Intermittent Ignition Switch

[Patriot]

'04 Gen 1 ... 166k miles

so, today, the ignition switch has turned flaky

only works when key turned halfway

key turned off, bike dead (of course, normal)

key turned all the way to stop at "on" mark where the key stops, bike is dead

key turned halfway toward on, bike alive

as turning to full on, as it passes halfway, it momentarily connects and then goes off as turned past halfway to "on" mark where it stops

so, is there a fix to try besides replacing the switch which I dread and don't want to deal with

if I really should / have to replace it, how hard is it and do I get to use my same key

a local friend put a MCL riser plate on his '08 and I remember him having to drill security screws to do it...I assume that's part of replacing the ignition

I'm sure he would help me do it

I just want to squirt some contact cleaner somewhere and it be ok

 

[wfooshee]

Well, when you were over to my place a couple weeks ago, you saw that I gave up on mine and wired a switch on the two big wires. I still have to turn the key on to close the other circuit. I just can't be bothered to pull the top of the tree and then the switch. Lazy. Wired the external switch, works for me.

I know that's not good enough for you. First off, there's no place to put a damn switch on your bike!

That's all you need is another set of wires hanging around the triple tree!

As for removing the keyswitch, you have to remove the top plate of the triple tree. That comes off without disturbing the actual steering head. Just remove the giant nut, loosen the clamps on the tops of the fork tubes, disconnect the ignition switch connectors, and up she comes. (That's after getting all your other shit out of the way first.) The bolts holding the switch will have to have the heads drilled off, and you can find new bolts anywhere to put the switch back in. Once the switch is out, well, I dunno. Like I said, I never done it. I'm told you can take the bottom off of it and check the solder connections and contacts inside.

 

[mdisher]

Original switch? Really it's drop dead easy to replace.

The documents for the recall switch replacement are online somewhere, step by step. Now you just need to find a switch. May or may not get to keep the same key, depends on how you do it. With the recall switch, I was able to separate the key part form the switch part and still have the same key. If you buy one used off ebay, that might not be the case.

-MD

 

[mdisher]

Here you go... $30 and about a half a six-pack worth of work and you're done.

https://bit.ly/15OEqUL

 

[wfooshee]

Recall was on Gen-II switches, not Gen-I. Wasn't it?

That eBay switch is right, and a locksmith ought to be able to make it match the existing key, or like mdisher said, mate the existing lockset part to the new electrical part. And it might be found that the old switch is an easy fix on the contacts.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Recall was on Gen-II switches, not Gen-I. Wasn't it?

You are correct sir..

 

[Patriot]

Here you go... $30 and about a half a six-pack worth of work and you're done.
https://bit.ly/15OEqUL

$46 and located in China

no, really, thanx...seller has very good feedback

interesting it says more than 10 available...what's with that ???

 

[Patriot]

it's weird...it sat in my garage since 3pm and cycled it twice, same

then tried a 3rd time and more, worked normal

strange, but guess it's wearing out

 

[Patriot]

Zorlac: May 2010

I just shoot some Pro Gold into the weep hole with the switch still on the bike, no troubles since.

I've got the Pro Gold...can anybody tell me where the weep hole is with switch still on the bike ???

I was able to insert the straw what would be the length of the key all the way into the keyhole and squirt like mad

 

[Brodie]

Mike

You are suffering from a switch that most likely has seen a thermal overload in it's contact plate at the bottom of the switch housing. My ignition switch back in 2008 had just that same issue. All the power your bike uses passes through that single contact plate and after time can suffer from increased resistance due to dirt or oxidation of the metals involved. Take a little time to study what is inside these electrical switches here. I believe your switch can be salvaged simply by indexing the contact carrier to use the second set of contacts currently unused. If you decide to get a replacement switch, look for a Gen. 2 recall switch, the one designed to address the original switch's shortcommings. The recall switch has the yellow tag near it's connectors. It also has a white wire in the harness which parallels the red wire. I believe the connectors will be able to connect up with your bike's harness even though the colors may be a bit off.

This is what an electrical thermal overload can do to the contact carrier on our ignition switches...

As you can see the contact can become cocked askew when rotated and fail to make the desired connection. When you index the carrier 180 degrees you will in effect have a brand new switch. That is what I did with my original switch and it lasted (with the help of my Ignition Relay Harness) until I took advantage of the recall for the Gen. 2 bikes. You are not the only Gen. 1 owner who has suffered from this flakey ignition switch. There have been others - just not so many as the Gen. 2 crowd.

As for gaining access to the internal workings of your switch - don't worry, it is easier than digging it out judging from the pictures you have posted here of what your dash looks like. Just go to Sears and get a set of miniature easy outs and go after them with a cordless drill.

Good luck.

Brodie

 

[Brodie]

If you want to try the Pro Gold route, the weep hole is at the bottom of the switch housing near where the wires enter into it. As mounted it is at the lowest point of the switch housing facing the bike's headset. Trying to squirt through the key hole will not get to the contact area, there is a shield covering it keeping the elements from doing just that.

Brodie

 

[Brodie]

By the way, the ignition switch shown in the eBay add also shows it's electrical connectors. They are a direct swap with the Gen. 2 connectors. Just the color of the small one and it's wires are different.

The large white connector's heavy wires actually do the switching of the ignition. The smaller blue wires from the green connector perform the same function as the kill switch on your right handlebar. On the Gen. 2 recall switch the small wires are also blue / blue with yellow stripe but have a red connector. The green connector and it's red counterpart are of the same specification - that is, they will directly plug in to the mating connector on your bike's main wire harness. If the color mismatch bothers you, its a simple matter to swap the connector bodies from one ignition switch harness to the other. Electrically they are the same as the Gen. 2 set up. Trust me, the Gen. 2 recall switch will be plug and play with your superior Gen. 1 bike.

Brodie

 

[Patriot]

45k mi ago, I purchased & installed an Eastern Beaver dual headlight harness so the headlights power direct off the battery with a relay switched by the ignition switch.

That probably gave me more time...

 

[Patriot]

update:

my ignition switch worked fine all day yesterday for 500miles of starting and stopping.

the night before, I sprayed pro gold liberally into the weep holed using the world's longest straw

I'll see how it goes from here

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of my always helpful peeps

THANX BRODIE !!!