I/S electrical issues. No headlight or stereo after hydrolock repair.

[RLD]

OK, so I got the hydrolock fixed, got the engine back in, started, runs great, but; I have no headlights, stereo, and I'm not certain, but I don't think the fan is working either. I do have the front parking lights however and the horn works. Also, I do not know if they worked before due to the fact that I forgot to check as I was in a hurry to find out what parts I needed to get ordered. A little history; I bought the bike as is about a month ago. It had been in storage a couple of years and I bought it from a widower. After storage, the dealer rebuilt the carbs and somehow hydrolocked the motor. They wouldn't stand behind it and I bought it as is. I have very strong reasons to believe they did not do a very thorough job as none of the carbs boots were tightened at all and there were several loose nuts and bolts on the bike. Any ideas where to start? I ran out of time this weekend to troubleshoot further and I cannot work on it again until next weekend. I brought service manual home to study but I was hoping someone could help me out here with any ideas to chase down. TIA!!

[RLD]

Oh yeah, the fuses are all good and I believe everything is plugged in unless I missed something under the tank that was disconnected by the dealer.

[RP#62]

Check the battery ground at the left side of the engine rear case.  They may not have tightened it properly when they reinstalled the rear case.
-RP

[cutter]

Also check the flat fuse link. Had the same problem after reinstalling the motor. lights came on with key then stayed off after hitting the starter button. Radio was affected to. No probs after replacing.

[RLD]

Found the problem with the headlights, there was a plugin hidden by the last person to work on it that wasn't connected. I really had to dig to find it though.

However, I still have no radio. That area of the dash is blank. If I push the power buton, I get what looks like Klingon and then it says 1:00. The time then never changes and it even stays on with the ignition key off. If I disconnect the radio and then plug it back in, it clears. Otherwise it runs great. I just won't hit the radio power button again until I have time to diagnose it. Has anyone else seen this? Any ideas? Do I need a new radio? Dash? I can't just buy another radio to test, the price is outrageous!

[Rocketman]

After storage, the dealer rebuilt the carbs and somehow hydrolocked the motor. They wouldn't stand behind it and I bought it as is.

"Wouldn't stand behind it" sounds fishy to me.  After getting burned too many times with used vehicle purchases, I am inclined to believe that it hydrolocked multiple times and they couldn't fix the underlying problems due to a lack of comprehension on their part.  I can't recall if we've already had this discussion on the board with you, but make ABSOLUTELY sure that the hydrolock cause is repaired, not just the symptoms.

Sorry I can't help much with the electrical problem.  If you just want to test the radio, try finding another IS owner nearby, and swap radios.  It will tell you whether it's your radio or your bike's system.

[Madmike]

SWAG on my part as I have never been involved with an Interstate ------- may be a ground problem with the display for the radio acting as a ground for another circuit when it is energised?????