No power to dipped beam - 2003 1150GS Adv

MikeO

MikeO

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Hi there,

The bike (2003 R1150GS Adv) is still in disarray as I wait for parts to arrive from around the world :D

Today I wired in my Autoswitch and got all the wiring ready to connect to my driving lights for when the new mounts turn up.

I fitted Dip & Main Beam HIDs (Les Wassall) a couple of weeks ago. The bike has not been unsed since they were fitted (no fuel tank). I tried them during the week and they were fine. Today, after I'd done the wiring work, I noticed that the dipped beam was out. Thinking I'd knocked a connection loose, I checked them all and they are sound. The main beam HID and the sidelight LED work as normal. I do not know whether the light was working before I started work today.

Going back to basics, I took the two pin plug off the side of the dipped headlamp rear 'bayonet' cover. With the ignition on, I am not getting power to this plug (my bike has no headlamp switch, so Dipped Beam should be on all the time that the ignition is on). This explains why the headlamp is not working - but it's not a fused circuit, so I'm a little unsure of what my next step should be - any suggestions?

Mike :confused:
 
Are you testing using the live and supplied earth, or the live and a KNOWN good earth?
 
Fanum said:
Are you testing using the live and supplied earth, or the live and a KNOWN good earth?
Click to expand...

Hi Bill,

I am just testing across the two pins on the plug - I'll try using the battery negative terminal for earth and see if it makes a difference...

Mike :thumb2
 
Mike O said:
Hi Bill,

I am just testing across the two pins on the plug - I'll try using the battery negative terminal for earth and see if it makes a difference...

Mike :thumb2
Click to expand...

OK - used the battery negative as an earth - still no power to the plug...

Mike
 
Aye.....dip beam SHOULD come on with ignition, even if engine not running.

Looks like it's a feed between ignition switch and dip beam Mike.......possibly the classic brittle wire headstock loom syndrome, or the switch end itself.

Have a grope of the headstock loom and see if you get an intermittent flash of dip beam, then I guess it's a case of starting at the ignition switch and checking the feed from that (Grey with black stripe I think) back towards the switchgear. (even without a switch for the dip beam, the supply for it does go via the switchgear block I think)

Alternatively, if you have some self-amalgamating tape around, strip the insulation from the headstock loom anyway.......there's a pretty good chance that on a bike of that age, there will be some wire degradation anyway, even if it's not causing the dip beam problem......and at worst, you'll know it's all nice and decent in there before you bandage it up again :thumb2
 
Fanum said:
Aye.....dip beam SHOULD come on with ignition, even if engine not running.

Looks like it's a feed between ignition switch and dip beam Mike.......possibly the classic brittle wire headstock loom syndrome, or the switch end itself.

Have a grope of the headstock loom and see if you get an intermittent flash of dip beam, then I guess it's a case of starting at the ignition switch and checking the feed from that (Grey with black stripe I think) back towards the switchgear. (even without a switch for the dip beam, the supply for it does go via the switchgear block I think)

Alternatively, if you have some self-amalgamating tape around, strip the insulation from the headstock loom anyway.......there's a pretty good chance that on a bike of that age, there will be some wire degradation anyway, even if it's not causing the dip beam problem......and at worst, you'll know it's all nice and decent in there before you bandage it up again :thumb2
Click to expand...

Two snags Bill:

1. I'm pretty sure that would affect Main Beam too
2. I replaced the ignition loom with a new one as a precaution earlier this week and did a successful functionality check afterwards :D

Is there a way of switching the dipped beam off? I seem to remember there was - could I have inadvertantly done this? I've disconneccted the battery negative terminal to (hopefully) clear any electronic gremlin reasons, but with no effect...

Mike :confused:
 
Mike O said:
Two snags Bill:

1. I'm pretty sure that would affect Main Beam too
2. I replaced the ignition loom with a new one as a precaution earlier this week and did a successful functionality check afterwards :D

Is there a way of switching the dipped beam off? I seem to remember there was - could I have inadvertantly done this? I've disconneccted the battery negative terminal to (hopefully) clear any electronic gremlin reasons, but with no effect...

Mike :confused:
Click to expand...

Not on an eleven fiddy I don't think
Canbus bikes yes, and there's a degree of programming you can do with a kissan signalminder, but not involving dip beam.
It might affect the main beam too, but if it's the switch, it might not.
The autoswitch fitment is also a suspect, if it isn't correctly fitted :nenau
 
OK - stuff I've now tested:

Connected power and earth directly to the headlamp socket - HID firews up as expected, so its definitely a power supply problem.

Disconnected the only Autoswitch connection I made before noticing the failure (purple Autoswitch wire to the 'Power On' connection of the BMW fog lamp loom) - this had no effect (as expected).

I'm a bit flummoxed as to what to do next. The problem doesnt seem to be in any of the areas I have done work and the light was working perfectly a week or so ago when Peter & I fitted it. The two cables disappear into the loom ahead of the headstock...

Anybody got any ideas?

Mike :confused:
 
Mike O said:
OK - stuff I've now tested:

Connected power and earth directly to the headlamp socket - HID firews up as expected, so its definitely a power supply problem.

Disconnected the only Autoswitch connection I made before noticing the failure (purple Autoswitch wire to the 'Power On' connection of the BMW fog lamp loom) - this had no effect (as expected).

I'm a bit flummoxed as to what to do next. The problem doesnt seem to be in any of the areas I have done work and the light was working perfectly a week or so ago when Peter & I fitted it. The two cables disappear into the loom ahead of the headstock...

Anybody got any ideas?

Mike :confused:
Click to expand...

Ah :blast

I completely missed the fact t hat it's an HID Mike, sorry.

HID's need a whacking great jolt of electrickery to get started....30-40 thousand volts, with enough amperage to strike the arc behind it.

I suspect that there's not enough oomph there to strike the initial arc.

Hmmm, hold on, no, you would at least have power to the ballast :confused:

Nope, (typing as i think here)

lemme ponder for a bit.
 
Fanum the Dip beam power as such would merely "initiate" the invertor which has a direct feed from the battery thru a fuse

Mike the Dip beam on a now has a link on the switch plug where it goes into the main loom under the tank on the top of the headstock previously this was a couple of wires up to the light switch May be worth checking them
 
If you suspect there maybe a break in the wiring of the low beam positive, an old trick is to push a dress makers pin through the wire insulation into the centre core and test along a wire length. It maybe you have a break somewhere along the length of the wire from headlamp connector to solder joint X9489.

According to the wiring diagram you should have continuity between the positives of both the high and low when you press either the flash or high beam switch.
 
Fanum said:
Ah :blast

I completely missed the fact t hat it's an HID Mike, sorry.

HID's need a whacking great jolt of electrickery to get started....30-40 thousand volts, with enough amperage to strike the arc behind it.

I suspect that there's not enough oomph there to strike the initial arc.

Hmmm, hold on, no, you would at least have power to the ballast :confused:

Nope, (typing as i think here)

lemme ponder for a bit.
Click to expand...

Yep - this is not an HID problem. When power is directly connected to the headlamp shroud connectors the HID fires up as expected (plus the main beam HID fires up normally). There is no power getting as far as the headlamp plug...

Mike :nenau
 
DrFarkoff said:
Fanum the Dip beam power as such would merely "initiate" the invertor which has a direct feed from the battery thru a fuse

Mike the Dip beam on a now has a link on the switch plug where it goes into the main loom under the tank on the top of the headstock previously this was a couple of wires up to the light switch May be worth checking them
Click to expand...

Sorry Doc, could you expand on the first part of your second para?

Mike :cool:
 
Ian J Hartley said:
If you suspect there maybe a break in the wiring of the low beam positive, an old trick is to push a dress makers pin through the wire insulation into the centre core and test along a wire length. It maybe you have a break somewhere along the length of the wire from headlamp connector to solder joint X9489.

According to the wiring diagram you should have continuity between the positives of both the high and low when you press either the flash or high beam switch.
Click to expand...

Hi Ian,


I was hoping you'd chime in... :D

Looking at the schematic (I'm using the one from the Clymer manual), the dipped beam wire colour should be White and Brown (earth). My bike has Green/Blue and Brown.

The schematic shows the 'White' wire connected to both multi-function switches. In the 'American' (dipped always on) version on the RH multi-function switch there is a bridge between White, Green/Blue and Black/Blue. The Black/Blue comes from the ignition switch and the Green Blue goes to Fuse 7 and Fuse 4 (Horn & Heated Grips respectively).

I'm still bemused...

Mike :(
 
Follow RH switchgear loom down to where it joins the main loom

YOU will see a loop between two pins of the block I think on the switchgear side of the plug that is the "link" I was talking about

It should be Positive up to the loop from the loom and goes back into the loom to feed the sidelights (grey black trace) and the dip beam circuit



Mike O said:
Sorry Doc, could you expand on the first part of your second para?

Mike :cool:
Click to expand...
 
DrFarkoff said:
Follow RH switchgear loom down to where it joins the main loom

YOU will see a loop between two pins of the block I think on the switchgear side of the plug that is the "link" I was talking about

It should be Positive up to the loop from the loom and goes back into the loom to feed the sidelights (grey black trace) and the dip beam circuit
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll go and check. For info - the side light is working as normal (as is the rear light).

Mike :cool:
 
Hi Doc,

No sign of a loop on either side of the multi-pin plug. I have removed the RH switchgear so I can examine it in the warm (it's bloody freezing in the garage :D).

I had this switchgear apart recently to replace a fried Indicator Cancel switch. I am sure I dod a full function check before I replaced it, but I may have missed something, so I'm taking the lid off it.

The schematic I'm using is a pain in the arse, since the colours are clearly those used in the pre-UK lights on version... :mad:

Mike :cool:
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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