turn signals

[Marty B]

put your thinking caps back on gang. Signals STILL not working. Thought it was the angle sensor but no. Flasher relay is good.
PLEASE THINK HARD AND HELP.

[unionjack]

Get a volt meter and start tracking where the power exists and where it does not.

For instance a few years back we worked on a 1200 that lost power to a rear lamp, took us a few days to figure out that one wire inside a sleeved bundle of wires had been installed at the factory 26 years earlier with a kink in the wire, this eventually caused the wire to break at that point, it had power one minute and then none the next.
Easy to fix, but very frustrating to track down.

[neoracer]

pm me your email address and i'll send you a file so you can start tracing out the problem area

[Marty B]

I should mention that when I move the signal switch back and forth, the bulbs brighten for a spilt second.

[neoracer]

start by cleaning the switch with some electrical cleaner

[unionjack]

!

[unionjack]

!

[unionjack]

Well then you have found the culprit.

Spray the switch liberally with WD40 whilst constantly playing with the switch to get it working again, the contacts in it are oxidized over. Then be sure to flush it out with contact cleaner within a few days to wash out the WD40 before it gets gummy and collects dust. I find WD40 cleans heavily corroded switches much faster than contact cleaner, but it must be washed out afterwards. When I have used contact cleaner alone it has taken longer to work on a bad switch, but it does work fine on smaller more delicate contacts.

Be sure to cover the bike around and beneath the switch, your wifes best towels should work well enough for this! :d

I have had to repeat this process a second time within a few weeks/months on two switches, but usually once is enough to cure the problem permanently.

I had a truck that the headlight high/low switch failed upon, the Dealer wanted $140 for the part and $180 for the labor to replace it, Instead I removed the plastic cover and cleaned it with WD40 and after five minutes of continual use and repeated spraying it worked again. That switch was still working fine 10 years later.

[Marty B]

I'll give it a try when I get home from work.

[Marty B]

10 minutes of WD 40 and playing.....no go so far. I'll keep going.

[Marty B]

OK I have a volt meter and don't know how to use it. But when I select DC and touch the contacts that go to the flasher I get close to 12 volts withn any combination of touches. That sounds good but what next. I am not as mechanically inclined as most of you. I am not a dolt, but electricity is not something I should expect results with.

[neoracer]

use a circuit schematic to start tracing out where you are losing the 12v signal when the turn signals are activated