Warning light oddity KLE500 *fixed*

[stinkwheel]

On my KLE500 which is broadly similar to all the other kawasaki 500 twins (GPZ/EX/EN).

When you switch the ignition on, the neutral light, oil pressure warning light and temperature warning light all come on as is normal.

When you start the engine, the oil and temperature light should go out straight away. Well they don't. Both stay on for a bit then gradually start to flicker (together) then go out and stay out.

This worried me a bit but looking at the sight glass, you can see the oil go down as you start the bike. There is plenty oil in and I did an oil and filter change last weekend. It didn't do this light thing when I took it out after the oil change.

It definately isn't overheating because the engine was cold at the time.

I worried that it could be a charging warning but I have just got back from a 400 mile run with the lights on and it is still fine. This would also tend to rule out an oil pressure problem as it hasn't blown up.

So, why? I have come up with two possabilities so far.

1) An airlock in the oil filter, but I would have thought this would cause the oil light only to come on.

2) My 'most likely' guess. A sticky/duff charging relay. Although finding where it is located may prove a challenge.

Any other ideas?
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Guest]

Hmmm, odd one that - I don't think it falls into the 'bad earth' category

[tonyyzf]

Sounds to me like you could be close with your second option, is there anyone who has a manual or wiring diagram for the KLE500 on here that could say where the relay is? Am i right in presuming these lights would also come on if it stopped charging? I presume it would be the voltage regulator that would 'switch' once the bike was started and charging, the same as most other vehicle charging systems.

[tonyyzf]

Sounds to me like you could be close with your second option, is there anyone who has a manual or wiring diagram for the KLE500 on here that could say where the relay is? Am i right in presuming these lights would also come on if it stopped charging? I presume it would be the voltage regulator that would 'switch' once the bike was started and charging, the same as most other vehicle charging systems.

[stinkwheel]

[tonyyzf]

[stinkwheel]

It does not go out any faster with the lights on or off, I haven't put a meter on it but the headlamp does get brighter when you rev it up, even when the lights are on which suggests to me that it is charging.

I keep coming back to a sticky relay. It is probably in the fuse box. I think I will try smacking it with my favourite nylon hammer. If the lights go out when I do this, I have found my problem.

I really detest intermittant electrical faults.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[rg 250 freak]

i have heard around the traps of an oil pressure switch being able to be depressed to reset the switch if the bike is fairly new it may have one this is why it is going out slowly because it is building pressure .or have i been taken for a ride
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Full throttle all the way

[Kickstart]

Hi

Some charging systems will not kick into life until certain revs have been exceeded once (we had a car that did not charge the battery at all until the first time it was revved to about 3300rpm). Do the lights go out if you blip the throttle.

Also, on our first GPZ we found out that there is an O ring or 2 between the sump plate and the oil ways in the engine. If these are damaged / missing then you will land up with low oil pressure through much of the engine, but only enough to light the oil light at very low revs (scratch one engine).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[stinkwheel]

[MikeH]

It's got to be duff electrical connection somewhere, it's not going to be oil pressure or charging as both lights are flickering at the same time even though they are not directly related.

K.I.S.S. ........check the simple stuff 1st loom connectors, earths etc......put money on it it'll be something stupid. Could be chaffed cables in the instrument pod which are getting damp and it's picking up a signal off the rev counter

I've got a link to a full workshop manual if you need it, I posted it here https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=788133#788133


Cheers

Mike
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Busa Junkie

[tonyyzf]

If you look at page 16-57 of the manual MikeH kindly supplied a link to it states that the water temp light stays on for a short while after starting the bike to check its circuit is working properly, as the only link between the two lights is the diode/rectifier (page 16-58) and main wiring diagram (page 16-14) I would think that it is possibly the offending item, somehow causing both lights to be on during this initial circuit check

Tony

[MikeH]

Given what he says they flicker faster with the revs, and looking at that diagram the is also a link to the rev counter off the three lamps. I still think it could be a HR connection on the cluster and the flickering is feedback off the rev counter circuit.
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Busa Junkie

[stinkwheel]

Cheers for that guys. I'll be having a poke about this afternoon as well as attempting to fit a bigger fuel tank off a KLR650 Tengi.

I'll let you know how I get on.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[tonyyzf]

He doesn't say if the neutral light flickers as well, which it would if it was a supply side fault from the tacho. If its not flickering at the same time then it must be the earth side, because the oil and water lights are connected, hence a fault somewhere with the sensors, diode, earth. If all three lights are flickering then yes, I would be looking towards the supply from the tacho. The only other thing to think about is it only does it when its started, there's no mention of it coming on at any other time once the bike has been running for a while, so I would almost definitely check the oil pressure switch.

[stinkwheel]

Cheers for the link to the manual

Neutral light doesn't stay on with them.

It's got to be something to do with that diode. Just got to find the sucker now.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[stinkwheel]

Ok, as ever nothing you would expect. It wasn't an electrical problem, it was a mechanical one and I fixed it with a hammer.

I started by removing the bodywork to make life simpler. I have got into the habit of checking an electrical fault is still there after removing each plastic, then you know where to look for a trapped wire if that is the fault.

Well, I removed the belly pan and the fault went away. Now that is odd there are no wires anywhere near it. Warrants a closer look.

Turns out the belly pan was touching the new exhaust system slightly, but only when fully tightened up. This was pressing the header pipe very close to the end of the oil pressure switch. When you first fire up the bike there is a fair bit of vibration, enough to press the header against the end of the switch. As the oil pressure builds, it counteracts this small pressure on the switch and the lights go out. The flickering was the header pipe vibrating.

The diode is fine. If oil pressure is low, both lights come on, if it is temperature only, the temperature light comes on by itself.

Gave the belly pan a few clouts with a hammer and shoogled the header pipe about a bit and job's a good un.

If anyone is planning on fitting an aftermarket exhaust, be carefull how you set it up, there is only a very small area where the pipe is away from both the belly pan and the switch.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Guest]

Good one.

Now put it back to how it was and see if a dealer can find it

[MikeH]