TOPIC:

I've posted about the bike's intermittent turn signals before.

I was finally able to conduct some wiring troubleshooting and now am more confused!

Not too long ago, the turn signals worked approximately 75% of the time. But in the last couple of weeks its dropped to more like 0 - 10%.

All bulbs are working.

Initially, after removing the headlight, a squeeze on a dual ground connection got the signals on again, but no amount of crimping, cleaning, adjusting could keep them on.

Today, the ground wire no longer would get the signals on, but two brown single wire connections seemed to be the offending parties. But, it seems the only way to keep the signals operational is to leave the headlight uninstalled. As soon as I move the wires to install the headlight, the signals go out again.

Two things are particularly confusing:
1) Why would brown wires be involved? Did I read the wiring diagram incorrectly? I don't remember brown wires being part of the turn signal system;

2) OK, the bike is old and wires do deteriorate. Why just the turn signals? (Not like I'm asking for more trouble!) There are other wires bundled with these that have been twisted and bent over the years -- why is only one electrical system affected?

Your brown wires are switched VDC... they are likely going to your turn signal relay... LOOK AT THE RELAY and see what color wire goes to the relay; it will be brown. Coming off the relay is an orange wire that goes to your turn signal switch on your switchgear... this is the wire that feeds the switch and either green or gray wires come off the switch and are the hot wires for the bulbs.

Your problem MAY be in the brown subcircuit coming off the ignition switch. Trace the brown wire to where it goes into your headlight shell and connects... follow the brown wire to the turn signal relay. It seems to have a loose or bad connection. If you can't splice a piece of brown wire from the brown subcircuit close to the ignition switch (don't just cut the wire as there are other things running off the brown subcircuit like your horn). Run a wire direct to the turn signal relay. That should eliminate any bad/loose wire issue.

Thanks so much for your help George.

Still no luck.
Finally got the chance to strip things down to the wires. I pulled and pushed every wire that looked like it connected to the turn signals -- no change.

But one oddity.

I discovered that the electrolyte level in the battery was quite low (which I fixed). Back when this all started, one of the suggestions was to replace the battery, which I did. Then, for several weeks, the turn signals were working fine. Then, little by little, they returned to oblivion.

This morning, after riding to work, just as I was pulling in to park, the signals came on! I tried left, right, hazards and everything was fine.

Except when I come time to go home, they were inoperable again.

I checked the battery when I started the wire hunt and it was showing 12V.

Is it possible that I have bulbs which require more juice than that? (Could this be why the condition of the battery might matter?)

Or is it more likely I am destined to have to literally rewire the entire system?

Have you tried a new flasher (heavy duty flasher from auto parts store less than $10) together with a fully charged battery?

I have replaced the flashers twice -- first to heavy duty transistorized then back after it was recommended that the transistorized versions could be the problem.

I am not finding a whole lot of variety in flashers at the local chain auto parts stores. The choice seems to be either the standard silver (which fit into the rubber mounts on the bike) or the transistorized (which require some pushing and prodding to fit).

But I am still wondering how a fully charged battery could be the problem. If the battery weren't fully charged, wouldn't ALL electrical systems be affected?

If the battery meters at 12V, what constitutes "fully charged"?

psychbiker wrote:

If the battery meters at 12V, what constitutes "fully charged"?

I'm not sure what the answer to the blinker problem will be, but it's funny how a weak battery will affect the health of a bike.

At your auto parts store buy a small size battery hydrometer. Test the fluid in each cell and you should have "all balls floating" in a good battery. A bike will run with a weak battery, but gremlins lurk right around the corner too.

psychbiker wrote:

...If the battery meters at 12V, what constitutes "fully charged"?

In another thread,

loudhvx wrote:

If the battery truly measures 5 volts with no load, then it is a doorstop. Even a dead battery will measure close to 12v. Less than 11v means it's close to being scrap.

OK Patton, that is interesting ... rather troubling .. but interesting.

However, it still begs the question: What constitutes a fully charged battery?

And what am I to infer from the fact that I replaced this battery back in May? Do I possibly have an alternator as my core problem?

12.6 - 12.9 as connected to your bike. Ive been using the battery out of my honda to try and get this kz running with no luck then put the battery back in the honda and at 12.4 volts was dead, not enough to start it. Good ol push start. Thought i was getting to old for that..

psychbiker wrote:

OK Patton, that is interesting ... rather troubling .. but interesting.

However, it still begs the question: What constitutes a fully charged battery?

And what am I to infer from the fact that I replaced this battery back in May? Do I possibly have an alternator as my core problem?

The battery will be near 14 when first fully charged and removed from the charger. Within minutes it will be 13.5v. After an hour or two it will settle down to about 12.8v ~ 13.0v. These numbers are not written in stone. Temperature, battery chemistry and condition, and your voltmeter will affect the final reading.

OK, I had a feeling that the "normal" voltage was a hair above 12V, but (as I recall) my voltmeter isn't calibrated for non-whole numbers.

So, assuming my battery is 12.0V, several questions remain:
1) Is this really enough of a drain to disable the turn signals (and why just the turn signals)?
2) How could a 4 month old battery already be sub-prime?
3) WHY could a 4 month old battery be sub-prime?
4) Could the bulbs in the turn signals rated for too high a voltage/current which is why they are not working with a sub-prime battery?
5) Could the alternator be the core problem? (How would I know?)

Post edited by: psychbiker, at: 2007/09/27 06:25

As to whether the turn signal problem is battery related, might consider using jumper cables to a known good car battery (car engine NOT running), bike engine not running either, and then try the turn signals.