2004 Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4 Blowing Fuses

[clinej]

I picked up a 2004 Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4 abut a year ago. I've been having an issue when the bike gets wet the fuse for the headlights blows. This seems to kill the headlights and taillights as well as the speedometer light. This may be unrelated but the 4WD indicator light also doesn't work. Not sure where to start on this issue. Could anyone point me in the right direction?

[Mech]

It's a bit strange that water could blow a fuse. Normally it takes quite a bit of current to do that, and water doesn't conduct much current. Are you sure it's the water causing it, not something else associated with the water, like the big drop into the river say ?

If you are sure it is water causing it, use a garden hose and carefully wet one bit of the electricals at a time, allowing time for it to sink in, till the fuse blows ?

 

[clinej]

Could be coincidence. I mostly use the 4 wheeler for plowing. Seemed to happen when I ran up the road to plow another driveway. Figured it may be the slush and snow still on the road. Also seemed to happen on a trail ride, no big drops though. I've also added 2 pod lights to bike but they're direct to the battery on their own fuse and shouldn't cause issues with the other lights.

[Gwbarm]

My thought is if the fuse is getting hot, when water hits it it blows. Anything on the circuit that could be overloading it.

[Mech]

Yeah good though Gwbarm..  Might be a good idea to check the current drain at the fuse.

And yeah Clinej, it could be, and probably is, a coincident.. There are symptoms, and their are circumstances, and we need to take careful note of each when we are diagnosing problems. And, if we can, we should try and confirm what the one thing is that always causes the problem, eliminating the coincidences, and the contributing but not cause factors. Then we can carry out the certain to cause the problem routine, to confirm that the problem is definitely fixed.

Might be a good idea to go for a longer faster ride sometime when it's not wet or snowing and see if it does it..

[Mech]

You could also try wriggling the wiring with the lights on and see if it causes the fuse to blow.. It may just be as simple as a worn/chafed wire.