Right front turn signal stops working intermittently

6614 Views 22 Replies 9 Participants Last post by strom_r0m, 2 mo ago

strom_r0m

Discussion Starter · 8 mo ago (Edited)

Hello Internet,

my right front turn signal stops working intermittently with the fast flash turn signal indicator coming on. A year ago I cleaned, scratched and put dielectric grease on the connection between bulb and metal contact. It helped some and it was quiet for a year. Now it recently started again and it got the same treatment but it's still coming on and off sometimes.
The bulb works fine when switched around.

I'm leaving for a 6000km trip in two days.

My question: Is there any other notorious spot to check and clean then the bulb contact location itself?

Thanks!

Discussion Starter · #23 · a moment ago

Update: I wiggled blindly on the connection on the inside of the fairing just where it leaves into the indicator housing and pressed it tight. No problems for a couple of months now.

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

PerazziMx14

· #2 · 8 mo ago

Maybe the socket is a bit worn. Tak a pick and pull the contact points up/out a bit for a snug fit.

Reactions: 1

PeteW

· #3 · 8 mo ago

Or, what I've had to do in the past. If you have a soldering iron and know how to use one, build the pads back up.

To avoid the problem in future, put a THIN smear of silicone adhesive around the bulb base (below the glass) before screwing it in. That'll stop it vibrating and wearing the base out and will still unscrew. Not great gobs of silicone, just a little.

Using LED bulbs makes this happen really quickly because they are typically heavier than conventional bulbs.

Reactions: 1

Rolex

· #4 · 8 mo ago

Being the front there is a big chance it's the wires, often as it enters or leaves the plug.

Do things change as you move the handlebars left and right ?

The easy place to start is in the bulb socket, pull globe and press the center pin in, you should feel the spring working powerfully and smoothly pushing the pin back to the original position.

Swap the globe or the entire unit with the other side and see if the problem moves, if I remember right they have a drain in the bottom so swapping sides would have the drain upside down and would need to be changed back at some point.

Reactions: 2

Improperly Torqued

· #5 · 8 mo ago

Rolex said:
Being the front there is a big chance it's the wires, often as it enters or leaves the plug.

What he said. The pigtail connector for the signal should be pretty easy to get to without a lot of drama; maybe you can pull it apart and eyeball it. (It's easy to get to on a Gen 3 anyway; I don't remember exactly on my Gen 1, but I think you can reach it without taking the fairing off.)

Just today, as I was doing my light check, I found exactly the same thing. Turned out I'd forgotten to reconnect the pigtails when I had the fairing off yesterday. Even if I had remembered it, it's easy to not fully seat them. (I don't liike that connector.)

Reactions: 2

strom_r0m

Discussion Starter · #6 · 8 mo ago

Thanks all for your thoughts. Things didn't change moving the handlebars and the light was right back working again after a few scratches with a knife on the contact points. I didn't have much time today so I left it at that. I should have all the tools and ideas from you guys with me to dig deeper during my trip in case it stops working again.

Fox

· #7 · 8 mo ago

Dielectric grease is an insulator and will increase resistance. Personally I'd clean all that off and expect no issues after.

Periodic maintenance for lighting is as simple as removing the bulb and wiping any grime off the conductive surfaces. Any erosion is likelier to be on the bulb base as that material is much softer than the copper terminal of the bulb holder. If you find that getting chronically toasty, you probably have a bad connection somewhere else in the wire harness.

Reactions: 1

Improperly Torqued

· #8 · 8 mo ago

Fox said:
Dielectric grease is an insulator and will increase resistance. Personally I'd clean all that off and expect no issues after.

Now we're talkin' religion. There's debate on the wisdom of dielectric grease on low voltage connections. In theory, it's moot, because it can't create resistance that wasn't already there (it can only exist in gaps between the contacts, of which there shouldn't be any. In theory). It can, however, seal out water, which corrodes.

Conductive grease, on the other hand, may bridge connections in small connectors; I wouldn't go there for sure.

Personally, I've moved away from using dielectric grease. When I have used it, it has not caused any problems, but has reduced corrosion. I'm not sure there's a "right" or "wrong" here though.

Fox said:
Periodic maintenance for lighting is as simple as removing the bulb and wiping any grime off the conductive surfaces. Any erosion is likelier to be on the bulb base as that material is much softer than the copper terminal of the bulb holder. If you find that getting chronically toasty, you probably have a bad connection somewhere else in the wire harness.

Agree.

Reactions: 1

Fox

· #9 · 8 mo ago (Edited)

Improperly Torqued said:
Now we're talkin' religion. There's debate on the wisdom of dielectric grease on low voltage connections. In theory, it's moot, because it can't create resistance that wasn't already there (it can only exist in gaps between the contacts, of which there shouldn't be any. In theory). It can, however, seal out water, which corrodes.

Conductive grease, on the other hand, may bridge connections in small connectors; I wouldn't go there for sure.

Personally, I've moved away from using dielectric grease. When I have used it, it has not caused any problems, but has reduced corrosion. I'm not sure there's a "right" or "wrong" here though.

Agree.

Fair points. The negative side 'cap' for these turn signal bulbs is pretty flat aside from the locking pins, I think you could easily have an intermittent connection from greasing the holder. Probably less likely at the positive contact which is smaller, pointier, and under tension.

IMO the bigger issue with silicone grease in electric connectors is that it attracts dirt and slows dissipation of heat - and can just as easily seal moisture in as out if you use gobs of it. My own bike has spent a decade outside and is working with the original rear indicators and possibly bulbs as well. The fronts have been replaced a couple of times, but that's arguably my fault as they met violent ends.

Electrically the turn signals are not a high risk area for burning up because they don't carry current for very long in the first place.

Reactions: 1

Improperly Torqued

· #10 · 8 mo ago

Fox said:
IMO the bigger issue with silicone grease in electric connectors is that it attracts dirt and slows dissipation of heat - and can just as easily seal moisture in as out.

Also fair points.

Reactions: 1

strom_r0m

Discussion Starter · #11 · 8 mo ago

An in-depth civilized discussion on dielectric grease.

What's not to love about this forum?

PeteW

· #12 · 8 mo ago

Yeah, dielectric grease sucks and increases maintenance. That's why telcos stuff all their connectors with it and bury them in damp tunnels underground

.

It works just fine in my experience.

Reactions: 1

Fox

· #13 · 8 mo ago

PeteW said:
Yeah, dielectric grease sucks and increases maintenance. That's why telcos stuff all their connectors with it and bury them in damp tunnels underground .

It works just fine in my experience.

Hey maybe it's better, but then again I've never had to build a conductor back up with solder

Whatever you use, it helps to do what you can to keep water out in the first place. For OP, one common problem area is the large connector under the front fairing to the left (red square below) which powers the headlights, front turn signals and instruments. It has a rubber boot on it and I noticed mine was open at the top which allowed rainwater to enter, so I added electrical tape to join it to the wrap above it and ziptied it out of the way. My yearly electrical maintenance includes spraying some contact cleaner (I ♥ DeOxit) into one end and breaking free the contacts to keep them fresh.

Font Auto part Parallel Art Line art

If you're not running a headlight relay, it's also a good idea to very carefully disassemble the starter button assembly noting orientations, spray the dirt out of the spring assembly and wipe the terminals off. That's probably the weakest point electrically in the whole bike and can suffer either a no start or no headlights condition.

Hope you have a fun and safe trip!

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Reactions: 1

strom_r0m

Discussion Starter · #14 · 8 mo ago

@Fox Thanks!

Yep, i read a lot here. I cleaned the starter switch a few times. The left side connector is on my to do list and I might buy an EB Relay in the future!

QQQ

· #15 · 7 mo ago

I just gave my bike to the shop for this same problem. I had everything apart, couldn't see any obvious issue, put it back together and it worked again...for a while.
I realized I really don't know what I'm doing with electric juice particles, hence the shop visit.
The forums at least helped me eliminate some causes. Thanks you guys!
Cheers
Q

Reactions: 1

Gert

· #16 · 7 mo ago

Do let us know what the shop found to be the cause of this problem. Enquiring minds....

14ozarkstrom

· #17 · 7 mo ago

All electrical problems can be resolved when the powers and grounds are connected properly. Again properly there lies the problem. Where is the bad connection?

QQQ

· #18 · 7 mo ago

All working great now, thanks to my excellent mechanic. My issue was time and corrosion in a yellow plug serving lights/signals/+?, somewhere under the tank. New plug and a few tidbits to get the electric juice particles bumping along.
Happy Halloween!

Reactions: 2

strom_r0m

Discussion Starter · #19 · 7 mo ago

Hm...i'm on a trip thru the balkans and the problem reoccured. The Bulb connections are fine, so I suspect a connector that is slowly corroding away....Anyone who can point out the yellow connector in the manual? I wonder if it's worth it chasing an electrical failure while on a trip....I don't like the dysfunctioning indicator, on the other hand it could be hours of work with no guaranteed fix...

QQQ

· #20 · 7 mo ago

My mechanic said the corrosion was so bad, the plug was actually getting a little hot...from what he said and showed me, and the wiring harness diagram on Partzilla (many others have the same pictures for OEM parts), it was the biggish connector at the front of the 'Wiring Harness No.1' (whole harness is part no. 36610-27G30). He replaced the one big block with two smaller ones to fix it.
This was on my K4 - yours might be different
Good luck!

Reactions: 1

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