Steve Saunders Goldwing Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

GL 1500 Cornering light

2K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  Electro_cat 
#1 ·
imported post

Hello Everyone.

I am totally new so if I have put this in the wrong forum- oops and all.

I have an 89 gl 1500.

My left cornering light was not working so I removed the light housing and pulled the bad bulb out. It took a month for the parts shop to get me a replacement as they ordered the wrong bulb from the start.

I get home and install the bulb today and find that for some reason the bulb remains on.

That doesnt make much sense to me. So I begin to diagnose it . I can find absolutely nothing in the repair manual on the cornering lights. When I activate the right turn signal the cornering light on that side will come on and go off on demand. but not the left.

Based on that info I think that their is a separate relay and the switch must be a dpdt or multi-throw switch of some kind and either it is staying engaged or I have a relay with a bad side.

I have the mechanics repair manual for my model. I ordered it specifically to track down gremlins like this.

The repair manual has a lot of info on everything from pulling the engine to whatever but nothing seems to be present on the cornering lights in spite of the fact that they are part of its turn signal electronics.

I really would like to isolate this bugger. and nail it down.

I have been on the web and searched to no avail. lots of adds seem to exist to sell me something but nothing to cure this problem.

please if someone has some data on wtf! is the cause I would be very appreciative. Thanks

Veronica









:X
 
See less See more
#2 ·
imported post

Just a guess on this one but try this. There should be a relay about halfway up each of the front frame rails above the cornering lights. (One for each cornering light) You will probably have to remove the lower cowling that holds the light to see it. If that relay went bad and got stuck on, that would cause the constant power to that light. I hope this helps
 
#3 ·
imported post

OK will have to try that.
I found something in front of the timing belt cover where the light normally goes. it seems as if it is not removable though. about an inch square plastic encased thing with a couple wires coming out of it. Could be some kind of resistor. I dunno.

I have removed the entire light assembly. So do I need to remove part of the fairing to get to the relay? or is it that thing in front of the timing belt cover?
 
#4 ·
imported post

No you don't have to remove the fairing, just the panel that the cornering light is attached to. If you trace the wires up that rail, it should lead you to the relay. As you have a 89, it may not be quite in the same place, possibly both relays together on the other side, but if you follow the wires, it should lead right to the relays. Each side is controlled by a seperate one controlled by the turn signal.
 
#7 ·
imported post

well the ground works or the light would not stay on.
what I have is a circuit that is staying on no matter what. what I need is for the circuit to function as designed.
By turning off when the turn signal cancels.

Admittedly I find these lights rather useless but I dont like having thing broken. On my machine. So I am either going to fix it or I am going to extract it as I find it to be useless for what I want. I may install some led lamps in there and put them on a switch.

I just pulled the dust covers off the front wheel- Now I can see my rotors and brakes Much better. All these molding look fine but I would like some stuff to be easy access. Gotta fix a few of the moldings cuz they have some broke connectors. No biggy gonna get some fiberglass stuff for that tommarow and make my own plastic connectors on their back side.

I almost have the kick stand light switch fixed. Gotta get some Jb weld to put a larger head on the switch pin tomorrow
when Im done its going to work correctly...

Really need to nail down this problem with my cornering light- prev owner didnt bother to fix it. And as an electronics tech and someone who builds bots it is a real slap on the hinney when you have an electric gremlin like this.
 
#8 ·
imported post

Electro_cat wrote:
Hello Everyone.

I am totally new so if I have put this in the wrong forum- oops and all.

I have an 89 gl 1500.

My left cornering light was not working so I removed the light housing and pulled the bad bulb out. It took a month for the parts shop to get me a replacement as they ordered the wrong bulb from the start.

I get home and install the bulb today and find that for some reason the bulb remains on.

That doesnt make much sense to me. So I begin to diagnose it . I can find absolutely nothing in the repair manual on the cornering lights. When I activate the right turn signal the cornering light on that side will come on and go off on demand. but not the left.

Based on that info I think that their is a separate relay and the switch must be a dpdt or multi-throw switch of some kind and either it is staying engaged or I have a relay with a bad side.

I have the mechanics repair manual for my model. I ordered it specifically to track down gremlins like this.

The repair manual has a lot of info on everything from pulling the engine to whatever but nothing seems to be present on the cornering lights in spite of the fact that they are part of its turn signal electronics.

I really would like to isolate this bugger. and nail it down.

I have been on the web and searched to no avail. lots of adds seem to exist to sell me something but nothing to cure this problem.

please if someone has some data on wtf! is the cause I would be very appreciative. Thanks

Veronica









:X
Remove the right lower fairing panel. You should see two relays near the frame down tube.

The left cornering light relay has a 4-pin blue connector with two input wires (brown/white and orange/white).

The right cornering light relay has a 4-pin white connector with two input wires (brown/white and light blue/white).

This is from a 1996 and 1999 Honda service manual (electrical troubleshooting manual). Your 1988 will probably have the same color connectors. I am positive the wire colors will be the same.

Swap those relays, see if the problem switches sides.
 
#9 ·
imported post

Colio thanks!for the info-I will try that tomorrow
I removed the left lower panel and the one that reveals the tank so I will remove the right when I get up in the am.

Im thinking about converting the whole works over to led full time deal since I find the current design a bit useless. cornering lights are nice but it would be more useful to have them as fog lamps or aux lamps

V
 
#10 ·
imported post

Well I had to have a look before I hit the hay and I didnt find a relay there. I found the battery- rear brake fluid- main fuse. found the oil filler and the dipstick but nothing that looks like a relay. Maybe the 89 has it under the trunk?

If that so Im gonna have to do my home work on removing it.
 
#11 ·
imported post

Hi Veronica,



In my experience you do have to remove both lower fairings to get to the relays which reside very close to the frame/front of the bike.



Some people have converted their cornering lights to running lights (i.e. staying on all the time) by snipping the blue and white wire and the orange and white wire. Some have then put a small switch in so that they can convert them back whenever they fancy. Maybe the previous owner started the conversion and gave up part way through. Take a good look and see if their is a break in the wire/s. If not then try swapping the relays around to see if one of them has failed.



Good Luck
 
#12 ·
imported post

Think further forward. The panels you have mentioned (battery, alternator, etc.)are in the middle of the bike. I hope we are talking about the same lights. These are the lights that sit just above the ground on either side of the front of the bike. They are mounted in panels that need to be taken off to see the front frame rails going up. They are below the long square amber reflector on the side of the fairing. If you could see the timing cover on the front of the bike, you were on the right track.
 
#13 ·
imported post

I hunted a little last night for the relays on my 88 -- they are in the harness just about mid-way behind the cooling fans. Knowing what Im' lokoign for now, I can see each relay (one each side) by looking thru the fairing vents (exit) for each radiator.

I'd suspect a failed relay, or a poor connection (there's really nothgin to stabilize or protect these relays and they just seem to hang on the side of the wiring harness.

at least on this 88... Hope that helps some.
 
#14 ·
imported post

my lower cornering lights are running lights. i have two toggle switches on the plastic pouch cover on the right side. they are not turn signals and the PO had them already hooked up. i am assuming he just wired them without a relay. cyclemax.com has bulbs, lots, for around $3.00. i buy 4 at a time good luck
 
#16 ·
imported post

thanks guys! you have been soooooooooo helpful!
BTW my fix for the side stand indicator worked!

I pulled the pin- drilled out a washer about the same diameter as the switch housing and jb welded it to the pin where the little notch is. Then reinserted it into the switch housing.

I had thought that the washer would be too big. but the extra size compensates for the kick stand horizontal movement...(right now I have it on the center stand)

I had to straighten the pin that pushes the button with a hammer for 2 hours cuz it was bent up pretty badly. Then I lubed it up with some wd 40...Got it working smooth then I did the washer trick. Apparently someone was trying to make it work by bending it it down to make contact with the side stand, but that piece seems to have had another piece attached to the pin to make contract with the stand ya know?.... So I made my own.

Btw if you do this fix I used Jb Insta weld.
Gonna get to the relays shortly
This thing is harder to work on than my old fiero. (which I wrote many fixes on btw)

OH and Dbohrer thanks for the pm Gonna go after it this week end. Getting that side stand light fixed was a major victory so Im pretty happy about that. Might have to publish that as a standard fix for these bikes.

Im gonna research switching those relays over to solid state relays. I have some that have been around since old zenith data point computers- to give you some idea. They had 10 inch floppy drives...Relays over 30 years old still work reliable- no moving parts! thanks again for the help guys.
 
#17 ·
imported post

I just sent a pm to Dboher Thanks again.

I pull off those side pieces and I can not find a relay on either side. I find a black rectangular thing that looks like a relay but would not be since it is a sealed unit (relays are normally removable)- It has two red wires and two black wires.There is no way to remove it sept to cut the wires. I am sure this is something else. and I would have to eyeball the schematic to know. I can get to the plugs and the fans and all the goodies in there but no relays. are present that I can tell. Anyone got a photo?

I will say that this is pretty educational since I plan to paint this bike black soon. The paint shop out here in Dallas I plan to go to wants me to shell out $2500 if they pull the pieces off- So learning how to do it myself is good deal.

THanks
V
 
#18 ·
imported post

pwhoever wrote:
No you don't have to remove the fairing, just the panel that the cornering light is attached to. If you trace the wires up that rail, it should lead you to the relay. As you have a 89, it may not be quite in the same place, possibly both relays together on the other side, but if you follow the wires, it should lead right to the relays. Each side is controlled by a seperate one controlled by the turn signal.
Pwhoever,

FYI........

The cornering light relays (4-pin blue) for the Aspencade's are on the left and right sides of the bike.

The cornering light relays for the SE's are both on the right side of the bike.

The left cornering light relay has a 4-pin blue connector.

The right cornering light relay has a 4-pin white connector.
 
#19 ·
imported post

Electro_cat wrote:
I just sent a pm to Dboher Thanks again.

I pull off those side pieces and I can not find a relay on either side. I find a black rectangular thing that looks like a relay but would not be since it is a sealed unit (relays are normally removable)- It has two red wires and two black wires.There is no way to remove it sept to cut the wires. I am sure this is something else. and I would have to eyeball the schematic to know. I can get to the plugs and the fans and all the goodies in there but no relays. are present that I can tell. Anyone got a photo?

I will say that this is pretty educational since I plan to paint this bike black soon. The paint shop out here in Dallas I plan to go to wants me to shell out $2500 if they pull the pieces off- So learning how to do it myself is good deal.

THanks
V
Electro_cat,

I sent an email to the "admin" e-mail address in your web site, pictures of the relay locations are attached. Dave
 
#20 ·
imported post

I have a 1990, the previous owner said that he fitted the cornering lights himself. My relays hang down from the loom on either side just by the four wires, there does not appear to be a hanger for them (usually they have a rubber corset with a slot in it to hang on a strip of metal on the frame). They hang parallel to the frame on either side.
I have been trying to cure a short in this too! When I start the Wing in the morning it's most noticeable, and when riding in the dark, sometimes just turning the bars to left or right the cornering light flicker on and off. Not always just sometimes. Must be mangled in the loom somewhere. Does anyone know what the colours from the relays to the indicator switch are. Sometimes when I press the winker button the light stays off.
This just happens on the left side only. Is there a contact under the steering head perhaps?

Sorry to steal your thread. Welcome to the forum Electro_cat
 
#21 ·
imported post

Hey Dbohrer thanks! got the email.

And Wingle its all good dude. Nuffin wrong with sharing a wave with a fellow biker. I love the Gold wings I got the 89 because I like its heavy build- better than the newer ones.

Gold wings are the best cuz they eat up so much road! you can ride all day and all night and not feel like you got off a lawn mower Like one of my buddies bikes- I wont mention the brand but...

It took some gettin used too. My 1200 was easier to balance than this one and if I didnt have long legs I would be in trouble. My dad would have no trouble but he weighs in at over 300lbs...I am heh heh much lighter...
 
#22 ·
imported post

OK I fig out the relays. What was throwing me off was that they had the wires connected to them and they are sealed. and it doesnt look as if they are connected to be removed. But I was able to find the connector that they are hooked into and it was a easy to disconnected them after understanding how. I tested the relays...

First I confirmed operation by unplugging the relay and seeing if I had voltage there. It was 0 so that confirms the device.
Next I switched out relays from left to right and the relay worked. It worked as it should that is. so the trouble is not in the relay.


Not sure the failure. I am getting constant voltage on the left so something has been Jawa teched I think. I hope not I really hate it when people half A___ stuff and try to get by with Jawa teching it.

Any other ideas?

Thanks
V
 
#23 ·
imported post

Left relay has a brown/white (power) wire and a orange/white (turn signal) wire.

Right relay has a brown/white (power) wire and a light blue/white (turn signal) wire.

A green wire is ground.

These wires run from the turn signal switch to the relays.

The 1998 - 2000 running lights (corner lights) will have different wiring.
 
#24 ·
imported post

Electro_cat wrote:
OK I fig out the relays. What was throwing me off was that they had the wires connected to them and they are sealed. and it doesnt look as if they are connected to be removed. But I was able to find the connector that they are hooked into and it was a easy to disconnected them after understanding how. I tested the relays...

First I confirmed operation by unplugging the relay and seeing if I had voltage there. It was 0 so that confirms the device.
Next I switched out relays from left to right and the relay worked. It worked as it should that is. so the trouble is not in the relay.


Not sure the failure. I am getting constant voltage on the left so something has been Jawa teched I think. I hope not I really hate it when people half A___ stuff and try to get by with Jawa teching it.

Any other ideas?

Thanks
V
Sometimes a picture can be worth a thousand words............!!
 
#25 ·
imported post

Electro_cat wrote:
Not sure the failure. I am getting constant voltage on the left so something has been Jawa teched I think. I hope not I really hate it when people half A___ stuff and try to get by with Jawa teching it.

Any other ideas?

Thanks
V
If I understand the wiring diagram correctly.............

The left (and right) corning light relays get their power from a brown/white wire (powered from the ignition switch). (Think pin # 30)

The orange/white wire from the turn signal switch triggers the relay. (Think pin # 85).

The green wire is ground. (Think pin # 86).

The red/yellow wire is output (to the bulb). (Think pin # 87).


However, I have heard if you cut the orange/white wire, the light will stay on all the time.

I would check that orange/white wire before digging deeper into the circuit.

This is based on a 1996 Honda service manual (with no modifications to the wiring circuit).
 
#26 ·
imported post

Hey Dbohrer and everyone. The first answer was correct. OK
let me say this first. I pulled a silly by not working with a fully charged battery. so running 8 volts was not enough to make all the devices in this machine work properly.

Now Let me justify my mistake: I had been working on the kick stand indicator and, well listening to the radio. and over the course of 2 days the battery discharged- Note also I had been diagnosing the left cornering light too.

Now I charged it up with my battery charger. (slow charge because I dont like to rush charge a battery -shortens the life.) Good news. WHen I test the suspected bad relay on the right working cornering light it failed. And vise versa. The suspect bad relay is the problem.

What caused the relay to go bad: I suspect posb and intermittent current over load or short not enough to blow a fuse but enough to cause the relay to work too hard. Caused by a very bad socket. Both of the sockets need to be replaced they are not really good for a lot of continuous heat generated by these kinds of bulbs. I am going to try to convert them over to L.E.D.

So the initial diagnoses is correct- it was a bad relay after all.

Thanks for everyones help! Especially Dbohrer- Gonna add those photos to my repair manual!

Last- dont pull a silly like me when tracking down these kinds of issue. work with a fully charged battery! :D

Also if anyone needs my little fix for the kick stand indicator let me know.! The fix works good and it looks almost factory!

V
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top