Turn Signal problems

Hey guys Im new to this site but I have owned my 1985 Maxim xj700 for about 3 years. I just recently had a problem with my right hand turn signal. If I push the indicator switch to the right nothing happens it wont light up the right turn signal. But if I push the indicator switch to the left to turn the left signal on and then back to the right the right signal will work. I thought dirty connections inside the switch so I cleaned them all up but problem still exists.

 

how far did you strip the switch to clean the contacts?
it seems the switch or contacts, my still be dirty.
did you strip it this far.

the switch contacts are just behind the centre ball bearing, in the middle of the pic. with the 3 wires attached, get some contact cleaner, and clean the slider up , then lube with some dielectric grease.
stu

 

Oh my!

 

now that's the type project i like doing!

 

I had the same issue, just oppisite, on my 81. I had to strip the housing completely down. Cleaned all the contacts. Now all is working again.

 

Borrowed Stu's photo of major surgery, but wanted to add this note just in case:

 

Good stuff!

 

Ooh! Inspiring.
My auto off feature hasn't worked since I've owned the bike. Electricity is somewhat intimidating for me, but perhaps I should just crack that baby open, clean it up and see what happens.

Any "look out for" items when disassembling? (Like the little ball bearing popping out and disappearing forever?)

 

Rooster points out an incredibly important issue....those "arms" of the copper contacts tend to get bent "outwards" so that they no longer make contact when the slider is moved to the left or right......the entire contact gets kinda "V" shaped rather than a nice "|_|" shape......by the way, the thumb switch is ALWAYS supposed to be pushed straight inwards to either cancel the signals OR before using the switch again. Pushing the thumb lever straight in releases the catch on the slider and prevents the contacts from being bent out of shape......if you do get your switch apart as shown, "play" with the mechanism, see how it operates, and you'll see what I mean.

"Look Out For" items:

1) on many switches, the tiny screws that hold the various objects in place are different from each other (thread size and/or pitch), so make notes of which one goes where, they are all about the same size, and if you put the wrong one back you have instant thread strippage in the soft metal of the housing.

2) as you dis-assemble, take careful notes and/or pictures as the routing of the wires and the hold-down clamps that route the wires, as it is not always intuitive as to their positions and functions.

3) Don't man-handle the wires. The contacts where the wires terminate have somewhat weak solder joints and can break easily, and there ain't no putting that humpty-dumpty back together again.


Honestly, just like periodic valve clearance checks and carb cleaning, dis-assembling and cleaning of the control switches should be a "periodic maintenance" task. A lot of crap gets in there over time, and for them to function properly, they need periodic cleaning.

Most important point, though: ALWAYS push straight in on the thumb lever to release the slider catch after your signaling is done (even if the self-canceller has done the signal cancelling for you; the self-canceller is just an electronic circuit canceller, it does not and cannot affect the PHYSICAL position and activities inside the switch) and don't EVER move the thumb lever all the way from right-to-left (or, left-to-right) without pushing "in" when at the center position.

P.S. the ball bearing is captured within the plastic slider and ain't going anywhere until you remove the slider latch plate (the ball bearing IS the latching mechanism!) and take it apart.......and at that point, don't lose it or the spring!

 

yeh, its amasing just how much muck gets in there.
and don't forget the plastic barrier plate, to prevent any metal parts coming into contact with the handlebars

the "off" marking on the switch knob can be easily seen here, with the push arrow
stu

 

and here they are ,all prety'ed up


stu

 

Nice! How did you get all the lettering refreshed so well?

 

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Nice! How did you get all the lettering refreshed so well?

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they're just stickers , made up at a local sign shop, then clear coated over.
that's after respraying the casings.

stu

 

Well, I'll be... that's the coolest thing I've seen all day. Maybe all week. Nice work!

 

yeah! Those are some tidy lookin' switches! cleaned up real nice.