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[ZeroMark]

My 2014 DS has been near perfect for over one year.  Yesterday i go to ride it to rescue my wife who is stranded in her gasoline powered car, and i realize about 1/2 way there, that i have NO LIGHTS, NO TURN SIGNALS, NO HORN.  The dash is ok, the kill switch ok, and the motor and charging all ok.  seems like everything protected by the low power fuses (after reading my manual) is not working like the entire 12v low power subsystem is out/down.  So before i take the seat off and (sadly) have to start troubleshooting this, what is the chance there is some plug or cable that goes to or from the 12 v fuses that is making ALL 12 systems appear to be broken?  Or is it more likely that every 12v fuse is in fact blown while nothing seems wrong with anything else?  Any suggestions on this.  Seems like every system protected by the 12 fuse block is every system that is not functioning right now....

[NoiseBoy]

They are blade fuses, you can tell if they have blown just by looking at them. I'd suggest that is your first step.  The dash etc. runs off 12V so it can't be the DC/DC converter.

[firepower]

The user manual shows the fuse location and function.

[ZeroMark]

ok ok, removed seat, tested 12 v fuses all 4 are ok.  checked fuse to frame looking for voltage and didn't register. like mentioned above, the instrument/dashboard comes on and looks normal. checked wiring going toheadlights and turn signals front and back and everything seem connected and ok. if there would be error code somewhere i dont see one as battery and dash blink normal.  sincw i have no dealer in las vegas, anyone got any ideas where to look on the bike for more? where is 12v coming from and how can i tell if it's getting to fusebox? are there any diags or logs that i could see? everthing motor and powering motor seems perfectly fine. no problems ever in one year-this is first, everthing listed as being controlled by 12 v fuses (horn, lights, turn signals, running and break lights all not working) yikes and help? should i be calling Zero support yet?  what else can i check to narrow down or restore? -Mark

[JasonS]

Hi,
Sounds a lot like your DC-DC converter is not working.  Either failed, or blew its fuse.  I think it has one, but I'm not positive.  It's (obviously) not in the 12v fuse block.  It's either on the converter, or on an inline fuse holder.

You may be interested to know that the dash on my 2015 is NOT powered by the 12v system - but the backlight for the dash is.  Is your blue backlight working?

You may want to read my earlier thread: http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=4315.0 Particularly post #8, where i mention that my instruments work, but without the backlight.

Good luck!

[ZeroMark]

Jason you are correct in that the dash works, but the blue backlight does NOT work it went out when the other stuff went out. -Mark

[trikester]

ZeroMark, Harlan is in Las Vegas very frequently. This may be a long shot, but contact him at Hollywood Electrics and ask if he can check your bike when he is in LV.

Trikester

[ZeroMark]

Jason, I read that thread and it looks sounds like the end result is similar so i went out to the bike but couldn't really find or figure out where that 5 wire connector positively was.... however it does appear that on my DSm its the lowest connector looking frmothe bottom of the bike upwards, andits git a tywrap around it's shell and it looks moist-making sense since rained a tiny bit in the days leading up to this.  i hesitate to break tiewraps thinking i'll mess with warranty and especially since i saw the post about the turnsignal flasher being related on someone else's bike - fuuny thing was at the time i noticed it was out, it was when i flicked the turn signal to the left, and it felt like the button was going tio pop out and get lost... ultimately after pushing the turn signal button to the center, and doing it a few times, i was thinking IT WAS BROKEN before realizing it was more then just my turn signal not working that was different.  You don't have any other photos of that connector, or what its plugged into do you?

and Trikester, I think the call to Harlan might be next, although i am going to call Zero today at some point to see what they want me to do.

[JasonS]

Hi,
The turn signal is just a bit in the rinky-dink side, isn't it?  Sometimes mine doesn't reset cleanly on the first press.  Maybe I'll mention that to AF-1 tomorrow (my bike is making another trip to Austin, not 12v related.  Maybe I'll make a post about my process of getting to 6,000 miles).  My switch seems to getting better, not worse.  Or I'm getting better at pushing it at the ideal angle. 

Anyway.  The 12v DC-DC connector is visible from underneath, as you describe.  It's a bit of a bear to get your fingers on, or even to see it clearly. In this photo, if you look past the crook in the frame, and see the three orange wires... Those wires go to the connector.  I think.  I took this picture back in January.

[trikester]

I just took my turn signal and dash panel loose to access the 12V aux outlet mounting nut and i noticed something that might be the source of the problem you are having.

There is a frame ground for the 12V system that is under one of the dash mounting bolts. It is sandwiched between anodized aluminum and plastic. This is a very poor way to make a metal to metal connection! I suggest you scrape some of the black anodize off where this lug is mounted and see if that makes any difference.

Zero should have provided a dedicated bolt to make this frame ground connection.    That is just good electrical practice.

Trikester

[nigezero]

Good points trikester- there is also an earth to the swing arm on the rh side under the rear guard. My 14DS has an occasional over temp warning light on the dash which hoes away if I jiggle the loom near the headstock, but otherwise 12v is good so far.

[ZeroMark]

Final Resolution: After squeezing 12 volt 5-wire connector (Thanks Jason S for the picture that helped me find it) and then checkng the 250V 4A fuse of the 2 fuses that stick out of the battery box at the back of the box, I found that the fuse was blown.  It was originally tested when I first started troubleshooting, but I didn't test it, someone else did.  Funny, it was the type of fuse that had what looks like brown paper bag material on the inside of the glass, all the way around it, so it's impossible to see any wire or link in there.  Only after pulling it out of the little top piece that you push on to screw the fuse in, and measure it with an ohmmeter, was I sure it was open.  So i went to auto parts store and bought another 250V 4A fuse and put it in and it's been working fine every since.

I do think that the connector (the 5 pin 12 v one mentioned in this post) should either be raised, or waterproofed.  I live in Las Vegas, and while it's normally dry, hot, and dusty, we just had the craziest few months this year of rain, and what little rain we had, came down hard when it did, creating floods and puddles everywhere.  In all of that time, I managed to stay out of all of them and only 1 time can i say i was in water more an inch or so deep.  But that cover over the 5 pin connector lookdd moist as you all mentioned, and it's by far the lowest connector in that center group opf wires, and closest to the top of the motor.  It just seems like that whole area above the moter ought to be enclosed better it all of tbhe electirical stuff is up there.

But I'm happy it's fixed now, as I was just getting ready to drive it 300+ miles to where my NEAREST (sadly) zero dealership is at.  Still hard to believe there is NO (longer) a ZERO dealer here in the Las Vegas area.

-Thanks to all for the help.  I only hope i can repay you with my ZERO knowledge some day)
-MARK
ZeroMark

[Cortezdtv]

Those are sand filled fuses

[JasonS]

Great!  Glad to hear it ended up being an easy fix - too bad about the intervening weeks it wasn't fully functional.

[siccycle]

Frame Ground Question? The 2010 Zero S did not use the frame for a ground circuit- the 12volt stuff had a dedicated plus and minus wire. Does Zero now use a frame ground on some circuits?