Hi guys my sons viper 70 sat for 4 weeks and now I have no power at all when I turn the key on. I replaced the battery and still the same. I found the diagram on the anythingatv page which said check the brake switch, which when i opened fell out and I lost some parts so I guess I need to buy a new one now, however, said the switch is open normally until pressed so I touched the 2 wires while it's out and I still have no power like its dead.

fuse is good from the battery

I disconnected the ignition switch produced no results as well, the wires to the switch were all in good shape and seem intact

the flow chart says replace teather switch next... honestly I don't know what to do any help is greatly appreciated I have 0 electrical, no horn anything of any kind.. I keep thinking im missing something really stupid


thanks,
George

 

I've never even seen an eton quad, but I can follow a wiring diagram. I'm looking at the wiring diagram for an eton 70 from www.anythingatv.com.

Do the headlights work? Brake light?

Get a meter and measure the battery voltage. It should be 12 volts or higher with the ignition switch on and the headlights on. If not, then jump the quad to your car or truck. Do the headlights light up (ignition on)?

If not then it is your fuse, ignition switch or wiring. Follow the path with your voltmeter. Measure the DC voltage on the following points to ground: Battery (+), output side of the fuse, ignition switch input, Ignition switch output (ignition on).

The brake switch prevents the starter from turning. It does not prevent the headlights from lighting up.

The tether prevents spark. It does not prevent the starter from turning or the headlights from lighting. It prevent a normally cranking quad fron starting up.

 

Hi Lynn, thanks for the reply- no the lights do not work at all. Looking at the diag and from what your saying that would point to the ignition switch. I looked on the back of the switch I can figure out the input from the diag but are all 3 the outputs?

one goes to switch the other 2 goto lights? When that ignition switch is on does that diagram mean all 4 inputs are connected or just 1/17 and 4/3 when its on

sorry not good reading diags

George

 

The ignition switch is two separate switches ganged together on a common shaft. Thus when the switch is on 1/17 are shorted, and 4/3 are shorted.

(1) is ground. If you follow the wire it goes to the negative battery terminal. It also goes to lights and lots of other things. Everything needs a ground return.

(17) when grounded enables spark to the CDI through the tether and the stop switches. It also provides a ground to the starter solenoid, also through the tether and stop switches. Thus what I told you yesterday is wrong. The tether and stop switches will keep the quad starter from cranking. However, the lights don't work, and this has nothing to do with the tether or stop switches. Therefore this still points to the ignition switch side of things.

(3) should have power all the time.

(4) should have power only when the ignition switch is on.

Be careful if you buy another ignition switch. Eton switches are different than the common chinese switches available all over the internet. The chinese switches are also two ganged switches, but one switch is closed when the ignition switch is off, and the other is closed when the ignition switch is on. Eton switches have both switches closed when the ignition switch is on. Both are open when the ignition switch is off.

 

Hey Lynn, if it's shorted when open is that why people have said unplug the ignition and it should work? I had unplugged it but it was same

I have power on the red one up to the key- the others I don't I didn't understand after it's on where power goes

 

I'm not quite understanding this. The phrase 'shorted when open' is a contradiction in terms. No matter, if you unplug the ignition switch it cannot possibly work - since you won't have the enabling ground to the CDI and the starter solenoid ground connection.

When the ignition switch is on you should have two wires with power. The published wiring diagram shows a brown wire as the one that gets energized when the ignition is on. Do you have a brown wire on the ignition switch? Double check this wire to make sure it doesn't have 12 volts when the ignition switch is turned on. Also, make sure the power on the red wire doesn't go away when the ignition switch is turned on. This would indicate a flat dead battery. You never did report back the results of jumping the quad to your car, so I can't be sure you have a battery with any juice in it.

That second wire (brown according to the wiring diagram) powers the lights which you say don't work. This is further evidence pointing to the ignition switch (if your battery isn't dead).

If not, then there are two possibilities. The ignition switch is bad or the published wiring diagram is way off base. So far my experience is that the wiring diagrams for Eton's are fairly good.

 

Hi Lynn- the red gets power but the brown never does.. I had ordered a new switch the other day

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help

I wish I could understand that diagram better so when that switch is on brown connects red for power to flow and the other 2 are just grounds that bridge to lights and the handlebar switch?

George

 

A good choice...

You're very welcome.

The lights are connected to ground all the time (same as the battery (-) terminal). To turn the lights off the power side is interupted by turning the light switch off. Of course the power to the lights is also be switched off by the fuse blowing and/or the ignition switch being turned off. They are all wired in series (nose to tail) so that any one of them, if disconnected, will stop power from getting to the lights.

The 'other two' ignition switch wires (one is ground, the other is switched to ground when the ignition is on) are used to provide a ground to the CDI (allows spark), and to the starter solenoid (allows the starter to crank).