TimC Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 So my 2004's low beams stopped working last night before my trip home from school. I noticed at least once before that the headlights were taking a second or two to come on after starting the bike. Last night I thought it might be a blown fuse or bad low beams relay. Instead, thanks to good 'ol VFRD, I found it's the sticking starter button switch that is the problem. That's actually a relief since I didn't want to have to take the upper cowl off to check/replace the relay. What a pain. Now the problem is, how do I clean the darn switch?! I took the right swtich assembly apart, but I cannot reach the starter switch, which is under the hazard light switch. I went out a bought a can of compressed air (like people use to clean their computer keyboards) and tried to blow any debris out of the switch assembly. After that the switch worked a little better but it's still not 100%. So how do you clean the starter switch? Instructions or even good suggestions would be very much appreciated. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 How's 'bout some elec' spray cleaner..... Kind of like brake cleaner but easy on plastics and such...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted September 3, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted September 3, 2011 I'd rather take the cowl off than disassemble that clamshell that holds the switches (just me anyway). I got the halves separated enough to shoot some Deoxit in there to solve that problem. It's good PM - on a ride a couple of weeks ago we had a rider with a no-start on his 4th gen due to a corroded kill switch. Some contact cleaner in there and it started right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swas Posted September 3, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted September 3, 2011 I've not been inside the 6th Gen switchgear but I'm sure it is much the same as the 3rd and 5th. Take a good look at the assembly even take some pics if you habitually get things left over on reassembly. The correct routing of the wires is most important for everything to fit back together without unwanted bulges. Here in Oz we haven't got a hazard switch in the way, but you will find that it will all come apart very simply with careful removal of the shields and brackets and when the starter switch comes free you can clean inside it, because there is only a cover on one side, no need to disconnect any wires, or perhaps there may be a clip on cover, easily removed They really are very simple robust devices Spread a little grease on the sliding bits, but not too much that will fill up with airborne gunk which will bring you back to square one too quickly. Shoe-horning it all back into position is the most difficult part when you have a memory like mine but the kinks in the wires usually give you a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ryanme17 Posted September 3, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted September 3, 2011 This is really easy on a 6th gen without the hazard lights. I did it two days ago, of course, I had my bars off, throttle off, etc, so that helps. Basically you just unscrew the clamshell, unscrew the wire clip that holds the wires away from the bar, and using fine (thin) flat screwdrivers take the upper ends of the contacts off by gently prying the white plastic clips out and pulling up gently on the wires. From there you can actually clean the contacts by scraping/filing them. One thing to remember is that you can leave the screw that holds the bottom portion of the switch in place, as there is no reason to remove it, it will come apart in two halves exposing the contacts. However, I have not done this on a bike where the hazards were in the way. Can you take a picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AnikMankar Posted January 4, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 4, 2012 WD40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Ryanme17 has it right. That's how I did it.... The only thing that I would add is to pack the whole thing with dielectric grease before you put it all back together to keep moisture at bay (and it makes switch operation very, very smooth). Somebody will come along and point out that dielectric grease is an insulator.... don't worry .... that's what you want to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 4, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 4, 2012 same for indicator switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thanks for the help, guys. I'm not a great mechanic, and could not get the hazard switch and wiring apart to get to the starter switch inside the housing. So instead I used some CRC electrical cleaner and compressed air last fall to try fixing it. At first the issue would still happen once in awhile, but overall it worked OK. No problems until this weekend when it started happening again. Not sure what to do this time. Because I'm not much of a mechanic I'd rather let the shop handle this, but I can't get the bike in 'til the end of the month. I just started a 'stator' thread. I hate to believe my breakdown last fall was related to this issue, but I can't rule it out. If you're interested, please check out the other thread and weigh in on it, too. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 nstead I used some CRC electrical cleaner and compressed air last fall to try fixing it. At first the issue would still happen once in awhile, but overall it worked OK. No problems until this weekend when it started happening again.Not sure what to do this time. Can't hurt to give it another hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted June 9, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 9, 2012 If you use a solvent to clean the switch, it will remove the last traces of the OEM grease (along with the dirt, hopefully). But then you have a clean and unprotected switch. You need to open the housing and apply dielectric (silicon) grease to the contacts to fix it right. And if the contacts have been damaged, cleaning won't help... Ciao, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 If you use a solvent to clean the switch, it will remove the last traces of the OEM grease (along with the dirt, hopefully). But then you have a clean and unprotected switch. You need to open the housing and apply dielectric (silicon) grease to the contacts to fix it right. And if the contacts have been damaged, cleaning won't help... Thanks for the tip. I did actually hit it with some solvent yesterday, which helped because the electrical cleaner had started to gum up the starter button a bit. The switch worked better today but it's still not 100%. I may use another blast of solvent, then add the dielectric grease as a couple people suggested. My only worry with the electrical cleaner and solvent is that there is no place for the dirt or grit that is causing the problem to go once it's loosened from the switch. Without exposing the switch for a good cleaning, that dislodged gunk will likely just stay in there and cause the same problem again, as this is the 2nd time around already for this issue. At this point, however, I'd be happy just for 100% operation while I wait to get my bike to the shop to be repaired by someone better at this than me. Thanks again for the help, guys. The people on VFRD are the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Holy Crap! You started this thread in Sept 2011. You're still fighting this switch? Take out the two screws in the bottom, take the thing apart, spray it out, pack with grease, put the two screws back in, ride, enjoy, repeat as necessary. You really don't need "someone better at this than me". It's two screws, an aerosol can, a tube of grease, and a screwdriver. Step up and swing for the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MBrane Posted June 10, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 10, 2012 Yeah spray that sucker good with some DeoxIT® Fader F-Series, follow up with some compressed air, and ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 The issue started last Sept, then went away 'til this past week. It's working now, but when it starts acting up again - and I'm sure it will - I'll do what Lee said. My question is, would spraying a bunch of WD40 or other solvent in there do any harm? EDIT: Just saw MBrane's post and link. I'm hoping to find that product locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Update: A couple nights ago I opened up the right controls housing again, and this time doused the inside with electrical cleaner. I blew out the residue and (hopefully) all the debris that was inside (with the new cheap air compressor I got from Harbor Freight last weekend - love/hate that place), then packed the housing with di-electric grease. The starter button itself started to stick a bit, so I gave it a couple quick blasts with some silicon spray lube. So far, so good. I've ridden the bike a few times since that night and the headlights have operated normally each time. I'm sincerely hoping that's the end of it. If not, I'll dig deeper into it next time. But I think I got it licked now. Thanks for the advice, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MBrane Posted June 16, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2012 Good to see it's working for you. The nice thing about the Fader Lube is it will not harm the plastic/wiring, and it leaves a thin dielectric lubricant residue. If the switch is worn it may take repeated applications, but it'll buy you some extra service time while you look for a new switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I normally spray some wd40 in the drain holes on the under side of throttle assembly, that usually gets into everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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