Ignition Fork/Steering Lock & Fuel Light ?s

[FJato]

I bought my '92 FJ last year, but put less than 100 miles on it before I felt the dreaded death-wobble and parked it until I could give it the proper attention it deserved. I finally got the FJ back on the tires after replacing the steering head bearings and installing a grease fitting in the steering head. I also replaced all of the dash lites with LEDs, installed an upper fuel gauge stop pin and swapped the KPH speedometer (it was originally a Candian bike) with a MPH version. Everything went well, but two issues popped up:

1) The ignition key will no longer lock the steering - I can push the key in and turn it counter clockwise to a point, but the steering doesn't lock and the key can't be removed from the cylinder while it's in that position. I suspect that because I left the ~ .090" (2.3mm) thick rubber washer that was used between the steering head (lower) preload nut and (upper) lock nut, choosing the tighten the nuts against each other, and still use the locking tab washer. Could this put the locking mechanism too low to light up with whatever it engages on the steering head?

2) The red fuel light  (replaced with an LED) stays on, yet the gauge reads 1/2 full while on the center stand. I can't imagine that the lower resistance of the LED would have anything to do with it, and though I removed the fuel gauge when I added the upper stop pin, I'm 99% sure the I reconnected the wires back to the gauge correctly.

Anybody that has any suggestions to either or both problems, please chime in. I know that I have to dig back into it because of some "spare" fairing hardware that was "left over" , but it would be nice to have a game plan when I do, as I have the fever to ride my new toy!

[simi_ed]

Yup, LED didn't work in the fuel light for me either.  I finally gave up & went back to the incandescent bulb.  There's nothing wrong with your FJ, apparently they're all like that! 
No input on the lock

[Firehawk068]

you cannot use an LED light in the low-fuel warning light.......the voltage varies with fuel level to this light, wich varies the brightness of this warning light (starts out very dim, and brightens as fuel level decreases) The LED will shine full brightness with very little voltage  I replaced the illumination bulbs with LED's in mine, since they are on all the time with the key. I put new incandescent bulbs in all the warning lights, and the turn signal indicators since they are not used as much.

[Harvy]

With regard to the steering lock....... I have only ever managed to get mine to work once.......and it was a real bugger. I have since not tried as I don't want it to get stuck in the locked position. One of these days I will pull it all apart and see what's causing it to bind.

Harvy

[FJato]

Thanks to all that replied - it put me on the right track and I've fixed both issues.

1) The fuel warning light was (as simi_ed and Firehawk068 replied) due to a circuit that must use a traditional incandescent bulb. I replaced the  LED with a regular bulb and presto, no false low fuel warning light.

2) As for the steering lock not working, my suspicion was correct - I caused the problem when I eliminated the rubber washer/seal that goes between the two seering head bearing nuts.The steering lock has lock pin the comes out of the back of the ignition switch that engages one of two holes (left and right locks) in the steering stop weldment that's attached to the front of the steering head tube. With the ~.090" thick washer missing, the pin was too low to engage either hole.


Rather than revert back to the (IMHO) "bad way" that Yamaha did it originally (sandwiching the rubber seal/washer between the bearing adjuster nut and lock nut) I still left the rubber washer out, but added steel washer to the top of the stack, on top of the locktab washer, vertically realigning the lock pin with the lock holes. So Harvy, here's where you may want to look to fix yours.

I'm getting way to good at fairing removal and installation!

[simi_ed]

Thanks for the tip!  I just had mine apart, and didn't check the lock operation, but I k=now know it will not work.  I'll be more deliberate when I open it back up!  Glad to hear the fuel light/LED was as I had found.