Blinker/Horn issue 1983 R80 G/S

[armartel]

Hi Folks,

Last night when I was riding in the city, my blinkers and horn stopped working. Every once in a while they would start back up and the left would blink faster than the right and the horn would work. I just ordered all new bulbs but concerned that it might be either the switch or the relay. Anyone have any thoughts on testing so I can solve the right problem without replacing all of them?

 

[happy wanderer]

Looking at the schematic (you do have a schematic I hope?) both those circuits go through one of the two fuses. The other thing they share in common is the ground connection of course but they have connections in the left side control switch assembly.

I would first make sure both the signals and horn have good grounds. Check with your multimeter from the battery ground to the ground connections of both items.

Check the fuses. Sometimes just rotating them around in their holders will clear up the problem. They get corroded. If the problem goes away remove both fuses and clean up the contact points on both the holder and the fuses.

The relay cycles faster when there is a blown bulb or bad connection. The fact that the signals do work only faster means you don't need new bulbs. They still work but the contacts again may be corroded. Remove, inspect, clean is the prescription for that issue.

Remove the flasher relay and re insert it a couple of times. You may have corrosion in those contacts as well.

These are places to start before you go buy a bunch of parts you don't need. Always try to determine the exact cause before swapping parts unless you have them laying around already and they are known good parts or you end up trouble shooting around in circles.

 

[armartel]

Fixed

This ended up being a simple light bulb issue. One of the four bulbs was different than the other three OEM bulbs which, when I switched it out, fixed the issue completely.

Looking at the schematic (you do have a schematic I hope?) both those circuits go through one of the two fuses. The other thing they share in common is the ground connection of course but they have connections in the left side control switch assembly.

I would first make sure both the signals and horn have good grounds. Check with your multimeter from the battery ground to the ground connections of both items.

Check the fuses. Sometimes just rotating them around in their holders will clear up the problem. They get corroded. If the problem goes away remove both fuses and clean up the contact points on both the holder and the fuses.

The relay cycles faster when there is a blown bulb or bad connection. The fact that the signals do work only faster means you don't need new bulbs. They still work but the contacts again may be corroded. Remove, inspect, clean is the prescription for that issue.

Remove the flasher relay and re insert it a couple of times. You may have corrosion in those contacts as well.

These are places to start before you go buy a bunch of parts you don't need. Always try to determine the exact cause before swapping parts unless you have them laying around already and they are known good parts or you end up trouble shooting around in circles.

 

[cseltz]

My guess is that you fixed the problem while changing the bulbs; not by changing the bulbs.

 

[happy wanderer]

My guess is that you fixed the problem while changing the bulbs; not by changing the bulbs.

I tend to agree. Often the base of the bulb gets a bit corroded and it is soft metal with lead content. So when it gets twisted in again new shiny metal gets exposed and bingo, good contact again.

Still though, does not explain why the signal light _and_ the horn quit working at the same time.

 

[armartel]

G/s

Maybe. I also switched out the fuse for a new one which could have also been the issue.

I tend to agree. Often the base of the bulb gets a bit corroded and it is soft metal with lead content. So when it gets twisted in again new shiny metal gets exposed and bingo, good contact again.

Still though, does not explain why the signal light _and_ the horn quit working at the same time.

 

[happy wanderer]

A good thing to add to your yearly maintenance is to remove the little cover off the two fuses holder and spin them around a bit. This rubs off the corrosion and shines up the contact point. Some coat the outsides with Dielectric grease for corrosion protection.

 

[pauls1150]

Just a WAG - haven't got a schematic - Possibly the current draw of the incorrect bulb was screwing up the relay (and anything else hooked to or thru it)...?

 

[armartel]

G/s

Yup, that's definitely possible.

Just a WAG - haven't got a schematic - Possibly the current draw of the incorrect bulb was screwing up the relay (and anything else hooked to or thru it)...?

 

[GTRider]

A good thing to add to your yearly maintenance is to remove the little cover off the two fuses holder and spin them around a bit. This rubs off the corrosion and shines up the contact point. Some coat the outsides with Dielectric grease for corrosion protection.

The previous owner of my R80G/S lost the cover for the OEM fuse holder; best thing that ever happened. A replacement fuse box is $37.61, but the connections leading into the fuse box are spade terminals, so I bought a couple of ATX fuse holders at the FLAPS, put spade connectors on the leads and plugged them into the OEM wiring harness. The fuse holders are zip tied to the main frame rail in place of the original fuse box, so I now have easily accessible and commonly available fuses in a waterproof holder. Total cost was around $10 plus the 2 fuses.

These are much more reliable than the OEM fuses.

Best,
DG