Topic: 15A fuse on CB350F

[auro]

Hi guys

I've taken my bike for a ride to the harbour, for a good cold beer, today.
As I tried to start it to come back, no sign of life.
I suspected a broken/empty battery, and ended up calling for road assistance.
We found the main fuse gone, although he didn't look bad at sight.
The guy had a 25A fuse with him, we've put that in and the bike started and brought me home.

Now here's a thing: with the 25A fuse in, the neutral/oil signals are on, even if I turn off and remove the key...
Isn't that odd?

I ended up leaving the bike in the garage without the fuse tonight.

Just wondering if you know what's going on ( I know nothing in electrics)

[Bodi]

A fuse rarely just blows for no reason. Putting a higher rated fuse in to replace a blown fuse is never a good idea.
Those lights on are saying "something is wrong".
Possibly a short melted wire insulation and some wires are now crossed? This is not good - there's a single red wire from battery to switch for fused-unswitched power and it's apparently connected to the oil and neutral lamps. 25A is enough to overheat and melt the wire gauge in the harness (metric size close to 18AWG).

[auro]

Bodi - thanks for your response.

I didn't leave the 25A fuse on, if not for the time to get home. I'll put a 15A fuse on it as soon as I can find some, and will check the cable you mention.

What I find odd is the console lights staying on even if I turn the key to off and remove it!

[flybox1]

If you have not already done so, please clean all of the harness connectors, and treat them with dielectric grease.
Dont forget the block connectors between the gauges and the headlight bucket.  Each male/female blade connector can be removed and cleaned.
Resistance in your harness is a terrible thing.

[ADW]

Has to be a short to those circuits then. Start checking those first.

[gtmdriver]

Yes! If anything at all is switched on with the ignition switched off then there has to be an unwanted connection between the power source and the item that's working incorrectly. That's probably what blew the fuse in the first place.

[auro]

I understand guys, but it just was working correctly until I stopped for a beer, no issue before at all!

How do you want me to check for shorts?
Shall I follow the cables from the signal lights?

Of course I will put back a 15A fuse first 

[b52bombardier1]

Me personally,  I'd disconnect most things first and then replace the fuse. Start reconnecting things one at a time and when the fuse melts, at least you will know what branch circuit to further investigate.

Rick

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[ADW]

I'd say to disconnect the battery and start looking at the wiring for those circuits (the indicators that are lighting when they shouldn't). Start tracing the wiring from the light bulbs and just keep working your way through the wiring. It may be something so simple you'll say "OH! There it is...that wire is pinched between the XYZ and the 123". It may be as simple as that. Always do the simple thing first.

Disconnect the battery before you start though, you don't want to be fiddling with wiring that may be shorting that has power to it. You could fry something more important.

[ADW]

Any reports back on what you found?

[auro]

Hi ADW and all

Thanks again for your replies and suggestions.

I've been too busy lately with family related business to get to the garage and follow them to the root cause of the issue, but I promise to report back asap!

[auro]

Good day all fellow SOHC riders

So I went to the garage and put a new 15A fuse on - it didn't pop.
However, the oil and neutral lights were on, even with with the ignition key turned off, exactly as reported before.

I proceeded with putting a light bulb in place of the fuse, so I could see the light on all the time and started checking the wires on the back of the ignition switch, in the front light and along the chassis



Nothing - light always on - no trace of disconnected or pinched wired as far as I could see.

I did remove the tank to check beneath - nothing

One of the things I noticed is that the turning indicators, once the ignition key is turned on, work left/right and off as I change the switch position... only they don't blink!

I removed the flasher and cleaned its connectors, then tried again - same behaviour (indicator lights on but not blinking) only the flasher makes a bit of a buzzing sound...






any suggestion?

[b52bombardier1]

My guess . . . bad ignition switch.  I'd remove it from the bike and then liberally . . . vigorously . . . spray it through the key hole with electronic contact cleaner.  Use the little red straw to direct the spray accurately and deeply into the switch.  Actuate the switch a lot while doing this.  Spray some more and follow it up with high pressure compressed air to blow out any debris.

  I like Caig's Deoxit D5 electronic contact cleaner and would never use an oil-based solvent - oils attract future dirt. Electronic contact cleaner dries with no residue and removes oxides such as those weird blue-green stains on our old brass bullet wiring connectors. 

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=caig+laboratories+deoxit&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=60695878032&hvpos=1t2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=917868019797014077&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9025463&hvtargid=kwd-650180056&ref=pd_sl_12jk9en01z_b

Rick

[auro]

So yes!

Ultimately it was the ignition switch!

I managed to get a new spare one for a good price and tried it... all perfectly back to normal!!

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions!!!


In the process, I discovered that the winkers' relay also didn't work (fixed) and that fuel comes out of the fuel tap even when closed (not fixed yet)

[auro]

first ride tonight after the fix, all good!

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[RAFster122s]

 Odds are you bought a cheap Emgo switch.  They are junk and do not hold up.  Consider finding a new one by Honda if possible.  They are worth the money.  Some have installed relays to pull the load off the switch contacts but the switches themselves sometimes go bad under a week or two in some cases.

I hope you get plenty of life from it.  Need to learn how to hotwire the bike in case the switch goes out.  A little creative wiring jumpers does the job.

David

[auro]

Odds are you bought a cheap Emgo switch.  They are junk and do not hold up. 

David

Thanks for the feedback - not sure if it's EMGO but as you say it's likely.

Rick (b52bombardier1), suggested I try and use an electronic contact cleaner for the one I had, which I will try to do at the earliest.
That'd be my plan C, with plan B being the hotwiring as you say...

[przjohn]

it just was working correctly until I stopped for a beer, no issue before at all!

Damn Beer does it all the time.