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xs650 > > Motorcycle Systems > > Electrical > > Intermittent Left Blinker not working.


Intermittent Left Blinker not working.
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horseshoe_george
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Joined: May 28, 2008
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PostPosted: September 8, 2008, 5:36 am    Post subject: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

I've got a newly aquired XS650 81 special II. The right blinker works all the time and the left does not flash most of the time at all, veryrarely as I drive around it will flash normally. It is not illuminating continuously just working rarely properly and not lighting up at all most of the time. Any ideas about where to start troubleshooting the electrics for this symptom would be appreciated!

Thanks!
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jayel
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Joined: Apr 16, 2006
Posts: 3417
Location: SE Iowa 1974 TX650A

PostPosted: September 8, 2008, 8:07 am    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

loose snap in connections and dirty ground wires and bulb base to holder
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Hoozbinpharten
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Joined: Jun 28, 2007
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Location: Dayton, OH

PostPosted: September 8, 2008, 12:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

Also, check for solid connection inside the handle bar switch. Mine came undone and was intermittently making contact every now and then like yours. Be careful, it's pretty fiddly in there.

ike in dayton
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whynot2
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Joined: Jun 25, 2005
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Location: upstate new york

PostPosted: September 9, 2008, 10:55 am    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

How old is your battery? Check the grounds! Most often on mine it is dirty or loose ground. Check bulb for tightness? I had an intermittent electrical problem caused by not tightening the handle bar switch tight enough.
Greg

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xsjohn
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PostPosted: September 9, 2008, 12:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

Biggest problem with my turn signals on the 80 was the three wires that are soldered close together in the switch.......the solder had come loose....used dielectric grease......kinda fun messing with them but until I did it was intermitent like yours......

xsjohn
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xjwmx
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PostPosted: June 18, 2009, 10:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

xsjohn is exactly right about those three solder joints. Here's some useful detail: The three wires are pushed into little copper cups and then soldered (they thought they did!) in the copper cups. The problem is that 3 out of 4 times the solder didn't stick to the cups and what you have instead is a friction fit ball of solder that you can pull out by tugging on the wire - there will be no solder sticking to the copper cup at all! An eventual intermittent connection. During manufacture, either the cups didn't get hot enough or they had some substance on them that prevented solder from sticking. My xs650 had the problem, as did my Yamaha sr250, which had a similar design.


The fix. Use a needle-nose to pull the little frame with the three connections on it out of the holder. Then try to pull the wires and the attached solder out of the cups without applying an iron. If you can, then sand the upper lip of the cup to expose fresh copper and tin it using the iron and solder. You don't have to clean and tin inside the cup - just the lip is plenty. Then push the wire and the attached solder back down into the cup while holding the iron on the joint. If it doesn't go in perfectly, no prob - soldering just to the cup lip is good enough. If you weren't able to pull the wire out without heating it, maybe it's a good connection, but I would give it the same treatment anyway, after using the iron to get the wire out.


Once the wires are attached right (for the first time ever) Pry the little frame open and sand the three copper contacts underneath the cups then slop them with grease. Sand the copper part of the slider that's in the frame and coat it with grease and make sure it moves up and down easily aganist its spring. Then put the frame back together and into the holder. Every part of the mechanism in there that goes with the flasher can use a good coat of grease. It's a bit like clockwork in there, so pay attention to how it came apart, if you want it to be a quick job Smile You might as well sand and grease the horn button contacts while you're in there. Lastly, tighten the nut on all four turn signal stalks, because that terminal ring against it is the ground to the light.

All the other comments in this thread are essential to do too.
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Jehtie
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Joined: Sep 05, 2009
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Location: Cairns, Australia

PostPosted: September 5, 2009, 2:22 am    Post subject: Re: Intermittent Left Blinker not working.

Thanks for the post. I just had the same problem -

I found that the piece of copper in the handle bar switch for the right hand indicator / blinker / turn signal connection had straightened and was only making a circuit when the bike didn't vibrate as much. Hence, when you were in a certain gear at a certain speed you didn't get a connection at all due to movement.

I gently bent the copper where it needs to go and off I went.

Obviously, this fix pertained to my problem, but it may help anyway.

XS650SG.
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