SuzukiSavage.com - Tail light out!

savage_skulls_

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Tail light out!
12/10/15 at 20:34:51

Hey guys. Sorry i haven't posted in a while. Its been crazy busy at work ever since i got promoted. I'm having a MAJOR problem i can't figure out and i was hoping someone could help. I laid my bike over the other day going around a curve with a bald rear tire. Just hadn't had the time or cash to get a new one. These things definitely aren't cheap and no used market to speak of. Anyways, ever since i laid her down my tail lights wont work. Just the little light for my licemse plate. The brake light works when i apply the brake and my turn signals light and blink when i turn them on but nothing when i turn the key, whether the headlights are on bright or dim. I have no choice but to drive in the dark 6 days a week for work and i can not afford a ticket right here at Christmas with two little ones i raise on my own. Help please?!?

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savage_skulls_

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #1 - 12/10/15 at 20:52:27

Just to add something. I have taken the seats off and checked the wiring and all of the connections seem to be fine. I didnt go as far as pulling the tank off though. All of the wires seem to be entering every one of the connectors well and nothing looks to be broken or anything. The wires inside of the housing, behind the bulb, seem to be connected well also.

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old.indian Serious Thumper Offline Fighting Foreign Terrorism since 1492 Posts: 975 Central New Mexico Gender:	Re: Tail light out! Reply #2 - 12/10/15 at 20:57:07 Pull the seat and check all the connectors and wires. The tail light bulb is a dual filament and the one could be broken...
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savage_skulls_ YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 43 Hot Springs, Arkansas Gender:	Re: Tail light out! Reply #3 - 12/10/15 at 22:03:11 Ive checked all of the wires and connectors under the seat and everything seems ok. The bulb has several small lights. My turn signals used to stay illuminated as well but now they aren't either. They will turn on when im using them to turn though
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chzeckmate

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #4 - 12/11/15 at 01:56:16

Test your bulb. Connect a lead from your battery + and - and then touch the bulb contacts and see if it lights up. If the bulb is good then follow the wires. The license plate light is not a part of the brake lights. The brake light has a white connector next to the rectifier on the rear fender. It has three wires all side by side. Get a voltmeter ($5 at any pawn shop) or wire a 12v light for testing. Attach the negative lead of the multimeter (or test light) to the black and middle wire. This is your running light. If you get a reading on that around 12v then move the positive lead to the other wire (That's the brake light) and then depress the brake pedal. You should get a reading of around 12v there too. If you don't get a reading on one or both then trace the problem back to its source. Test both ends of the connector this way. If you get good reading on one end but not the other the connector has a problem. If you get good readings on both ends the problem is either in the wire leading to the brake light or in the brake light itself. All of this is easy to fix for free. If you don't get a good reading on either end you need to start tracing the problem back to the source. Since your signals were working as running lights I think it's fairly clear that there has been a little rewiring done in that area. Put up some photos if you can please.

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Dave

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #5 - 12/11/15 at 03:38:41

chzechmate did a good job explaining what you need to do.

And I agree with him about your turn signals.....a stock bike does not have rear turn signals that function as running lights. It is not legal to have rear running lights that are yellow - so they only function as turn signals and only have a single filament #1156 bulb in them.

If all the normal running lights (red running light and license plate light) both went out at the same time - you most likely have a wire connection that came loose, or a wire that got pinched and broken. Since the brake light and turn signals still function.....it most likely is not a problem with the ground wire.

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savage_skulls_

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #6 - 12/11/15 at 05:42:37

Thanks for the input. Ill try and give those things a go today. The running light over the license plate still works fine. Its the red running light thats not working but the same bulb that finctions as a red running light and brake light does illuminate when the brake is depressed which is why this has been so aggravating and tells me its not the bulb itself. On a visual inspection all of the wires seem to be ok. Ill check into getting a voltmeter to test it as i have misplaced the last two ive gotten. For much more than 5 bucks a piece.lol

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Dave

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #7 - 12/11/15 at 06:08:10

savage_skulls_ wrote on 12/11/15 at 05:42:37:

Its the red running light thats not working but the same bulb that finctions as a red running light and brake light does illuminate when the brake is depressed which is why this has been so aggravating and tells me its not the bulb itself.

Wait a minute.....Have you actually taken the bulb out and either tried a new bulb, or tested the existing bulb?

The 1157 bulb has 2 filaments in it - and it is very common for one of the filaments to fail while the other one functions fine. And......when the bulb is illuminated and it receives a shock - the filament is soft and fails easily. So when you laid the bike over - the running light filament might have been broken.

If you have not done so - you need to put a new bulb in the tail light before you try anything else.

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savage_skulls_ YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 43 Hot Springs, Arkansas Gender:	Re: Tail light out! Reply #8 - 12/11/15 at 06:48:37 Ive taken the bulb out and put it back in just to be sure it wasn't loose in there. I didn't have anything yto test it with... I'm nearly certain its not a stock bulb as it has several small lights on a circuit board looking thing
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Dave YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 18099 Camp Springs, Kentucky Gender:	Re: Tail light out! Reply #9 - 12/11/15 at 07:04:58 Is your tail light stock....with an LED bulb in it? Or do you have a tail light that is something else? If the tail light will accept a stock #1157 bulb....spend $2 and buy new bulb and put it in and see if it works. At least you will then know if the problem is the bulb or the power to the tail light.
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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28663 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Tail light out! Reply #10 - 12/11/15 at 07:13:08 The tailight goes to a different tap on the ignition switch, than the brake and signal lights... I'd look there... ... It's also a dual filament bulb,... make sure both fillies are working... you can test with jumper wires from the battery or even a 9v...
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Art Webb

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #11 - 12/11/15 at 10:03:40

Check
the
bulb
seriously start with the easiest, most obvious thing first
the running (tail) light and the brake light are, on a stock bulb, 2 different filaments
that means they run off 2 separate circuits
it is entirely possible the the LED bulb you have may have suffered an internal failure due to the shock of the crash
don't borrow trouble
start with the simple stuff

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chzeckmate

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #12 - 12/11/15 at 13:59:24

You'll notice I said TEST the bulb not 'check' the bulb. Everyone agrees that is the first item on your checklist. Visual inspection is not sufficient. If you test it properly and both filaments work then it's not the bulb. If it's bad replace, if not then move on to the inspection process I mentioned. You'll find and fix it easily with process and patience.

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DesertRat Serious Thumper Offline I love rat bikes! Posts: 1569 Arizona	Re: Tail light out! Reply #13 - 12/12/15 at 06:08:39 REPLACE THE BULB !!!
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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Tail light out!
Reply #14 - 12/12/15 at 17:17:33

1156 or 1157, if you hold it up with a light behind it and give a gentle thump, like playing with a kid, not trying to hurt, just enough to make them look at ya and get ready for some poking and pinching, watch the filaments, a break will show.
But, NOTHING beats a meter. And that way you can check voltage in the socket. And there's no light other than a test light gonna help with that.

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