ISO Brodie's harness or equivalent gen 2 fix

[RossKean]

Ignition switch would be my guess...

 

[torch]

Is the electrical system completely dead when this happens? Ie: no lights, gauges, fuel pump, etc. Or is the problem just the engine cutting out? If the lights, etc. are also dead then suspect the ignition switch, battery connections, etc.

If it's just the engine cutting out, suspect the sidestand safety switch.

 

[Crystalholt]

I took the bike apart & found two corroded ground wires. One being in the wire clip. I separated it & connected the ground together. I also replaced the end of the other ground & cut off the corrosion. Hopefully this is the end of my bike dying. Thanks for the help & information!
Crystal

 

[SkooterG]

I took the bike apart & found two corroded ground wires. One being in the wire clip. I separated it & connected the ground together. I also replaced the end of the other ground & cut off the corrosion. Hopefully this is the end of my bike dying. Thanks for the help & information!
Crystal

That sounds like good progress! What was the location of the two corroded ground wires? Did you take any pics by any chance?

 

[Crystalholt]

That sounds like good progress! What was the location of the two corroded ground wires? Did you take any pics by any chance?

 

[Crystalholt]

The white plug - holds the red & black/brown wires. I separated the black & connected them together without the plug. Also there was another ground that was already separated but was corroded so I replaced the end & tape it up.
I also replaced the positive end that was connected to the battery, that was a bad connection as well.

 

[Bounce]

I didn’t realize it was a different harness. I search the net about my bike completely cutting off while driving & this is what I’ve come up with. I’m tearing it apart this weekend to see what I can come up with for the grounding issue.

Brain storming here. Back when,some bikes had a "tip over cutoff" that failed and caused these types of intermittent cutouts. Does the FJR have one?

Those were a switch that had a pendulum suspended in oil to slow it's movement. In a tip over, the pendulum would eventually touch a side, close the circuit, and shut off the bike. The fault was that if the oil leaked out, the pendulum swung without restraint, would touch a side and close the circuit at just about any time.

 

[Boston]

Tank vacuum

 

[torch]

Tank vacuum

While that can certainly kill the engine "in flight", it won't cause a no-crank condition. Her problem is almost certainly electrical.

 

[torch]

The white plug - holds the red & black/brown wires.

Those are the wires from the main ignition switch.

The female spade shown in the one picture is from the bike harness side of the connector. The switch side has the male spades.

 

[Rocnsanman]

Nice sleuth work!

 

[CATCH ME IF UCAN]

View attachment 1282

 

[torch]

Chrystalholt,-

It appears that your failure was due to corrosion because Yamaha chose not to use weatherproof connectors on this high-current connection. What happens is that the corrosion between wire and terminal increases the resistance. High current + high resistance = high heat. The high heat eventually melts the connector and/or terminal. A very common problem with charging and main circuits on older bikes.

I first noticed this on my own bike in 2003 during the first valve check and packed all such connectors with dielectric grease to keep the moisture out. I posted about it back in the day, but clearly not everyone got the message.

But even though the effect of this on the connector end of the ignition switch wiring is the same as the well-known ignition switch failure, they are two different problems.

Looking hard at this image:

The connector that you repaired and the red connector below it should join into a single harness from the ignition switch. The upgraded replacement ignition switches installed under the recall have a yellow band of tape wrapped around the harness where it splits. I can't see the join clearly in any of your pictures but can't make out any glimpse of yellow where I think it should be.

If yours doesn't have the tape, then your ignition switch is still a ticking time bomb. I strongly recommend you replace it with the upgraded switch and also to pack dielectric grease into both the back and mating face of each and every non-weatherproof connector you can find to halt further degradation.

EDIT: Brodie's picture of the upgraded ignition switch, with yellow band:

 

[CATCH ME IF UCAN]

Hi all, I have a Brodie Spider Harness, I bought at years ago. Never was assembled. Let me know if one of you want it.

 

[Thomas Mueller]

Good information there:

1. It happened several times before, but until then not in traffic.

2. After sitting a bit it was able to start again; this last time it took several hours.

3. The ignition switch was already replaced, but its wires are not covered.

In my experience, when an ignition switch fails it either looses a solder connection and a wire comes off the board producing a dead switch, or like I said the plastic piece inside got hot enough to cause the contact to hang up while turning the key switch on. When you start wrenching, verify if this switch is a genuine replacement switch from Yamaha. Look for the 3 wires going to the 2 bladed connector.

Intermittent electrical issues can be tricky. If possible, take some pictures and share them here. Look for evidence of heat damage on the connectors and wires. Look for green corrosion in the connectors. Check out your main fuse for these issues. I just recently had problems with the main (50 amp) fuse on my ‘08. Does anything smell like overheated / burning electrical smell.

Good luck, and keep us updated.


Brodie

Took my 07 to my local Yamaha dealer in Idaho earlier this year on the recall. They found the entire harness in California and replaced it on recall warranty. No charge. Never had any electrical issues before the replacement. I had it done anyway. Runs great.

 

[SkooterG]

Hi all, I have a Brodie Spider Harness, I bought at years ago. Never was assembled. Let me know if one of you want it.

I'll take it!