Tailight & turn signals out after winter nap ...

[normzone]

Pop quiz - from the guy who always hopes you'll solve his problem so he doesn't have to.

I rode only briefly twice this winter - not expecting any sympathy from the lot of you though.

Prepping for a weekend trip and noticed that I have neither tail lights or turn signals - Hi and low beam okay, brake lights fine.

So do I suspect the fuse, the relay, or a switch? Or some combination?

Or could it be the timing chain or the kickstand spring?   

[Kiwi_Roy]

Are you talking the Bassa?
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/2000_Bassa.gif

Might be fuse 2 but it might also be the green wire broken off the ignition switch, the tail light is fed from a separate contact of the ignition switch so it can be left on as a park light, it also feeds the flasher relay.

Of course it could also be a short in the fender area blowing the fuse, in that case take an old headlight bulb and solder a couple of wires on it to plug in place of the fuse, that will give you a fuse that won't blow while you wiggle the wires looking for the short, it will flash at you every time it shorts out.

[BrotherJim]

Not sure which bike, but some Cali's have the wire for all of those things running central inside the fender.  Check for damage.

[Zoom Zoom]

I second what Jim has suggested.

If you discover damage to the wires, repair them and check fuses after that if still not working.

If you're comfortable with a volt ohm meter, it is your friend.

John Henry

[1Sourdough]

Well, I am looking for ideas how one might replace the tail light and turn signals.  I knocked the musheen over in its shed and the right turn signal punched in and broke the black plastic "box" at the top of the license plate bracket.  Rather than replacing it with a stock assembly, it's of interest to see what options exist for attaching different turn signals to something like a Model A tail light unit.

[normzone]

Yes, I'm talking the Bassa ..


Thanks for the counsel, all of you. I have repaired that green wire broken off the ignition switch before, which may mean it wants it again.

 I'll change the bulb, then start in the switch.

[normzone]

Well, that's odd ...

I went out armed with a screwdriver and some other toys, and pulled the tail light cover. Powered up the bike to confirm that tail light and turn signals were not working -

AND THEY WERE WORKING JUST FINE.

Then I tinkered a bit - turned things on and off a few times.

THEN THE TURNS AND TAIL WERE WORKING, BUT THE TAIL AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHT BEGAN PULSING ALONG WITH THE TURN SIGNALS, REGARDLESS OF LEFT OR RIGHT.

Then the tail and signals ceased working, then I got them back again. I guess it's time to open up the switch assembly.

[Tom H]

Wiggle all that you played with when they started working. Could be a bad ground.

Tom

[John A]

intermittent electrical problems are fun. its great when you have a couple problems with multiple fixes. the tail lite ground is a trouble spot.  Stick an electronic flasher in it instead of the original if you have any LED's in the system

[Zoom Zoom]

You've got a bad ground. The other bulbs pulsating is the current finding another path to ground.

ZZ

[Kiwi_Roy]

You've got a bad ground. The other bulbs pulsating is the current finding another path to ground.

ZZ

This, it might pay to run a separate ground wire from the tail light to a point on the gearbox.

[Zoom Zoom]

Now that I'm not on my phone, I'll elaborate a little more.

When you have a bad bulb socket or loose or broken ground, when you energize the wire the current will seek a new path back to ground. Often through the filament of another bulb that does have a good or better ground.   

I would begin my search by inspecting the wiring under the fender. It is likely you may discover one or more are showing bare wire and possibly something broken in two.

Next I would kook at the connections inside the tail light and turn signals if necessary where the grounds tie together. They're going to be attached to one of the terminals the bulb makes contact with. A poor contact or loose connections can cause what you describe.

If you have a fuse being blown, you have may have a wiring fault as described above.

I would be paying attention to the wiring from where it starts under the seat and goes through a grommet toward the back. It is likely going to be back there someplace.

The last thing I would be tearing apart would be the ignition switch, and only then after I have riled out the simple stuff.

John Henry

[Kiwi_Roy]

I agree with John Henry 

[normzone]

I entered the turn signal / headlight switch  housing and examined the wires and connections - all appears intact since the last time I performed surgery in there.

Reassembling it made me feel old - a flashlight in my mouth, a small screwdriver in one hand and a tiny screwdriver in the other, with my glasses pushed up on top of my head.

Given the previous solution (repair the ground/other wires that had melted together in the tail/turn lights assembly, and repair broken wire in turn signal switch, I think your bad ground theories make sense. I did visual examination of all those repaired wires and they all looked good as well - I should have removed and polished the spade connector/s in the tail assembly.

All said, I have tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, license plate lights, and headlight - some of them just sing along with some of the others sometimes.

I'm running to Quartszite / Lake Havasu City and back, and don't anticipate any night riding. Best laid plans ...

[Kiwi_Roy]

It's sometimes hard to see a bad ground, try taking 10 feet of wire firmly attached to the engine/gearbox at one end and wander around touching the bulb holders and grounded points,
while the lights are misbehaving of course.

Sometimes a simple test lamp is a better tool than a fancy digital meter for troubleshooting, its more visual and needs a better contact to work.