Right head light not working

[Dawg68]

dawg68
i agree that all current passes through the ignition switch. and i believe that the head light current is what causes the ignition switch to go bad because of the first initial contact spark inside the ignition switch each time you turn on the switch keeps deteriorating the switch until the contacts can no longer carry the electrical load. that is why you need to remove the headlight current from the ignition switch.
however it does make a difference in what order you turn on the kill switch or ign. switch.
if you turn on the ign. switch first with the kill switch on the electrical contact will be made inside the switch,
if you turn on the ign. switch then the kill switch the electrical contact will be made inside the kill switch.
and the same is true for turning it off.

Kinda...... Like I mentioned earlier, irregardless of your initial starting or stopping sequence, current from the circuit, based on how the manufacturer wired the ignition circuit, will flow through the ignition switch. The current that flows through the switch is all dependant on the load that draws it, like the headlamps for one example. It's the constant current draw through the ignition switch, if excessive, can cause pre mature failure of the switch itself. I think what you are trying to say is that if you leave the kill switch on and turn on your ignition the initial contact between the contact points cause an arc and after a time can burn. This is why you use the kill switch to turn on and off your bike. I understand your logic completely. It's a change in electrical potential that causes the spark and believe it or not, the initial current draw from that spark is very small, not enough to damage anything. If this initial change in potential was large enough, yes the contacts could burn on initial contact, this is not the case. I'm not saying your method of starting or stoping your bike is incorrect, I'm just saying I don't believe it will prevent ignition failure. It's just normal wear and tear on the switch, just like every other ignition switch in the world on what ever vehicle.

When the ignition switch is closed, bike running, the contacts inside the ignition are no different than a piece of wire and just like a piece of wire, it will only handle a certain amount of current to flow through it before it burns up. That said if the current draw causes enough heat it could melt plastic parts in the ignition and cause many problems.

This is why some fellas have installed the beaver in order to reduce the amount of current draw through the ignition switch, this is a good thing. Reduce current flow, reduce heat.

I am in the process of installing a relay controlled fuse block so that I can add whatever accessory I want and it will be in dependant of the rockets wiring harness.

The only theory I have with respect to fellas having ignition problems is that the ignition switches that Triumph used may not be able to handle the amount of current that flows through them. I have the ability to measure the current flow through the switch but I don't know the specs on the switches so I can only speculate.

Back to the original post......is your headlamp working?

Cheers all

 

[Zen2osho]

After reading all these iam close to conclude to ride as "one eyed jack" as using both headlights can cause issues to the switch !! Iam tryin to order the eb kit, once i get it I will fix the headlights!!

 

[TURBO200R4]

Friends,

My rocket is new 2012 Roadster, Do i still need the eastern beaver kit!! because i saw somewhere that the ignition switch probs was rectified after 2011 models?? Pls clarify, so that i could order the same.
Thanks
ZEn

to my best knowledge your roadster has a an extra relay and takes the current out of the ign. switch
i don't know the year they started doing it that way. and to my best knowledge they only did it on the roadster.
some one can correct me if i am wrong.

 

[idk]

If both the high and low beams went out at the same time only one headlight, then I would suspect the ground (earth) wire or one of its connections.

 

[TURBO200R4]

If both the high and low beams went out at the same time only one headlight, then I would suspect the ground (earth) wire or one of its connections.

real good theory.
all can be checked with the volt and ohm meter.

 

[HansO]

Kinda...... Like I mentioned earlier, irregardless of your initial starting or stopping sequence, current from the circuit, based on how the manufacturer wired the ignition circuit, will flow through the ignition switch. The current that flows through the switch is all dependant on the load that draws it, like the headlamps for one example. It's the constant current draw through the ignition switch, if excessive, can cause pre mature failure of the switch itself. I think what you are trying to say is that if you leave the kill switch on and turn on your ignition the initial contact between the contact points cause an arc and after a time can burn. This is why you use the kill switch to turn on and off your bike. I understand your logic completely. It's a change in electrical potential that causes the spark and believe it or not, the initial current draw from that spark is very small, not enough to damage anything. If this initial change in potential was large enough, yes the contacts could burn on initial contact, this is not the case. I'm not saying your method of starting or stoping your bike is incorrect, I'm just saying I don't believe it will prevent ignition failure. It's just normal wear and tear on the switch, just like every other ignition switch in the world on what ever vehicle.

When the ignition switch is closed, bike running, the contacts inside the ignition are no different than a piece of wire and just like a piece of wire, it will only handle a certain amount of current to flow through it before it burns up. That said if the current draw causes enough heat it could melt plastic parts in the ignition and cause many problems.

This is why some fellas have installed the beaver in order to reduce the amount of current draw through the ignition switch, this is a good thing. Reduce current flow, reduce heat.

I am in the process of installing a relay controlled fuse block so that I can add whatever accessory I want and it will be in dependant of the rockets wiring harness.

The only theory I have with respect to fellas having ignition problems is that the ignition switches that Triumph used may not be able to handle the amount of current that flows through them. I have the ability to measure the current flow through the switch but I don't know the specs on the switches so I can only speculate.

Back to the original post......is your headlamp working?

Cheers all

correct and another thing most people forget is that the switch is too lightly made to handle the load but then some guys turnaround and put in brighter globes which just adds to the excessive load on the switch

 

[HansO]

to my best knowledge your roadster has a an extra relay and takes the current out of the ign. switch
i don't know the year they started doing it that way. and to my best knowledge they only did it on the roadster.
some one can correct me if i am wrong.

yes only latest years and I believe they retro fitted them to 2010 on a recall, but it is only a Bandaid Solution to the problem and wont give brighter lights as the Hi/Low beam switch now cops the heavy load and will more than likely overheat in time, this is why the EB or self made two relay harness cures the problem permanently and gives brighter lights as the power thru ignition and Hi/Low i reduced from 30 amps to about 3amps to switch the relays on and the power coming from the battery to lights now only has one point of resistance at the relay giving stronger brighter lights

 

[TURBO200R4]

Dawg 68 i would like your opinion on something i have been wondering about.
on the old distributors when the points wears out in about 20,000 miles is it the arching or is it the excessive current draw and does the contacts wear more when they open or when they are closing. i have always been curious about that.
herman

 

[Dawg68]

Dawg 68 i would like your opinion on something i have been wondering about.
on the old distributors when the points wears out in about 20,000 miles is it the arching or is it the excessive current draw and does the contacts wear more when they open or when they are closing. i have always been curious about that.
herman

I'll do my best as I'm not a mechanic so I'll give you my thoughts as an electronics technician.

A little basic refresher on how this system works, no insult intended it's just how I work, I talk problems through. The distributor is comprised of a cap and a rotor, the rotor spins inside the cap and picks up an electrical charge from the ignition coil. Now here is where the crap happens, the average ignition coil can produce up to 40,000 volts and push approximately 8 amps of current. As the points close it allows current to flow through the primary winding of the coil creating a magnetic filed in the secondary winding of the coil. When the points open it allows the field to collapse allowing this high voltage to be induced to the center post of the distributor.

There is also a capacitor or sometime called a condenser connected across the points, simply, if this capacitor is missing or defective it will allow the ignition coil to discharge through the points causing arcing at the points and a weak spark at the plugs. Even with a proper, working capacitor there is some arcing at the points which cause burning resulting in increased resistance, increased resistance causes heat and heat is bad.

Your question is difficult to have a definitive answer as there are so many variables to ignition systems, moving parts, high voltage and current, timing etc.... All that said these electrical changes in the distributor happen many times a second so heat and arcing is an issue and is irrelevant of the state of the points being open or closed, it's just the design of the system and the laws of electricity that result in problems. The faster you drive and the higher rpm of the engine can cause premature failure of the points, as you speed up the cycle of electrical charging and discharging of the system causes more arcing and heat, reducing the effectiveness of the ignition system. The slower you drive without reving the engine, the longer the ignition parts will last. So along with all the parts of the ignition system, driving habits also play a part.

Not sure if this answers your question but I hope it helps.

Cheers

 

[Zen2osho]

I fixed the headlight last week, it was a silly error from the dealer , the couplers of the headlights wiring was not connected, when i opened the plastic near the tank i found it!! Anyway have imported the Eastern beaver waiting for the Stebel horn wiring harness and 20 Ah battery , so i could do all the wiring at the same time!

Thanks all for help!