Triumphrat

09-03-2006, 01:48 AM

OK, so my 2002 Thunderbird is exhibiting the very common coolant light on/flickering problem described many other places. This is something that should be within my ability to fix but I guess I need help specific for my bike...

I know that I need to either clean up or add another ground wire to the ground point on the frame, but I just can't seem to find that point. I've seen it described as being under the tank along the right side of the frame spine. I can see the plastic tube that runs all the wiring from the front of the bike to the battery, but no point where things diverge to bolt to the frame spine. All I see bolted directly to the frame spine are three boxes that correspond to the three spark plugs that I assume are condensors or somesuch.

Out of the negative terminal of the battery there are two wires. The thicker, all-black one appears to go to the starter. The thinner, black with yellow stripe goes first into a plastic molex type connector plug and on into the plastic tube bundle described above.

So, I feel really dumb... what should it look like and where should it be? Is it tucked away somewhere I can't quite see it? Do I need to clean the terminals inside the plug on the black/yellow stripe wire off the negative terminal? If this were strictly my bike I'd just deal with it as is, but it's mostly my wife's bike and she won't ignore a dimly flickering temp light...

On a related note, does anyone know any trick to secure the bulbs in the instrument cluster? The neutral light (and only that one) vibrates loose over time. I'll go in and snug it down and it works for a couple months, then only intermittantly, then almost never at all, until I secure it again. It's the kind of light that easy to learn to live without, but now that I'm back in mucking with the lights I wouldn't mind fixing it.

Any help greatly appreciated...

pushr0d · 09-05-2006, 03:32 PM

The bulletin ("Temp Light Fix") simply says to create a separate ground, directly to the frame. The easiest point would be rthe radiator mount.

Cut the wire on the bike side of the harness plug. The plug is located inside the headlight.

The bulletin applies to all carbureted Triples.

parrycm · 09-05-2006, 03:56 PM

Mega....

In the download section is the Service Bulletin for this problem for the Trophy. It says the fix is the same for the Classics. Click here.

With respect to the loose neutral light, can you bend the contacts so they grip the bulb better?

Good luck!

[ This message was edited by: parrycm on 2006-09-05 13:58 ]

TonyD · 09-05-2006, 11:34 PM

Because I simply ran a fresh earth wire to the pre-drilled, threaded fixing point on the left side of the frame (just under the front of the petrol tank) I didn't look for the existing earth connections. However, I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that they were affixed to a corresponding fixing point on the right side of the frame, somewhere under or behind the coolant reservoir.

HeyMan · 09-06-2006, 07:52 AM

Is the bulb coming out of the rubber boot or is the boot coming out of the bulb housing?

MickMaguire · 09-06-2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

On 2006-09-05 13:32, pushr0d wrote:
The easiest point would be rthe radiator mount.

Actually the easiest point is the unused mounting lug on the headstock straight behind the headlight shell It has a captive nut fitted so you can just screw straight in. It keep sthe wire run nice, short and unobtrusive. dont forget to scrape / sand off some of the powder coat so you get a good conenction, then use some dielectric grease when you bolt it up.

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2006-09-06 09:07 ]

TonyD · 09-06-2006, 03:06 PM

Sounds a tidier solution than that given in the Service Bulletin. The earth wire is more visible (using their method) than I would like. Time to take the tank off again....

09-07-2006, 12:27 AM

Thanks for everyone's help, I think I have it figured out.

The Trophy bulletin doesn't exactly apply to all triples and is only part of the fix. The problem and solution are fundamentally the same, but the harness depicted in the bulletin doesn't resemble the one in the headlight of my bike. The Trophy one is a wide rectangular harness plug (9x2), my T-bird's is almost square (6x4); without the wiring diagrams I'd have no idea how to find the right wire to cut (and to add to the confusion, there are two wide rectangular ones on the T-Bird that look like they go to the controls on the handlebars, but on close inspection they are very different than the Trophy).

The key was in this link: Temp Light Fix-Adventurer/Legend/T-Bird

What's described there matches my bike exactly. I did the fix this evening and everything still works, so that's good, but it'll be a while before I know that it's truly fixed. I wish my soldering skills were a bit better, but I think I did a good job, all in all.

Concerning the neutral light, the bulb is wiggling free of the little rubber boot. I'm not sure how I'd get inside the boot to bend the contacts. It's not that big a deal, I'd forgotten you can get to those bulbs by unscrewing the three screws and taking off the faceplate between the dials. The ones inside the dials are much worse, since I have to take off the windscreen to get the backs off, etc.

And on a not very related note, but the thing that got me determined to get the temp light fixed... Somehow the plastic elbow that feeds coolant from the radiator cap overflow hose into the overflow reservoir broke off, so instead of flowing into the reservoir it was running down right on the head cover and down on the exhaust, stinking and smoking. Something must've gotten caught sliding the tank on or off. But joy of joys, not only did the local Triumph dealer have that part in stock, it only cost $2.43! I doubt I'll have another visit to the parts counter that painless.

Thanks again for the help! I don't post much, but this site has come in handy quite a few times now...

HeyMan · 09-07-2006, 09:47 PM

Hey Megafauna- I've got a spare harness that has all of the bulb connections etc. I think it will fit. (its off a 97 t bird) If you'll pm me your address I'll send it to ya for free and you can just reimburse me for the cost of the shipping. I hate problems like that.

Readyt · 03-30-2007, 09:07 PM

Quote:

On 2006-09-06 22:27, Megafauna wrote:
Thanks for everyone's help, I think I have it figured out.

The Trophy bulletin doesn't exactly apply to all triples and is only part of the fix. The problem and solution are fundamentally the same, but the harness depicted in the bulletin doesn't resemble the one in the headlight of my bike. The Trophy one is a wide rectangular harness plug (9x2), my T-bird's is almost square (6x4); without the wiring diagrams I'd have no idea how to find the right wire to cut (and to add to the confusion, there are two wide rectangular ones on the T-Bird that look like they go to the controls on the handlebars, but on close inspection they are very different than the Trophy).

The key was in this link: Temp Light Fix-Adventurer/Legend/T-Bird

What's described there matches my bike exactly. I did the fix this evening and everything still works, so that's good, but it'll be a while before I know that it's truly fixed. I wish my soldering skills were a bit better, but I think I did a good job, all in all.

Concerning the neutral light, the bulb is wiggling free of the little rubber boot. I'm not sure how I'd get inside the boot to bend the contacts. It's not that big a deal, I'd forgotten you can get to those bulbs by unscrewing the three screws and taking off the faceplate between the dials. The ones inside the dials are much worse, since I have to take off the windscreen to get the backs off, etc.

And on a not very related note, but the thing that got me determined to get the temp light fixed... Somehow the plastic elbow that feeds coolant from the radiator cap overflow hose into the overflow reservoir broke off, so instead of flowing into the reservoir it was running down right on the head cover and down on the exhaust, stinking and smoking. Something must've gotten caught sliding the tank on or off. But joy of joys, not only did the local Triumph dealer have that part in stock, it only cost $2.43! I doubt I'll have another visit to the parts counter that painless.

Thanks again for the help! I don't post much, but this site has come in handy quite a few times now...

I'd realy like to find this fix but the link doesn't work
Ted
tschlaack@gmail.com