Weird Electrical Problem
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Tourer
Joined: May 2005
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Weird Electrical Problem
I have a run/brake/turn controler on my 95 FXST so that my rear turn signals also act as running and brake lights. I've been having a weird issue with my rear lighting for a while now and I can't figure it out. This morning when I fired up the bike, my right rear turn signal lit up, but my main tailight and left signal didn't. When I press the brake, the right turn signal lights up and so does the main brake light, but the other turn signal stayed dark.
I get to work, shut off the bike and turned the lights back on and all three lights lit up. The main running light, both turn signals and all three lit up when I pressed the brake. A little later I went back out on the bike and when I fired it up again, same problem, only the right rear turn signal lit up, the main brake light lit up, but the left signal was dark again.
Is this a sign of a frayed wire somewhere? Is there one or two wires leading to the main brake/running light?
Thanks for your help!
I get to work, shut off the bike and turned the lights back on and all three lights lit up. The main running light, both turn signals and all three lit up when I pressed the brake. A little later I went back out on the bike and when I fired it up again, same problem, only the right rear turn signal lit up, the main brake light lit up, but the left signal was dark again.
Is this a sign of a frayed wire somewhere? Is there one or two wires leading to the main brake/running light?
Thanks for your help!
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Tourer
Joined: May 2005
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RE: Weird Electrical Problem
Okay, here's a noob question, but where would I find the grounds? Do they lead up to the light housing? Now that I think about it, I've bottomed out a couple times on the bike, I think this all may be related.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,513
Likes: 4
From: Midland, TX
RE: Weird Electrical Problem
I think probably what I would do in this order is...
1. Check the bulb sockets and make sure they are clean. It wouldn't hurt to sand the insides a little with emory cloth. Over time, they have a tendency to oxidize resulting in erratic operation.
2. Check the bulbs. Even though they may look OK, they still may be bad.
3. Start tracing the wires from the bulb sockets back to the fuse block. Look up under the fender for any frayed or loose wires. If you don't find anything, it may be necessary to pull the turn signal brackets and check the wiring inside the brackets. Chances are there is a splice inside the bracket that could be suspect. Splices should either be done with insulated butt splices, with bare butt splices covered with head shrink, or soldered and covered with heat shrink.
4. Make sure all the plugs are clean and plugged in completely.
5. Finally, check the connections back where they get their power. I don't know if there is a module that controls the lights or what, but it might be failing.
Electrical stuff is a pain to troubleshoot but you can find the problem. Just be patient and check everything. Rotzaruck.
1. Check the bulb sockets and make sure they are clean. It wouldn't hurt to sand the insides a little with emory cloth. Over time, they have a tendency to oxidize resulting in erratic operation.
2. Check the bulbs. Even though they may look OK, they still may be bad.
3. Start tracing the wires from the bulb sockets back to the fuse block. Look up under the fender for any frayed or loose wires. If you don't find anything, it may be necessary to pull the turn signal brackets and check the wiring inside the brackets. Chances are there is a splice inside the bracket that could be suspect. Splices should either be done with insulated butt splices, with bare butt splices covered with head shrink, or soldered and covered with heat shrink.
4. Make sure all the plugs are clean and plugged in completely.
5. Finally, check the connections back where they get their power. I don't know if there is a module that controls the lights or what, but it might be failing.
Electrical stuff is a pain to troubleshoot but you can find the problem. Just be patient and check everything. Rotzaruck.
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Tourer
Joined: May 2005
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RE: Weird Electrical Problem
Thanks geez! I'll give it a whirl. My bike is a special construction - and the guy who built it did a terrible job of wiring it....he used the same color wire for a lot of the functions, so troubleshooting is all the more difficult!
RE: Weird Electrical Problem
ORIGINAL: Beefcake
Thanks geez! I'll give it a whirl. My bike is a special construction - and the guy who built it did a terrible job of wiring it....he used the same color wire for a lot of the functions, so troubleshooting is all the more difficult!
Thanks geez! I'll give it a whirl. My bike is a special construction - and the guy who built it did a terrible job of wiring it....he used the same color wire for a lot of the functions, so troubleshooting is all the more difficult!
That sucks Beefcake! I think being a logical person, I may just have to rewire the bike if I owned it.. But I'm like that.. All of the advice above is sound.. I was going to post something like geez did, but he beat me too it today.. In doing a lot of car stereo's in my time.. I prefer soldering the wires to crimp joints.. But both will work.. All I can say is that if you did damage wires while bottoming out.. It's a {female dog} to solder up there!
-NFE
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,061
Likes: 5
From: Fort Worth TX
RE: Weird Electrical Problem
Hard to know what controler you have but can you remove it and run it in a stock mode?? The controlers can casue problems you may just have a bad one. Very common there, I am in the midst of doing a fire job as a led system shorted out and burned the rear system up badly
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Tourer
Joined: May 2005
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RE: Weird Electrical Problem
The bike didn't have a cancel switch, so I had to press and hold down the turn signals in order to get them to work. The canceling switch I bought through custom dynamics and had a reputable mechanic install it. So I don't think it's the switch. I'm not running LED's on the bike. It's only the rear turn signals that are giving me heartburn. The front signals work just fine.
Banned
Joined: May 2005
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RE: Weird Electrical Problem
>>>I've bottomed out a couple times on the bike, I think this all may be related.
You mention that you bottomed it out, I would check the wiring where it goes from under the seat through the hole in the fender for the lights, wouldn't be the first time I heard of this messing up the wiring when you bottom it out.[:@]
You mention that you bottomed it out, I would check the wiring where it goes from under the seat through the hole in the fender for the lights, wouldn't be the first time I heard of this messing up the wiring when you bottom it out.[:@]