Glowing Turn Signals

[Bone]

98 Tourer- stock lighting

Fighting a LED installation I have discovered this problem. LEDs are completely disconnected !

Key on the tail light is on, license plate light is on and both turn signals have a dim reddish glow.
Turn on the Right turn signal it flashes amber
                 Left  turn signal dim glow / flash
                 License plate light has a dim flash
                 Tail light has a dim flash
Left turn signal on same results opposite side

[Blackduck]

Could be a ground/earth fault, the light you are trying to use grounds through another light causing it to glow.

[Bone]

These are OEM lights how do I locate a ground fault ?

[Bone]

Look at what I found. The small LEDs explain the red glow. Every time I leave the garage I check my turns and brake light from the seat. I have never seen the glow I have reported just maybe it's normal. I removed the lens and looked at the wiring under the fender.
The manual doesn't show or mention the rear turn signal is this one normal on my bike?

[Ricky-D]

I think probably a good thing to ascertain would be if everything works correctly when/if you put the correct bulbs back in the turn signals.

As it is presently my thought would be that the module that controls the turn signal and tail light function is load sensitive and thus the lights are causing it to act up in the way it is.

I recall some threads in the past discussing similar problems and some found a cure by using a different/better flasher to replace the oem flasher. I haven't a clue however if this may help, or not.

First check to see if stock bulbs returns things to normal operation.

***

[Daniel Meyer]

Is that a ring of led's around a regular bulb? Then you have an after market kit (can't remember the brand, but I ran 'em for 100,000 miles or so).

Should glow red with the tail-lights, and also be brighter with the brakes.

Your other issues are likely a bad ground in the harness...either where it plugs in to the rest of the harness (at the fender segment) or perhaps where they spliced in the aftermarket lights.

[Bone]

Daniel the tail/brake is a Stanley bulb. Just opened that for the first time. I didn't remove a turn signal bulb. I will check the next time I go out to the garage.
The front turns are acting the same one is flashing dimly.

I now wonder if the lights flashed dimly all along. The turn signals would get your eye and you wouldn't notice the flash in the other bulbs. In the garage I'm looking for it now and am much closer to the lights.  I will have to buy some stock bulbs. The tail/brake has a dim flash.

Thanks for your input.

[Bone]

Pulled apart one of the turns. Stanley bulbs and each ring has a resistor or diode (?) attached to the ring. I've put 60 k on these and I just found out they are on the bike.
Think I will reconnect the add-on lights that started this situation.

[scoot]

It sounds to me like you already have electric connection's led conversion in you rear blinkers. The blinkers should have a red glow with just the tail light on. When you step on the brake both blinkers and tail light should then light brighter. If you turn on your right blinker that light will then blink amber and the tail light and left turn signal should stay red. If you turn on the left turn signal it should work vice versa.
 Your front lights will light brighter when blinking because they basically have parking lights (like on a car) in them.
 Hope that helps.

[Thunderbolt]

We have them on both of our Valks.  Really helps out with rear lighting.  They glow dim all the time and brighter when brakes are applied or turn signal is on.  They kinda alternate when on turn,creating a flashing off/on effect.

[Bone]

This idea of adding additional lighting was to be more visible. Had no idea what was already on the bike. I check over my shoulder every time I leave the garage making sure my turns and brake light are working. I never looked at the opposite sides.
We have some winter left I will keep fine tuning the lighting.
Thanks everyone for your input.

[Bone]

Scoot, Thunderbolt that is what I have in the turn signals. Went to EC's site and downloaded install instructions which includes wiring diagrams. This kit was not working before I started tinkering. Well I didn't notice it working


Correction the unit I have doesn't mount to the lens it is formed to match the shell of the light. It circles the bulb in the base of the light. I wonder if the tail and turn bulbs will accept stock bubs the sockets are the same ?

[Walküre]

Correction the unit I have doesn't mount to the lens it is formed to match the shell of the light. It circles the bulb in the base of the light. I wonder if the tail and turn bulbs will accept stock bubs the sockets are the same ?

Bone - not sure if I totally understand what you are asking. the EC kit is an "add-on", meaning that it doesn't affect your original light or bulb. It is in addition to it. The intention is to give you running lights. Currently, there is no provision for RED running lights on the stock Valk. And, in MOST states, it is illegal to have orange running lights. So, the EC kit allows you to have red running lights, as well as red brake lights, in your turn signals. then, when you turn, the stock clear bulb lights, giving you orange turn signals.

The reason it works, is that the red led's in the circle around the clear bulb, are strong enough to show up red, through the orange lens. And, they are hooked up to your brake signal, to get brighter when you brake, and to your normal light circuit, such as the license plate light circuit or similar, to give you running lights whenever the key is on.

If you disable the circuits for the led's, you will just have a regular turn signal on the rear - it will only be lit when you turn. It doesn't affect the original light bulb, and the socket is the stock socket your bike came with.

I am currently playing with a set, making my own. I like the idea of rear running lights, and not sure if I want to go trolling for LEO's, by modifying my lights, to run orange running lights. Although, I would imagine that it would take a pretty anal, alert, anti-bike LEO, to push the issue, at least where I live. I could be wrong, though...

Hope this helps.

Roger

[Bone]

Roger I don't really ask what I'm thinking. The bulbs have all been changed to Stanley brand. I didn't look at the number on them and was thinking later I hope they are the same as a stock bulb. I'm sure they are the same base. Sorry I didn't type what I was thinking.

[Walküre]

I do believe Stanley is just a name-brand of bulb, like Sylvania, or GE. The number of bulb, is the important part, not the make. I do believe (correct me if wrong!) the rear turn signal lamps are 1156's, and the front are 1157's.

As long as the number itself is correct, it should work just fine. I'm sure there might be alternative bulbs that can be used, perhaps a bit brighter, etc, but this is rule of thumb.

R

[Walküre]

98 Tourer- stock lighting

Fighting a LED installation I have discovered this problem. LEDs are completely disconnected !

Key on the tail light is on, license plate light is on and both turn signals have a dim reddish glow.
Turn on the Right turn signal it flashes amber
                 Left  turn signal dim glow / flash
                 License plate light has a dim flash
                 Tail light has a dim flash
Left turn signal on same results opposite side

OK, read this all over again. STILL not really sure what the original concerns were. But, I'll try to explain what I see...

You are putting additional lights on the tourer. Are they in place of the existing reflectors? Are they whole new light fixtures? Are they "replacing" any existing lights?

You mention that you just have the key turned on. It's possible that the dim flash you see is just drain on the battery. You might fire up the bike, and see if the dim flash is still there. I guess I'm trying to say, if you are just on battery power, the current draw of the right flasher, might be enough to cause the other lights to just dim a bit. You might never notice it, but you are looking at it, specifically, and a slight dim might be interpreted as a dim flash.

The dim glow is because of the EC led's. I think that has been pretty well explained.

You mention the Stanley bulbs. Did YOU change those, or did the PO or something? i would start off by checking the number on those.

I would also ascertain if the "dim flash" is caused by current draw, or by an actual "flashing", as from the flasher. the easiest way would be to start the bike, and a somewhat high idle, check the lights. You might find they are all a little brighter overall, and that the "dim flash" has gone away.

Have I got any of that right, or am I full of...well, YOU know....


R

[Thunderbolt]

the model I have has a rubber grommet that fit's around the bulb.  Sound like you have the other model that is attached with glue or silicon adhesive to the rear of the bulb housing.
The wiring if I remember correctly, is attached to the running and brake lights in the brake light on a Standard or Tourer.  On an Interstate you have to go to the side cover to pick them up or the harness that routes them to the trunk.
This gives you extra running and brake lights, the more light the better.  The led ring should glow dim anytime the key is on and bright when you operate either brake lever.  As I mentioned in the earlier post, they sorta alternate between amber and red when you turn on a turn signal.

[Thunderbolt]

that should not be flashing.  Don't remember if there was a ground lead or not.  Seems as if it grounded through the bulbs.  I soldered and heat shrinked all my connections, maybe some of yours were not.

[Bone]

The bike is in an un-heated garage in Michigan. It's cold.

In the quote you posted of me I said,     "LEDs are completely disconnected "

They have no bearing on the fact that one turn signal flashed correctly the opposite one was very dim. I didn't know I had the turn signal conversion, now I do.
I have never stood behind the bike while the turns were flashing. I have rode it 6 years and live on it most of 9 months of the year. This was all new to me.

I also posted I ran jumper cables from my Jeep to make sure power wasn't an issue. The bike is stored for the winter. That is the reason for the external power source.

I took out 1 brake and 1 turn bulb and they were Stanley but I didn't look at the number. Didn't know if they were part of the conversion.

I'm not sure if the conversion is EC after posting that read an EC description of their board attached to the lens, mine is not so I posted a correction. Mine is like Thunderbolts with the rubber grommet
around the bulb. That is mounted to a curved piece that mounts inside the base of the light.

Sorry for any confusion I wrote it and was confused.

[HayHauler]

Bone, I don't know if it is relevant at this time or not, but I once had a problem when a bulb burned out.  it really didn't burn out, but when the larger element went, it welded itself to the running light element.  This effectively connected my brake/blinker circuits together and gave similar "blinking" dash lights when the blinker was activated.  It cost me $38 for a shop to find it after I had pulled my hair out for several hours checking everything I could think of.

Just something for you to check, the bulbs to make sure they are all good.

Hay 
Jimmyt