The Hodaka Club Forum

I swapped out the hi/low turn signal switch and same results. Still no power to headlight.

So now I’m off to test the green wires from the headlight bucket to the voltage regulator. Argh....

This is so frustrating. And of course, it couldn’t be something simple. Victor

Is it a possibility the AC/DC switch could be fried? I’m running out of ideas. Victor

I wonder if you would be interested in a 1970 Ace 100, I believe it is all original, I think I am ready to sell.

Where are you located? Victor

In all this wire pushing & pulling, I found just today that the brown wire recently broke off the AC/DC switch. Had to solder it back on. But, this broken wire is not the cause of my headlight failure. If you look at the previously posted picture of the wiring in the bucket, you can see it was still attached there. Now, back at it, testing again and confirming connections with the wiring diagram. This is getting old....

Victor

Um, actually - when I click on the photo of the wiring to look at the full size version. The brown wire is pretty clearly broken free from the solder stud.
Ed

Victor do you use acid core or rosin core radio solder. Soldering is a bit of a science as you can have a cold connection. Clarence

Good eye Captain. I missed that on initial examination. It looks like the insulation is melted to the stud and that's all. Perhaps the conductor comes out at an angle and is indeed making proper contact but one can't tell from the photo. Victor, have you examined each and every wire with a voltage presence detector? There may be an occult breakage somewhere.

Well, the wire is back in place now. So I guess my golden question would be,
Is the disconnect of the brown wire sufficient to make the headlamp NOT work?

Good catch Captain! I guess I’ll know in a little while. Victor

Victor are you checking with the engine running or not? With the engine not running you should have 6 volts at the red wire on the switch where the brown wire was broke. If the engine is running you should have juice at the green wire at the emergency switch. ----------Clarence

Yes Clarence, with engine running. It’s a pain in the butt removing the tank, on & off, on & off so I’m going to make a fuel bottle I can hang so I don’t have to put the tank back on until I’m done. Victor

Victor
1 do you have electricity getting to the headlight bucket in the red wire when the battery is charged?
2 is there electricity to the headlight bucket in the green wire from the wire loom when the engine is running?
A simple harbor freight tester will tell you or a six volt bulb with wires soldered on it.

Clarence. I will retest again today, as soon as I get home from school. I’ll post my findings this evening. Hopefully, that’s all it was. We will soon know. Victor

[attachment=0]IMG_20180404_135210279~2-800x614.jpg[/attachment

Excuse my drawing skills, no computer handy.

Simplified from supposedly a road toad diagram.
Test procedure
1. Verify 6v at red lug emergency switch.
2. Remove bullet plug connector where green wire from magneto connects to emergency switch and dimmer switch.
3. Place jumper from red lug at emergency switch to open connector where you just removed wire from magneto.
You should have 6v on light blue or yellow wire at the headlight dependant on the position of the switch. The light should be on.
If it is on you are not getting voltage from the magneto. If it is not on, open the blue wire connector closest to the headlight. Place a jumper from that point to the negative battery terminal. If the light comes on you have an issue between the circuit that this jumper bypassed.
If the light does not come on suspect the light socket if you have already proven the light is good.

Geary confusing with too many fingers i'm out. We need saddle time for Victor. Watching from the side. ------------ Clarence

Headed outside to test & see if was that brown wire faking me out or not..... Victor

Sorry Clarence, didn't mean to confuse the issue at all. I should have posted this on the other thread where I was trying to help Victor on this same issue. I didn't see a follow up so I assumed the discussion moved here.
Please don't sit this out. That could leave Victor relying on me. That's just scary
Geary

Geary You did not confuse the issue, I just thought it may be easier for Victor to follow one line of thought. Good to see others helping out good thing! ------------- Clarence

It works it works it works!!! Both Low & High Beam!!! AMEN!!!

Washed the bike, need to put new oil in the tranny and off to MVD we go!!!

Thanks to everyone for all their help & support! Now to finish the Green Toad!

Wish I could take a picture of the bike all cleaned up with the headlight on, but I don’t have any oil in the tranny presently because I drained it out t Teflon tape the oil plug. Victor

Don’t know if I ever showed the kill switches I bought for the Toads since their perch mounted ones wouldn’t work. But here’s what I got and where it’s mounted. Victor

Sweet scooter, Victor. Glad the issue is resolved. Just kibbitzing here, but you might want to consider placing a dollop of silicone sealant where the wires enter the hollow mounting bolts of the blinkers so that water doesn't run in there and cause all sorts of mischief and mayhem down inside the light housing. Some folks mount the blinkers to sit above the bars, but I think the low-mounted position is more protective of the light fixture. That does open the possibility of rain or wash water collecting in the hollow bolt and following the wire down into the light housing. That move might also provide a bit of strain relief for the wires and keep them from abraiding and possibly shorting to ground.

Can you believe this? I put everything back together, changed the oil, figured out I forgot to put the sprocket collar on & corrected it. Started the bike & BANG!!! No head light AGAIN!!!! Where’s my gun????

Also, now the tail light is only working when the switch is on DC.

Off with the seat & check the harness connections underneath. Victor

Victor, for the life of me I can't figure out a single reason why everything works one minute and the next, its kaput. What changes take place between "good to go" to "AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!" phases of this conundrum. I'm wondering about the "put everything back together" phase. If you look under the seat of my Road Toad, there is a bird nest of with under there. I'm sure yours is the same. Does your seat install effortlessly or do you have to jam it into position? Could something be getting smooshed and pinched/shorted under there after the seat install? Ditto with the tank install.

The connection that got bumped and made it work is the same connection that got bumped and made it unwork. Or something that is grounding. Like water in the hose where do you run out of water? Junction 1, 2, 3. ?? ------------ Clarence

Matt. I’m with you & Clarence on this one. I took the seat off to test the green wires for connectivity. They tested fine. Reconnected them and at some point after that I started the bike & the headlight came on.

Then I had to push the battery holder back up into position & mount the seat. The seat has enough clearance.

If you remember correctly, I had the wrong model seat but cured it by welding extensions on the bracket. This raised the back of the seat about 3/4”.

So I suspect it is somewhere down by the battery box and moving it up and down, as Clarence suggests, may be the culprit to my problem. I’ll work on it tomorrow afternoon. Today is my grand daughter’s 3rd Birthday Party! Victor