Help! Tail light, plate light, brake light are not working but the directional lights are. Checked the tail light/plate light fuse and it's good. Checked power to the fuse and that's good. Disconnected the rear fender harness connector and tested the prongs. Power to directional's good (lower two prongs), no power to the top 3 prongs, tail, plate and brake. Somewhere between the fuse box and the rear fender connector is a problem. Can't find the color coded wires from the rear fender connector anywhere else on the bike (fuse box or main harness inside headlight assembly). Any ideas where the wires for the tail light go from the fuse box and what color they would be before they get to the rear fender. The wires from the fender connector go into a large harness just behind the engine but not sure where they go from there. Everything else on the bike is working fine and she's running like a top. I'm so confused!
The wires don't change color. here's a map:
get an ohm meter and check the wires to determine which one is open...sounds like the ground wire to me.
Check continuity from fuse block to pins.
Thanks guys. I think there must be another junction somewhere between the fuse block and the rear connector. I guess I am going to have to trace the three wires backwards from the connector and keep checking for continuity along the way. I was thinking it is probably the ground which is often times the case and it hasn't moved all winter and was working when I put it away. Probably rust seeped in along some connection point. Looks like a little patience and time is going to be the case.
Ok. So after studying the electrical diagram, it appears that the tail/brake and lic. light share a common ground with the turn signal lights so it can't be the ground because none of them would work and the turn signals are still workng. Following the feed wire (red) from tail/brake and lic. light back goes to the ignition switch. It seems that the problem is probably at the ignition switch not providing power to the lights. Does that seem logical or am i missing something here? Has anyone else had a similar issue with their ignition switch?
unplug your ignition switch and check for voltage on the pin coming from the switch with it in the on position. put one lead on ground and the other lead on the pin that goes to the taillights, should be 12v.
new switch is approx $120
Thanks. I'll try that this Friday. I'll let you know what I find out.
Do the front running lights come on?
Front running lights? I only have headlight and directionals up front. I found the problem but was too embarrassed to say. It was the fuse. Apparently I tested the wrong fuse when I started. Later after taking the ignition apart and testing every contact I realized it was back at the fuse box again. So I tested every fuse and found the blown one. Replaced it, tah dah, felt like an idiot! I'm French, I have two lefts. Anyway, I was very happy to find it before I started taking the bike apart to trace wires. Riding very happily now! Thank you for all your advice. Invaluable and greatly appreciated!!!!
Quote from: nhtrikes on May 02, 2016, 14:05:53 PM
Front running lights? I only have headlight and directionals up front. I found the problem but was too embarrassed to say. It was the fuse. Apparently I tested the wrong fuse when I started. Later after taking the ignition apart and testing every contact I realized it was back at the fuse box again. So I tested every fuse and found the blown one. Replaced it, tah dah, felt like an idiot! I'm French, I have two lefts. Anyway, I was very happy to find it before I started taking the bike apart to trace wires. Riding very happily now! Thank you for all your advice. Invaluable and greatly appreciated!!!!
Unles you disconnected them, the turn signals are the front running lights