Reverse engineering an Ignition Switch Failure

Well, I have reversed engineered my ignition switch from my 2006 FJR that failed with 18,500 miles on it.



In the above photgraph, you see my ignition switch with my addition of two test leads. There are four wires exiting this switch. Two large wires with a white connector and two smaller wires with a red connector.



The above is a back view showing the wire bundle exiting the switch. Note, the wire tie used as a choke. I believe it is important to have some type of choke on this wire bundle.



The small group of wire with ignition off showing "OL" or off level. This is proper functioning.



The above show proper functioning for the small wires with key on- Zero ohms.



Key off and large group is OL. Okay so far.



This above picture shows the electrical failure. Key is on and the large group is showing an open circuit.



Well before I crack it open, is anyone interested how the steering lock is done? The small bolt on the top in the above photo slides out and locks the head. Cool. Back to the topic.



The bottom security screws have been drilled. The white part has various electrical contacts that slide along a PC board (on next photo). The white part is connected to a shaft which is the key tumbler part of the lock. Therefor, the upper part is a tumbler and the lower part is a switch.



My wire DID NOT pull out of the PC board. I checked them visually and electronically. They were all OK.



Another view of the switch.



Well, some astute folks may wonder what happened to cause failure? Scooter will like this one. The area between the white part and the PC board shown in the picture labelled "Another view of the switch" was grimmy and dirty. I take full responsiblity for this switch failure. At about 8K miles, I washed my bike and mistakenly left the keys in the ignition. I was worried about my ignition rusting since some water must have run down the key and intruded the tumbler. I used about 5-6 drops of graphite lube (Dry graphite in a fine oil). This ran down the tumbler and coated the switch. Over time the switch picked up grime and failed.

My recommendation- if you are having ignition failure, first try to use contact cleaner into the bottom weep hole. You can see the weep hole in the last photo below the "43H". It is hard to see but it is there.

OK, so the little plastic flap that is supposed to close when the ignition key is pulled out has been inop on my '06 for several months. Would this indicate that I may be susceptible to a similar failure with water, etc seeping down the tumbler section?

Would it be beneficial to shoot contact cleaner down the tumbler as well?

Cleaner is ok , I use a lubricate designed for electrical work spray the key and down the switch. No problems

The O.L. does not stand for off level on that meter

ponyfool said:

OK, so the little plastic flap that is supposed to close when the ignition key is pulled out has been inop on my '06 for several months. Would this indicate that I may be susceptible to a similar failure with water, etc seeping down the tumbler section?
Would it be beneficial to shoot contact cleaner down the tumbler as well?

Click to expand...

No, if it works then don't mess with it. I helped cause this failure by putting oil on the tumblers which transferred to the switch. When the switch collected dirt which combined with the oil to form a tough GRIME. This wasn't the type of grime that would have been removed by cycling the switch. Normal dirt would not collect without the oil to make it stick.

Do not add oil to your switch!!!!

Thank you for your investigation.

questions:

What is contact cleaner and where do I get it?

Will compressed air blasted in there accomplish the same thing (cleaning out the grime)?

Is the "43" hole accessible when its installed?

thank you again for this.

Great write up. I will be sure to take the key out from now on while washing the bike, and make an effort to keep it cleaner. I doubt that this is what has been causing all of the ignition switch failures, but it is a place to start on the preventative maintenance road.

I knew there was a reason to never wash my bike again :yahoo:

Excellent write-up Barry! Posts like these are just an excellent source of great information. Well done! Bravo Zulu!

The next time we happen to be occupying space next to each other in some sort of drinking establishment, the beverage of your choice is on me.

Barabus said:

Scooter will like this one. The area between the white part and the PC board shown in the picture labelled "Another view of the switch" was grimmy and dirty. I take full responsiblity for this switch failure. At about 8K miles, I washed my bike and mistakenly left the keys in the ignition. I was worried about my ignition rusting since some water must have run down the key and intruded the tumbler. I used about 5-6 drops of graphite lube (Dry graphite in a fine oil). This ran down the tumbler and coated the switch. Over time the switch picked up grime and failed.
My recommendation- if you are having ignition failure, first try to use contact cleaner into the bottom weep hole. You can see the weep hole in the last photo below the "43H". It is hard to see but it is there.

Click to expand...

Very interesting. Where the fuke is Carver?

Thanks for sharing some good info.

Barabus said:

This wasn't the type of grime that would have been removed by cycling the switch.

Click to expand...

You 'were there' so to speak and saw it firsthand, but I am skeptical. Numerous cycles of the switch could very well have scraped enough of the grime off of the contacts to allow it to operate again. No doubt, a good cleaner would be best, but if out on the road, cycling the switch a bazillion times sure can't hurt to try and get it going.

Very informative and very well done. One thing everyone needs to watch out for if they decide to use any kind of spray contact cleaner. Some contact cleaners on the market do and will actually melt plastic much like glue used to do to the older plastic models of cars and trucks. I work in the elevator industry and have seen first hand how some of these cleaners ruin a perfectly good part, the stuff works but real the label first. I think you may get a little upset at yourself when you see your ignition switch stuck in what ever position it's in when the plastic gets activated and dries.

When I wash my bike I just wrap plastic in and around the entire top tree where the ignition switch is.

rickcorwn said:

I knew there was a reason to never wash my bike again :yahoo:

Click to expand...

Well, it was not the washing that caused this failure. Instead, the oil and 10K miles of fine dirt that produced the grime. The grime caused the switch failure.

Additionally, if I were to trouble shoot this failure with my current knowledge, then I would cycle the switch repeatedly. If I got the speddo and tach to sweep, then I would assume it was a grimmy switch. Then I would use the proper electrical contact cleaner. Note, in my previous post I detailed how I used a zip tie to put pressure on the key to get home. In this type of event, I would be fairly sure cleaner and light air from a turned down compressor would solve the problem.

I was also with Don Carver when his ignition failed due to the red wire pulling out of the PC board. His needle would not sweep until he messed with the wires. This type of failure is different. Carver's failure was much more catastrophic and he needed to do the hot wire trick to get going.

In view of the above, I recommend a three step process to trouble shooting:

1) Cycle the switch a million times. A billion times if you are Scooter since we know that guy is an overachiever. Hopefully, that works;

2) Try to exert downward pressure on the switch while wiggling it to try to get the needles to sweep. If they sweep then use a zip tie around the switch housing and thru the key (or over the key) and try to regain functionality, then contact cleaner; and

3) Wiggle the wire bundle with the key on and look for needles to sweep. If they do or as a last resort, clip the wires (big to big and small to small) and hot wire.

So, if your ignition is 'sticky', what's the best thing to do? Obviously no graphite...

SkooterG said:

Very interesting. Where the fuke is Carver?

Click to expand...

Here I am Skoot! Still stranded on Wild Rose road, Death Valley, with no power and a red wire, contact point included, just flapping in the breeze!

..and, if I may, I'd like to present a counterpoint. Barabus may have sealed the deal by using the spray of death injected into the switch innards, but most have not. I look at this as the exception, rather than the rule, of switch failures on the FJR.

I mean, I mean, there I was, sitting on the FJR ignition failure bench, with mother rapers, FATHER rapers, when it occurred to me that no other bike I've ever owned has had ignition switch failures (Bmw, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, Yamaha, et al) yet the FJR is prone to failure. With apologies to Arlo...

On the other hand, 'fess up Barabus, just how many gallons of splooge *did* you shoot down that switch? Would you name the brand of graphite/oil used?

..or, was it the 10 trips up and down my dirt road that killed your FJR? Too much dust? :blink:

My current thinking is that Gen II bikes have, at best, a very fragile switch mechanism, one that is easily compromised e.g. Barabus'ized, or prone to failure. I bet most folks who have had switch failures have *NOT* sprayed oil into the mechanism.

EDIT - (added)

It's interesting that Barry was able to make the switch work by applying pressure. Makes a fellow wonder if the contact pressure between the wiper and contact point is too light. If so, that would explain why even the smallest amount of 'dirt' between switch wiper and contact pad would cause an open.

jeremybhm said:

So, if your ignition is 'sticky', what's the best thing to do? Obviously no graphite...

Click to expand...

Maybe WD-40 or dry graphite. I really don't know.

dcarver said:

On the other hand, 'fess up Barabus, just how many gallons of splooge *did* you shoot down that switch? Would you name the brand of graphite/oil used?
..or, was it the 10 trips up and down my dirt road that killed your FJR? Too much dust? :blink:

EDIT - (added)

It's interesting that Barry was able to make the switch work by applying pressure. Makes a fellow wonder if the contact pressure between the wiper and contact point is too light. If so, that would explain why even the smallest amount of 'dirt' between switch wiper and contact pad would cause an open.

Click to expand...

Okay, I thought I was fessing up. I used AGS brand "Lock-Ease" Graphited Lock Fluid. As to the amount, yeah probably used gallons. LOL. Comes in a 3.4 oz (100ml) container that I have used for about 15 years and is still half full. So the upper limit is about 1.7 oz, but in reality I do not know exactly how much I used. It was probably 5-6 drops +/- a few drops.

Link to oil NOT to be used in the FJR ignition

I have thought about the weak wiper which I called the white part in my pictures. Well, it is a damned if you do and damned if you don't for Yamaha because greater spring tension would lead to more wear. However, I must say that the oilly grime needed to make my switch fail was suprisingly little. I had to look at it under good light and at an oblique angle to see it.

I've always used WD40 a couple of times a year down the ignition switch and not had any problems for many bikes..... well until this FJR. I know mine was a wiring problem at the switch though.

Anyone need a law degree? I think Barry has one for sale...

:lol:

Nice work, Barry! :good:

Graphite is crap for that. As well as WD40, since it's oily. Best product for key holes IMO is 'dry silicon spray'. It's clear, not sticky, and doesn't smell. Later.

JC