I'm stuck on this one
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 44
From: Back woods of Maine
I'm stuck on this one
So I'm still riding my 2012 Triglide. The right side tail light stays lit while we are running, but neither the turn signal nor the brake light works. I am really scratching my head on this one. Anybody got any ideas? While we were looking for the original problem, which was the tail light was out, I found 2 blown 15 amp fuses. Thought I fixed the problem...wrong!
So I'm still riding my 2012 Triglide. The right side tail light stays lit while we are running, but neither the turn signal nor the brake light works. I am really scratching my head on this one. Anybody got any ideas? While we were looking for the original problem, which was the tail light was out, I found 2 blown 15 amp fuses. Thought I fixed the problem...wrong!
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 44
From: Back woods of Maine
Thanks for your advice, Rhino. I replaced the old bulb, a 3157, with a new one and got the same thing happening. Tail light on, no brake light, no signal light. Next I tried to swap the small wiring harnesses that the bulb is connected to. I put the right on the left and the left on the right. Still had no turn signals or brake light on the right. So, now I've eliminated the bulb and the small socket wiring harness as the problem. Where should I look next????
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 166
Likes: 29
From: SW Arkansas
May sound strange, but unplug the bulb on the other side and see if the one having trouble comes on. Also pull the right front one if pulling the other one doesn't do anything.
Another test is to measure ohms from the bulb ground to a good grounding point. Then have someone hold the brake and check for 12v on the socket withe the bulb out. Careful not to short anything.
Another test is to measure ohms from the bulb ground to a good grounding point. Then have someone hold the brake and check for 12v on the socket withe the bulb out. Careful not to short anything.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,334
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From: Santa Clarita, So. Cal. & Bullhead City, Az.
Did it start happening after you hooked up the trailer lights?? There are 2 connectors under the seat that are nearly identical. I ran into this when hooking up lights to wife's accessory lights on her luggage rack. Good Luck
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 44
From: Back woods of Maine
Thanks for the suggestion to check the rear harness under the seat, Fred. I tried it---DRAT!!! No luck. So, then, I tried a couple of suggestions from lah2420. Thanks for the thoughts, but again, no luck. I removed the front light bulb, nothing changed, then I removed the bulb on the other side, same result. I've got to confess, though, that I'm not very good with a multimeter and I'm not sure I did what you said to do correctly.Then I got to Screwball's suggestion. Again I want to thank you for your input. Unfortunately, we have put over 30,000 miles pulling that trailer behind us with that same connection. Also, the trailer signal, brake, and running lights work. As I'm writing this I'm thinking more about what lah2420 said and I think I need to check the wiring from the light socket harness back to the connector under the seat.
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Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 44
From: Back woods of Maine
Thanks for your suggestion, Rockhard. I spent quite a while this morning(2 hours) looking at and feeling wires looking for any signs of chafing. No luck.I also unhooked the trailer wiring harness to see if that would make any difference. Nope, same problem. I also took apart the rear taillight assembly to inspect the pin connectors on the circuit board, no sign of any arcing. My next step is to find somebody who can show me how to use my multimeter to do the type of testing that lah talked about. Also, I keep looking at a lighting relay in the fuse block. What does it do and could it be the cause of my problem? I keep getting the feeling that when I find the problem it's going to be something simple like a bad ground.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 394
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Wow, one of those mystery things! Here's another idea, if you've had the seat off recently, it's pretty easy to get some of that wiring pinched between the frame and the seat hold down screw flange; just another place to look. I've got to make sure to push them out of the way before screwing the seat back down every time.