Rapidly Flashing Turn Indicator Problem

Energy One
V

Viking

Biker
This just for info....

A couple of weeks ago I noticed the RH turn indicator on the clock was flashing in sync with the RPM on the motor. Well, I thought there might be a short on the tach ring as this ring is exposed to moisture as the speedometer fogs up. I asked a few questions in the tech forum and got good answers. Well, today it was too bad weather to take the dinghy out so I spent some time in the shop instead, trying to solve the issue. I started the bike in the dark and sure enough, the front turn signal had flashing as well, just not to the extent the indicator light had. I now figured it had to do with the wiring harness, and with the BDM tester it showed a fault in the wiring harness. I have stocked up on parts for the future and had a new back bone wiring harness laying around and decided to replace the existing one. Sure enough, fixed the problem and besides having to extend a few wires it was a snap to install it.

Again, this post is just something that could be of help to others with the same issue and could be found with a search on here. With this issue (fault in the main harness) there could be any kind of light flashing in sync with the vibration of the bike, as all the light are powered but turned on via ground with a switch in the EHC under the seat.
 
liferider

liferider

Looking forward to retirement
:I figured it was your bike getting excited spring is right around the corner! :lol:
 
S

Sven

Well-Known Member
Viking said:
This just for info..... decided to replace the existing one. Sure enough, fixed the problem...
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1. Bad ground. I know my light bulb is receiving 12v = It Is Not the power side in the absolute think about that wire side.
2. Flashing bulb. Since I changed my harness, this brought back a better ground. It's either one wire or the other it is so in the absolute sense of applying a 2-theory like think; on or off; connected or not connected; has electrical flow or no flow think.
3. The AC-DC of it. Hot blows a fuse if not smokes the wire it is traveling in/on. Ground can be said as DC or one direction. It finds the shortest path [equally as if a hot short is AC is DC is back to AC no matter WATT is for every action an equal and opposite... Get it?] and does not blow fuses. However, it acts like AC on the return or its own backup is to move to the shortest path it came from = relay. This is how I have to look at a simple 2-wire connection at a (+/-)jobber called a turn signal.

Again, this post is just something that could be of help to others with the same issue...
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How a flasher would show how a ground is at fault:
1. The flat spring steel is heating up like it gets so hot it wrinkles so fast [is ground heading back to its source] and then makes contact again and then heats so fast like this >>> :spank:

2. Whereas, a 'poor ground' [still grounded think] goes right back to the flasher and finds the shortest path to ground. Why? Still being grounded some is it bleeds through that green resistance as if it was a 2/20/200 ohm resistor [take your pick of any number resistance] it's just watt the pins act like and am saying for argument sake.

3. This is more like the winker housing ground. Why? It has 12v to the bulb. If you took a pair of bare pliers and made a ground from winker[body or base] to fork or frame, you are bypassing the poor grounding or poor connection thru the harnesses path. There is a resistance going on. It says, 'the path to ground' is not well connected, poorly connected, but still connected, or the bulb would be one variable as to why it is not working.

4. Whereas, I changed my harness and the only move I made was connect 2-wires back up more or less. If I looked at my prongs in the connectors, it may have a chemical reaction around the connects. Watt happens with electricity is that current likes to capture the contaminants in the air, and the moisture that carries it. Add the magnetism, the magic to magnetically pull that chemically reaction out of the air. Yeah, right onto the prongs, leaving green feces on the contacts, the battery posts, etc. To clean thishit off, make many scraping on the connect points or dip the connector ends in vinegar. Rinse with water: are the male/female prongs etched clean by the [5%] acid's chemical reaction as in; an antidote to metals with rust, carbon, or electrolysis thrown at it by nature.

5. So as vinny is my witness, we had no spark at the coils, but current up to this one connector. I dipped both plastic connector ends into the vinegar, watched it bubble the prongs, which bubbled the green stuff off the prongs. Reconnected the wire harness back up to the connectors, the current flow moved thru the cleaner connector pins and the bike started.

:hi: I dip my valves and pistons in vinny so as to decoke the carbon off the parts and let the apples do their chemical reaction thing. Stuff comes off like putty.

So to recap the info brought forward as in a harness change and nothing else mentioned(?) I've been wrong before, but I'm willing to bet vs. the info you wrote, where I assume:
a. I did not remove housing is the winker.
b. I did not remove bulb in the winker.
c. I did not remove bulb holder inside the winker.

6. I removed a wire harness and made a better ground path is all.
a. I need the fast-check is the pliers trick. That or, I use one long wire with both ends having their wire strands hanging out. I press the one wire end onto the winker housing. The other bare wire goes to a good known ground like the engine [is my wire long] where the pliers [won't] reach.
b. I turn the key on or have the key on, and then ground the winker [connection] to watch the difference.
c. I now have a winker moving slower as the heat takes time to build up enough pressure to break the connection in the relay. The contact times are equal at both right and left sides. It runs in a normal [slower] winker way, with proper ground integrity. >>> :bang:

Now, just for :D... look inside the prongs/pins of that harness you removed. See if the pins are dirty green or white corroded looking? Just for grins, dip that [winker side] connector end in a little straight vinegar. See if you see bubbles moving up and out of that plastic connector?

:up: Make sense I've been around the block on fast winker movements and can see the walk you made from here? See how my winker experience moved me to dip the no start condition on an old restored 750 honda kind of went right to it... no spark [at a connector]?
 
V

Viking

Biker
You bring up a valid point Sven, however, my turn signal indicator only flashed at higher RPM'/speeds. My connectors were fine and well greased. But somehow, somewhere, in the back bone harness the ground you were mentioning, came through. Whether it needed higher voltage or more vibrations I do not know, but up to about 2500RPM there was no flashing going on. The plyer trick is hard to do at 60 MPH so I opted to do some research instead and pretty much nailed it. Hopefully your post, as well as mine will help out another brother one day, as they both are full of valuable information. Thanks for your always good comments and brilliant insight to various issues, it is highly appreciated.
 
S

Sven

Well-Known Member
Viking said:
however, my turn signal indicator only flashed at higher RPM'/speeds.... but up to about 2500RPM there was no flashing going on.
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I had my get out of an assume card played. This is all the info brought forward was...
"...I noticed the RH turn indicator on the clock was flashing in sync with the RPM..."

To me that says, I am waiting to turn right and potato-potato-a 60 cycle no shit 60mhz wave it's a wave kind of thinking at idle. WATTS going on here?

The plyer trick is hard to do at 60 MPH
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Oh no! I laughed and then I thought, oh man did they read the fast-check is to run holding a poor ground and 'ol poor ground could care less about speed? If I pulled the connector apart, isn't poor sort of... LOL I'm trying to cover my ass with a, 'You are on your own deciphering watthubshitsventsay Card.' Hard to stay in practice you come up with that. I love the line. Makes poor sound so locked in an absolute, I take your abstract and poor abso rears his ugly head? Yep... :crazy:

so I opted to do some research instead and pretty much nailed it.
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I have yet to figure it out. I'm gathering basics so it makes sense, try and take a nail out of poor and his 3 basic variables.


Hopefully your post, as well as mine will help out another brother one day, as they both are full of valuable information. Thanks for your always good comments and brilliant insight to various issues, it is highly appreciated.
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No, thank you for putting up wit me. I'm being schooled more than you know, Viking. You brought up speed, and I said that poor could care less. It's the basics validating a ground connection and its integrity.

:choppersmiley:
 
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