Rapid turn signal

[nsandrews]

Hey all,

Having a weird issue with my left front turn signal. All signals and bulbs are stock/oem on the bike. The front leftrunning light stays on constantly and when I turn on the signal, the rear signal flashes rapidly, the arrow on the instrument cluster flashes rapidly, but the front signal does nothing and the running light simply stays on. Initially, the signal would flash weakly at a rapid pace as well but now it simply does not flash. The right turn signals and arrow on the instrument panel functions normally. Any idea what this might be?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Tahlen]

Check and make sure the bulb is fine first - swap front left to front right and see if the issue follows the bulb. If the issue stays on the front left after the bulb swap you could be looking at a flasher issue.

You Can find replacements online or at a local bike store. Ask if you can return it if it doesn't fix the issue. If the flasher doesn't fix it I would start looking at the wiring on the left side but that will be the most work and the least likely imo. Keep us posted :thumbup:

 

[nsandrews]

Check and make sure the bulb is fine first - swap front left to front right and see if the issue follows the bulb. If the issue stays on the front left after the bulb swap you could be looking at a flasher issue.

You Can find replacements online or at a local bike store. Ask if you can return it if it doesn't fix the issue. If the flasher doesn't fix it I would start looking at the wiring on the left side but that will be the most work and the least likely imo. Keep us posted :thumbup:

Thank you, I'll check that out. I did just replace that bulb with an OEM bulb about a week ago though, but I'll swap them anyways to make sure.

 

[elus1ve]

The flasher bulb has two filaments, one is used to stay on all the time, position light and the other as the turn signal. One filament can burn while other still works.

If the turn signal filament has burned then all current will go to the rear turn signal only. The flashing effect is controlled by a flasher relay, which turns the signal on and off based on load. If one turn signal is burned the load will change and thus affect the frequency of the flashing. I'm guessing your bulb simply needs replacing but you can confirm that by swapping left and right as suggested above.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Sounds like a typical blown bulb. One doesn't work, the other flashes faster.

Its due, its 10 years old!

There are two offset tabs for the front bulb.
Make sure the replacement bulb goes in correctly or you'll have much more issues.

Plese post your results.

 

[nsandrews]

Sounds like a typical blown bulb. One doesn't work, the other flashes faster.

Its due, its 10 years old!

There are two offset tabs for the front bulb.
Make sure the replacement bulb goes in correctly or you'll have much more issues.

Plese post your results.

Well the old bulb blew a week ago and I replaced it with a new OEM one, but I'll pull them and check again tomorrow as I'm away from my bike tonight. Thanks you all for the quick replies!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well the old bulb blew a week ago and I replaced it with a new OEM one, but I'll pull them and check again tomorrow as I'm away from my bike tonight. Thanks you all for the quick replies!

The OEM is much better built than a standard 1157.

As posted above, (and you probably already know), that bulb only goes in one way.

Check your socket while the bulb is out, its pretty unusual for the second bulb to burn out so quickly unless it was dropped/knocked hard.

 

[nsandrews]

The OEM is much better built than a standard 1157.

As posted above, (and you probably already know), that bulb only goes in one way.

Check your socket while the bulb is out, its pretty unusual for the second bulb to burn out so quickly unless it was dropped/knocked hard.

I pulled both bulbs and swapped them. Both bulbs worked on the right side but did not work correctly on the left. However, I did notice that the signal does flash very very very faintly at that rapid speed, but it is extremely slight and I only saw it because I had both my headlights off and I was in a pitch black garage haha so do you think it's a wiring issue of some sort or a fuse? Also, what specifically should I check with the socket?
Thanks again so much for the help, I'm a noob when it comes to electrical things.

 

[nsandrews]

Check and make sure the bulb is fine first - swap front left to front right and see if the issue follows the bulb. If the issue stays on the front left after the bulb swap you could be looking at a flasher issue.

You Can find replacements online or at a local bike store. Ask if you can return it if it doesn't fix the issue. If the flasher doesn't fix it I would start looking at the wiring on the left side but that will be the most work and the least likely imo. Keep us posted :thumbup:

I pulled and swapped them with no avail...both bulbs work, so it must be something wrong with the socket/wiring. Any ideas?

 

[Tahlen]

So I had a whole post typed up on replacing your flasher relay as the next step when I saw that you were able to see a faint indication on the problem side. To me this points towards a connection issue in that socket more than an issue with the relay. It certainly could still be the relay but if I were there I'd rule out the socket next.

You can check for corrosion visually on the connection. Shine a light in there and look for any deposits or discoloration on the metal "prongs". If you have access to a multimeter you can check for power on the hot leads though I don't know which leads should be hot off the top of my head. I can check when I get home from work in about 4 hours. Obviously if anyone else knows the configuration of the various power/ground connections there speak up!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I pulled and swapped them with no avail...both bulbs work, so it must be something wrong with the socket/wiring. Any ideas?

Check the socket closely and the connector as well. (you likely have to remove the inner black fairing to get to the connector). Its pretty unusual for the socket /connector to go bad, but if there's a crappy connection, it could.. Disconnect the connector as well and visually inspect it for any corrosion..

Just to make sure, that 1157 (dual element bulb) does only go into the socket one way, with off set pins, correct?

It still sounds like the right front bulb or that light assembly itself...


Short of broken wires, I'd next be looking at the flasher itself. I wouldn't think one side would work and other not, but your running out of "what it could be"....

 

[nsandrews]

So I had a whole post typed up on replacing your flasher relay as the next step when I saw that you were able to see a faint indication on the problem side. To me this points towards a connection issue in that socket more than an issue with the relay. It certainly could still be the relay but if I were there I'd rule out the socket next.

You can check for corrosion visually on the connection. Shine a light in there and look for any deposits or discoloration on the metal "prongs". If you have access to a multimeter you can check for power on the hot leads though I don't know which leads should be hot off the top of my head. I can check when I get home from work in about 4 hours. Obviously if anyone else knows the configuration of the various power/ground connections there speak up!

No multimeter unfortunately, I appreciate it though! I checked for corrosion but didn't notice anything that looked too out of the ordinary. Tomorrow I may try and clean the connection a bit just in case I missed something. Like you said, it may just be a poor connection due to the fact there there is a slight bit of activation of the signal.

Check the socket closely and the connector as well. (you likely have to remove the inner black fairing to get to the connector). Its pretty unusual for the socket /connector to go bad, but if there's a crappy connection, it could.. Disconnect the connector as well and visually inspect it for any corrosion..

Just to make sure, that 1157 (dual element bulb) does only go into the socket one way, with off set pins, correct?

It still sounds like the right front bulb or that light assembly itself...


Short of broken wires, I'd next be looking at the flasher itself. I wouldn't think one side would work and other not, but your running out of "what it could be"....

Oddly enough, the bulb goes in both ways. It still functions the same regardless of it's orientation though, but could this be indicative of damage to the socket itself?

 

[elus1ve]

Here is a very scientific method of testing your connection:

- Leave bulb in flasher unit but don't put the cover (the orange plastic) back on
- Turn key and put on the turn signal
- While the bulb is flashing faintly or not, watch closely then...
- Gently push, rotate, play with bulb in the socket
- Gently tug and pull the cable and connectors
- Follow the cable and keep doing the above
- Stop when you see the bulb go normal bright again
- Your last position will indicate where the connection is bad

...cause it has to be a bad connection. If the right side is working fine, it rules out the relay and most other causes. Both the rear and front flashers are on the same circuit so if the rear is working then the circuit as a whole is getting juice. It must thus be a connection problem somewhere close to the flasher but then again my scientific mind and method have failed me in the past...

 

[nsandrews]

Here is a very scientific method of testing your connection:

- Leave bulb in flasher unit but don't put the cover (the orange plastic) back on
- Turn key and put on the turn signal
- While the bulb is flashing faintly or not, watch closely then...
- Gently push, rotate, play with bulb in the socket
- Gently tug and pull the cable and connectors
- Follow the cable and keep doing the above
- Stop when you see the bulb go normal bright again
- Your last position will indicate where the connection is bad

...cause it has to be a bad connection. If the right side is working fine, it rules out the relay and most other causes. Both the rear and front flashers are on the same circuit so if the rear is working then the circuit as a whole is getting juice. It must thus be a connection problem somewhere close to the flasher but then again my scientific mind and method have failed me in the past...

Good to know they are all on the same circuit, I was told by a few people just to replace the relay but that doesn't seem so logical now. I'll do what you said tomorrow and if its the connection then hopefully I'll just be able to clean it out. Thanks for the advice, you (hopefully) just saved me some money haha

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

l.
Oddly enough, the bulb goes in both ways. It still functions the same regardless of it's orientation though, but could this be indicative of damage to the socket itself?

That is likely your problem.

The 1157 (front running and directionals), as you know, has TWO filiments. One is brighter (brake or directional filiment), the smaller filiment, running lights.

Look closer at the bulb or get a new, un-damaged bulb. There are two pins, attached to the main ground / base. They are offest from each other and ONLY go into the socket ONE way.

If you look in the socket itself, you'll see the offset slots that actually hold the bulb in as well. **Make sure the bulb offset pins are correct with the socket when installing.**.

It is CRITICAL the bulb is installed properly or you will have issues.

The REAR bulb is a single element, that bulb can go in either way, the pins are exactly opposite each other (NOT offset from each other)

The below is is an 1157 bulb, dual filiment. Take note of the offset pins on the side. Double click to enlarge;

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

any updates???