Intermittent Electrical Gremlin

[Martin]

I was on my way to a mates place yesterday, I pulled up at a busy intersection and the engine cutout. I tried to restart no power at all not even the clock. I was lucky the traffic co-operated and let me push it over to the turn lane, while I waited for a green arrow tried to start it a couple of times, still dead. Managed to push it across the intersection and into Jaycars ( Tandy equivalent )carpark. And after working the ignition switch and kill switch still no power except occasional flicker from the clock. Pulled the left hand side cover checked the battery earth, all tight. Started to pull the under seat tool tray to check the positive connection, and realised I would have to pull the fuel injection control unit. I pushed the tool tray back into place. Before I pulled the control unit I decided to check it one more time, and low and behold it came to life.  I will start investigations today, but it is hard to trace a problem that is now not there. I don't think it's the infamous starter problem, as I can't see anything posted on loosing all power. I have looked at the posts on starter problems, I post if I can find the solution.
Regards a slightly perplexed Martin.

[Chaos]

I'd start by cleaning the all the ground connections off the battery.  You may have jostled it moving the tool tray around.  That and the big plug going into the brain.   

[jay1622]

If everything is tight (good clean working order), I'd say it'd be worth your while to pull your ignition switch and your kill switch. Heck... You don't even have to pull them; rather, remove the tank and diagnose using a multimeter at their respective connectors. If your battery is good, your central/mother earth is good and all else is tight? It'd almost point towards an ignition and/or kill switch. Question though... The clock itself flickered, or the instrumentation backlights flickered?

Was the bike wet at all? Did you try jumping the ground (secondary earth cable... Battery (-) to ground)?

Chaos is dead-on though... Start easy, eh?

[Martin]

Just the clock flickered the rest of the instrument lights were dead. Earth wire is clean and tight, battery approx 1year old and tests good. Ignition switch and kill switch cleaned about 12 months ago.Operating both ignition and kill switch multiple times did nothing and they should not of effected the clock.  I will check the brain plug as soon as it becomes daylight. I have been mulling it over while I am waiting to get at it, and I am thinking maybe a problem with the positive connection. The fact that the clock went out leads me to believe that I had total disconnection.
I appreciate all advice, intermittent problems can be a pain to solve and sometimes you never find the reason. I will also ring my mate and see if I can borrow a spare starter motor just in case, although I don't really think that is the problem.
Regards Martin.

[jay1622]

I just rewrapped my entire loom two months back, and I'm pretty sure of where the positive (+) branched out to. The starter relay was one, the alternator was one and the fuel injector relay was the third. Don't quote me on this, but from the starter relay, the positive (+) branched directly to the fuse box; three fuses in all. You'll have to check for your specific bike, but I know one of those fuses are a direct feed for, among other things, the clock. You know, if you lost juice AND that clock flickered... Gizmo may just be hiding somewhere in the starter relay, fuse circuit or the connections for them.

Not sure if that'll help ya, but there that is.

[Martin]

Thanks Jay I am about to go out and start looking I've been up since 3.00 am and now that the Honourable Minister for Finance & Recreation has risen I will head into the garage. Unfortunately the bedroom is next to the garage and she objects to me rattling around while she is trying to sleep. :dunno  :hehehe I might have to buy  her some ear muffs for Christmas.
Regards Martin.

[Martin]

Gremlin found Gremlin destroyed. Turned out the Gremlin was a loose nut on the isolator switch that I had fitted in the earth lead. Due to the fact that I had fitted homemade rubber boots out of Plasti Dip it was hard to see. The first lot of wiggling of it and various wires did nothing, looked at positive first . It wasn't until I cut a couple of cable ties that the problem became apparent. Due to the fact there is no lock washers on the isolator switch I pulled both off and put some blue medium strength Loctite on both nuts.  I found blue corrosion under one boot, so coated both terminals with thick silicon grease. I was expecting to be Gremlin hunting all day but it took about 10 min. Thanks Jay and Chaos.
Regards Martin.