Running light problem

[CoreyP]

I was riding today and the turn signal light on the headlight turned on steadily yellow. I pull over check the blinkers and what went wrong is I lost one side of the bike's running lights. Blinkers still work.

I go pick up a couple of bulbs and try the new bulb in the front blinker, it only works as a blinker. Then I moved the working front light to the bad side. It only blinks. I replaced the back bulb and that did the same thing only blinking.

End result is I have 4 lights that will blink but only running lights on the left side not on the right side. PO did make the back lights running lights and put on a LED light on the license plate.

Anyone have a good idea where to look next? 

[da prez]

I would check for good ground connections.  Test each circuit separately.  I often use a long jumper lead to battery ground and ground to light base. The bike has many pin connections that cause issues.

                  da prez

[WintrSol]

The turn signal switch is also suspect, as it turns the running light off on the blinking side. May just need cleaning.

[CoreyP]

The turn signal switch is also suspect, as it turns the running light off on the blinking side. May just need cleaning.

I'll give that a try.

The ground wires looked good in the sockets and I really don't want trace those all over the bike. All this crap goes to the headlight also to the switch and runs back through a couple of connectors, etc. etc. Hope it's just a dirty switch.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

The turn signal switch is also suspect, as it turns the running light off on the blinking side. May just need cleaning.

+1

[da prez]

I suggested a long jumper wire to battery ground. It is connected to the bulb socket to verify a ground. It will cause no issues , and will let you know if it is a bad ground.

                da prez

[WintrSol]

I suggested a long jumper wire to battery ground. It is connected to the bulb socket to verify a ground. It will cause no issues , and will let you know if it is a bad ground.

                da prez

A valid, and quick, test. If the bulb lights, you know where the problem lies (in the ground only path). Otherwise, it may be anywhere between the bulb to, and including the switch. While the switch probably does need cleaning, doing that with no results would be much work for nothing.

[CoreyP]

Switch really wasn't dirty but I took it apart and cleaned it. Went for a ride and didn't have to the chance to check the ground wires. Actually I don't want to check the ground wires but that's next up.

[RonW]

End result is I have 4 lights that will blink but only running lights on the left side not on the right side. PO did make the back lights running lights

My theory is that the tap for the Right side running light severed the donor +12 wire (below, red rectangle). I'm presuming the PO installed 1157 dual filament sockets in the rear signals. Also, the PO powered the rear signals' low filaments by taping into the front signals' running light wires.

This won't explain why the idiot light stays steady ON, though, beyond a coincidence. The idiot light monitors the presence of voltage on the signals' hi-filament wires.  The voltage on the hi-filament wire are pulses (blinks). The idiot light mimics the blinks on the hi-filament wire. If the idiot light is steady ON as we speak a wire must be feeding the hi-filament wire a steady +12 voltage.

Conversely, if the idiot light stays lit the hi-filament in the signal has to have some voltage running through it. If you remove the lens, is the hi-filament always dimly lit?

[WintrSol]

Good simplified drawing. The turn indicator would be between the LB and O wires, if the wiring is otherwise stock.

If the right signals lost ground, power would go through the bulbs from the running light power to the signal wire, and light the turn indicator when the left side is not blinking; in this condition, you would not get any glow on either signal filament on the right side. If only the rear signal lost its ground, I would expect the front to blink, anyway, but the indicator would still be on steady, except when the other side is flashing; the front would be glowing some, too, but not very bright.

[CoreyP]

Took the back light housing off to figure out the wires. What I'm seeing is a green and blue wire going to one blinker and green/orange going to the other blinker. Brown and green wires for the plate light. One ground did come undone but when I connect it the blinker light still won't light up.
https://ibb.co/4R5NYN0

I'm not sure how PO made these lights running lights?

I do have flashers for the plate and you can see where they tapped in to make that work but I'm not seeing anything non factory except for the flashers. I do have an extra ground connect to the battery and that goes to some sort of connector with a bunch of wires.  Looks like a 30 amp fuse in there. This bike has some sort of big air horns connect on the bottom of the bike.

https://ibb.co/Jkxz243

 

[CoreyP]

Soldered up the green wire that disconnected when I took the lights off the bike.

Now the when I turn the blinker on it blinks at a very high rate of speed. Front blinker isn't working now?

I think the problem may be on the front light. Something did break off a piece of plastic in the front socket which fell out I was checking out the bulb.

I'm getting baffled by this.

[WintrSol]

So, some progress. Fast flashing for some flashers is a bulb out indication. You have confirmed that is the case, so now to find out why.

[CoreyP]

Figured it out.

When I originally took the front light apart a piece of plastic fell out. It was the piece that one of the screws went into. Turns out not having the piece was tilting the bulb just enough that the blinker worked but not the running light. It must have moved again when I moved the bike or something because the blinker didn't work. I glued the plastic piece back in and stretched the spring a little so it would have a  good contact. Problem solved. So in the end it was a bad ground. I don't know how that piece got snapped off? PO might have torqued the screw enough to snap the plastic or maybe just old age did it when I took the screw out?  

Have to say I'm not impressed the wiring job at the back light. Ended up getting my soldering iron out and cleaned up that install. Idea being that doesn't give me and trouble in the future.

[WintrSol]

Excellent 
Good judgment on cleaning up the wiring too; bad wiring is a never-ending problem.

[RonW]

I glued the plastic piece back in and stretched the spring a little so it would good contact. Problem solved.

 

You can scavenge a chrome shell from a damaged signal sold cheap online. Doesn't have to be a Valk signal. Front signal or rear signal doesn't make a difference. The shells are interchangeable or generic. It just has to be a single-screw turn signal.

You can reuse the metal visor on your old signal. Rear signals don't have the visor & actually not all front signals have them either. The visors slip into channels molded into the shells. To pull the visor out though, one-way teeth takes some persuasion or just smash the shell.

[RonW]

Minor detail, the chrome shells have a top and bottom orientation, so a left chrome shell is not interchangeable with a right shell. At least this is true for single-screw lens. Also, a front right signal is the same as a left rear signal after its rotated 180°. Bottom pic.

[Jersey]

Took the back light housing off to figure out the wires. What I'm seeing is a green and blue wire going to one blinker and green/orange going to the other blinker. Brown and green wires for the plate light. One ground did come undone but when I connect it the blinker light still won't light up.
https://ibb.co/4R5NYN0

I'm not sure how PO made these lights running lights?

I do have flashers for the plate and you can see where they tapped in to make that work but I'm not seeing anything non factory except for the flashers. I do have an extra ground connect to the battery and that goes to some sort of connector with a bunch of wires.  Looks like a 30 amp fuse in there. This bike has some sort of big air horns connect on the bottom of the bike.

https://ibb.co/Jkxz243

Those wrap around connectors are horrible. Eventually prone to fail either by weakening the wire they cut through or getting oxidized over time. 

[RonW]

Those wrap around connectors are horrible. Eventually prone to fail either by weakening the wire they cut through or getting oxidized over time. 

Those vampire connectors (Scotchloks®) are not recommended for amplifier wiring which are subject to vibrations and motorbike wiring too I guess. Another quick connect option is Posi-taps® (bottom pic). Both are bulky though in tight quarters.

[CoreyP]

Minor detail, the chrome shells have a top and bottom orientation, so a left chrome shell is not interchangeable with a right shell. At least this is true for single-screw lens. Also, a front right signal is the same as a left rear signal after its rotated 180°. Bottom pic.

I looked around to find a blinker housing, I'm surprised how much the price varies. While I'm looking at this stuff I may replace the blinkers with something else. Not sure at this point. I'm thinking about a couple of driving lights, maybe a bar not sure what exactly I want to do. Might just put a couple of small LED's on the engine guard. ????? Many options for now. 

[CoreyP]

I do have flashers for the plate and you can see where they tapped in to make that work but I'm not seeing anything non factory except for the flashers. I do have an extra ground connect to the battery and that goes to some sort of connector with a bunch of wires.  Looks like a 30 amp fuse in there. This bike has some sort of big air horns connect on the bottom of the bike.

https://ibb.co/Jkxz243

Those wrap around connectors are horrible. Eventually prone to fail either by weakening the wire they cut through or getting oxidized over time. 

I just finished up soldering all the wires and cleaned the whole thing up. When I first took apart the back light housing I soldered some of the connections but now they are done. Experience has taught be you are better soldering everything on a bike.