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Crusty Wires - A Sign Of Doom?
Blog Date - 25 February 2016
It is a cold, stormy, windswept and bone drenchingly wet motorway our brave and fearless hero makes his way along. Fighting visor mist, lorry spray, executive danger demons and side winds that blow him off course he fights valiantly through the mire and the tempest towards his quest. Forsooth and verily he rides through puddles so deep they are filled with fish, tattered flags are being torn from their poles and the great mountain of Mordor is crumbling under the tumultuous affray. His suffering is long and his hardship is...hard...all for to see his fair maiden reunited with her own steed...
Well...that's how it was in my head. In reality I got caught in some hefty rain with a bit of wind while riding down the motorway.
At the end of my trip to Sharon's place I notice I no longer have the use of indicators. Hand signals it is then. It's been a long while since I used hand signals. I sometimes use them to re-enforce my intentions, for example if I've just turned left and I'm turning left again. Some drivers may think I've just not cancelled my flashers. I am out of practice though when it comes to JUST using hand signals.
I suspect it will be water in the relay or the handlebar switch is in need of some WD40. Nope. I find the relay and once removed I notice one of the wires has come asunder from the connector block. Not only this but all the connectors, pins and even the copper wires are green with copper oxide. This ain't no 5 minute fix.
Damn those wires are supposed to be copper coloured.
I shall have to strip back the sheathing to reveal some clean copper. I shall have to solder on some fresh wire. I shall have to fix on some fresh connectors and I shall, as a matter of precaution, replace the indicator flasher. All this is well within my skill set and shouldn't cost too much. It does however raise some concerns. Just how bad are the rest of the wires and connectors? Is this just the thin end of the wedge? How long will it be before the regulator/rectifier wires start coming apart? What if the CDI and ignition wires are slowly turning into copper oxide? When will I find myself stranded on a dark night with no lights? Is it time for a full rewire?
How many other connectors on the bike are in this state?
I can do a full rewire. I've done it on 2 other bikes but that wur back in't day when I were a lad and wires were made outta wet string covered in clay from't pit . Luckily the CBF 250 is CDI and carb so there's no complex EFI sensors to hook up but I really don't want to get involved with a full rewire on a motorcycle that just keeps on giving me grief.
My CBF 250 has been a pup, a lemon, a bad 'un. I should have known when I purchased it. I should have given up on it when it refused to tick over. And yet obstinately I have ploughed on. I eventually fixed the tickover (CBF 250 Tickover SOLVED!). I have lovingly replaced the sprocket carrier bearing. I have solved it's terrible rattle with a manual cam chain tensioner (CBF 250 Cam Chain Rattle - SOLVED!). I've shimmed and re-shimmed the valves. I have stripped and cleaned the starter motor. I have lavished this bike with love and attention and as each problem is fixed it throws up a new one.
Rebuilding the starter required tea and chewing gum.
So I fix the indicators and the crusty wires. It also needs a new battery. The exhaust is turning into iron oxide. The steering head bearings are notchy. None of these things are deal breakers but after all the work I've done so far I can't help but feel aggrieved that the blasted thing wants more!
There's 2 ways to think of this...
1 Quit, cut my losses. Sell the wreck, take £500 for it and just buy something a lot newer and a lot less wrecked.
2. Stick with it. Once it's all done I'll know the bike inside out and know what's been done has been done properly.
Then again this bike has provided a lot of good copy for this website. I've learned a heck of a lot more about fixing motorcycles. When it is working it is a most excellent and pleasurable way of transporting oneself. It is getting better and better with each repair. On the other hand a new (to me) bike would mean new experiences to write about. A fresh motor to learn about. I could marvel in the fact that I don't have to fix it every other weekend. I could write about places I've been to rather than parts I've had to replace. Meh...no one's interested in the places I go to, they'd much rather read about my bodges or Stephen Latchford's restorations.
I dunno, I suspect my tight grip on my wallet will be the deciding factor. I guess I'd better get myself down to the car breakers with a hacksaw. Wiring looms from crashed cars are the best/cheapest way of getting your hands on lots and lots of multi coloured wires - doncha know.
Reader's Comments
Bob said :-
For me it's an emotional rather than a financial decision. If you don't mind working on the bike then keep doing that, if you've had enough, if when you walk in the garage you look at it and think you really can't be bothered to lift a spanner to it then the time has come to part ways.
Electrics wise, ACF-50 is what you need. Go through the loom opening all the connectors and squirting copious wadges of ACF-50 in them. It works on switchgear and any type of metal to prevent corrosion.
It truly is a miracle cure.
26/02/2016 10:51:50 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
Yuk!!
Too late I know but it's worth slathering the connectors in silicone (dielectric) grease or as a minimum spraying with ACF 50 / GT85 when it's all together. Not WD40 which is excellent for displacing water but not so good at subsequent waterproofing / corrosion resistance.
New wire isn't actually that expensive - Vehicle Wiring Products (http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/973/16-5-amp-1mm-sq-32-0-20) do it for around £.40 / metre. Their carriage charges are on the high side however so it's worth getting everything you need in one go. Cable from scrap cars can be quite corroded under the insulation making soldering (although I suspect you are a crimper) problematic.
Still waiting for the guinea.
26/02/2016 10:56:27 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
It seems that ACF 50 is the miracle cure for everything! Now...where do I get it from?
Ian - crimper!!! I'll have you know I'm a solder guy myself, always have been always will be. I have been told by some that solder is not without problems though. Allegedly...apparently...it is brittle compared to the flexibility of a crimp. Still, I always feel more confident with solder.
If you find a recently crashed car the wire is usually in good order. Any crusty bits can be cut back too. I got a loom out of a car from a breakers for a fiver a few years back. There were miles of wires in many colours making tracing out a lot easier and there were several thicknesses too.
Bob - Emotions depend on the weather. Today is fine as it is warm dry and fresh outside. But then on a cold and wet day in my draughty and not so dry tin shed it can be a horrible thought. I enjoy tinkering I just wish I had a warm garage that's all.
26/02/2016 11:25:20 UTC
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