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Turn Signal Relay (Flash Relay) keeps clicking

21K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  stlhrs  
#1 ·
Hello All,

I replaced my handlebars and when done, I noticed something odd with my blinker relay. If I turn the key to the on position, don't start the engine, and turn on either the left or right turn signal the front and rear lights blink ok. Here is the problem, I noticed that if I manually cancel them, the relay keeps clicking, however the lights stop blinking (again engine not running).

I checked that the Running lights, turn signals and rear brake light all seem to be functioning correctly. If I ride the bike and let the automatic self canceling kick in, it seems to turn the relay off.

Is this normal behavior when the bike is not running and I just never noticed this????

Could someone verify if this is normal on your bike and try the same test with the engine off and engage either left or right and then manually cancel them and see if you relay still clicks.


I have been looking at the electrical diagram for a few days and I cannot for the life of me, figure this one out.

Thank you

Steve
 
#2 ·
Didn't click on mine when i manually cancelled them. I have an LED integrated tail light and a reducer (for the life of me can't remember the actual name of it, but it slows down the blink rate because the LED's draw less power causing them to blink faster.)
 
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#4 ·
More Information:

I have stock turn signals in the front and the custom led integrated light in the rear, in case other needs to know for troubleshooting purposes.

Things I have tried so far:
Took apart the left switch assembly and verified the continuity in the cables going under the tank, all wires look ok.

Reseated all the connectors

I attached a picture from the manual I am mainly working with 48 and 53 in the diagram.

I was puzzled with 53 in the diagram (turn signal switch) did not understand the < compared to L and > compared to R until I took it apart.

This is how I am interpreting the diagram, When I push to the left, it completes the circuit for the left front and rear lights with the brown/white supplying 12v from relay to chocolate wire (looks reddish in the picture), to provide power to the lights. At the same time the switch is pushed over the left, this grounds the yellow/red wire of the relay, which activates the relay (click/click) when the switch snaps back and returns to the middle, the yellow/red wire with ground is open again however, the brown/white to chocolate wire is still closed.

If I push the middle of the switch, this opens the circuit to brown/white and chocolate (Thus lights stop blinking.

I am not sure what triggers the relay to stop clicking from the diagram, since it momentarily gets activated by grounding out the yellow/red wire/

I was hesitant to buy a relay since they are around $70 to see that it is not the solution. Please correct me if I am interpreting the diagram wrong.

Thanks again
 
#5 · (Edited)
Not sure if the price is still accurate. I pulled this up from a thread from last year.

Turn Signal Load Equalizer, part# DS-272236, $26.99


Thought I'd better come back and clarify...I'm only chiming in on what Hawk was mentioning ref the flashers needing a relay to slow the speed. Check with someone who knows for sure before you spend money on this part to solve the problem you are having.
 
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#6 ·
What's up Don!

Thanks for the info. I have always had the fast blink since I never used load resistors when I installed the integrated taillight. I actually like the faster blink rate.

You might be onto something here though. Without load equalizers installed, I wonder if the turn relay cannot turn off when one manually cancels the turn signal. Just seems odd that the automatic self-cancel works.

Anyone else have a customerled brake light without load equalizers installed and using stock lights up front? If so, does manually canceling the turn signal cause your relay to still click with the engine off?
 
#7 ·
I have LED front and rear from Raw Design...with the egine off and signals on I don't hear any clicking and after canceling no clicking either...I didn't install a load resistor either...I like the fast blink. I'm no electrician but maybe it is because of the load differential between front and back...or just let them self cancel which works off distance don't remember how far it is though...I've had a couple beers since I rode today....:idunno:
 
#8 ·
I have the custom led rear fitted with stock indicators on the front and have not installed the load resistors. Just tried mine and everything works fine, ie I do not have your problem, I would check the earth (ground) is actualy breaking when you push the switch to turn them off. Hope this helps.
 
#9 ·
I hope I am following you on this. I consider Earth ground to be the frame of the bike in this case. I also checked various spots of the frame to verify ground seems to be ok on the bike.

When the switch is canceled, the light stop blinking, so that part seems to be working ok. I also verified by pulling the tank and checking with ohm meter across the wires that come down from the handlebar.

When the meter is on the chocolate to brown/white wires, the circuit is closed when pushed to the left, and when canceled, the circuit opens again. I also checked that these wires were in no way shorted to ground.

Most importantly, I found on page 7-80 of the service guide, how to test the relay and it looks like my voltage is not correct on brown/whit leads. I found a relay used on eBay for $20 so I ordered it last night. I will post my progress when I get the part and test it.

Thank you for your suggestions.
 
#10 ·
Good luck and "Git er done!" March 1st....Spring's a coming! :eek:hyea:
 
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#11 ·
I am almost there. I finally got the used relay today from EBay and unfortunately it did the same thing as my original. Actually crow from the forums stopped by with his bike (Thank you) and we out ruled the ECM module by putting it on his bike and the blinkers worked fine on his bike. So from here, I knew it was a wiring issue. I finally found the problem; it’s was the wiring in the bars and not the main harness.

When I pulled the wires through the new bars, some of the casing on the wires got nicked (Very hard to see) in addition to the electrical gel I used to help pull them through the bars made the wires and casing wet inside, I thought it would have evaporated . (I used way to much of that stuff even though it made them go through the bars easy) Because of this, a large 22k resistance built up between the turn signal wires, which is the cause of my issues. So 12volts was always present on the green and brown wires, which made the relay never stop clicking. I thought that the basic buzzer ohm test on the meter would have told me this, I should have tested on a higher setting (200K).

I actually have the wires out of the bars now; I dried out the bars and the wires. (Bummer), going to order a plasti dip clear spray and coat all the wires to make sure they are sealed properly and then put this together again.

I actually know how the relay and the switch function together:
The < in the diagram is when you push the switch to the left initially (brown/white (12v) and brown circuit closed to bring power to the bulbs and the yellow/red shorted to ground to start the relay clicking (the grounding of this wire is a trigger to the relay).

The L in the diagram is when the spring pushes the switch back to the center (brown and brown/white still stay closed, and the yellow/red is opened from ground)

The N is when you push the switch in the center to manually cancel. This is opening the circuit from the L position (brown and brown/white). Undoing this is what makes the relay stop clicking.

Same applies to the right hand side, instead of brown, is would use the green wire.


Hints for testing the relay and determine it’s actually the relay or the wiring:
1) Run the test on page 7-80 in the service manual and check the voltages on specific leads, if not the correct voltage, do not just assume it is the relay
2) Go one step further and disconnect the Yellow and Grey micro connectors under the tank, recheck the voltage on the relay. If the voltages are correct, then it is something with the wiring.

Hope this helps other in the future. I will post when I have everything together again, I have to order the spray, so it might take a few days to arrive, thanks again for all the suggestions.
 
#12 ·
Have a resolution. I finally had time to work on the bike. I pulled the wires back out and recoated all the wires with electrical tape spray. This time, to make the job easier, I actually cut the micro connectors off and was able to get them through the bars much easier. I checked all the wires on the bike; everything seemed to be ok so far with my digital meter. I re-soldered the connectors back on and tested on the bike. The relay had the same issue. I was cursing my brains out. I walked away for a 1.2 hour came back and did some voltage checked again. Here is the kicker; the grey micro connector was causing all my problems.

When I used to the electrical gel to pull the wires through the first time, I figured I should use electric grease to protect the contacts on all the connectors. Well I used too much of this on the micro connector, which caused the short between the turn signal wires.

So I used WD40 to clean out the micro connector, re-soldered the wires again and things are working perfect now.

Even with all the headaches, I am so glad I changed the bar and love the look. I will post pictures once I get the low & mean full wrap front fender and Arlen Ness mirrors on the bike.
 
#13 ·
intriguer8,

I'm having a similar issue. I replaced the stock bars with LA Choppers T-bars. I'm getting a code 46. details are here:

http://www.mybikeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=228435

Did you find the wire exit hole on the risers too high? I had to trim the main switch cover with a dremmel to get them to fit. How did you solve that? I'm tempted to pull everything out and cut the holes in the bars larger. There seems to be a lot of sharp edges inside.

Thanks
 
#14 ·
I had to open up the holes on the base of the risers when doing mine, I'm not having the same issue you are, I am having issues now with the bike not shutting off when kick stand is down, only being able to start in neutral, and my "trip" switch (the trigger on the left hand side that takes you from odometer to trip a and trip b) is not functioning. I am going to start my diagnostic with the connector after reading yall's posts. My issues dont keep me from riding so I havent put too much effort into tracking it down as of yet....will watch this thread
 
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#15 ·
mddrumer911,

How did you open up the holes in the risers? Is it as simple as a vise and a drill? The bottom on the risers have the female thread for the bar mounting bolts so I imagine you can open the holes up much without damaging them. Did you open up the holes at the switches too? I'm very hesitant to put a drill anywhere close to their gorgeous bars.

Sounds like you have a similar short.

I'm going to pull the wires out and inspect each one, repair if needed, and rerun. It'll take time. But if I do it all now it may prevent another issue down the road that just hasn't manifested yet.

Did you run the wires as one bundle, individually, or in pairs? I ran mine as pairs/groups because I couldn't get the whole thing through.

I also added to the bulk with the turn-signal mirror wires (an additional 3 - 24ga wires on each side.

Seems to me there are rough edges on the inside of the bars, probably at the bar/riser turn.

This is a very educational experience. So at least I'm learning more about my bike. :)
 
#16 ·
I used a combination of a small dremel bit and a small drill bit to open that hole at the base of the risers, I wasnt concernet about the threads at the bottom since its a ways off, I was more or less worried about compromising the strength of the structure of the bar by opening the hole, but these are pretty beefy and I dont think the little bit hurt. I did not do anything to the hole in the bar at the top where the controls go. I had help on this project from a local custom bike shop, we just removed the plug ends and staggered the "micro ends or little brass things that go into the plug" and taped it all into one bundle and taped it to a string which was fed through the bar. It took hours and hours of tugging to get the wire through, but I do believe we ran the turn signals seperately throuth their own wire loom, inside the bar of course. we did run into some problems with the wire from the turn signal getting scarred, my guess was exactly where you said that the bar riser turns to the bar...we didnt have a bore scope to look inside or anything but I immagine that there is a rough edge there causing problems. Like I said my small problems arent hindering my ability to ride so thats why I havent spent too much time on it yet. I plan on pulling my tank soon anyways for a LED project...was going to inspect the harness connections while I was in there. I have traced the kick stand switch wire and it does go up the front of the bike to the main harness connection so that may be my issue. Also just to throw this in there, I took a VERY small drill bit to my control housing on both sides to run my turn signal wires into it...how are you bringing the turn signal wires into the controls to make it to the bar hole?
 
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#17 ·
Thanks. I'll use the dremel and stagger the ends.

I may open the holes at the grips to match the original so I can reuse the stock grommet. The grommet may help protect the wires a bit.

I ran the mirror wires through an existing hole. It's about center on the bottom of the switch housing and only on one half (front half I think). At first I tried the same slot/hole as the master cylinder switch but it was too tight.

Thanks!
 
#18 ·
Hello stlhrs, sorry about your troubles, electrical issues are a PITA to track down.
I agree, the bike should start with error 46, I very much doubt it is the wiring in the bars since you were able to start the bike after they were installed.

You said you had to pull three extra wires through on each side of the bars for the turn signal mirrors; do the mirrors include running lights besides being turn signals?
Could you verify what color wires you spliced into in the headlight assembly, it should have just been the brown and green wires, did you also tap into a black wire for ground or did you use the frame? I ask because maybe the black wire may not necessarily be a ground.

Your problems occurred after hooking up the mirror lights. I would start with the last thing you touched, which is the headlight assembly. (I have not taken the headlight apart yet, but if I have time tonight, I will try and check it out.)

Also: Getting the main switch cover on afterwards was a task in itself. One thing that helped with the main switch cover was to have some extra slack in the wiring to squash down towards to triple tree. I did use a dremel to open the holes on the risers; I did not open the grip holes but used the dremel to clean up the sharp edges in there though. NOTE: I nicked a small spot on the rises with the dremel, I even had them covered with a few layers of tape, but the dremel was to powerful and went through it. I suggest using a card board or something stronger to help wrap around the bars, better safe than sorry.

If you want, shoot me a private message with your cell and what times you are available to talk. I am on the East Coast, I think you are on Central Time, so I should be up until around 1AM. Trust me, I know what you are going through, still appreciate CROW stopping by that day and testing my ECM in his bike when I had my blinker issues. We will figure it out.
 
#19 ·
MY BABY IS BACK!! :) :D ;D 8)

I got home last night and took the tank off to check wires. I found one loose connection immediately...the start button. I then decided to re-connect all the wires under the tank, this time soldered. With wiring diagram in hand I check continuity on all wires going to the bars. Luckily they were all good. I did find a couple nicks on some wire casing on a couple wires. If the wire was broken in anyway I patched it (soldered). If it was just the casing I shrink wrapped over it. After getting all the wires under the tank done I started putting it back together, cranking it over after each piece was but back on.

I put the original starter relay back on and it still worked. (I guess I have a $65 spare now). Rewired the turn-signals...still good.

I was up past midnight working on it. The wife was in bed and our room is over the garage. I'm sure she appreciated me starting it every 10 minutes or so.

It was warm enough to ride this morning so YAY! :)

Lessons learned: DON'T USE CRIMP CONNECTORS. It's too easy to solder.

I'm still not happy with the exit holes on the risers and all the wires in the headlight bucket. But that can wait until winter.

Would I do it again...Yes. The bars are awesome and give me the pullback I needed.

Thanks to everyone for their tips and advice and for sharing their experiences. Hopefully this will help someone else in the future
 
#20 ·
:eek:hyea::eek:hyea::eek:hyea::thumbup2::thumbup2::thumbup2:
 
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#21 ·
Awesome, have a question though. I wonder if you fixed something else in the process that was causing the error 46. With my starter wires not connected and never had an error 46 show up. Anyway, glad you got it working, just does not make sense to me, that’s the wonder of electronics.
 
#22 ·
I don't think so. The only stuff I touched was the handle bar wires. That said, looking at the wiring diagram the stop switch and start button both feed into the starter-cutoff relay when is also connected to the FI relay. So that short may have affected it.
 
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