1985 Honda ATC250ES neutral light stays on no matter which gear it is in.

[deejaycee_2000]

Hi Guys

I have just finished my restoration on my 85' 250ES and took it for a test run, runs perfect, only thing is, that the neutral light remains on in any gear including the reverse, the reverse light comes on in reverse and goes off when not in reverse. If I remove the neutral female plug from the switch at the gear case the light stays on, if I remove the male/female connector further down the line it still remains on, only if I disconnect the plug in the fusebox it will go off so my only guess would be that is is grounding somewhere in the main harness. Has anyone had this happen before? I'm starting to think I should just add a single line from the connector to the plug in the fusebox and cancel out the original wire. Any feedback will be appreciated.

[Flyingw]

Operation of the neutral light is this. Positive battery power is always sitting at the light and starter solenoid. That power comes in from the battery via the key switch and main harness. What energizes the light and starter solenoid is ground. Normally that ground is provided by the neutral safety switch on the clutch cover when the tranny is in neutral turning on the neutral light and enabling the starter solenoid. You said that when you take the connector off of the neutral safety switch the light remains on. This means that the circuit is getting a ground from somewhere in the main harness. If you have messed with any of the connectors behind the headlight to go back and check your connections for a mismatched connection. The wiring diagram in the manual will tell you what the wire colors are you need to pay attention to pertaining to the neutral light and starter solenoid.

[deejaycee_2000]

Thank you I will go double check my connections again

[BarnBoy]

On my 200M, the neutral sensor is broken off, causing the light to remain on all the time. Maybe this is your problem? Just a thought.

[Jknight]

Hello,

I was wondering if you were able to get this figured out? I am currently dealing with the exact same problem and it is driving me crazy. Ive been through the wiring harness and havent found anything loose or skinned. Check most of the electrical components ect.

Thank you!

[shortline10]

The neural switch is possibly bad , its located by your right heel if your sitting on the Atv , pull the little metal cover off to check it .

[big specht]

All the switch does is ground the Circuit. It could be a bad switch or the cam that bolts to the drum is loose but more than likely it’s the switch.

[Jknight]

The switch has tested good. Neutral light is on even if unplugged. Reverse switch/light works normally. From previous post responses it seems to be grounding out somewhere on the frame but i have removed the entire harness and gone through it + re-installed. All connections good & no wire damage that i could find. The bike works fine but its driving me crazy hah!

[Shep1970]

I could be way off base here, but i know the 250es harness is very similar to the trx200sx in terms of dash neutral/reverse lights. In years past i know folks have tried china cdi boxes in these bikes and had similar issues (ran fine but dash lights had error)
Not saying this is your problem and cant remember to much about the issue but i know there was one.
Sooo by any chance u have a made in china cdi???

I know not much help but....
I know u said Restoration so a nice shiny aftermarket part may look nice but sometimes keeping the old dusty/dirty honda parts are better/ just saying
Again i could be way off base here...for your issue
shep

[Jknight]

SOLVED: Shep1970 you were on the money. Thank you so much man. My oem cdi lost spark sometime prior to taking the bike apart. Replaced it with a cheapo. Plugged in my no spark oem one and the lights were working as intended. Just put in an order for a Ricks Hot Shot CDI to replace it. Also, thanks to everyone else for their input. I appreciate the help!

[big specht]

Good deal on the fix. And Thanks for posting up what you found. There is a lot of threads left unanswered.

[deejaycee_2000]

Just to give an update from my side, I tried everything and could not find a fault in the harness, I tried my original CDI and still the same problem, I ended up adding another wire from the connector to the plug in the fusebox to cancel out the original wire, problem solved.