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kz440 headlight doesn't work

6K views 45 replies 4 participants last post by  saturnsc2 
#1 ·
I just bought a prestige 1983 Kawasaki kz440 ltd belt drive bike. it has only 799 certified miles on it. stored in a heated garage for 30 years. just got it today & the headlight doesn't work. no voltage at the connector. bulb works. I had a blown fuse which I replaced, but the same no voltage at connector. everything else works. what can be the problem? I didn't see any disconnected connectors or broken wires inside the headlight housing. is there a relay for this somewhere? if so where?
 
#2 ·
There's a wiring diagram at the KZ400.com site >> Technical Tips.
Do not go into the forums as they may harm your computer.

There shouldn't be a relay & the 440D doesn't have a headlight reserve lighting device.

I would check the voltage on both sides of the fuse. Then I would check the handlebar control switch. maybe there's corrosion or something. Also, the headlight may have a pigtail connector, so I would check for power at the bullet terminals. not likely the problem, but you never know or in case someone disconnected them.

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#3 ·
There's a wiring diagram at the KZ400.com site >> Technical Tips.
Do not go into the forums as they may harm your computer.

There shouldn't be a relay & the 440D doesn't have a headlight reserve lighting device.

I would check the voltage on both sides of the fuse. Then I would check the handlebar control switch. maybe there's corrosion or something. Also, the headlight may have a pigtail connector, so I would check for power at the bullet terminals. not likely the problem, but you never know or in case someone disconnected them.

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well I did buy this on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-82-KA...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


it's stated to be a headlight relay & I see the same thing on my bike also. the one on my bike looks to be in bad shape. we'll see what it is when it comes in. I checked the fuses & there's power there. I checked numerous connectors inside the headlight bucket & there's power everywhere just not the headlight connector. strange...
 
#4 ·
Some sellers don't know what's what. That EB part appears to be a brake light outage switch & the wire colors are the same as in the wiring diagram. The switch warns you by flashing to let you know that the brake light isn't working. You can test it by removing the brake light / tail light bulb.

You'll need to check the LH handlebar control switch. There could be corrosion or something broken inside there. From the wiring diagram at the KZ400.com site there is a blue wire from the headlight fuse to the LH handlebar control. The handlebar control has a connector, so you could check for power there. Either unplug the connector & check the blue wire terminal for power or back-probe where the blue wire goes into the connector >> there should be power (Ignition switch ON). If no power, the problem is with the blue wire >> somewhere between the fuse & connector. If you have power at the blue wire terminal, then with connector plugged in, back-probe the red-black wire (low beam I think) & red-yellow (high beam)(Ignition switch ON). I would go ahead & open up the handlebar control to take a look.

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#5 ·
Some sellers don't know what's what. That EB part appears to be a brake light outage switch & the wire colors are the same as in the wiring diagram. The switch warns you by flashing to let you know that the brake light isn't working. You can test it by removing the brake light / tail light bulb.

You'll need to check the LH handlebar control switch. There could be corrosion or something broken inside there. From the wiring diagram at the KZ400.com site there is a blue wire from the headlight fuse to the LH handlebar control. The handlebar control has a connector, so you could check for power there. Either unplug the connector & check the blue wire terminal for power or back-probe where the blue wire goes into the connector >> there should be power (Ignition switch ON). If no power, the problem is with the blue wire >> somewhere between the fuse & connector. If you have power at the blue wire terminal, then with connector plugged in, back-probe the red-black wire (low beam I think) & red-yellow (high beam)(Ignition switch ON). I would go ahead & open up the handlebar control to take a look.

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my left hand switch is a dimmer switch no on & off switch as lights are always on. I have power at the fuse block & a lot of connectors inside the headlight bucket have power as well, just not the headlight connector. my bike's a kz440 ltd not a kz400...
 
#10 ·
By saturnsc2: my left hand switch is a dimmer switch no on & off switch as lights are always on. I have power at the fuse block & a lot of connectors inside the headlight bucket have power as well, just not the headlight connector. my bike's a kz440 ltd not a kz400...

The 400 site has a wiring diagram for your bike. You say there's power to the blue wire. Test for power at the other headlight wires in the headlight bucket: red-yellow (low beam) & red-black (hi-beam) have bullet terminals & are not routed into a plastic connector (my mistake). Toggle the hi-beam switch to check the high beam.

...
 
#11 ·
By saturnsc2: my left hand switch is a dimmer switch no on & off switch as lights are always on. I have power at the fuse block & a lot of connectors inside the headlight bucket have power as well, just not the headlight connector. my bike's a kz440 ltd not a kz400...

The 400 site has a wiring diagram for your bike. You say there's power to the blue wire. Test for power at the other headlight wires in the headlight bucket: red-yellow (low beam) & red-black (hi-beam) have bullet terminals & are not routed into a plastic connector (my mistake). Toggle the hi-beam switch to check the high beam.

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no power low or high. could be a bad ground which might cause this...
 
#14 ·
a ground connection is mentioned here does anybody know exactly where it's at? so many wires in there like a bird's nest. I bet it is the ground for the headlight connector as everything else works.... the previous owner installed a win shield on the bike but I had him remove it. the handlebar cables & some wires seem to be miss routed so maybe the connection was taken apart
& then not put back together as the owner said he never rode this at night....
 
#15 ·
a ground connection is mentioned here does anybody know exactly where it's at? so many wires in there like a bird's nest. I bet it is the ground for the headlight connector as everything else works.... the previous owner installed a win shield on the bike but I had him remove it. the handlebar cables & some wires seem to be miss routed so maybe the connection was taken apart
& then not put back together as the owner said he never rode this at night....

have you tried sticking a meter probe into the ground terminal of the headlight connector to see if you get continuity to the frame?
 
#18 · (Edited)
well here's my findings today. I took a volt meter & connected it to the battery positive terminal & then the ground wire in the headlight connector & I get power. there's 2 unplugged leads inside the headlight housing probably never used & one is hot. I tested that with the ground inside the headlight plug & I also get power. there's 2 red wires that go into the plug with different colored stripes on them obviously for high & low beams & they are totally dead. when I jiggle the high/low beam switch I get nothing. if the switch were corroded I would probably get intermittent operation if anything. the bike sat covered in heated garage for many years so I would think the switch is ok as all other switches work just fine & everything else works fine, but I did discover something today the self cancelling turn signal feature doesn't seem to work. I had 2 other bikes before & that feature on those bikes also didn't work. the 2 red wires that come out of the headlight plug go into a small harness which goes into the dimmer switch & there's other wires that come out of it. it doesn't look like there's any wiring damage between the headlight plug & dimmer switch, but I can't see what's under the fuel tank as they all go under it to the back of the bike.


i'm not sure which blue wire your talking about. there's a solid blue wire inside the housing & then I see part of a blue wire with a white strip running inside a wire loom & then it disappears under the fuel tank.
 
#20 ·
well here's my findings today. I took a volt meter & connected it to the battery positive terminal & then the ground wire in the headlight connector & I get power. there's 2 unplugged leads inside the headlight housing probably never used & one is hot. I tested that with the ground inside the headlight plug & I also get power. there's 2 red wires that go into the plug with different colored stripes on them obviously for high & low beams & they are totally dead. when I jiggle the high/low beam switch I get nothing. if the switch were corroded I would probably get intermittent operation if anything. the bike sat covered in heated garage for many years so I would think the switch is ok as all other switches work just fine & everything else works fine, but I did discover something today the self cancelling turn signal feature doesn't seem to work. I had 2 other bikes before & that feature on those bikes also didn't work. the 2 red wires that come out of the headlight plug go into a small harness which goes into the dimmer switch & there's other wires that come out of it. it doesn't look like there's any wiring damage between the headlight plug & dimmer switch, but I can't see what's under the fuel tank as they all go under it to the back of the bike.


i'm not sure which blue wire your talking about. there's a solid blue wire inside the housing & then I see part of a blue wire with a white strip running inside a wire loom & then it disappears under the fuel tank.



The 2 red wires come out of the dimmer switch. The blue power wire goes in. So you're sort of saying we still don't know if there
is power on the blue wire going into the switch?
 
#24 ·
I would say yes to the wiring diagram so you can tell what wires are going to the dimmer switch. You can than also check the operation of the dimmer switch with a meter with the connector for the left handle bar disconnected. You will know what wire is the power supply from the fuse to the handle bar connection and if it has power on it with the fuse installed and no power with the headlight fuse removed. An owners manual,service manual and wiring diagrams are a great help when looking for problems on any motorcycle. Before you start ripping wire harness apart you need to use the factory disconnect points and fine out where the wires are not intact.
 
#27 ·
Start at the l/h grip switch housing and follow the wiring to where ever it goes. Into the headlight or under the tank until you find the disconnect point. The wiring dia. in the manual should be close if not exact. With the connector disconnected you can use a meter to check the wires to the dimmer switch on the switch side and for power from the fuse on the bike side of the connector. Both my 93 Vulcan 750 and my 82 GPZ The wiring disconnect is under the tank along the frame. My GPZ manual shows a blue/white wire to the headlight fuse and then a blue wire to the disconnect then on to the dimmer switch. From the dimmer to the headlight bulb the low beam is red/ yellow and high beam is red/ Black. The ground at the bulb is black/yellow. You will find the black/yellow from most items as it is used as a ground wire color on the bike. You need to check the wires with a ohm. meter not just try to find 12v from the battery.

A common place for wiring to be broken in where the wire runs past the tank forward mount point. If it is not in the correct position the tank will pinch the wires or cut them as the tank is installed.
 
#28 ·
Start at the l/h grip switch housing and follow the wiring to where ever it goes. Into the headlight or under the tank until you find the disconnect point. The wiring dia. in the manual should be close if not exact. With the connector disconnected you can use a meter to check the wires to the dimmer switch on the switch side and for power from the fuse on the bike side of the connector. Both my 93 Vulcan 750 and my 82 GPZ The wiring disconnect is under the tank along the frame. My GPZ manual shows a blue/white wire to the headlight fuse and then a blue wire to the disconnect then on to the dimmer switch. From the dimmer to the headlight bulb the low beam is red/ yellow and high beam is red/ Black. The ground at the bulb is black/yellow. You will find the black/yellow from most items as it is used as a ground wire color on the bike. You need to check the wires with a ohm. meter not just try to find 12v from the battery.

A common place for wiring to be broken in where the wire runs past the tank forward mount point. If it is not in the correct position the tank will pinch the wires or cut them as the tank is installed.
there's a large connector forward in front of the tank sort of tucked up halfway up the frame. I might be able to reach it & take some readings there. many different colored wires go into it....I bet if I removed the tank all would be exposed & then the problem could be found. I might as well just run the fuel down & then remove the tank which needs cleaning anyway...
 
#29 ·
You should be able to take the tank off with fuel in the tank. Kawasaki uses a vacuum controlled fuel petcock. It should have a run/ reserve/ prime position. No Fuel should run out with it in the run and reserve position unless the engine is running. If it is leaking without the bike running the petcock should be rebuilt or replaced.

With the tank off you should see the wiring connectors. There should be one from the ignition switch also. On the right side of the frame there will be connectors from the right side grip.
 
#30 ·
You should be able to take the tank off with fuel in the tank. Kawasaki uses a vacuum controlled fuel petcock. It should have a run/ reserve/ prime position. No Fuel should run out with it in the run and reserve position unless the engine is running. If it is leaking without the bike running the petcock should be rebuilt or replaced.

With the tank off you should see the wiring connectors. There should be one from the ignition switch also. On the right side of the frame there will be connectors from the right side grip.
i'm sure the problem is under the tank. I had an old Kawasaki bike & it had a similar problem. .the problem was a broken wire where the wires bend back & forth while steering. this bike is to unused to have this type of problem I blame someone tampering with it. I know the previous owner installed a stupid win shield moving the turn signals to a different location, so he might have damaged some other wires in the process...
 
#32 ·
It senses when one of the beams or brake light goes out to light an indicator and/or automatically switch beams. The auto canceling
feature, if it works the same way as it does on my Z1R, has a few pieces: One that bolts between the speedo and speedo cable.

It transfers the number of speedo cable revolutions to a turn signal auto canceling box (looks not too unlike the ebay item you
linked to) which in turn, is wired to that downward extension on your left handlebar control that automatically pushes the turn sig
switch back to the center after the set distance. Mine didn't work when I got it either but all of the parts were there and luckily cleaning the contacts fixed it. There was a lot of gunk inside the left hand control switch.
 
#41 · (Edited)
so just so I understand you correctly the blue wire supplies power to the dimmer switch to power the headlight so if there's power in the blue wire the problem is in the switch correct? i did read in the fuse panel the circuit that one fuse feeds which is the headlight & is live there so I must move along to that blue wire in that connector & see if there's power there. getting down to the nitty gritty & should be able to figure this out soon. the funny thing is I never checked to see if the headlight sealed beam actually works, but if there's no power at the red wires it's silly to do so I guess....
 
#43 ·
Did you ever open up the handlebar control switch?





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I found a n.o.s. switch for cheap & just ordered it. this might take care of 2 problems because the auto turn signal cancelling don't work & that solenoid underneath the switch could be bad. for all I know they might work now as I already replaced the module in front of the battery box which controls this feature but have not rode the bike as of yet. when the switch comes in I will remove the tank for cleaning & do this at the same time & eliminate all problems at this point.
 
#44 ·
So you never opened the handlebar control? If the blue headlight wire to the dimmer switch has power & there's power at the headlight connector & pigtail in the headlight bucket, I would have checked the handlebar switch. I also would have load tested the battery. you never know sometimes.


...
 
#45 ·
So you never opened the handlebar control? If the blue headlight wire to the dimmer switch has power & there's power at the headlight connector & pigtail in the headlight bucket, I would have checked the handlebar switch. I also would have load tested the battery. you never know sometimes.


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from what I can see I detect power in the blue wire at the connector going into the switch. I bet the problem is in fact in the switch. I talked to a motorcycle tech today & he told me on these bikes there's a connector under the gas tank that frequently comes apart because the wire is tight. he bet's this is my problem. when the n.o.s. switch comes in I will remove the gas tank for cleaning & solve this problem once & for all will post updates here so if anyone else has this problem they can follow these instructions as well.....
 
#46 · (Edited)
& then there was light! it works finally! I removed the fuel tank & looked for the connector the tech told me about. it did seem loose & when I started pulling apart all connections that one just fell apart. I think it was unplugged. it has that large rubber cover over it so i didn't see it unplugged at first but i think it already was. when I installed the new handlebar control I made sure the new wire had some slack in it. not much to give, but enough to keep it from coming apart again. I used some extra plastic wire tiebacks to keep it secured to the frame so it doesn't move. as far as the switch goes maybe it fixed the automatic turn signal cancel but the tank right now is soaking in evapo rust so I will get it back on the bike tomorrow & try that out to see if it works. if not i'm done with it, no big deal to manual cancel turn signals...


I bought an external fuel filter, but I don't think there's room for it as it's tight down there. the fuel tap has some fine screening on it so it will keep out any crud from getting in the engine. there was some crud that came out when I drained the tank. I will blast out the tank with water tomorrow & force dry it the best I can. will try to wedge in that filter, but as I said it's tight down there....
 
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