Previously, a forum member had an electrical fault issue with his R65. I do not recall the final outcome, but do remember that he had been advised to search for a mysterious diode -hidden
somewhere in the main wiring harness.
Another forum topic dealt with locating the correct color/s of tracer wire needed to rebuild the aft portion of a member's R65 harness. Couple links were shared along with potential auto boneyard sources.
These two topics can now be tied together...
sorta.
Whenever I make repairs or alterations to my BMWs, I like to use the proper, color-coded wire. I had made a grocery list of the colors I wanted, in minimum ten-foot or more lengths, and tallied the price plus shipping. A little eye watering, it turned out to be, as the best source was in the UK.
A couple clicks on eBay and I had a complete R65 wiring harness headed my way for about $30.00. Included were the relays blocks, terminal connectors, insulated spades, etc. That thirty bucks is chump change compared to the $800.00+ list from BMW NA. Even better, I then scored another
two wire looms from eBay for only $10.50. These bits were probably from Slash 5 or 6 models, but the wire colors were correct.
To wrap this up, the newly acquired R65 harness was stripped clean. There was
no diode to be found. One of the older looms
did have an in-line diode- pictured below- so at least you'll know what they look like.
I have done a serious
touchy-feely on both my 1981 and 1983 R65's wire looms and cannot find a diode "lump" anywhere. The diode pictured is about 1.50" (38mm) long and a fat 0.25+" (6.5mm) diameter.
Still a mystery as the diode shows up on the wiring diagrams. D'oh...
