Topic: HELP! key not working!

[kajtek]

turned my key this morning... nothing. fuses ok, power still going to clock (acewell). recently ive had to sometimes wiggle the key to get the ignition to come on, it seems to have properly given up now.

any suggestions? are there contact inside that could have corroded? i dorve to work today but need the bike tonight so any quick fixes appreciated!

i was considering spraying wd40 through the hole not clean the contacts. good idea/bad idea?

other than that im gonna have to jump it which id prefer not to do..

ashley

[1timduke]

You're most likely correct about the interior contacts.   This has happened to me several times, actually going so far as to cut off in mid stride.

Is your ignition still stock or is it by way of an ignition pigtail (i.e., not OEM).?

Either way, get to the internals and you will see an arrangement of brassy (or dull) tabs with bumps at the end, they coincide with the bumps on the rotating portion of the ignition.   First duty, clean of any debis inside that may have made it's way in, you can buff them up with a pencil eraser back to their shiny glory.   Then, gently lift the tabs slightly, they may have moved slightly out of position over time.   Then, follow it up with a little di-electric grease to cut down on moisture intrusion.

Most of this is from memory 2+ years or more ago, so it's getting a little fuzzy, but maybe it'll help.

-Tim

[ekpent]

If the ignition switch was bad 'jumping it' at the bottom of your post should have no effect.If that has heped in the past it could be something else also going on.

[Johnie]

Sounds like the ignition contacts are worn and not making contact anymore. I had this issue with my KO once and what happened was the plastic back of the recessed ignition switch came loose. If I pushed on the back of the switch it worked. My guess is you probably do not have a plastic back on that 78 though. You could certainly give some zero residue contact cleaner a try. Never know...

[flybox1]

Separate and reattach any of the nearby terminal connectors. Check the ones under your tank too, if there are any.
Sounds like time to clean your switch and its contacts is all....

[70CB750]

I would have a go with ohmmeter first to see what is what. Helps to know this b4 you take it apart.