Electrical Precautions
The following guidelines
are
intended to ensure the safety
of the operator whilst preventing damage to the electrical
and
electronic components fitted to the motorcycle.
Where
necessary,
specific precautions
are
detailed
in
the
relevant sections of this manual which should be referred
to prior to commencing repair operations.
Equipment -Prior to commencing any
test
procedure
on
the motorcycle ensure that the relevant
test
equipment
is
working correctly
and
any
harness
or
connectors
are
in
good condition,
in
particular
mains
leads
and plugs.
The ignition
system
produces extremely high voltages.
Do not touch any part of the ignition
system
or any
cables
while the engine
is
running.
An electric shock
caused
by contact with the ignition
system
may
lead
to
illness,
injury or death.
Wearers of surgically implanted heart pacemaker
devices should not
be
in
close
proximity to ignition
circuits and/or diagnostic equipment.
The ignition
system
and
any diagnostic equipment may
interrupt the normal operation of
such
devices causing
illness
or death.
The battery contains harmful materials. Always keep
children away from the battery whether
or
not it
is
fitted
in
the motorcycle.
Do not jump start the battery, touch the battery
cables
together or reverse the polarity of the
cables
as
any of
these
actions may
cause
aspark which would ignite
battery
gasses
causing arisk of personal injury.
High Voltage Circuits -Whenever disconnecting live
H.T.
circuits
always
use
insulated pliers.
Exercise
caution when
measuring the voltage
on
the
coil
terminals while the
engine
is
running, high voltage
spikes
can
occur on
these
terminals.
Connectors and
Harness
-The engine of amotorcycle
is
a
particularly hostile environment for electrical components
and connectors. Always ensure
these
items
are
dry and oil
free before disconnecting and connecting
test
equipment.
Never force connectors apart either by using tools or by
pulling on the wiring
itself.
Always ensure locking
mechanisms are disengaged before removal and note the
orientation to enable correct reconnection.
Ensure
that
any protective
covers
and
substances
are
replaced if
disturbed.
Having confirmed acomponent to be faulty, switch off the
ignition and disconnect the battery negative (black)
lead
first.
Remove the component and support the
disconnected
harness.
When replacing the component
keep oily hands
away
from electrical connection
areas
and
push connectors home until any locking mechanism
becomes fully engaged.
Battery Disconnecting
Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
all
electrical
equipment.
To
prevent the risk ofabattery exploding
and
to prevent
damage to electrical components
ALWAYS
disconnect
the battery negative (black)
lead
first.
When
reconnecting the battery,
always
connect the positive
(red)
lead
first, then the negative (black)
lead.
Always
disconnect the battery when working on any part of the
electrical
system.
Failure to observe the above warnings may
lead
to
electrical damage
and
afire hazard which could
cause
personal injury.
Always ensure that battery
leads
are
routed correctly
and
are
not
close
to
any potential chafing points.
Disciplines
Switch off the ignition prior to making any connection or
disconnection
in
the
system.
An electrical surge
can
be
caused
by disconnecting 'live' connections which
can
damage electronic components.
Ensure
hands and work
surfaces
are
clean
and free of
grease,
swart,
etc.
as
grease
collects
dirt which
can
cause
tracking
or
high-resistance contacts.
Prior to commencing any
test,
and periodically during any
test,
touch agood earth to discharge body
static.
This
is
because some electronic components
are
vulnerable to
static electricity.
Electrical Wires
All the electrical wires
are
either single-colour or two-
colour and, with only afew exceptions, must
be
connected to wires
of
the
same
colour.
On
any
of
the two-
colour wires there
is
agreater amount of one colour and a
lesser
amount
of
a
second
colour. Atwo-colour wire
is
identified by first the primary colour and then the
secondary colour.
For
example, ayellow wire with thin
red stripes
is
referred to
as
a'yellow/red' wire; it would be
a'red/yellow' wire if the colours were reversed to make
red the main colour.
1.12
Service
Manual
-Thunderbird