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Message started by TheSavagePJ on 06/17/12 at 14:39:35

Title: Brake light short
Post by TheSavagePJ on 06/17/12 at 14:39:35

So a few days ago, I noticed that my brake/tail light was no longer working. Okay, sure, these things happen. Picked up replacement bulbs, installed, lights worked no problem. Today, I noticed the brand new bulb is now burnt out yet again.

What could be causing the problem? I'm kind of a novice when it comes to electrical tech, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/17/12 at 14:41:59

Its burned out? The filament is busted? Have you put another one in to see if its always on?
Slap a fresh one in,, you mita bought a crummy one,

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by TheSavagePJ on 06/17/12 at 14:57:15

yeah, the bulb is burned out. filament is toast, and theres black on the inside of the bulb. I have one more that came in the pack, though I wanted to see if I should check something else before putting it in.

Your suggestion has merit, Justin. I thought the bulbs looked kinda crappy coming out of the package. Thats what I get for using Autozone.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/17/12 at 15:03:36

Are they 12 volt or 6? 6 volt may still be available & theyll go like a flash bulb,
1157 is a 2 filament, 12 volt, 1156 is single filament,

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by Routy on 06/17/12 at 15:11:01

You called it a "short" which means "short circuit" which means that the positive wire touches the neg somewhere in the system and either blows a fuse from over amperage draw, or smokes the wire.....in the case of a lack of a fuse.
In this case it is not a short. The only thing I can think of causing this, is either a defefective bulb, or a shot of too hi a voltage, meaning a voltage of at least 16-18 volts. And the only thing that could cause this is a defect in the charging system ?? I think I would check your charging voltage first. Excessive hi voltage can be caused from a defective battery also.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/17/12 at 15:18:59

& an overvoltage would get other bulbs.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by 360k+ on 06/17/12 at 15:42:49

JOG hit it... make sure the brake light isn't on all the time. If either switch (front/back) is shorted or stuck, that will happen. In fact, it happened to me down in the Baja on my Harley a few years ago. My rear brake switch fused in the closed position, causing my brake light to stay on. Mine didn't burn out, but caused my voltage to drop from 14V to around 12V which didn't charge my battery very well so I had starting problems all the way back to the states. I had to park on hills, so I could bump start. I thought I had voltage reg or battery problems until someone pointed out that my tail light was awfully bright. After that I pulled the bulb and finished riding home in the daylight only.

The tail light is 5W, but the brake light is 21W; i.e., a substantially heavier continuous load on the battery and alternator. One last thing, those bulbs are keyed to fit in the socket ONE WAY ONLY, but I've seen people force them in backwards on both bikes and cars. Anytime you see a car with one tail light much brighter than the other, then thats what they did.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by TheSavagePJ on 06/17/12 at 16:43:25

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I put the other bulb in from the package I got and tested it thoroughly. The brake light is brighter than the tail, so I know it is installed correctly and I applied the brake for well over a minute to see if the bulb would fail. Seems to be okay now, but I'll be keeping an eye on it to see if it happens again.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by longtucky on 06/17/12 at 20:15:21

I was having a similar issue and it ended up being that one of the electrical wires under the seat was exposed and touching the frame, shorting out when I hit a bump or whatever. Might just pop the seat off and check your wires for any areas of exposure.

Title: Re: Brake light short
Post by Routy on 06/18/12 at 07:20:29

66797F7865625363536B79753E0C0 wrote:

& an overvoltage would get other bulbs.

Jog right on. So the only other thing is a defective bulb.
A short does not cause a bulb to burn out.
A stoplite staying on won't either.
A poor connection won't either, but will shorten the life of a flickering bulb,....except led..