Possible short circuit effecting headlight and horn

[TheHead]

Hi Guys/Gals

Im having a minor problem with my 2004 Stella. When turning the handle bars the horn stops working. I am assuming that there is a short or break somewhere in the wire from the button to the horn that makes/breaks contact when the bars are turned and some tension is placed on the wire.

The second issue is when I shift into 4th gear my headlight goes out. The battery on my Stella is dead but I dont think this is the cause I am thinking similiar to the horn problem maybe when the shifter is turned all the way to the 4th gear position the wire is put under some tension loses continuity and I lose my light.

Im just wondering if anyone else has experiance with this issue. I have seen some post regaring the horn issue but not the headlight. Im thinking the best thing to do is disassemble the housing where the speedomoter and light is to gain access to the wires and just test continuity with my multi meter.

If anyone has done this my question is how diffucult is removing the covers to access the wires for the horn and light. Any tips tricks or advice is much appreciated.

Cheers!

[jmkjr72]

yep both are very common you will need to remove the head stock and get in there and find the issue
its not that hard as you start to pull it up you will need to remove the speedo cable to view the rats nest of wires in the head stock

[mr bill]

Hi Head,

I've had the same problems,
didn't need to remove the headstock
just removed switch covers an all was revealed.
easy fix for tiny fingers and good eyes,
so it took me a bit.

Cheers.

[TheHead]

I did some searching and saw some other posts stating it was somewhat common. From other people's experience what causes this worn wires from vibration or a loose connection.

Thanks for the replies , this fix sounds pretty straight forward.

[JoshWED]

The fix is very straightforward, but even I (with small hands) have a b*tch of a time getting in there and splicing, soldering, etc.

Here's a tip--I've found that splicing the worn out wires works best with the following method:

1. Unscrew the four screws connecting the headset and lift off the cover
2. Remove the switch plate and find the offending wires (from experience, once one starts, they are at the age where they will all go soon, so sometimes pre-emptive splices are a good idea)
3. Back the offending wire out of the switch box and through the tubing that runs through the recess in the handle bar
4. If necessary, take a utility knife and cut a small opening in the sheath/tubing so that you can access the appropriate wire
5. Make your splice inside the headset area, where this is plenty of room for the added bulk
6. Run the new lead back through the handle bar and make the appropriate connections

hope that makes sense

Also on the horn: be careful when you are backing out the wire from the horn button terminals. The ends of the wire have been tinned with solder, and after years sitting in there, tend to break off with the wire still in the terminal. Use a good grip with needle nose and pull it with firm and steady pressure. Otherwise, you'll be spending a lot of time with a needle cleaning it out.

[TheHead]

I removed the screws to remove the headstock and speedometer , once I removed the screws I found that there is not much , slack or extra length of the wires and speedometer cable.

To be bale to get inside I need to completely remove the speedometer and the housing or "headstock" as it was referred to Mr.Bill. my question is how is the cable removed to release the speedometer? Or can I pop the speedometer out to remove the headstock allowing me to have some working room to fix the wires?

I also removed the screw for the horn button and was able to see the wires that connect the horn and also the contacts of the switch. it looks as if the previous owner had repaired this issue once before but he repair job was sub par. it appeared to only be fixed with some elec tape.....

Once i figure out how to remove this I am going to run new wire for both the horn and light. this should resolve the issue and prevent any in the future.

Any tips to remove this part will be super helpful , thx all!

[lmyers]

You can lift and twist the headset without removing the speedo cable. It seems like you can't at first, but you should be able to give it a gentle tug up and then twist it out of the way. MUCH easier than unhooking that cable.

[JoshWED]

You can lift and twist the headset without removing the speedo cable. It seems like you can't at first, but you should be able to give it a gentle tug up and then twist it out of the way. MUCH easier than unhooking that cable.

exactly

[Bcon]

I had this problem manifest itself last night. The headlight would go out as soon as I shifted out of first gear. Not so fun when you're 20 miles from home after dark and your headlight only works when you're stopped at a light!

Mine turned out to be a broken wire inside the wire insulation right by the center terminal on the headlight switch.

I'll completely agree with the comments about the repair, it's straight forward, but what a pain to work with those tiny terminal screws! It was also difficult to get all the wires back in properly so the switch housing would seat.

[desmolicious]

If it makes you feel any better (!) the some of the latest 2010 Stellas (the 4Ts) are so afflicted. Like mine...

Upside is as it was still under warranty, the shop took care of it. Apparently the root cause is LML uses the absolute minimum length of wires to save a couple o pennies per bike, and so it they are not perfectly routed shorts can occur.