[64466]

This is strange. Everything was working fine. I washed my 1995 Honda Magna, dried it off and tried to start it, but nothing happened. The lights came on for just a second and then everything went dead. I thought for sure it was a fuse, so I pulled every fuse, including the master fuse, tested them with an ohm meter and they were all fine. I pulled the ignition switch and tested it with an ohm meter and it was OK. The battery tested OK too.

Turning the ignition key to the ON position does absolutely nothing. No lights come on at all, it is completely dead. Like it is a fuse, switch or battery, but they all test OK.

Can anyone suggest something else that I can check?

Thanks!

 

[55028]

Do you have battery power going into the switch?

 

[seruzawa]

You need to get a schematic. Then you need to start at the positive terminal of the battery and ensure you have power to the input of the ignition switch. If you have power at the switch input but no power from the outputs then the switch is bad. Somewhere if you keep testing you will find a bad connection or broken wire.

You may also simply have gotten a connection wet. You may need to pull the various plastic plugs apart and blow them out.

Remember that the water supply is not distilled water. If you get the wrong things wet the impurities in the water can cause short circuits and phantom grounds. Sometimes washing everything off with distilled water (which does not conduct electricity, by the way) will clean off the mineral deposits left by tap water. I used to fix old expensive keyboards by washing them in distilled water many years ago before they went down to the low prices today.

It's smart to wash a bike off in those places that have the "spotless rinse" function. That water is relatively low in impurities.

 

[55028]

Preventive Maintenance=

The judicious use of di electric grease on connetions when you have nothing to do, let me rephrase that, when you can't go riding.

 

[64466]

I checked to make sure I have battery power going to the switch, and it seems fine. I was wondering if this problem could be caused by the Starter Magnetic Switch? I'm not sure what it does, but since the main fuse appears to be plugged into this switch, I thought this may be the culprit. I'm not sure how to test the starter magnetic switch. Can anyone provide advice on this? Also, does anyone know where I might be able to find a schematic online?

 

[The_AirHawk]

Also, does anyone know where I might be able to find a schematic online?

Repair Manual Catalog Online - RepairManual.com

Type "95 Honda Magna" in the search box.

 

[64466]

Problem solved

It seemed strange that everything went dead, but all the most likely components tested OK, or so I thought. It turned out to be a combination of a bad battery and bad battery charger. What made it even harder to figure out was that the battery was putting out 11.7 volts, which was enough to light up my test light, but not enough volts to light up any of lights on the bike.

Replaced the battery and my battery charger, and I'm back on the road.

Thanks to all who responded with suggestions.

 

[seruzawa]

It seemed strange that everything went dead, but all the most likely components tested OK, or so I thought. It turned out to be a combination of a bad battery and bad battery charger. What made it even harder to figure out was that the battery was putting out 11.7 volts, which was enough to light up my test light, but not enough volts to light up any of lights on the bike.

Replaced the battery and my battery charger, and I'm back on the road.

Thanks to all who responded with suggestions.

A weak battery may read okay on voltage because the voltmeter does not load the battery, i.e. it doesn't use any current. As soon as you turn on the key the draw from the circuit overwhelms the battery's ability to drive the circuit and the voltage plummets. That's why a battery can read "okay" but won't drive anything.