When is it ok to loose patience and scream at mechanics?

[s.tyler58]

Alright, you've all heard much of my tale. NOW, here's what I've got...

 

When they gave me the bike back, the guy who worked on it said he had to go to a 20 AMP fuse in the 15AMP- Ignition slot because it keeps blowing the 15 AMP. IT DID NOT DO THIS PRIOR TO THEIR DOING $3800 OF REPAIRS.

 

I had started it and run it a few times with the 20AMP in place. No issues. NOW, turn on the ignition and it blows the 20AMP immediately, knocking out my tach and display on the dash. Those are the only symptoms I notice. He did not have a 10AMP fuse in the ACC slot, which is the only one that I left as a glass fuse since the ends of it were fine and it holds nicely. I put in the 10AMP. Started ran a couple of times. NO problems. Took out the 20AMP he put in the Ignition fuse holder and replaced it with the correct 15AMP fuse and it blew. Put the 20AMP back in and it blows. Twice. They tore the dash down and had the handle bars off while replacing my brake lines. That is when he started blowing fuses and went to the 20 AMP.

 

Again, none of these problems existed prior to the last time they worked on it. Am I out of line to expect the bike to come back in the same condition they got it only with the repairs requested having been made? They said the clutch slave was leaking so it was replaced, (Not rebuilt). It's still dumping fluid down there somewhere. So in my mind, NOT fixed! That was a bunch of money to put into this thing only to start more problems. How much is their responsibilty and how much is mine?

 

S

 

WHEN DO I GET TO BLOW UP and expect it to be made right? Do I have to pay to get it right if the problems weren't there prior to their having it?

[s.tyler58]

From the research I did on the 83 prior to buying it, I don't recall the article about how loving Mama Yama would drive me back to the bottle, but she's tryin'!

[s.tyler58]

It's also going back to them because the #3 ? Carb, left front, continues to leak after they rebuilt them and have had them off twice to get that much done. Soooo...I've lost all my super nice-guy just work with me and I'll work with you attitude and I don't think they'll like red-face-vein-poppin'-spittle spewing me.

[CaseyJ955]

A 20 amp fuse in the place of a 15 amp fuse is flawed in the absence of any aftermarket equipment. It's masking a problem, as you have found out. There may be a short or a component protected by the fuse has become faulty. Electrical is something I know just enough about to start car fires so I hope someone else can chime in on the specifics of this issue.

 

On the carbs, if they failed to use Japanese (Like Yamaha OEM or J&L) parts and cheaped out with Chinese parts it will be an ongoing hassle until they use the correct parts, which I would expect them to do.

 

I would be tactful but very firm, screaming at them might degrade the situation to a new low. Your not unreasonable to expect them to stand behind the work they have done. Can you see where the leak is coming from? Sometimes the little O rings on the float bowl drains leak and those are a quick cheap fix. I would inquire about what parts they used to rebuild those carbs.

[zagger]

Sounds like you need different mechanics - or dig into it yourself. Or maybe they assigned the new guy to work on your bike and you really need the experienced guy to fix your problems. A stock venture has lots of wires and it won't be easy to find the short that is blowing fuses. Disassembly while very carefully observing the wire routing is probably the only way to find the partial short. Not nice - and very easy to wiggle some wires and make the short disappear for awhile. Of course, having it reappear when you are riding on some remote road would be a real pain. If the shop actually has an experienced guy, then talking nice to the shop owner might be the best approach to get the experienced guy to dig into it.

zag

[SpencerPJ]

Ya, you got grounds to be pissed.

BUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, Usually going in swinging isn't the best option at first. Always plenty of time for that.

Give them a chance to fix their mistakes.

Be thankful it's January and you have time.

 

Easier said than done I know. Good Luck, I was getting excited that you were soooo close to having all good.

[Yammer Dan]

Do think I would have already blown on this one!! You don't just go to a bigger fuse you find the problem!! And you paid to get carbs fixed??? It seems they caused problems and need to find someone that can fix them but I don't think they have that person.

[RDawson]

Fuses are sized to protect the equipment they run and the wiring going to it. Oversized fuses can melt wiring, fry equipment, and cause fires. Unfortunately I've seen cars catch fire from faulty wiring while setting in the garage. For your safety and a correct running bike the issue needs to be found.

[snyper316]

I would say give them a call tell them stuff is still a mess and need to be corrected. If that don't work just do the work yourself!!! Most places won't touch a bike this old because of all these little gremlins that have been living in and breeding in our older bikes. Yes it will be headache but at least you know what you have when your done, Heck I am still chasing an oil gremlin and one other gremlin. Where is your number 3 carb leaking from?

[mraf]

You say they removed the handlebars. I would start looking there for a pinched wire. This happened to me once when I removed the handlebars. I had pinched a wire from the right side handlebar controls. If they were not careful to assemble it back together it is easy to do. There is not much slack in the wires were they leave the bars and enter into the workings of the bike. You definitely do not want to go changing any fuses with higher ones it will only let the smoke come out and cause further problems. I would hang my head in shame if I charged someone $3800 to fix their bike and did nothing but screw it up worse. You must have the patience of Job to not lose it after paying that much and getting a slip-slop job done. These bikes are not hard to work on if you have any mechanical skills. A service manual is a cheap investment and will lead you toward the right way to fix anything on these old girls. The troubleshooting sections are priceless in themselves and have saved me many hours of time. As Winston Churchill said, I believe it was him, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself". I had a 83 took it west without 2nd gear fixed it the next year and rode the snot out of it. It still had some problems occasionally, brakes mostly, the lack of the steering head bleeder which came on the 86 and newer Ventures caused most of the braking problems for me. I still miss that bike I would run circles around DOT. By the sounds of it you might as well dig into it yourself because your stealers are not helping you. If you stumble into problems we are all here to give you help. Sometimes it is not helpful but most of the times it is spot on.

[djh3]

I am now teaching in a automotive tech class, and can tell you there is NO WAY we tell guys increasing the AMP rating on a fuse is an acceptable repair for a circuit. It is supposed to be a 15a fuse, thats what those wires, connectors etc are expecting to see. When a customers vehicle is not operating correctly after the repairs ait is a "come back". It happens, but a tech dont want those to become habitual. Sounds like an inexperienced or possibly lazy guy got the job.

[s.tyler58]

A 20 amp fuse in the place of a 15 amp fuse is flawed in the absence of any aftermarket equipment. It's masking a problem, as you have found out. There may be a short or a component protected by the fuse has become faulty. Electrical is something I know just enough about to start car fires so I hope someone else can chime in on the specifics of this issue.

 

On the carbs, if they failed to use Japanese (Like Yamaha OEM or J&L) parts and cheaped out with Chinese parts it will be an ongoing hassle until they use the correct parts, which I would expect them to do.

 

I would be tactful but very firm, screaming at them might degrade the situation to a new low. Your not unreasonable to expect them to stand behind the work they have done. Can you see where the leak is coming from? Sometimes the little O rings on the float bowl drains leak and those are a quick cheap fix. I would inquire about what parts they used to rebuild those carbs.

All Yamaha parts whenever possible. He insists on it. In fact for a seal on the drive shaft they couldn't find a ended up finding where the guy in Omaha who bought out a Yamaha dealership when it closed in 96. So he had New Old Stock

 

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[s.tyler58]

Ya, you got grounds to be pissed.

BUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, Usually going in swinging isn't the best option at first. Always plenty of time for that.

Give them a chance to fix their mistakes.

Be thankful it's January and you have time.

 

Easier said than done I know. Good Luck, I was getting excited that you were soooo close to having all good.

Most of my outrage is not at them. It's just everytime I think I finally have solved of major stumbling block I go backwards 2 or new ones pop up. I did however get my clutch springs replaced, which was quite simple but a nice little place to start, changed the oil and filter, reattach the drain tube from my radiator to the Overflow at the throat of the radiator, it was running so with the 20 amp fuse blown I took a little 2 block ride and the clutch seemed not to slip like it had been.

 

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[s.tyler58]

It was electrical that where everything started this spring. I've been down every wire in that thing 3 *. But not lately. I know my Dash has issues.

 

And I'm green with this bike but, I do know not to jump up in fuse size because of a problem. Kind of why I'm pissed off, that I would get it back without that being addressed when he discovered the problem when putting it back together.

 

And I will always find a way to blame myself before I would dump on another person face to face. These are good guys. And they were trying to get me riding before the year was up.

 

They know about the carb and the clutch leakage and want to address that I've just got to get it back up there I was doing some things like the clutch springs first and now I'll Trace this down and then I'll get it back to him so he can get the clutch leak properly fixed and carbs finished in tuned spring.

 

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[s.tyler58]

Insert punctuation as needed because I voice type cuz my stiff old thumbs won't let me type on my phone

 

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[zagger]

It was electrical that where everything started this spring. I've been down every wire in that thing 3 *.

 

Well, there are certainly a lot of wires. Here is a picture of my 83 with the wiring exposed. I removed all the stock wiring and put in new wires which fit my modified bike better.

 

I would try to carefully inspect the routing of every wire in the areas where they worked on the bike. Of course, if you can figure out which wires connect to the fuse which is blowing, that would be the place to begin. Since you may have difficulty spotting the partial short without knowing which wires to look at, you might want to try identifying the wires which go to the fuse by connecting one lead of your ohmmeter to the fuse in question and touch the other ohmmeter lead to a standard pin (like for sewing) which you poke through each wire's insulation (to contact the copper conductor inside). Ain't gonna be easy, but eventually you should figure it out. I really doubt that any mechanic would take the time to do this. If you don't own an electrical meter that can measure ohms, this would be a good time to get one! Might want to see if you can get a meter that will beep when it makes electrical contact with the probe wires so you can keep your eyes on the wires that you are probing. This meter appears to have an audible beeper for locating electrical continuity: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-R500-Multimeters-Electronic-Multimeter/dp/B01N9QW620/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1516463438&sr=8-6&keywords=vom

zag

Edited January 20, 2018 by zagger

[Venturous Randy]

The system that has the fuse problem needs to be researched. If that system is isolated in the schematic, it will become more obvious where to look. Looking at all the wire bundles is fine, but the focus on the noted system is where the problem will be found.

As far as the leak near the clutch slave cylinder, are you sure it is brake fluid you are seeing and not oil from a seal where the shaft goes into the engine?

Randy

[snyper316]

Wouldn't one be able to take a multimeter and test it that way? and trace that wire. My bike pretty much have the TCI box wiring seperate from that speggattie mess that zagger shows, I just have 2 final wires to put in and it will be totally seperate, I like Venturous Randys suggestion of the straight 12.4 volts relay to TCI box, and I bet it would make big difference!!! I may order the wiring harness I seen online for parts and order me some wire and plugs and try to build my own with special attention to the Dash wiring so it has slack and quits tugging at the CMU. I seem to have winter here thanks to Saddlebum leaving the back door open. But today Tinker Got to stretch her legs as did I!! I rode all 3 of my bikes today it was 68 degrees outside. Seemed like swimming weather!! We aren't into February yet so sure there is more winter to come. May see what other project I can get into. Man I love SNOW But hate Winter, its not good for the body lol!!

[s.tyler58]

The system that has the fuse problem needs to be researched. If that system is isolated in the schematic, it will become more obvious where to look. Looking at all the wire bundles is fine, but the focus on the noted system is where the problem will be found.

As far as the leak near the clutch slave cylinder, are you sure it is brake fluid you are seeing and not oil from a seal where the shaft goes into the engine?

Randy

Thanks. Yes, it is brake fluid. Master was down over half way. Need new windows in both my brake and clutch masters. Mine are all crunchy but not leaking. I topped off the clutch master and it's been sitting on the side stand for two days and not a drop has dripped. Only rode 2-3 blocks since replacing the clutch springs and parked it where it is now.

 

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[RedRider]

FYI on buying a new clutch slave vs rebuilding.

 

It is cheaper to replace with new in this case.

 

RR

[B.E. Coyote]

Ouch, I'm sure that is frustrating.

 

If you use a multimeter to look for your issues, either use some leads with alligator clips or have a second set of hands to help you. While the meter is hooked up, turn the bars back and forth and move the harness around.

[s.tyler58]

FYI on buying a new clutch slave vs rebuilding.

 

It is cheaper to replace with new in this case.

 

RR

Went with new. Still leaking somewhere.

 

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