Disco lights on my dash xt660r
 

Hello. The other week I parked up the bike and noticed the dash lights were all over the place. Every light on and off. Randomly.
I've had a good look and cleaned all wires / connections. Sprayed the barrel etc with fog oil n wd40. Still doing it. Without the keys in the bike n a disco for a dash....

I've found if I apply either brake the dash light disco stops and all is normal.

Does anyone have any idea where to start on this ?

Cheers
:)

An interesting problem, and probably quite infuriating! Some questions for you…

• Has it been wet recently? If so try drying everything out thoroughly first – an easy thing to do first up.
  
• Pull fuse number 6 (dash and immobiliser). Does it still do it (with ignition off – immobiliser won’t work with this fuse out)?
  
• Replace fuse 6 and pull fuse 1 (brake lights, horn etc.) Does it still do it?
  
• Can you start the bike without the keys in the ignition?
  
• Is your battery producing at least 12.5V with the engine not running?

Below are some things I’d maybe try/think about, but sitting here, I’m afraid it’s all guesswork, but it may help. Try the simple stuff first - the wet/damp, obvious visual wiring issues, poor connections, shorts etc. and do the fuse tests and the battery voltage test.

Guess 1:

Low battery voltages can cause funny electrical gremlins. It’s easy to check, so start with this one. Also check both terminals are good and tight – the battery might read 12.5V, but a loose connection can mean substantially less getting through into the loom.

Guess 2:

A faulty ground (earth) can cause bizarre things to happen between normally independent circuits. A circuit with a poor earth may well “borrow” an earth, or earth itself through another circuit.

A good way to check for shorts, bridged circuits and other funny things going on is to disconnect the battery and connect a multimeter (set to read resistance) between the negative and positive battery leads. Disconnect connectors from each suspect circuit in the loom one at a time and look for erratic resistance readings.

Guess 3:

If you can start it without the key, then there is almost certainly a short between the brake light +12V feed and the ignition switch switched output somewhere in the loom. What probably happens is when you operate the brakes the bulk of the current shoots off towards the brake lights and the leakage (short) to the ignition circuit is reduced, probably still there, but not enough to illuminate the dash.

Guess 4:

Sticky ignition relay and/or failed internal diode. If the ignition relay has pitted contacts they can stick in the on position allowing a small amount of current to flow, which arcs and pushes the contacts apart momentarily breaking the connection and they stick again, so it produces an oscillation. If a flyback diode has gone in the relay then it will allow current to leak back the wrong way through the from the relay’s inductor.

Thankyou :) I'll start again at the begining and post my results. I did find this floating about. Maybe this is the cause of some wire rub ? http://www.adventurebikerider.com/fo...y-xt660r-.html

Any ideas where's it's from. I'd replaced the rear shock and done the valve clearances.. it could be anywhere :(

Ho hum. :)

Braaaappp

Could well be the cause of a wire rubbing through. Looks like it could be one of the collars that fit in the anti-vibration rubbers that the dash mounts too? If you've lost a dash mounting bolt (and that collar) the dash could have been waggling about a bit and something may have worn through a wire. Just another guess though! ;)

:(
 

Well, were stipping.
Front lights and wires checked, all seem ok.

found this http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps01da35fe.jpg

One was furred up a bit....

and this? no idea why or what for, but defo not factory...

http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps027a8825.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJjZBWxQGkg


Still fighting, no sign of anything, but we have 8 volts going to the kill switch all the time, even fired up the hot grips? but stops upon engaging either brake?

mmmmmmmmmm :(

:(
 

New one. Pull efi fuse. Fault goes away.....

I've seen "hacked" wiring like in your photo many times before - typically loom slit open and a hideous combination of solder, tape and Scotchloks as the result of an alarm having been fitted. Your bike has almost certainly had an alarm fitted at some point, which has given grief (as they usually do) and has been removed. What you've been left with is several exposed terminals (in the connector shown) which lead to the bikes circuits. Any moisture, corrosion or abrasion can then give trouble if it bridges any of these now unused terminals. As well as this there will be various points where the wiring has been tapped into which will be weak points. I take it that the white multi-pin connector is not usually plugged into anything?

Usually the circuits that are used for an alarm connection are: L/R indicators, brake light feed, backup circuit for instruments (fuse #6), imobiliser and earth. Any bridge between two or more will allow some current to flow and funny things to happen, maybe not always 12V as the bridge will usually have a fairly high resistance - it won't be a good connection, hence the 8V sneaking through to the kill switch.

I think by pulling fuse #4 all your doing is removing the symptoms, rather than isolating the cause as your cutting the power to the ECU?

Try pulling fuse #1 (lights, brake lights, horn) as this (brown wire) is the usually used for an alarm's power supply. Any spurious current will likely be coming from this source. I reckon your disco lights will stop. This will also explain why the fault goes when you apply the brake (light) as the current in the brown wire can flow to ground through the brake lights and will be reduced enough in the bridge/short that's causing the problem for the symptoms to disappear, but the fault is still there.

Let me know the results or pulling fuse #1.

There was a chap on eBay selling parts from his xtr, maybe a fresh loom could be the answer


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

:)
 

Well. After another four hours plus looking and checking and testing . Narrowed it down to tHis

http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r...pswob2nkwq.jpg

http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r...psupxfqczt.jpg

Took my mates off his and tried it on mine, fault stopped.
Put mine on his, his dash started to disco !!

:) ,:) :)

Part ordered �30 ish. Hopefully that's it !!

Thanks for all your help :)

Braaaaaappp

Well done! :033:

Let's hope the new starter relay does the trick...