1st there's a gen light, then there isn't, then there is...

[Deleted User 62]

Oh Wanita, I call your name.

Exactly! As I was cleaning out the dead roaches and poo from inside the timing case, I thought, "the Boxer motor sheds it's skin to find the bugs that died within. First there is a gen light, then there isn't and then there is."

[Ken in Oklahoma]

It was the diode board. In the process of attempting to troubleshoot the ignition switch, I ended up with an alternator light that would not turn off, even with the ignition switch pulled and the brushes making no contact (?)! With the ignition switch in, the starter wouldn't turn. I had put in a new starter switch yesterday, before this trouble started, so I knew it wasn't that. Swapped starter relay and regulator, the ones on the bike were crusty originals, but still that light was on. Finally put in a new diode board, and then everything worked, except the oil light... fixed that in 5 minutes too. The ignition switch is still iffy, but I'm going for a ride!

This doesn't address your problem, but it does address the possibility of getting stuck on the road from an intermittent electrical problem in the ignition wiring.

A couple of my bikes have a toggle switch under the seat jumping the battery positive directly to the positive side of the two coils. I put it there at the time because I thought I was having electrical problems having to do with a corroded starter relay socket. (BMW chose to run the red positive 12V wire from the starter solenoid through the starter relay, thence to the ignition switch. This was particularly problematic with the under the tank master cylinders leaking brake fluid into the relay connector. Apparently that was a handy place to tie two wiring looms together.)

My fear was that if I hadn't done a good enough job cleaning the starter relay socket contacts and that the circuit would jiggle open, breaking the battery connection, and leaving me stranded away from home farther than I wanted to walk.

This is a lot of words to say that I thought keeping the toggle switched "hot wire" in place was a prudent thing to do. Plus having a switched "hot wire" in place seemed like a good way to ensure riding rather than walking home in case my starter relay contact cleaning job wasn't as good as I thought--or if I lost my key.

Of course, needless to say, with the toggle switch on you can't shut off your engine with the key until you turn the hot wire switch off.

And with the hot wire toggle switch on, and the ignition switch on, all of the important electrical functions will work just fine.

Just a thought.


Ken

[Deleted User 62]

Thanks Ken, I've thought of running a hot wire too. The problem with the switch on my /5 is the internal parts are so worn that the standard plastic topped ignition switch doesn't go far enough down to turn things on, and the all steel version does... barely. That's why the slight movement of turning it to the center position turns it off. I carry a roll of electrical tape with me in the event it won't go down far enough. Note: the wiring harness is also newer, and now, with all fresh electrical components, it should be good to go for quite awhile now... I hope!

[Jean]

Those brass strap-contacts can be bent a bit so your switch-key will work again. Just be careful!
Might ought to disconnect the battery when you do this.
Worked for me.

[Deleted User 62]

Yeah Jean, that's what I ended up doing. I couldn't figure why the steel key works when the black plastic one doesn't. Then I noticed the all steel key is just a tiny bit longer on the end where it counts. The lights stay on like they should now. Lights are fucking bright, too!