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Message started by RTC on 04/10/10 at 21:42:16

Title: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/10/10 at 21:42:16

i bought some new rear turn signals and they have two black wires. i am an electrical idiot. i'm guessing since there's no way to tell them apart then it doesent matter which one i hook to the black striped wire and so on. am i on the right track? will common sense get me through again?

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/10/10 at 22:14:21

ok so i used my common sense method and wired them up. i tried each wire on the other but they all had the same result. and now it seems that they are flashing extra fast. i cant remember how they flashed before but it sure seems fast now.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by verslagen1 on 04/10/10 at 22:23:50

1st find if either is connected to ground or the case of the signal or any metal parts.
If one is then that is ground.

Extra fast flashing, are these LED's?
if so then you'll need either a ballast to equalize the load of a normal incandescent lamp.
Or get a flasher for LED's.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 07:52:18

I got my turn signals on and the left one flashes like it should. The right however flashes quickly! I tried reersing the wiring but then it won't flash at all. Does anyone have a clue what's going on here!! I'm very frustated. I hate messing with even simple electrical mods. If I can't fix the quick flash, will leaing it like harm my electrical system?

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by crabpainter on 04/11/10 at 08:02:34

Is the front present, burned out or flashing equally fast? You never stated if we're talking LED or incandescent.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by JohnBoy on 04/11/10 at 09:22:02

I just dealt with this very problem just this weekend.

My replacement flashers are metal and ground through the light shell mounting nipple to the fender. The bulbs are twin filament bayonet type bulbs.
I was running one black line to the flasher relay circuit and the other to the brake light circuit. Both wires are the same gage and are black in color.
In my case the fix was simple
If you look at the flasher bulb while it has power you will see that one filament is brighter, it will be the heavier duty filament. The problem that you are having is that this filament puts a greater load on the flasher relay, hence a slower flash rate. You have the two black wires on that side crossed. When you energize the smaller of the two filaments as a flasher, the load on the relay is “less “, and the flasher blinks quicker. This is the same reason that a burned flasher bulb filament will make the relay blink quicker.
Simply disconnect the two black wires and reconnect them to the correct circuits.
JB

PS. The return circuit wire on my 2004 is black with a white tracer, (you most likely do not have a return wire). The right side flasher positive is green with a brown tracer; left side is brown and black(?) and the brake light positive is white with a black tracer....good luck

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 10:57:52

i dont have running lights on mine. could it be that the flasher on the left which performs correctly, is wired backwards causing the flasher on the right to blink faster? i tried wiring the flasher on the right the other way but it wont blink at all.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by JohnBoy on 04/11/10 at 13:03:46

If you pop the lens off you can see how many filaments the bulb has. If it has only one filament, than one black wire is ground and one is power. If you have two filaments, than the beefier one is the flasher and the smaller one is for a brake light or running light (ground would then be back through the body of the light). It is very possible that a filament in the bulb might be bad. You can test this by shorting the bulb across the terminals of your car or truck battery. Bulbs don't have polarity. If a bulb filament is broken or burned replacement is "cheap".
If the left side is correct and the right side is flashing too quick I would be looking at the right side flasher circuit. If hooking it up one way flashes too fast and another way not at all I would be looking at your grounding pathway. Again on my 2004, the right side flasher circuit is (light)green with brown for power, and black with white for ground. The connector socket is a small rectangle box on the right side near the frame horns below the seat, Note: both left and right are in the same location. You might consider unplugging the existing right flasher and shorting your new flasher directly into the socket. On a twin filament bulb this ought to help you sort out which line is the flasher, (remember on a twin filament bulb ground is through the body of the light, and must be contacting bare metal).

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 20:33:03

ok here's where I'm at. The bulbs that i put on are the same bullet style as babyhog had shown in several posts. they are dual filament. the left is working fine the right is blinking fast. i switched bulbs from right to left and it's the same deal-left good-right fast. so that would lead me to believe that it's something in the wiring to the right light. now here's the kicker.....i put a stock savage bulb from my old light in the right side( i just pressed it in, as the little tabs are different and it won't lock in) and it blink slow like it should! what the hell does this mean! i'm probably gonna go buy a single filament bulb that will fit tomorrow and see if it works good there. but still, why would the savage bulb work fine and the other one not???
will some electrical genius please help me out here!

ps-- i can't really tell which of the wires is connected to the light case as a ground without severely disassembling and possibly jackin it all up

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by verslagen1 on 04/11/10 at 20:58:02

Stock savage rear signals are single filament
you're putting in duals, usually put in the front for signal and running.
harley lights are usually grounded to the frame
in dual filament lights, one is bright, the other dim.
confused yet? take a deep breath, I am.
you pressed in a single filament bulb and it works (blinks) right.
a single filament bulb has a single connector, most likely when you pressed it in it contacted both contacts in the socket... sooo one of the wires in wired correctly the other is not.
Also, w/o that third wire, ground may be intermittent.
[smiley=birthdays.gif]

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by Tiefighterpilot on 04/11/10 at 21:02:18

Awww crap. I just ordered them same lights. I hope I dont run into same issues.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 21:03:36

so...... what to do? why is it that when i switch the wiring in that light it doesnt blink at all and causes the front to barely blink? can i just replace with a single filament that fits the little nub holes? is there any problem in continuing as i am?

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by verslagen1 on 04/11/10 at 21:56:02

1st frame ground, run a 3rd wire to the blk/wht stripe wire.
2nd signal, turn the signal on, then temporary touch the signal wire to each wire. the brighter is the right one.
3rd... what are your intentions young man with that little lady? I would like to know? you haven't told us why you're running a dual fillament on the rear. and is it a red lens? come on boy, give it up? running light or stop light? oh hell boy what ya thing I am? mind reader? jk. ;D
really, if it's supposed to be a running or stop light on the rear to be legal supposed to be red. if running light, it's the dimmer of the two. hook it to the brown wire of the license plate light.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 22:02:31

haha very good. the reason it's a dual filament is because they came that way in the mail. i have no concern of them doing anythin but being legal turn signals in texas. theyre on the stock fender now but the bobber is in the works and i will hopeully keep them. can i just put a monofilament bulb in there and call it good? but still....why the hell is only one flashing correctly?

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by verslagen1 on 04/11/10 at 22:48:59

single filament bulbs have their retaining pins even, whereas dual filament are uneven so they're polarized.

and i'm thinking on the side that works, you got ground thru the frame. whereas on the other no ground so it has to go thru both filaments to lights, not much current so the flasher blinks fast.

you should be able to tie both black wires to the signal and with the frame of the light touching the blk/wht wire either get a lot of smoke or lights working correctly. :o

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/11/10 at 23:11:57

being an electrical idiot..let me wrap my head around that for a minute

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by babyhog on 04/12/10 at 06:01:01

Ok, see if this helps. IF I understand my husband correctly (big IF).... These signals have one wire for the turn signal, and one for a park light. The bike has one wire for ground and one for turn signal. He wired mine using the turn signal wire from the bike to the turn signal wire on the light itself, and the ground wire from the bike to the mounting screw on the light. They only operate as turn signals. They do NOT stay lit as running lights. I think someone said you have to add another wire for that to happen. Does this sound right?

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by verslagen1 on 04/12/10 at 07:15:40

Piglet for being a venutian, you speak martian quite well.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by babyhog on 04/12/10 at 07:21:28

495A4D4C535E585A510E3F0 wrote:

Piglet for being a venutian, you speak martian quite well.

;D ;D Cuz I like u martians better than my own kind...

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by RTC on 04/12/10 at 14:21:42

ok that makes sense to me that you very much baby hog! so basically one of the wires is useless to me

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by Tiefighterpilot on 04/12/10 at 15:11:48

That was so succinct. Thank you for the explanation.
494A4B46445E270 wrote:

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by Tiefighterpilot on 04/12/10 at 15:19:21

Very succinct! Thank you for the clarification. I think you just saved me about several hours of headache and couple of @?*&*!!

2B282924263C450 wrote:

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by babyhog on 04/12/10 at 15:48:48

Ha! Glad to help, I just hope I did... help, that is. Let me know if it actually works! ;)

I just liked the looks of the signals, and they were cheap. I wasn't concerned about running lights, so I guess that does leave one wire useless, but I believe you can add another wire and use these signals as running lights too, if you want, so that's a bonus!

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by jef.savage on 04/13/10 at 18:21:14

Babyhog, that was so well put. Complete yet brief! Let's see if I can add one little thing without muddying the whole thing up. If you don't want running lights you could use that extra wire along with the turn signal wire and get a little extra brightness. Just wire the ground as explained then wire both wires from the the ts together to the ts wire on the bike.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by Tiefighterpilot on 04/13/10 at 20:27:38

This would not draw too much power and cause some sort of electrical problem? Sorry, I am not very knowledgeable about electrical stuff.

626D6E267B6B677E6164646D080 wrote:

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by jef.savage on 04/13/10 at 20:35:49

It would draw the same power as using your turn signals while your running lights are on or using your brake while your tail light is on, so no, nothing to worry about.

Title: Re: turn signal wiring for dummies-me
Post by Tiefighterpilot on 04/15/10 at 20:42:38

Thanks to everyone's help, I successfully installed a new TS light last night. Special thanks to Babyhog for her clarification.

Now I have a brand new TS mounted on my lic plate holder, and a new large saddlebags!

Thanks everyone for posting and answering.