[actionpack]

imported post

i have no lower brake lites , trunk brake lites work and all the tail lites and turn signals work , i have traced these wires to under the seat , where should i head now to find the problem , every once in awhile these lower brakes will work , so it must be a lose connection some where , is the next stop behind the battery at the brake relay , thanks in advance ,:jumper:

 

[klwatts]

imported post

I copied this from the circuit description in the electrical trouble-shooting manual...

"With the ignition switch in ON and the front and/or rear brake switch closed,voltage is applied to the center brake lights: The center lights go on. Voltage is also applied to the coil of the brake light relay. The relay contacts close and voltage is applied to the brake light-and-taillight sensor. The sensor applies voltage to the left and right brake lights: The left and right lights go on."

...so since the tail lights are working, maybe the problem is in the brake light-and-taillight sensor. The schematic shows one lead from the sensor supplying power to the lower brake lights, and one lead supplying power for thetail lights. Could be the portion of the circuit in the sensor for the brake lightsis bad, or maybe a broken wire between the sensor and the brake lights?

The book shows the sensor to be the one next to the battery, and the relay to be under the false tank.

 

[gotta love the wing]

imported post

actionpack wrote:

i have no lower brake lites , trunk brake lites work and all the tail lites and turn signals work , i have traced these wires to under the seat , where should i head now to find the problem , every once in awhile these lower brakes will work , so it must be a lose connection some where , is the next stop behind the battery at the brake relay , thanks in advance ,:jumper:

Mine had the same problem and it was a loose ground wire. Find the ground and then ground it to the frameof the saddle bags or you may have one already that has come loose.

 

[P Yanney]

imported post

What gotta love the wing said, check your grounds and maybe pull the lights out from the bags and check connections. Also, every year, I pull every connector on the bike apart and pack dielectric grease. A couple weeks ago my turn signals quit working only in humid weather first thing in the morning and the switch was a little sticky so I took the guts out of it and lubed it too. No more problems and just like new. I've done this kind of maintenance on my bike for 21 years now and is worth the time.

 

[kylesmuskie]

imported post

check the wires going down to the lights. the other day I had my bike up on the center stand and noticed my tire was a little shiny on the sidewall,after futher investigation I found that the tire was rubbing on the wires and rubbed right through the wires. wrapped the wires and put some wire ties on them to keep them out of harms way.hope your problem is as easy.:waving:

 

[actionpack]

imported post

thanks for all the info , have done all u have mentioned , i no its something simple , going to rain tomarrow and i'm heading back in there and find something , the last owner has added alot of extra lighting , so there are alot of connection in there , have already took some of them out and sodered them , pulled the wire out of the right side and did a test on it , have'nt done the left side yet , will let ya no if i find anything ,

 

[klwatts]

imported post

If the ground was the problem, wouldn't it effect the tail lights also? Isn't the green wirethe same ground wire used foreach dual filament tail/stop light bulb? If the taillights work then the ground distribution should be okay and the problem is more than likely in the power distribution.

 

[terry_208]

imported post

A bad ground can make the (tail)light go out when the brakes are applied. The brake light then will not light. I don't understand it to explain the technical aspect of it. I see the problem a lot on cagers and even some 18 wheelers. The solution is to run a new ground from the non-lighting brake light or clean and re-establish the old ground.

Terry