Ironhead Powerraythor conversion

[IronMick]

This is the most comprehensive test of the electrical system...

Ironhead Voltage Drop Testing
http://xlforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1608465

[ferretface]

Limping along...

I was not happy with H-D's headlamp wiring. Literally all the wires going to the wiring harness were crossed. I spent a half-hour cutting the wires I needed to work with and uncrossing them. Then I soldered in three inch extensions to the Gen and Oil lamp wires and shrink wrapped them. I don't know how you guys who changed over to alternators got in there and connected your wiring. I couldn't even get my fingers in there.

Anyway...I decided to follow the Powerraythor instruction sheet explicitly. I cut the black wire at the Generator lamp (which connects to a Tan wire in the connection block) and soldered in the three inch extension with a slide connector to the yellow wire from the Powerraythor. The other end of that black wire I simply blocked off with shrink tubing. The Oil lamp also had three inch extensions added so the visor could flip up out of the way. All connections soldered and shrink wrapped.


(Numbers on wires were strictly for my convenience and have no relation to anything except themselves).

Put the battery back in and checked to see if both Gen and Oil lights go on when the ignition switch is turned on. They do. Yay.

Next up is to tuck the wire rats nest in and install the headlamp, tach, speedo, and whatever else is untucked and put the tank on and fire it up and see if I it wired correctly this time.

[ferretface]

I mentioned that my headlamp shell had a crack in it. It actually has two, one circular on the left side of the shell, and one from the mounting bolt to the front edge.



I'm searching for a good used or NOS black painted shell, but chromed is all I can find.

[Iron Mike]

I have a black used oem bucket. If your interested I can send you a pic.

**PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT**

***Use the WTB, WTS, WTT Section***

[ferretface]

Originally Posted by Iron Mike

I have a black used oem bucket. If your interested I can send you a pic.

PM sent!

On a serious note, while poring over the 83 XLH circuit diagram, I noticed that H-D had the Gen and Oil lamps shown as rectangles. Checking the 82 diagram, it had the lamps shown as red circles. Uh, oh...

I took both the 82 XLH and 83 XLH circuit diagrams from the FSM and took them to Office Max and had them printed out at 24 x 36 inches. Nice and big. And quite different, especially in the area of the headlamp wiring. Different wires cross-connected, different colors, different positions. My 83 definitely has the round red lamps, but it's possible that my entire front fork assembly came from another H-D, maybe not even a Sportster. There is a curious blue clip-on wire splice that doesn't look like it came from the factory. It is what dealers/rental agencies attach to auto wiring for a trailer. Mine connects two green wires into one, outside the socket terminal. Quick and easy to attach. Maybe I have a leftover wire loom that H-D used up??? Or maybe a dealer added it for a replacement??? Who knows...