Ok, resorting to posting a new thread...

I hate to clog up the forum with more flasher problems...but i'm kinda at my wits end with this flasher problem. Everything i've found searching the forums the last few weeks hasnt worked...So here it goes.

Bought the Xj 750, did some work, now its running pretty great...
Main problem thats killing me is the flashers.

When i bought it, it only had rear flashers...no fronts. the flahers worked as they should, except they stayed on solid rather than blinking.

Got a new set of flashers off ebay from a different model bike, and modified them to fit on the front...i got them hooked up, and they worked just perfect...except for the fact that they were solid rather than flashing, as before. So, I just need a new flasher right? NP.

I bought a new flasher relay (~$5 from Checker Auto, same three-prongs and letter codes on the prongs) and hooked it up...sure enough with it installed the flashers dont go on at all (both sides)...i tried putting the old flasher back in and now IT doesnt turn them on either! I also tried my buddy's flasher relay from his bike and it didnt make a difference.

I checked the fuse and it hasnt blown.
Also, for curiosity, i dismantled my old flasher relay, and with it plugged in, i can manually connect the two contacts which DOES indeed turn the respective side flashers on (Although the contacts get VERY hot VERY quickly and burn my fingers....).

So im not quite sure what could be going on here...any ideas?
All the bulbs are the standard model number/wattage (i forgot what it was, but i remember it being what its supposed to be.)

Thanks guys...
- Erik

 

First let me say this, electrical is my weakest area, so I'll just point in a known direction and let the gurus take over. The signals should not be on all the time. So something is either mis-wired or faulty. Check your wiring diagram then check your wiring. The front signals connect inside the headlight bucket and the rear ones under the seat. Rear signals are two wire and I'm not sure about the front but I think they are two wire also. My '83 has single wire signals up front and some other models have 3 wire. The 3 wire signals are runing lights which stay on all the time.

 

solid turn signals mean that there is not enough draw from the light bulbs to the relay. If you go from one type of bulbs to another, they might not blink but just stay on. There is a way to adjust the relay to flash with the new bulbs.

The pedestal inside the relay (see pic) can be bent very gently (and I mean gently!!) with some pliers, clock-wise or counter-clockwise until it starts blinking. (you kinda have to do this while the blinkers are on). Bend it too far and they won't come on at all, or stay on like before. There seems to be a different sweet spot for different bulbs.

My 750 seca has smaller than stock bulbs that are happily blinking thanks to this tweak.

since you can make the signals come on only by manually closing the relay, you're problem is more than likely either in the switch, the wiring (check connections behind the headlight), fuse connection, or the canceling relay if you have one.

also check for continuity in the relay itself between the coil leads.

edit:

first I thought it was a bi-metal relay, but then (duh!) there's the capacitor... cap gets full, cuts power to the relay, then drains, and makes it come back on).

 

Thanks for the ideas
I messed with the gap between the contacts on both the old and new relays, but neither of them even try to click. The best i could do is keep using the old one and have it always on. (They're both mechanical relays, rather than capacitors)
Would i have better luck with a nicer (capacitor) relay?

 

Sounds like they aren't in very good shape. As Stero pointed out, check the continuity on the energizing coil of the relay. If you don't have continuity, the coil is burned out or broken. Time for a new one. There are newer units available now that are quite rugged and very inexpensive (around $5).

 

Another thought is the condition of the battery. After you tweak the relay make sure you try the blinkers either with the bike running at enough RPM's that it is charging, or hook up a battery charger to make sure you have enough voltage. My XJ blinkers blink once then stop with the bike off if the battery is the least bit drained. If I start it up then they blink normally.

 

The older style relay should have a bi-metal strip that gets hot and bends slightly, interrupting the circuit. If it gets hot but does not move, it's either not getting enough load on it or it's just wore out, and maybe a new one is required. I'm not sure if the plug for the mechanical relays is the same as the capacitor-based ones, but the newer style relays are less finicky, IMHO.

It's also weird that your bike (82 model) would have an old-style flasher. My 750 is an '81, and it has a capacitor based relay.