Help!! Ignition switch woes

[Awyrdo]

Hey everyone, new rider here. I bought a rough, but rideable 84 VT500FT Ascot as my first bike. It's treated me well for about three months now, but suddenly my ignition switch no longer seems to be working. It happened after a day of normal commuting, I parked up for a few hours, and then when I tried to leave I suddenly had no dashboard lights, headlight, no power whatsoever with the key in the "on" position.

Testing with a multimeter shows me that I have 12 volts up to the point at which the main red/black connector meets the red/black connector for the ignition switch, but nothing after which is what leads me to believe the ignition switch is my problem.

I'm having a tough time finding any OEM ignition switches for obvious reasons, but I was hoping to hear whether anyone else had had this problem and what they did to fix it. It seems like an aftermarket/universal ignition might work for a replacement, but the differing number of wires (5 on stock ignition, 2 or 4 on most aftermarket) make me wonder how well it would work. Alternatively, has anyone ever set up a toggle switch or something similar to bypass this problem?

Thanks and hoping to hear from you guys,
A.C.

[J6G1Z]

Sorry to hear of your ignition problem.

Have you removed the ignition & examined it to see if it can be disassembled & cleaned? I don't own a VT Ascot any longer & I can't recall if the VT ignition housing can be serviced or not. You might try spraying some WD-40 through the red straw into the ignition & then exercising it with the key.

Good luck
J.

 

[Awyrdo]

That's a good idea. Worth the try at least. Would it be more ideal to use WD-40 or electrical contact cleaner? I have both, just wondering which would have a better chance to clean any contaminants.

I tried taking the switch out, which according to my Clymer's service manual should be possible, but had no luck. The rats nest of wiring and awkward angles kept me from making much headway in dismounting it. I ended up giving up for the day.

[J6G1Z]

Contact cleaner would probably be better. Just make sure that whatever you use is plastic safe.

J.

[Awyrdo]

No luck on the contact cleaner. Sprayed it liberally and worked the key back and forth probably 20-30 times. Not a hint of life.

[J6G1Z]

Sorry to hear that.

Have you checked the fuses & any fusible links?

I haven't messed with a VT Ascot in a couple years now & have forgotten much. I gave my service manual to my bikes new owner.
You might try joining this group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ascotvt500enthusiasts/info

The guy that runs that group is pretty sharp on the VT Ascots.

Good luck
J.

[Awyrdo]

Success!! Tonight I got frustrated and took apart as much as I could on the bike to find the issue. I was finally able to get the ignition completely off of the bike and located the problem- an incredibly poorly done and broken solder connection from the red wire on the bottom of the ignition. Re-soldered it and brought it back to life!  Thanks for the suggestions, and can't wait to start riding again!

[J6G1Z]

Excellent!

J.