Topic: CB550 headlight, rear signals, and horn not working (HEADLIGHT!!)

[2themax]

I'm nearing completion of my '77 CB550F rebuild and the headlight, rear turn signals, and horn are giving me some problems.

I can turn the ignition on and all the dash lights come on. The front turn signals turn on. The rear running light and brake light work. The starter button works and starts the bike.
 
When I hit the turn signal switch the buzzer goes of and the fronts don't blink.

I tried getting a new headlight bulb and rear signal bulbs and they still don't work.

In the head light bucket I have an extra brown wire that isn't connected to anything and the wiring diagram shows that it doesn't connect to anything. I also have a green wire with a dual connector under the tank that doesn't have anything connected to it and I don't have any extra wires that would go to the green wire.

as for the horn, that is pretty straight forward and I'm not sure if the horn is faulty or the switch at the bars is bad.

Any ideas? Thanks guys!

 

[MOONDOGNYC]

Your front signals wont blink until you have the rears hooked up. Check to see if you're getting juice at the rear blue and orange connectors.  I would like to see a pic of your wiring in your headlamp.

[2themax]

Your front signals wont blink until you have the rears hooked up. Check to see if you're getting juice at the rear blue and orange connectors.  I would like to see a pic of your wiring in your headlamp.

I just took some pics and I found something or maybe a few things. I found a lone orange wire without a bullet connector! The other orange wire has a single connector and I'm guessing it should have a double?

It also looks like the other rear signal (light blue) is hooked up but I'm still not getting a power to light up a bulb. I'm not sure if it is hooked up correctly though.


As for the headlight...I'm not sure why it isn't working

[MOONDOGNYC]

 I would check the orange to make sure it making it to the back of the bike. If it is, it obviously needs to be connected. 
  Also, you need to test the headlight leads. I see that there are splices also. Check those out.

[2themax]

I would check the orange to make sure it making it to the back of the bike. If it is, it obviously needs to be connected. 
  Also, you need to test the headlight leads. I see that there are splices also. Check those out.

I tested a few things today.

Headlight leads: Nothing

Rear turn signals leads: Nothing

I have power at the Orange/White and Light Blue/White but nothing at the solid Orange and solid Light Blue.

I traced both solid Lt Blue and Orange back to the rear and ran into what I assume is a factory splice? It was taped in neon green and soldered together. From that splice they run right to the back of the bike where they connect into the signals.

Would it be possible the switch on the handlebars is bad? Seeing how my horn, headlight, and rear signals don't work. But then again I tested the leads to the horn and have power going to that, it just don't beep.

I'm not electrically inclined by any means.

[2themax]

Beuller?

[2themax]

I was able to get my rear signals to work and I'm really not sure how.? But they are backwards to the lights on the dash and the switch on the handlebars. They also blink pretty slow. I also unhooked the buzzer!!

Is the headlight only suppose to have power to one beam at a time? What I mean is, if my high beam switch is on I only have power to the Blue/high beam and nothing to the White/low beam and vise versa. But I still don't get a bulb to light?

[Duanob]

Correct on the headlight juice.

If you think about it your problems are all in common with the left hand switch. Try finding power to it. Also I just had to replace my right hand control becasue the headlight quit working. I traced the headlight power through the left hand switch to the right hand. I took it apart and found the start button had disintigrated inside. new switch and bingo! Everything worked again.

[2themax]

Correct on the headlight juice.

If you think about it your problems are all in common with the left hand switch. Try finding power to it. Also I just had to replace my right hand control becasue the headlight quit working. I traced the headlight power through the left hand switch to the right hand. I took it apart and found the start button had disintigrated inside. new switch and bingo! Everything worked again.

I meant to say that I DO have power to the headlight socket. Both high and low beam have power but only one at a time. Does the low beam/running light go out when you switch to hi beam? I just bought a new bulb and I'm not sure if checking continuity works but I was able to get a beep on my fluke meter on both bulbs. old and new bulb.

I'm also not getting the high beam light to come on the dash. I hope it's not the switch as that looks like a pain to get the wires out of the bars and put new ones back in.

my turn signals flash but they are a little slow and they are opposite to the switch on the bars. Left turns blink when flipping to right and vise versa.

Thanks for the help!

[LesterPiglet]

Only one element in the headlight works at a time. Blinkers will be slow if your battery is low. They should speed up when you rev the engine. They will flash at the same speed whetever if you change your flasher relay to a new electronic unit. As for reverse switch. Open the headlight bucket bucket and make sure your light blue and orange wires are correctly connected to their corresponding colours.

Hmm, why do your wires have coloured bands? That's not stock.

[2themax]

Only one element in the headlight works at a time. Blinkers will be slow if your battery is low. They should speed up when you rev the engine. They will flash at the same speed whetever if you change your flasher relay to a new electronic unit. As for reverse switch. Open the headlight bucket bucket and make sure your light blue and orange wires are correctly connected to their corresponding colours.

Hmm, why do your wires have coloured bands? That's not stock.

They are all connected to their corresponding color. Only difference is according to the wiring diagram the Lt Blue signals should be on the right side of bike....but they are the left and Orange is one the right its the same for the rear as well.

The color bands aren't stock? I bought my rear signals off of ebay and those came with colored bands too. Green for ground and Lt Blue for power.

[LesterPiglet]

Just switch the wires then. Did you buy all four signals? Work at one side get it flashing then do the other.

[2themax]

Just switch the wires then. Did you buy all four signals? Work at one side get it flashing then do the other.

I'll give that a try. Thank you!

The fronts came with the bike. I only bought the rears from ebay

[Duanob]

Doesn't mean the PO didn't switch things around as far as the signals are concerned. The signals are a common item to get replaced since they are the first to get trashed when the bike goes down. get yourself a good schematic and try and follow it to a T.

I don't have one for a 77 F but I used this one to work on my 76 F model. print out on 11X17.

[2themax]

I'm still having a problem with this damn headlight! I have power to the plug that attaches to the bulb. As soon as I plug in the bulb I loose all power to both hi and low beam. Whats going on here?

I'm 3 bulbs deep and I'm sure they all work. Just don't know why it drops power when ever a load is present.

[MOONDOGNYC]

Are you blowing fuses ? What type of fuses do you have in the block ? What order?

[2themax]

Are you blowing fuses ? What type of fuses do you have in the block ? What order?

No I'm not blowing any fuses. I'm using the original glass fuses. I even have power at the fuses...all of them.

I have taken voltage readings using the ground on the headlight plug as well as a few other grounds on the bike.

real close to just putting in a toggle switch and running wires right from the battery.

[2themax]

So after a few suggestions from here I decided to take the right start/stop switch apart and see what condition it was in.

I started un-screwing the little screw in the house and everything started to fall apart!! Just what I was afraid of. The wires them selves looked to be in good condition. It was the housing to the start button that holds the wires, springs, and metal contacts all together that fell apart! That sucks!

I'm in the market for a new switch...anyone have one?