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Bushtec Trailer Lights Problem

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  techdude2000 
#1 ·
I have a 2008 Bushtec trailer and am having an issue with the lights. They worked fine when the trailer was put away last fall but not so much anymore. I have no tail. signal or brake lights. The only thing I get is a quick flash of the lights when I first turn the key on and then they go dark again. Any ideas? I suspect the bike wiring since I recently temporarily disconnected a saddlebag connector behind the rear fender but I have checked and rechecked everything and all appears to be connected OK and yes, I checked the fuse.
 
#2 ·
Is the ground male pin at the trailer connector clean ??? With a test light (or VOM meter) do you have voltage and a ground at the bike end of the connector ??? Is all your rear lighting on the Wing working as designed ???
 
#3 ·
Easiest way to narrow down your search is use a set of jumper leads between a good battery and the trailer pigtail connector. Park the trailer tongue beside the bike near the battery. Run one lead from the negative post to the ground lead of the pigtail. Then connnect the other lead to the positive terminal of the battery, then connect it to the various connectors on the pigtail and check if the associated lights come on. If everything works - which I think they will - then the problem is in the bike.

Now since you said it initially lights then goes dark - my initial guess is a failed trailer isolator - it's unable to handle the current draw of the trailer lights. Push the trailer connector only partially onto the bike side of the connector and hook a voltmeter to the ground lead and the brake light lead (or turn signal). Turn the ignition on and check the voltage when applying brakes/turn. If spikes then drops to a low voltage - then check proper power to the isolator. If that is good, then the isolator has failed. If not good - find where you be dropping power from the fuse to the isolator.

Note - try pulling the fuse and re-insert several times to clean the contacts - often times there is corrosion in the socket you can't see and that will give you the symptoms you are describing.
 
#4 ·
Guys, thanks for your help but it turned out to be something I never would have imagined. I started with your suggestions, at the rear of the bike and now have all the wires, that were neatly strapped down, pulled out and exposed including the four fuses on the isolator harness. I disconnected everything aftermarket leaving just the trailer wiring connected in line with the factory harness. It looked like I was not getting power to the rear of the bike so I worked my way to the side by the battery and and checked directly on the Electric Connection power panel where I had connected the wiring harness. There was NO POWER at the panel so all of the accessories that were connected to the panel, not just the trailer wiring, were not working. I checked the relay and wiring for the panel and all appeared fine. While I had my meter connected to the power panel, I turned on the key and I saw that slight spike in power on the meter that must have made the trailer lights quickly flash. It would spike to about 3V and then down to nothing every time I turned the key on and then it dawned on me. Earlier this year I purchased Electrical Connection's headlight cut out switch. It works off of the oil pressure switch and power only goes to the headlights when the bike is running. Guess what? Power only goes to my power panel when the bike is running so it too is controlled by the headlight cutoff switch. To make a short story lone THERE NEVER WAS A PROBLEM TO BEGIN WITH, all I had to do was start the bike. I have often checked my trailer lights in the past without the bike running and it was fine but I just installed the headlight cutoff switch this spring and this was the first time I had tried the trailer lights this year. What a waste of a day and a half. One of those 'oh *****' moments.:banghead::banghead::banghead:
 
#5 ·
Guys, thanks for your help but it turned out to be something I never would have imagined. I started with your suggestions, at the rear of the bike and now have all the wires, that were neatly strapped down, pulled out and exposed including the four fuses on the isolator harness. I disconnected everything aftermarket leaving just the trailer wiring connected in line with the factory harness. It looked like I was not getting power to the rear of the bike so I worked my way to the side by the battery and and checked directly on the Electric Connection power panel where I had connected the wiring harness. There was NO POWER at the panel so all of the accessories that were connected to the panel, not just the trailer wiring, were not working. I checked the relay and wiring for the panel and all appeared fine. While I had my meter connected to the power panel, I turned on the key and I saw that slight spike in power on the meter that must have made the trailer lights quickly flash. It would spike to about 3V and then down to nothing every time I turned the key on and then it dawned on me. Earlier this year I purchased Electrical Connection's headlight cut out switch. It works off of the oil pressure switch and power only goes to the headlights when the bike is running. Guess what? Power only goes to my power panel when the bike is running so it too is controlled by the headlight cutoff switch. To make a short story lone THERE NEVER WAS A PROBLEM TO BEGIN WITH, all I had to do was start the bike. I have often checked my trailer lights in the past without the bike running and it was fine but I just installed the headlight cutoff switch this spring and this was the first time I had tried the trailer lights this year. What a waste of a day and a half. One of those 'oh *****' moments.:banghead::banghead::banghead:
EC's cutout circuit is not supposed to kill all the lights, something is mis-wired, on purpose?
 
#6 ·
EC's cutout circuit is not supposed to kill all the lights, something is mis-wired, on purpose?
It doesn't kill all the lights but it did kill the EC power panel which was where my trailer was fed from. All running and tail lights work as before. That being said I will double check the wiring tomorrow.
 
#7 ·
EC's cutout circuit is not supposed to kill all the lights, something is mis-wired, on purpose?
I checked the wiring for the EC power plate and there is a wire that connects to the lo-beam headlight relay that operates that relay, and in turn activates the power plate. It's designed that way so that when you start the bike, all accessories connected to the power plate are decommissioned in order to save battery power. Since my trailer wiring was connected to the power plate it wouldn't work unless the bike was running. All wiring is correct and acts like it should. If I had realized that I never would have had a problem to begin with.

See EC power plate below instructions below, circled in red.

Text Font Line Document Paper
 
#8 ·
I checked the wiring for the EC power plate and there is a wire that connects to the lo-beam headlight relay that operates that relay, and in turn activates the power plate. It's designed that way so that when you start the bike, all accessories connected to the power plate are decommissioned in order to save battery power. Since my trailer wiring was connected to the power plate it wouldn't work unless the bike was running. All wiring is correct and acts like it should. If I had realized that I never would have had a problem to begin with.

See EC power plate below instructions below, circled in red.

View attachment 68591
I see, thanks for the info.:thumbup:
 
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