Low beams gone, how to trace problem?

Originally Posted by drag

Ok, it's not busted bulbs, just fitted the left bulb to the connector, and no joy, but the head lights work ok.

Any body know the voltage that runs through these cables ?

When i tool the connectors out, and managed to get the red + probe in beside the white cable it shows up .05 with the lights switched on.
With the head lights on they show .50 or there about that with the multi set to 20v

way in over my head here, nxt thing i'll do is check the loom connections above the carbs to see if there's any thing there ..

Everything on the bike is 12 volts dc, are you trying to measure voltage or current, remember you measure current in series and voltage in parallel.

With the multimeter set to 20v dc connect the black probe into the common jack on the meter and to a suitable earth point.
connect the red lead to the +ve voltage jack and to the wire feeding the light (white according to earlier posts) when you switch the lights on you should have 12v here. If not the fault is earlier in the circuit.
I'd be tempted to check you are getting 12v before the switch and after when switched.
likely places for the fault are connector plugs, switches then breaks in the wire in that order, check the most likely first.

find the last place in the circuit that has 12v then the fault is from that point onward, if its the switch, you could bypass it until you get a replacement, same if its the connector block. in the unikely event you have 12v at the headlight then its in the earth circuit which will most likely be a rusted connector or broken wire. good luck, hth.

Ok still no joy, wd 40 every where... front of the clocks was taken off, side fairing off, found the 3 wires from the lights, i can see where they join the loom at the front behind the clocks, cant access them as nose is still attached.

Took a voltage reading again from the bulb connnectors, 9.5 on the hi beams and .05 on the low beams.

I can only assume the earth is ok as the hight beams is work ok .. so that must leave us with a break in the white cable's going back to the fuse box some where, along this cable, there is no connector's for those white cables to pass through, just simply cable and cover. at least that shoudl be the case .... however







€5 if you can name them all ... i didnt find any specifically white cables in there, this is on the left hand side...

[jambo]

Just to check, I'm pretty sure when you enable the high beam it cuts the voltage for the dipped beam...

Jambo

[yorkie_chris]

Yes on UK model curvy it is a changeover type switch so it is either high or low. It is bypassed by the pass switch for high.

Short out in switchgear connector to see if switchgear is working.

Whats the easiest way to do that short chris ? i assume it mean opening the left hand controls so i can get to the switch ? if i get up super early i might be able to, but will that bring power to the low beams ? again i dont mind over all, it's just a bit of a safety issue

I dont have wiring diagrams for a curvy, however i would assumethere is a single feed to the switch, therefore if the high beams are operating it seems to be a problem at the switch or between thw switch and headlight.
most likely the switch has corrosion on the dip beam side or a carbon build up on the contact stopping the current flow.
WD40 will not rectify a wiring fault of any kind, at best it will displace water that is causing a short and prevent future corosion.
Assuming a single supply to the switch and apx 0 volts at the lights when lo beam selected it sound like a switch stripdown. unkess you can feel a break in the cable between the switch and the light.
I would have expected more than 9.5v at the light, is this with the bike running?

[dirtydog]

Originally Posted by drag

€5 if you can name them all ... i didnt find any specifically white cables in there, this is on the left hand side...

Bloody hell that's a bit of a mess! I thought my SV was bad with loads of the connector blocks bypassed

Possibly silly question- have you tried some switch cleaner in the light switch itself?

If not, spray some servisol (just WD40 will help if that's all you've got), leave it for a few minutes and then flick the switch backwards and forwards a few times. I've had problems here- thought I'd lost the tail light, but it was just the switch.

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Bloody hell that's a bit of a mess! I thought my SV was bad with loads of the connector blocks bypassed

It's quite impressive no .... i've a new loom on order or will soon enough, just have to fit that, and wire in the alarm eventually.

Originally Posted by Kilted Ginger

I dont have wiring diagrams for a curvy, however i would assumethere is a single feed to the switch, therefore if the high beams are operating it seems to be a problem at the switch or between thw switch and headlight.
most likely the switch has corrosion on the dip beam side or a carbon build up on the contact stopping the current flow.
WD40 will not rectify a wiring fault of any kind, at best it will displace water that is causing a short and prevent future corosion.
Assuming a single supply to the switch and apx 0 volts at the lights when lo beam selected it sound like a switch stripdown. unkess you can feel a break in the cable between the switch and the light.
I would have expected more than 9.5v at the light, is this with the bike running?

Close ginger, there are two white wires that go from the fuse, one goes to the switch the other goes to the right hand bulb and loops over to the left bulb, from what i can figure out.

Originally Posted by thedonal

Possibly silly question- have you tried some switch cleaner in the light switch itself?

If not, spray some servisol (just WD40 will help if that's all you've got), leave it for a few minutes and then flick the switch backwards and forwards a few times. I've had problems here- thought I'd lost the tail light, but it was just the switch.

The left hand switch ? you mean open it up and spray it on the hi - lo contacts inside ?

[dirtydog]

Originally Posted by drag

It's quite impressive no .... i've a new loom on order or will soon enough, just have to fit that, and wire in the alarm eventually.

Impressive? Not the word I would use!