LEGEND Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Went for a ride today on my '07 and about ten miles in the engine quit at a stop sign. It did this a few more time which has never happened, ever. Decided to bring it on home but before I could the engine died while I was ripping it up in full vtec mode. Got the thing to the shoulder without getting run over and the bike started right up. Made it home safely and found the following: The left front turn signal is out. The left mainbeam was dim and the highbeams were on despite the switch being in low beam position. Moving the high/low beam switch didn't make any change to the headlights. The bike will start but when I signaled for a left turn with engine running it kills the engine. Tried it again same thing. The fuel pump doesn't seem to be priming when the ignition is switched on. I don't have a tool to measure voltages and the only things I checked were the 30 amp fuse and the connector. Those items looked fine. Before going any further I thought I would post my issue here and have a few colds to help me think about things. I checked the electrical section but didn't find anyone with this kinda weird. Meant say " have a few cold ones" ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 16, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 16, 2015 Unfortunately we're all subject to the possibility of electrical gremlins. Another member just posted something similar with weird turn signal behavior. A few ideas might be to check all grounds, use some spray contact cleaner on the headlight and turn switches, check the connectors throughout the harness and have the battery load tested to be sure it's good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted August 16, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 16, 2015 First, like Cogswell said, have the battery load tested. Second, I would have a look at all the "usual suspects", i.e. wiring connections at the battery, the RR and other main electrical connectors for signs of overheating/melting. Then, do "the drill". Below is a good reference to what "the drill" is, in case you are not familiar with it. You can pick up an inexpensive volt meter at Harbor Freight or a Radio Shack, if you can find one that is still open. What are the AC voltages from the stator at idle and 5k rpm? AB to BC to CA? Hot.And one MORE time............Sorry for your electrical troubles. Well, looks like you gotta do…. “The Drill.”Go through all your connectors for burnt leads, dig deep. Crispy wires? Not good. Your gonna have to fix that!Then---Go through this starting point quick list. You will need a multimeter too.Steps:- Recharge battery overnite - then to take it to Autozone, Batterys Plus or similar to load test. -- Good? Bad? – An iffy battery can fake you out and act like a bad R/R. Buy new if needed.- With good battery fire it up, warm up for a minute or two.These are R/R quick checks------ With voltmeter at battery get voltages -- idle volts? 5000 rpm volts? What’s the numbers? Should be in 13ish min idle and in 14s at revs. If in the 12s at idle, try at 1900 rpm. (It’s not unusual for the system to be in discharge or no charge at idle.)- Check stator- 1. Pull connector apart. Set meter to resistance. Check pin to pin stator side, 3 yellow wires, A to B, B to C, C to A. What’s the numbers? 3 separate readings --Should be less than 1.0 ohms. (Engine off)- 2. Check continuity from each A,B,C pin stator side to ground, -- -should be infinity - nada nothing. no continuity. -- 3 separate checks. (Engine off, again connector is apart)- 3. Crank it back up. Do another pin to pin thing, but set meter on AC volts. idle and 5000 rpms. What's da numbers? Should start 15 -20ish and climb 50ish and more. Again – 3 readings stator side connector and still apart.- Repeat hot.This quick list will catch the obvious stuff, but if you need to dig deeper check this chart. (Some guys like this chart, my taste, I don’t care for it.)http://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks for the pointers, I'll get into it and see what the deal is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I ended up just cleaning the switches and going through the connectors on the left side of the bike with contact cleaner and my problem seems to have gone away. Lights and switches work like they should and so far no stalling or engine dying at speed. If things get weird again I'll do more specific testing but so far it looks like dirt & corrosion got blasted out from a switch or harness connector by the contact cleaner allowing for proper continuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2015 You might consider using some Oxgard on the connectors. It will prevent corrosion and is conductive, improving the circuit. Most home centers and Amazon have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted August 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2015 I hate hearing these stories, especially when it involves an '07 or newer because that is what is sitting in my garage. I'm no electrical genius either. You can see oil leaking or coolant or fuel and trace the path back visually but that magical electricity.......... hmmm, not so much. Glad you were able to limp it home. That would be a bummer if you were 500 miles into a 1000 mile loop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingHard Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Guys, I don't mean to hijack this thread and I understand this was not specifically about a bad connector, but has anyone ever tried putting temp sensors at certain connectors? Something like this............... http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Digital-Temperature-Remote-Sensor/dp/B00JZSE10S It may sound weird but wouldn't connectors get very hot as they begin to fail? LookingHard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I hate hearing these stories, especially when it involves an '07 or newer because that is what is sitting in my garage. I'm no electrical genius either. You can see oil leaking or coolant or fuel and trace the path back visually but that magical electricity.......... hmmm, not so much. Glad you were able to limp it home. That would be a bummer if you were 500 miles into a 1000 mile loop! Believe me I was very bummed about it but I gave myself a few days to relax before taking fairings off and pulling things apart. The good news is all the connectors I checked looked good, no signs of melting or burning. There was some obvious grime on a few of the connectors which were cleaned thoroughly. Lesson learned, from now on I will make cleaning connectors and adding a dab of anti corrosion stuff for good measure a routine thing once a year or so. I bought my bike new fresh out of the crate in 2009 and this is the first time I have ever had an issue like this. Six years of use with no maintenance to the electric system was the cause of the issue. Went out on the bike for a proper couple of hours today and the bike ran flawlessly on the freeway, mountains and city traffic. The bike starts with more enthusiasm and idle is rock solid. In short don't worry about your 07, the vfr will take a licking and keep on vtec'n. Just don't forget to show her a little love every now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted August 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2015 Believe me I was very bummed about it but I gave myself a few days to relax before taking fairings off and pulling things apart. Just don't forget to show her a little love every now and then. That sounds an awful lot like my style...wait it out a while and then tackle a problem. Having the chance to do it at home is a major plus. Just curious if you used a spray type electrical cleaner or ??? That sounds like a good task for me to get to when the next bad weather hits. --- that and repacking the bearings on my trailer that everyone keeps asking to borrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 I used this CRC product. Highly recommend it!!! It comes with a little red straw so you can spray with precison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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