My 1995 R100RT is not charging, light not coming on when ignition switch turned on, checked the bulb hoping for an easy fix,no such luck, where do I go from here? looking at the clymer it seems pretty complex. Is there a particular place to start or any specific problem areas to look at
thanks steve
1) So I suppose you removed the bulb and applied 12V and it lit up ? Was that your only test ? Did you place a voltmeter on the bulb's socket and see 12V on one contact? And an Ohmmeter to ground on the other contact ?
2) Due to water intrusion over the years, connectors are the number one issue on a 40 year old motorcycle. The only connector in the circuit is the large one on the rear of the speedo/tach unit. Unplug it, close the female sockets ever so slightly with a sharp ice pick. Then treat all the female contacts with No-Ox-Id corrosion inhibitor and reinstall the connector.
3) Those small bulb sockets within the speedometer/tach unit are extremely hard on the flexible circuit board. The flexible circuit board that brings power and return from the large connector has tiny "ears" that wrap around the supporting board. It's the wrap-around ear that allows the indicator socket to make contact with the flexible circuit board. Those ears will break off if mistreated. Take out the socket and make sure the circuit board's "ear" goes all the way through the socket hole.
Addition of No-Ox-Id to the bulb sockets improves the connection and makes getting the sockets in and out much easier, thereby reducing stress on the flexible circuit board.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
All of the connections on the plug seem to be clean and already have a lot of Dielectric grease on them and all the other lights on the dash panel are working so I decided to delve deeper into it I'm in the process of taking off the front cover and doing some testing there with the condition of the brushes and so forth right now I'm reading up and getting familiarized with this as the spike is fairly new to me I inherited this bike from my best friend last year and he has always said check for yourself never assume so that's what I will do thank you for your reply I will keep you posted
I have narrowed it down to the regulator via a series of tests that I got from the archives ,I ordered a regulator from maxx bmw,We'll see what happens
Thanks for the link
steve
All of the connections on the plug seem to be clean and already have a lot of Dielectric grease on them and all the other lights on the dash panel are working....
di·e·lec·tric
ˌdīəˈlektrik/
Physics
adjective1. having the property of transmitting electric force without conduction; insulating.
noun
1. a medium or substance that transmits electric force without conduction; an insulator.
Friend, forgive me but when you're having trouble getting power to a bulb, an electrical insulator seems to me the very last thing you'd want to add.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
With all due respect, (and I truly mean that) I have been using dielectric grease on connectors for at lest 45 years in the auto industry. It doesn't remove corrosion, rather prevents it from forming after cleaning. IMHO if you need to put anything (other than a cleaner) on a connector to make it "connect" then you need a new connector. The connection has to be a physical one, not chemical.
Mark
those connections seem to be ok so I'm not gonna mess with them, in the diagnosis process I'm seeing a greasy build up around the bean can.Is this something to be concerned about? Where is it coming from?
With all due respect, (and I truly mean that) I have been using dielectric grease on connectors for at lest 45 years in the auto industry. It doesn't remove corrosion, rather prevents it from forming after cleaning. IMHO if you need to put anything (other than a cleaner) on a connector to make it "connect" then you need a new connector. The connection has to be a physical one, not chemical.
Mark -
The No-Ox is an anti-oxidation compound. It removes AND prevents corrosion. In my experience, when using an anti-oxidant compound no physical cleaning is required. Of course the connection has to be physical (no one is arguing that point), but the corrosion starts in the microscopic voids between the 2 connector parts no matter how tightly they fit. So in my view, both chemical actions (removal and prevention) are necessary for anything more than a temporary fix.
However, feel free to use and promote the method that works best for you.
All the best !
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
those connections seem to be ok so I'm not gonna mess with them,...
The corrosion that inhibits good electrical connection on motorcycles is typically found in amounts so low that it can't be seen. Yeah, on a battery terminal you may see lots of chemical "bloom" totally encapsulating the connection. That's not what we're talking about or looking for.
Consider the amount of current it takes to illuminate this, the smallest bulb on the motorcycle. Reason then that the amount of resistance it takes to upset that connection is equally infinitesimal.
It's your motorcycle. I'm just trying to help.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
It might well be no ox I really dont know I just assumed it to be dielectric grease because I never heard of no ox before this, the previous owner who I inherited the bike from was a mechanic and did all the maintainance on the bike, he was the 2nd owner and owned it for 16 years, I do appreciate all of the help I can get. I installed the new voltage regulator and the light is back on and charging good, I am also changing the battery do to it being around 3 years old
The points being made here are FIRST, there must be a clean/tight/good connection. SECOND is that no-ox can help achieve this combined with physical cleaning/tightening. THIRD, wether it be no-ox or dielectric grease, regular grease or wax, the connection must be protected from corrosive agents.
Am I right? St.
Very, very close. Full agreement on the First and Third statements.
SECOND
An anti-oxidant compound can save you the trouble of cleaning and most tightening, becasue the connector is itself going to scrub the necessary area(s). If aggressive physical scrubbing is employed, such as sanding, wire brushing, or 3M abrasive pads, then the tin/solder coating on the connector could be lost... inviting even greater corrosion to revisit the connectors. This becasue most connectors are based on brass alloys, which have a propensity to combine with oxygen, which is why they were initially tin/solder plated.
Furthermore, the physical treatment of the connector is on a case by case basis. Your typical 1/4" spade connectors is one of the best electrical connections available, second only to wire wrap is my understanding. It's enough in most cases to simply unplug, treat with No-Ox and then re-plug. We are, of course, looking to feel some resistance when we reinsert that connector pair. That resistance to reinsertion assures us 1) that there is enough contact force present to overcome any surface resistance, and 2) the metal parts of the connector are scrubbing each other, exactly where they need it the most.
In the case of the speedo/tach main connector, I asked that the female contacts be slightly closed. Due to the tight fit of the rubber connector body against the speedo/tach unit, there is no way to "feel" the 8-10 individual contacts. And due to the tight space, cleaning the contacts is nearly impossible. It's simply a way of insuring the best job possible in this very difficult connector area.
But YES, precisely, you want to finalize the job by sealing out corrosive agents by any means possible. I guess if you worked at a chemical plant, and the local air was full of pollutants, then there might be any number of corrosive agents. But for 99.8% of us the compound we need to exclude is simply "water". There's nothing the oxygen atom in water loves more than the loving arms of brass alloys. (I understand they exchange Valentine cards every year, but this is just a rumor.) There are any number of good compounds to do this. Some industries use silicone grease. I'm sure dielectric grease works just as good. In a number of industries involving outdoor electronics, anti-oxidant compounds are the standard. The object with ALL of these is to protect the good connection you just worked so hard to achieve.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I installed the new voltage regulator and the light is back on and charging good
Excellent. Congratulations !
I am also changing the battery do to it being around 3 years old.
A good battery or motorcycle shop should be able to perform a "load test" on your battery. This device places a huge load on the battery and then measures the battery's ability to perform. A $5 test might save you from buying a $100 battery. The battery in one of my bikes is 11 years old. Mere age is not a good way to determine usefulness.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
The OP's problem solved on the first page and then two more pages of wiring harness maintenance. I think we all need to go for a ride! It does occur to me that I just went all over my harness while it is out of the bike and didn't find one green connector or wire. That's on a 34 year old bike that spent it's last 5 years in an unheated shed in Maine! BMW was doing something right. that is certain.
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