The International CBX Owners Association

I tuned up the CBX. Replaced alternator clutches and spring when a charging problem occured, and it had been "chirping" lately plates were badly grooved and spring at least 2mm shorter (See previous posts). Buttoned it all up. Turned on key; dash lights out(?) motor starts, dash lights go on but signal idiot lights glow faintly, and dash lights flicker at low rpm. Signals work normal. Dash lights go on only when engine running and that WIERD glow from both signal idiot lights means something is really WIERD. Bike runs normal (as in real nice), except a little reluctant to start when hot and this really WIERD dash light thing. Seems like something is glowing inside. Anybody got a clue?

--You have an open circuit to a ground,or your ignition switch may have tanked,likely source would be the alternator plug.......the white & black wires are for the rotor field and,if the plug is messed up,it will create an open circuit and likely not charge as well.The black wire from the regulator/rectifier eventually ends up at the ignition switch and feeds power to all the idiot lites and is a voltage source thru another wire to the turn signal dash lites;gets its power source from the ignition switch straight from the battery hot feed and is the trigger source for the reg/rectifier.

--If you have a schematic on the CBX,get it out,I'll bet money that your alternator plug was toasted or has corrosion in it just the same!Keep us posted!

Andy,

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you find a 'definite' fix for your 'weird' turn signal symptoms - let us know what you find. I have been looking at the wiring diagram for the '81/'82 and don't see a solid failure path (yet) that would descibe how your failure could occur but 'BELIEVE IT OR NOT', I have seen the same 'glowing' turn signal lights on my '82. They came up (or at least that's when I saw them) when sitting at a light at idle. Everything else works fine. Haven't had time to shoot it down yet so I'm VERY interested if you find something. I'll keep looking and let you know if I come up with something.

I disconnected and reconnected front turn signal wires and headlamp, and permanently disconnected clock and airtemp lights. So far, the WIERD problem is history. Found one coil ground loose , when I removed valve cover last month I loosened coils and missed tightening one . I think my electric gremlins kaput, after a month of a whole pile of them. SHE RUNS AND LOOKS SOOOOO GOOD NOW! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Since there hasn't been a reply in nearly two years I thought I'd hijack the thread title with a different but also very wierd problem on my 82.



Something very strange is happening to my 82's voltmeter, all three of them! First of all let me say that the problem has never existed with my 79's voltmeter, and that problem is, an occasional but violently wiggling needle which causes it to break in half. I first noticed it on the meter that came with the bike, OE? with 70K on it, after riding just a few miles. Some time after the top of the needle broke (the bottom half was still there and the meter still operated well, just not much of a pointer left) the needle stem unscrewed and fell out and then the meter failed to work (no way to read it). I purchased a used OE meter and installed it and the same thing happened to the upper half of the needle. I replaced it again with a used OE meter before the needle broke altogether like the first one, and bam, the upper half of the needle on the third meter broke off after about a hundred miles!!! WTF already?! The speedo and tach needles are rock steady and nothing is rattling around or loose so what is happending to these voltmeters? Is it electrical somehow or vibration related or is just because its old or????? My 79's is older but has less mileage than the original. Don't know what mileage the other two had. Should I try a new aftermarket voltmeter? Has anyone ever heard of this?

Terry I remember you posted this before and I replied back that I had seen bikes with the needle broken off the volt m. but don't know why. Now after I have read the thread again it sounds like the meter is getting some crazy signals from somewhere and causing the erratic bouncing.



So either your riding to close to the Bermuda triangle, aliens are beaming rays down on your CBX, your life bracelet is too strong or theres a ground short or bad connection somewhere.



jb

The ony thing I can think of that might cause that is a bad or loose diode in the charging system, causing a current reversal in one of the phase loops. That ought to drive a voltmeter nuts at redline.Might approach the speed of light (or dark)

Terry wrote:Since there hasn't been a reply in nearly two years I thought I'd hijack the thread title with a different but also very wierd problem on my 82.



Something very strange is happening to my 82's voltmeter, all three of them! First of all let me say that the problem has never existed with my 79's voltmeter, and that problem is, an occasional but violently wiggling needle which causes it to break in half. I first noticed it on the meter that came with the bike, OE? with 70K on it, after riding just a few miles. Some time after the top of the needle broke (the bottom half was still there and the meter still operated well, just not much of a pointer left) the needle stem unscrewed and fell out and then the meter failed to work (no way to read it). I purchased a used OE meter and installed it and the same thing happened to the upper half of the needle. I replaced it again with a used OE meter before the needle broke altogether like the first one, and bam, the upper half of the needle on the third meter broke off after about a hundred miles!!! WTF already?! The speedo and tach needles are rock steady and nothing is rattling around or loose so what is happending to these voltmeters? Is it electrical somehow or vibration related or is just because its old or????? My 79's is older but has less mileage than the original. Don't know what mileage the other two had. Should I try a new aftermarket voltmeter? Has anyone ever heard of this?

My guess is that the alternator regulator is bad or there is a loose ground. My money is on a loose ground.



Check the connections in the fairing. I know it sounds goofy, but try it. If I wanted to throw some money at the problem, I would replace the regulator. The box in the fairing has many connections and you might have some corrosion or a loose connection up there. If the corrosion is bad, you might even consider removing the fairing to make the repairs. It is a real pain to try and work up there with it on the bike.



There is something that you could do to prevent the meter from getting destoyed. Install a resistor and a cap to buffer the signal to the meter. If the needle is swinging too far over to the right, a 15 volt zener diode along with the cap and resistor will keep it from pinning. The preceding is just a way to prevent the meter from getting damaged. If you are not an electronics person then disregard the foregoing.



good luck



pierce