talking about the battery earth that goes to the engine block. I have just found a problem I had with the indicator only working one side was a wire into the block under the tank. Messing with the other block there which the headlight wires go into makes no difference. The headlight comes on when I press the pass switch.

Water Warrior 2 · 09-12-2016, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard1969

Looking for a bit of help my headlights are intermitent. I have traced the wiring back through and cannot see anything amiss. Looking at some of the other threads on here it says to check the main ground. Is that talking about the battery earth that goes to the engine block. I have just found a problem I had with the indicator only working one side was a wire into the block under the tank. Messing with the other block there which the headlight wires go into makes no difference. The headlight comes on when I press the pass switch.

Does the headlight not work in Hi and Low position on the switch or just one of them? The pass switch powers up Hi beam. Maybe your Low beam is burnt out.

Richard1969 · 09-13-2016, 04:06 AM

It is definitely electrical as it works periodically. I have cleaned all the contact points at the switch end and tried to follow the wiring back along. The light does not work in the low or high beam but the high beam comes on with the pass switch. Just a little stumped on this one.

alantf · 09-13-2016, 05:02 AM

Have you checked the wiring in the actual headlight bucket?

Richard1969 · 09-13-2016, 11:16 AM

Yes I have the headlight out and the bucket wiring looks in good order. I may after reading some of the other threads on this subject strip the casing back to check for breaks in the loom. I was after some advice as to where the earth terminates, it looks like it goes all the way to the battery then the main earth.

alantf · 09-14-2016, 05:15 AM

Yes, the earth goes back to the battery, but it picks up all the other earths on the way, so there are lots of connectors to check. The first connector goes to the front indicators, so, if these are working, the earth should be ok right back to the battery. The pass switch feeds a contact in the light switch, so power is getting to the switch block (to a separate contact), then to the headlight. This shows that live and earth are both ok in the headlight. I'd still put my money on it being a problem with the other contacts in the switch.

alantf · 09-14-2016, 10:02 AM

Just thought I'd try to clarify things.....The pass switch lights up the bulb. There is only one earth in th headlight bulb, so if it works with the pass switch, then the earth is ok. The pass switch and hi beam position in the switch use the same cable from the switch to the bulb, so, if the pass switch lights the bulb, then the cable between switch and bulb is ok. As the pass switch works, we know that there is power to the switch..........So...... power to the switch, power from the switch to the bulb, and a good earth. The only thing it could be is the switch itself.

alantf · 10-24-2016, 05:30 AM

How's it going? Have you sorted it yet?

Vegas Street Rider · 10-25-2016, 01:17 AM

Kind of an unrelated question regarding the wiring in the headlight bucket. Is the main wire connector repairable or does the whole wiring harness have to be replaced? I have a wire that has pulled partially out of the connector and wonder if the internal pin can be pulled out and the wire reattached and pushed back in

alantf · 10-25-2016, 05:57 AM

Why not cut both ends of the wire and solder (with pvc tape wrapped around for insulation) or choc block them together? If they won't reach together, just use a short length of wire, with two solders. I've done this on car wiring when the harness got rubbed through on a sharp edge. A cheap and good repair that lasted the life of the car.

09-09-2016, 05:56 PM	#1
Richard1969 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Portsmouth UK Posts: 19	Headlights not working Looking for a bit of help my headlights are intermitent. I have traced the wiring back through and cannot see anything amiss. Looking at some of the other threads on here it says to check the main ground. Is that talking about the battery earth that goes to the engine block. I have just found a problem I had with the indicator only working one side was a wire into the block under the tank. Messing with the other block there which the headlight wires go into makes no difference. The headlight comes on when I press the pass switch. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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09-13-2016, 04:06 AM	#3
Richard1969 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Portsmouth UK Posts: 19	It is definitely electrical as it works periodically. I have cleaned all the contact points at the switch end and tried to follow the wiring back along. The light does not work in the low or high beam but the high beam comes on with the pass switch. Just a little stumped on this one. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

09-13-2016, 05:02 AM	#4
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Have you checked the wiring in the actual headlight bucket? __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
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09-13-2016, 11:16 AM	#5
Richard1969 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Portsmouth UK Posts: 19	Yes I have the headlight out and the bucket wiring looks in good order. I may after reading some of the other threads on this subject strip the casing back to check for breaks in the loom. I was after some advice as to where the earth terminates, it looks like it goes all the way to the battery then the main earth. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

09-14-2016, 05:15 AM	#6
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Yes, the earth goes back to the battery, but it picks up all the other earths on the way, so there are lots of connectors to check. The first connector goes to the front indicators, so, if these are working, the earth should be ok right back to the battery. The pass switch feeds a contact in the light switch, so power is getting to the switch block (to a separate contact), then to the headlight. This shows that live and earth are both ok in the headlight. I'd still put my money on it being a problem with the other contacts in the switch. __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman. Last edited by alantf; 09-14-2016 at 05:27 AM.
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09-14-2016, 10:02 AM	#7
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Just thought I'd try to clarify things.....The pass switch lights up the bulb. There is only one earth in th headlight bulb, so if it works with the pass switch, then the earth is ok. The pass switch and hi beam position in the switch use the same cable from the switch to the bulb, so, if the pass switch lights the bulb, then the cable between switch and bulb is ok. As the pass switch works, we know that there is power to the switch..........So...... power to the switch, power from the switch to the bulb, and a good earth. The only thing it could be is the switch itself. __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
	1

10-24-2016, 05:30 AM	#8
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	How's it going? Have you sorted it yet? __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
	1

10-25-2016, 01:17 AM	#9
Vegas Street Rider Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 1,108	Kind of an unrelated question regarding the wiring in the headlight bucket. Is the main wire connector repairable or does the whole wiring harness have to be replaced? I have a wire that has pulled partially out of the connector and wonder if the internal pin can be pulled out and the wire reattached and pushed back in
	0

10-25-2016, 05:57 AM	#10
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Why not cut both ends of the wire and solder (with pvc tape wrapped around for insulation) or choc block them together? If they won't reach together, just use a short length of wire, with two solders. I've done this on car wiring when the harness got rubbed through on a sharp edge. A cheap and good repair that lasted the life of the car. __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
	1