Electrical Gremlin - Fuse #10

[GrumpyOldMan]

New guy here. I just purchased a 1994 G1500 SE with 53k miles. appears to have been garaged as the paint and vinyl are all clean and shiny. I got a a good deal on it as there is an electrical issue that I knew about before I bought it. Fuse #10 (10 amp acc fuse – second from bottom - image attached) keeps blowing. Given the amount I paid, I was ok with it since I can live without cruise/radio/CB as I primarily commute with my bike. However, I still would like to fix it. If I replace the fuse, everything works for a bit – so the individual components work, but there is a short somewhere. I tried riding with a new fuse without turning anything on to see if the short only manifests when the offending component is powered up and got about 50 miles broken up in three trips before the fuse blew so the short is not (I think) solely from powering up any of the components.
I am looking to see if anyone has any advice on where to start? I am familiar with minor general repair, but brand new to Goldwings and was hoping someone might have some good counsel on any known issues I can check first.
Bike runs strong and smooth otherwise.
Thank you!

[Rambozo]

9 times out of ten it is from some aftermarket accessories like extra lights. That would be the first place I would look.

Are any wires attached to the ACC terminals on the fusebox?

[Swagonmaster]

The ETM says that fuse 10 protects:
air pump, CB radio, stereo radio, instrument panel illumination (there are four wires from that fuse going to the LCD unit), speed sensor.
Those aren't things that are normally tapped into (but you never know, idiots happen) but I would start with activating them one at a time and see if there is anything wrong with the units or is it a short circuit in a wire. Illumination and speed sensor you can't do much about as far as turning them on for a test but if the fuse blows without the other items being used that would tell you something.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Thanks for the info. I will be pulling the fiberglass and plastic and looking for worn, pinched or chewed wiring and hoping it obvious

[Swagonmaster]

Does the fuse last long enough to see if the LCD illumination comes on? Since the fuse is labeled "accessory" someone may have taken Honda literally and tapped into it anyway so look for aftermarket wiring close to the fuse box. Actually, as Rambozo said look for added wiring anywhere if there any added extras on the bike.

[GrumpyOldMan]

The LCD does come up and functions when the fuse is replaced.

There are no accessories on my bike, it's bone stock. So I will have to look for the proverbial needle in the "wire" stack so to speak for a bare wire somewhere.

[1mccormick]

Instrument panel illumination is the only thing you cannot control easily during riding.

[MikeB]

The LCD does come up and functions when the fuse is replaced.

There are no accessories on my bike, it's bone stock. So I will have to look for the proverbial needle in the "wire" stack so to speak for a bare wire somewhere.

Since you are brand new to Gold Wings, it is difficult for some to know when a bike is bone stock or not. So, look at it closely and see if there are lights that may seem other than Honda. For instance, lots of owners added a "Ring of Fire" around the front disk rotors.

Also, lots of owners added lights to the saddlebags where the stock reflectors go as well as the adding lights to the rear fender.

These lights were not all plug and play and some splicing may have been done.
There is always a great possibility that a 28 year old machine has been modified during its life by someone that didn't know exactly what they were doing.

If you believe you have an intermittent short, as a test, wire a 12 volt light so that it can be inserted into the fuse socket in place of the fuse, or use a circuit tester that is designed for that purpose, and then power on the bike. The lamp of circuit tester should come on dimly. Then you can move and flex bike's wiring. If there is a low grade short somewhere the light will get brighter which would indicate a greater current flow. Search that area for your short.