Left rear blinker not working

[jlweaver]

Hi,

I'm new to MOA so thank you all in advance for your help. I have an 1983 R80RT. I bought it new over 30 years ago and all maintenance, other than the easy things, have been done by professionals. Now that I'm retired I'm having a little more fun doing more things myself. However, I went to do an "easy thing" and it's not working. The left rear blinker is behaving as if it has a burned out bulb. I have confirmed the problem is NOT the bulb. The connectors at the bulb all look good and clear. Where else should I be looking?

Possibly related to this, but not sure, is I've had intermittent ignition switch issues over the last year. I've cleaned all the connectors at the switch, as well, but the problem still exists. It's as if there's varying levels of power running through, or activated by, the switch. It's very inconsistent. Could these two be related or do I have two different problems going on?

Jeff

 

[20774]

Jeff -

Welcome to the forum! What if you were to switch bulbs...maybe that would eliminate the bulb for sure. It will be good to hear other ideas as well.

 

[dennisdarrow]

Are you sure you are getting power to the bulb???........ Got a volt-ohm meter to check that???....... Kurt's idea about changing/switching bulbs will tell you if it is the bulb or the "socket".....A thirty year old connection can corrode a bit, so steel wool inside the socket and the plug connection will clean that off pretty well.

To me the ignition switch has nothing to do with the bulb working. That will effect ALL of the bulbs, not just a turn signal. You do have a good battery???..... Just grasping at straws here by not knowing more......... God bless.....Dennis

 

[ragwinger]

Just as with fine coffee and divorces, it all begins with good grounds. Check those brown ground wires and all connections.

 

[WalterK75]

I had a totally burned out bulb and no visible signs of burnout. Try a known good bulb to verify as mentioned above.

 

[MonoRT]

I had a similar problem with my 85 R80RT. If the wiring for the lights at the rear of the bike are the same more or less for 83's and 85's, there will be a white plastic connector somewhere along the area of the battery on the left side that allows the rear wiring to be disconnected from the main harness. In my case, after determining that I was not getting power to the blinker lamp, I pulled that connector apart, sprayed DeoxIT on the pins and plugs and pushed it together and pilled it apart a couple of times and I had a turn signal again - it did not really look all that corroded in there, but it was enough. It's worked just fine ever since.

I might add that a cheap test light - like a screwdriver/icepick with a bulb in the handle and a wire out the back and a clip might work better for this sort of troubleshooting than a DMM. Some digital meters can give you puzzling readouts when you use them on flasher circuits. Test lights are easy to make yourself, but they are also quite cheap to buy and available at any autoparts store.

I learned about DeoxIT while reading SNOBUM's website. That stuff is magic.

 

[jlweaver]

Swapping bulbs was the first thing I tried. Both bulbs work fine in the right blinker. Neither work in the left blinker.

I may have a voltage reader from my old automotive tinkering days. I'll check that out, as well as the ground, and let you all know.