yes officer, my turn signals work... just not right now.

[swbxchip21]

I seem to be having trouble with my turn signals. the entire system is ok. bulbs are ok, wiring to and from is ok, indicator is ok, battery is ok.my problem is the just work sometimes. ive already cleaned the switch contacts and that seemed to work for a little while. i was thinking it could be the relay itself, but i can here it working 'click' if the signals actually light.

not sure whats wrong here... any suggestions?

 

[JARichmond]

My problem was that the battery was dying. If the battery is reading 12.6 volts, you likely have another problem. If the bulbs work, it's likely the relay. They're a problem part on many used automobiles, and are cheap. Expect to spend about 10-15 bucks on a new one. However, I do recommend checking all parts between your battery and lights just in case. A sturdy ohmmeter will tell you if voltage suddenly drops on your ACC circuit (remember, you want about 12v).

Edit: A Tridon EP-34 is the recommended aftermarket signal relay. NOTE: You may lose auto cancelling.

 

[Scorpio1963]

So what is the conclusion here if any?My bike has a similair problem and Ive done the samething you have done.I took the switch apart and cleaned all the contacts and even went as far to to strip the ends of ther wire and rewire.The left turn signals work great the right ones will work intermittenly or not at all.

 

[swbxchip21]

ill replace the relay and see what happens. i wonder if mikes xs has one avalible?

scopio, i recommend you check the contacts in the switch. the auto cancel unit has two copper contacts, clean em up if you haven't already. then check the contacts to the switch assembly. if that doesnt do it you might wanna grab a new relay.

 

[Scorpio1963]

Been there done that with the contacts shined them all up,I`ll be looking into the wiring again today.If I cant this thing running soon after I get new relays its going to the shop.Im tired of fing with it.Ive been through my entire wiring system.

 

[JARichmond]

Could be the contact at the bulb. Maybe a bit of corrosion.

 

[HoughMade]

I had trouble with mine, replaced the relay with a cheap auto unit (losing the self-cancelling) and everything went fine. However, when I got my bike, of the the first things I did was go through EVERY electrical connection with solvent on a Q-tip, then reassembled with dialetric grease (yes, all those in the headlight bucket too), so if you haven't done that.....

 

[levdir]

My signals worked fine, then I took the switch box off the handlebar and put it back and now they don't work at all. The mechanism was filthy so I cleaned it and sanded the contacts but they still won't work. The switch action is much nicer now, but no signals. The horn and headlight switch both work fine. Any thoughts? Could removing the switch unit have done something to the relay? I can't imagine how, but I'm pretty useless at electronics.

 

[DARKMIDKNIGHTWARRIOR]

You may have bent the contacting surfaces. Dose the inside of the box look like this?

 

[levdir]

Yeah. I couldn't get a sense of where the actual circuit elements were so I'm not sure if something's out of alignment or not.

 

[DARKMIDKNIGHTWARRIOR]

I have not dove any deeper than that pic, but it looks like they are on the bottom side of the rusty plate.

 

[stoberto]

Those switches have solder joints (3 of them) that are terrible about breaking...and they are hard to solder back together. You would have to take the individual components out to see the actual part where the wires are soldered coming into the switch. If they are broken they will sometimes work because it is a tight space and they will sometimes still make contact - other times you won't get anything. I've gone through 3 left hand control sets already. I need to just convert to a different type of control unit but I've been too lazy so far.

 

[levdir]

I have aftermarket controls already, I was planning on replacing them eventually. If it's a huge hassle to repair the stock unit I might just go ahead and do that. Not looking forward to muddling through the wiring though. Thanks for the info!

 

[xschris]

The stock switch is a pain in the ass to solder one of those wires back on I had to do it on my 80 just two nights ago