Yamaha turning into a yamaproblem

[czac]

So i finally got the new rear axle in the ytm 225 DXN and took it out in the snow for a spin, everything was going great it was running good, felt good, was having fun sliding in the snow... Until it got stuck.
I jumped off and started pulling it out of the holes the wheels dug, the idle started to slow down and it stalled out.
I pulled it out, got on, hit the start button and ..... Nothing! I turned the switch off and on, nothing, no green light in the neutral light either. The battery is still good, got power up to the key switch, maybe the neutral switch went? How do you test it? Like i said, the green light isn't going on when. In neutral now... How do i test the switch? Help!!!

[DohcBikes]

Sounds like water. Dry everything and start doing checks. The neutral switch is usually a resistance test. Do these even have a neutral safety switch? How do you know the ignition switch has power? Have you checked your lights and other stuff? We need more info.

[barnett468]

Yeah,

1. Check power from battery to ign switch, if it does not have one go to the kill switch. if there is no power the fuse isbad or the connections are dirty.

2. clean all connections.

3. remove wire from neutral switch and test for continuity on neutral and in gear. if both are the same it is bad, you can bypass it if you want.

[barnett468]

free online manual, might take 6 minutes to load. it has a wiring diagram.

http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/

[dougspcs]

Neutral switch connector likely got bumped or popped off when you got stuck.

It's kind of in a crappy spot under the shifter at the bottom of the engine. Follow the wire below the shifter and wiggle it..see if the light comes on.

Used to happen to my brother 250 bear tracker all the time til we cleaned and tightened the connector.

[czac]

Thanks guys... Heres some info and things i tried...

Light blue Neutral switch wire was intact and connected.
trike has gas.
tested the red wire that goes to the key switch, it had power.
the fuse is good
the headlights work off the motor if im not mistaken and it. Has to be running to work.

I question the neutral switch only because the neutral light is also not coming on. It was working great before and as far as something getting wet, it could be but i have driven in snow before with no problems.

It was weird that it was ideling nicly but the idle started getting slower till it just stalled... It has never done that before, well it did one time it was but because it ran out of gas...lol

Anyone know how to by pass the neutral switch?

[dougspcs]

Anyone know how to by pass the neutral switch?

Just pull the wire from the switch and ground it to the chassis..

[DohcBikes]

Well, the switch is actually inside the engine, so you would need to connect the side that goes back to the harness to ground, if its necessary.

Reading that again, that might be what Doug was saying and I just misinterpreted.

That's why I was asking if it has an actual safety switch or just an indicator.

With a safety switch, it won't start in neutral, if its just an indicator then it doesn't matter.

Someone should know off hand which is the case.

Neutral safety switch test-----dont be fooled by a high resistance reading. Neutral safety switches have a tendency to read way outside the service limit, yet still work normally, even new ones.

This is due to the film of oil between the contacts.

[czac]

so the blue wire that comes off the switch just needs to be grounded and it should be able to start in neutral or in gear? how does the switch work anyways? its threaded into the block and there's one blue wire that goes to it that I traced up to the key switch.

I imagine when put into neutral there's something inside the engine that hits against the switch closing it and making some sort of electrical connection. but as I said, there's just the one wire... is that the power coming from the key switch down to the safety switch?

I hooked a test light to the + side of the battery and touched the probe to the switch where it is screwed into the engine and it lit up meaning it was grounded... so if the switch makes a ground when closed or in neutral, that blue wire MUST be providing power right?

so if I ground the test light to the - side of the battery, when I touch the probe to the wire with the key turned on, it should light up correct?

[czac]

That's why I was asking if it has an actual safety switch or just an indicator.

With a safety switch, it won't start in neutral, if its just an indicator then it doesn't matter.

Someone should know off hand which is the case.

Neutral safety switch test-----dont be fooled by a high resistance reading. Neutral safety switches have a tendency to read way outside the service limit, yet still work normally, even new ones.

This is due to the film of oil between the contacts.

well there was a huge amount of oily gunk on and around the switch... lol
yes it has a safety switch where you have to have the bike in Neutral to start it up.

[czac]

Also, if the switch did go bad, would it have stalled the engine? I mean, it was running good then the idol got slower and then it just shut down like it got turned off or ran out of gas. when I hit the start button, it didn't do a thing, no whirring, not a click... nothing. Also, the green neutral indicator light wont come on in neutral now. what are the chances it just stalled due to something like the choke not being fully off or something like that and the switch just going bad at the same time? 1 in a billion or more? lol would that be lucky or un lucky? and if it did happen, why doesn't it happen when I play powerball?

[Stonewall]

Because Powerball would be a good thing lol.

I know very little about Yami's but if they're anything like Hondas, the neutral safety switch should just disable the starter when the transmission's not in neutral. It shouldn't affect running of the engine either. Are there any indicator lights on? What, if any, of the electrical system IS working?

[emmie357]

The safety switch should disable the starter if the trike is not in neutral. But it shouldn't make the bike run bad if already running.

The switch has a ball on the end inside the case, when the tranny is in neutral the ball gets pressed in by a little nub inside the case. At least that's how my 200E works, ad I'm 99% sure the 225 uses the same switch. Mine wasn't turning the neutral light on so I took it out and cleaned off the ball on the end and cleaned up the case around it. Worked fine after. I think there was so much gunk on it that it either wasn't pressing the ball in, or possibly it may need a good contact with the engine case for it to ground. Either way I haven't had an issue since I cleaned it off.

Does it start with the recoil starter?

Edit: Check your ground wires (use the manual Barnett posted a link to) I'm trying to think of what electrically would make it die like that.

[czac]

Ok, got another switch off eBay, installed it, trike fired straight up...lol so it was the darn switch, but how in the heck did it make the trike stall out? Could the trikes stalling out and the switch just be a crazy coincidence? But, at least its running again so i can get to putting the Tri Z front end on it!

[DohcBikes]

No coincidences. A test light is basically a continuity tester. No matter his many times I stress that continuity is NOT a reliable electrical test, no one seems to hear it.

Continuity means nothing in a proper diagnosis. Resistance is the way to test things that people sometimes recommend using a continuity test on.

Curious....Did you reinstall the original switch and try after you cleaned it?

If so, how soon?

Either way, would you try it again for my own entertainment lol