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Turn Signal indicator glows

2K views 26 replies 7 participants last post by  techdude2000 
#1 ·
Ever since I installed the SoCalMotoGear switch back turn signal bulbs with the clear lenses, one of the two TS dash indicator lights glows about 1/2 brightness. Note I installed the electronic flasher at the same time so the turn signals would flash at the proper rate.

If I turn on the left signal the right will be off as it should, and the left will flash on and off normally as it should. Then then the left TS will cancel at some point. Now the left dash indicator will glow about 1/2 brightness. Turn on the right TS. The left bulb immediately goes off, the right will flash on and off as it should. Then the right will cancel. Now the right will glow. When ever one was used last, that's the one that glows.

Didn't really bother me that much, in the daytime. Tonight I rode in the dark. Quite annoying.
 
#2 ·
Sounds like a missing ground. Or, did you mess with a diode array in your installation?

Wish I was smarter... Holiday Inn Express tomorrow...

:thumbup:
 
#4 ·
No. I had a thread for that and you responded giving me the correct information. I found the proper plug coming down from the back of the dash and plugged the flasher into that. Then used a zip tie and zipped it to the cross brace under there just below the position light relay. -- The position relay connector was never removed and the flasher never plugged into that.

SoCalMotoGear responsed to my email and is going to send me a new flasher to see if that it. I am also going to plug regular incandescents into the front and rear TS positions to see of load related some how.

Wondering if grounding at the TS cancel unit under the front can be it. Maybe this started when I did the front suspension and steering. I did the all balls with a '12 up lower tree. At that time the TS cancel unit had to be removed, etc. Maybe I got the TS cancel unit turned to the wrong position and didn't keep it calibrated. Maybe the knob got rotated ??
 
#7 · (Edited)
Good to know, I recommend EC's flasher. After thinking about this symptom, I'm almost sure it's the flasher unit leaking power out to the signal circuit. It's the only thing connected to the turn signal lights and it glowing the last one used makes sense, because the last one you use is still electrically connected to the flasher unit through the turn signal switch after they cancel.
 
#11 ·
Naturally, removing the LED flasher, as well as plugging the bike-mounted flasher back into the circuit, was the first step in trouble-shooting. The glow occurred only with the LED flasher installed. When the glowing turn indicator persisted with the replacement flasher (first class customer service from SoCalMotoGear, by the way!) it seemed likely the LED flashers were the culprit.

I have another flasher on the way from a different source. Of course, they all probably come out of the same factory in Guangzhou. I'll post the result when I get it installed.



hansong
 
#13 · (Edited)
Yeah I think the electronic flasher is the root of the problem, but also a grounding problem. The circuit is getting grounded back through the filaments of the incandescent bulbs. I mentioned that I would try replacing the LED bulbs with the incandescents to see what happens. First I swapped just the left side rear LED for incandescent and tried the TS. The right side still glowed and the left side, the side I just swapped, did not glow. Then I repeat for the right side and same result. With both rear TS pods having incandescents there is no glowing issue. Went for a test ride and made sure canceling unit and all that worked.

So my theory is the circuit is getting grounded back through the filament of the incandescent bulb. The amount of current leaked by the electronic flasher is not enough to light up the rear TS pod. Just not enough. But replace the rear with an LED bulb and now the circuit only has the tiny incandescent dash bulb to ground through. Being a much smaller and lower power bulb the amount of leakage current is enough to give a small glowing effect and it flows back through the filament to ground.

At I left it tonight, I have the LED low beams, LED high beams, LED switchback bulbs in front TS, 6 LED red bulbs in the 6 rear tail/brake light locations and 2 incandescent bulbs in the 2 rear TS. The LED electronic flasher is still installed.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I don't think it's a ground issue, just because the indicator is normal with the brake lights. If you pull one of the turn signal bulbs out of the socket and measure for voltage on the turn signal wire to the ground wire and then do it again using the battery's negative post for ground, there should be little to no voltage with both grounds. When you do this test, turn on the key, then select that side turn signal, and cancel them before you check for voltage. If there's voltage with the battery ground, then the flasher is defective. The turn signal wires should have no voltage on them when the flasher is not flashing them. If it's a ground issue, you should get a big difference between the readings with the 2 ground references.
 
#15 ·
Ok, I'll agree with that. I guess its not really a grounding "problem". I am agreeing the flasher is the root of the problem. It is interesting that replacing the rear TS LED bulbs with incandescent bulbs fixes it and the glowing goes away. So I will stick with the idea the leaked voltage by the defective flasher is finding a path back to ground through the filaments of the incandescent bulbs. With the rear TS bulbs being incandescent bulbs this seems to be the path of least resistance, and being 20W filaments is not enough current to get them to glow. It is not following the dash bulbs path, there is no glowing here either. Remove the incandescent rear TS bulbs and install LED bulbs. Now this ground path is lost. The leaked current from the flasher is finding a new path, which happens to be through the incandescent dash bulbs. Here the bulbs are just a few watts. The leakage is enough to get them to glow a little. -- I believe this is what is happening. Stating this is a problem, was not
 
#18 ·
The hazards won't make it glow, because the Hazard switch, when off, completely disconnects the flasher output from the bulb circuit and the indicator LEDs. The turn signal switch always has one side or the other connected between the flasher and the bulb circuit.
 
#20 · (Edited)
You're welcome, there's also one more thing connected to these bulbs. There's another thread started with the Hazard lights only flashing on one side or the other. The OP of that thread hasn't replied back yet, but he has either a defective/very dirty hazard switch, a broken wire, or a bad hazard diode. A quick way to check the whole turn signal bulb circuit is to turn on the hazards or lock and unlock the bags with the key fob. Both systems are tied together with a single pink/white wire. If his lights work correctly with the fob, then his Hazard switch is bad or so dirty it can't send the power to the diode and lights. If they don't work with the fob either, then the diode or the single wire is the culprit.
 
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