81 XJ650 - Indicators completely dead

Hey all.

I gave my XJ650 Maxim a wash yesterday, and I neglected to cover the turn signal (indicator, blinker, whatever) before washing. When I started the bike up today, I got no signs of life from my turn signals. This has happened to me before — typically spraying electrical contact cleaner into the switch is enough to flush out water and reestablish connections.

However, no luck this time. I took the switch apart and did some multimeter troubleshooting. I am getting good 12V power to the brown/white wire going into the switch. I also get good connections between br/w and green when I signal a right turn, and between br/w and brown when I signal left. On the thin copper leaf assembly, I have continuity when I move the switch to either side, so I don’t think those contacts are bent out of shape. I can’t find anything out of the ordinary with the switch.

Here’s some weirdness though. When the switch is in the neutral position, I actually get around 7 volts at either one of those thin copper leaves. Any chance my canceler relay or flasher relay gave up the ghost? I have no idea where to go from here.

 

No signs of life can be caused by the cancel unit. You can disconnect it and the flasher should work except for the cancel feature. However, if you have 12V at the B/W wire that indicates the flasher relay contacts are closed and not being held open by a faulty cancel unit so the bulbs at a minimum should be illuminated when the turn signal switch is moved left or right.

That's a normal voltage that is created inside the cancel unit and fed to the left control to reset the cancel unit when grounded.

If the signal aren't illuminating at all I would check the voltage at the output of the switch just to be sure it is sending 12V to the bulbs, which it appears it is not.

 

Just to confirm my understanding, that would be the green and brown wires, right? I think I can check those at the connector in the headlight bucket tomorrow.

Also, is the canceler the black relay in between the frame tubes, just aft of the ignition coils? Or is it the one that’s a little further aft towards the seat? I ask because I tried disconnecting the more forward relay and saw no improvement.

 

Yes, those are the output of the switch. If you have 12V there then the lights should be illuminated unless the bulbs or wiring are bad.

The canceller connector is 9 pin so easy to recognize. The Flasher is a rectangular black assembly with a 3 pin connector.

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-ultimate-relay-switch-sensor-and-diodes-guide.27543/

"XJ650 Maxim and Midnight Maxim models:

Flasher: near the steering headpipe, on right side frame rail, under the right side ignition coil.
Flasher canceller: under the rear of gas tank, behind ignition coils
Starter motor solenoid/relay: on right hand side, attached to and behind the battery box.
Diode block: inside the headlight housing.
Starter/Ignition cut-off relay (no color): behind the turn signal self-canceller. (note: the drawing and the description in the service manual is wrong).
1980-81 Sidestand (kickstand) relay (blue): did not use.
1982-84 Sidestand (kickstand) relay (blue): frame bracket outbound of LH frame tube, just behind the left ignition coil.
Headlight relay (yellow): behind the left frame side cover, on the plastic regulator-rectifier mounting plate. (note: the drawing and the description in the service manual is wrong).
Neutral switch: in a hole in the bottom of the crankcase, just "outside" of the oil pan, on the bottom of the engine, up inside a recessed "well"."

 

Alright, so I have done some more multimeter testing. I stuck the positive prong into the backside of the six-pin connector that goes to the switch, and I had the negative side alligator clipped onto a frame bolt. With the ignition on, I got 12 V from B/W, exactly as it should be. Here’s the weird thing: when I flick the switch to either side, the corresponding wire slightly rises in voltage (I’m talking like 10 mV to 60 mV, barely anything). But at the same time, the voltage on the B/W wire drops to the same number. It only goes back up to 12 V when I cancel the signal.

So, is something being shorted to ground in the switch? If so, I imagine the fuse would blow, which it hasn’t. Or is something switching the circuit off as soon as it’s connected?

 

That is normal for the flasher relay to open the contacts when the load is first applied for about a 1/2 second. What is not normal is for it to remain that way. 12V on the C pin will hold the contacts open, so still thinking the cancel unit is not the issue but to be sure try it with it disconnected. If no joy, then the flasher relay would be might best guess.

One other test to check the switch and wiring is to tie the Br/W wire to 12V and then operate the switch and verify the appropriate two indicators illuminate when switching left to right. The easiest way to do that is to just jumper the Br to Br/W on the main harness at the flasher connector.

 

Ah, then that will be my goal tomorrow. The flasher does sit right above the engine, so if something besides the switch would get water damage, it would be that relay. I thought if the flasher relay went bad, that it would just hold the circuit open so the turn signal would be a solid light. But if it just never opens, then it could easily be at fault.

 

It’s so nice to know people who are good at troubleshooting. @Rooster53 I jumpered Br and Br/W at the flasher relay connector, and the switch made my signals turn on with zero issues. I then took apart the relay, and uh..




Yeah, I have a feeling it’s toast. Probably wasn’t a result of this exact time washing the bike, but many washes of accumulated water in there. Looks like I’ll need a new one.

 

It can't hurt to try and clean it up - look at the normally closed contacts first to see if they can be restored to a clean finish - a relay burnishing file or some 1500 grit or finer or crocus cloth followed by some alcohol on a business card to pull between the contacts. if they shine up and look good maybe clean the rest with some WD-40 and a toothbrush followed by some alcohol.

 

I tried a bit of cleaning, and I think it’s hosed. That big L-shaped piece that’s totally rusted is cracked right at the bend. I don’t know if there’s even any non-oxidized metal left.

Maybe I could pull something off with solder? Idk. I’m ordering a new one from Len, but I will still tinker with the old one on the off chance it’s not completely disintegrated.