Intermittent Signals?

Gaaah! Busybusybusy! Gotta run out the door faster than I can get geared up, but I need some help with a problem:

My turn signals have gone intermittent. I was on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, signaled for the exit, they were fine. Signaled a lane change just after, & noticed the blinker on the instrument panel wasn't on. Neither were the signals themselves. I didn't think I'd spaced it, & pressing the cancel button confirmed that the signal had been activated. A few more turns before I got home, & the indicators sometimes worked & sometimes didn't. Jiggling the wiring coming from the switchgear didn't seem to have any effect, but turning the bars did. (?)

Anyone seen this before?

Thanks,
-Kit

[bfishman]

started happening to me about a month ago...then i lost all the indicators on the panel and the tach. actual signals still work though. guessing fuse or bulbs?!?

let us know...

Pretty sure it's not the fuse (mental note: check fuse), since they come & go. I can hit the switch & it'll work or not. If it works, front, rear, & panel blinkers all work. If it doesn't work, none of them work. Sometimes they'll work for a couple seconds, then go out, sometimes they'll last through a light & not go out 'til I cancel. Sometimes, they won't work when I put 'em on, but they'll start to work if I leave 'em on.

The 3 bulbs on each side either work or don't in unison, so I'm pretty sure that's not it.

I think turning the bars was a coincidence, as t doesn't do anything consistent. I hit some nasty potholes on the way to pick up my girlfriend, & they didn't seem to affect it.

Could it be the relay? Anyone got any other ideas?

Thanks,
-Kit

[zippythehog]

Hi Kit,
It's the ghost of Meriden Past.

I'd try the switchgear itself. It sounds like an intermittent open circuit. Only two screws hold it on the bar. Just take the back (the side that faces you in the saddle) off. Don't try to take the front off-mine was just too hard to get off and then reinstall. If that doesn't fix it, try tracing the wiring loom from the switchgear to the turnsignals down the steering head. You might find that the connectors in the switchgear, or the turnsignals, are loose.

BTW, while replacing my choke cable, I found out my left handlebar is full of bbs.

Zip

[sailfish]

before you tear into it too far, compare the hazard function to the turn signals. It's the same relay but a different switch.

I'd bet that its the relay since it affects both sides. Next I'd guess the orange wire going into the turn signal switch from the relay. Check the connectors too.

To simplify, your electron path is:
Battery
Ignition switch
signal relay
signal switch
signal bulbs
ground

[daveforty]

I have seen this one before. Same symptoms, they work, or not, when you turn the handlebars.

It is likely you have a wiring problem. There are internal crimped connections in the wiring loom where wires from the indicator units, instrument panel repeaters and switches join together. There are two sets of crimped joins, for left & right. They are uninsulated, just offset to keep them apart and then taped over. The crimps are fairly deep in the wiring, just ahead of the front edge of the petrol tank. If you cut open the wiring loom you will be looking for a load of green wires.

Try not to pull the wiring about too much. There is a large crimped join where heavy guage (white) wires from the alternator, fusebox, ignition switch etc all join, if that comes apart it is a real p.i.t.a.

[Nic900]

I agree with daveforty. My 95 Trident had a new main wiring loom installed under warranty (way back then) for the same issue. The break occurs where the loom goes round the headstock. A perfectly good repair can be made so this doesn't happen again. After double checking for corrosion on termianls and the function of the switch gear I would follows Daves advice and check out that part of the loom.

Hope this is a help

Cheers
Nic

Thanks, guys! I guess I have some stuff to look into when the bloody rain stops.

Cheers,
-Kit

Hmmm... The harness around the headstock looks okay without unwrapping it, & bouncing violently up & down on the seat seems to be the easiest way to either reproduce or temporarily solve the problem. Cleaning the relay contacts, squirting some dielectric grease into the connector, re-routing the rear left signal wires, & & moving the tool pouch rearward, off of the relay, seemed to help, but it didn't solve it completely.

The relay itself looks pretty old & ugly, but I'm not looking forward to spending $65 on a new one. Anybody know of a generic/aftermarket replacement?

Cheers,
-Kit

Don't everyone answer at once! :razz:

Seriously, I was feeling a little impatient &, truth be told, looking for an excuse to jump on the bike instead of catching up on paperwork like I should. So, off to the not-particularly-local Pep Boys to see if they could help...

I looked around, but didn't see any relays in the electrical section. I asked at the counter, & the guy there asked what kind of car it was from. (We all know this story, right?) As soon as I said "bike", his eyes glazed over & he assured me that nothing in the store would fit. I told him I though some VWs used the same relay, but he was sure they didn't have anything. I pestered him just long enough for an employee with a working brain cell or two to wander over & tell me that relays were at the end of aisle 11, on the bottom, then give the first guy a hard time for not knowing where they were. :-D

I looked over the selection & saw a couple that looked like they would fit, but I wasn't sure they would be compatible so I kept looking. Found a Tridon Stant brand EP36 flasher for $11 that was marked 31, 49, & 49a just like the original Hella.

I installed it in the parking lot & it behaved properly on the way home. Not a conclusive test, but it's looking like it might do it.

Note that the Tridon relay fits the electrical connector on my bike, but does not snap into place on the frame like the original. The Tridon is a little smaller than the Hella.

Cheers,
-Kit