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Tail Light and Brake Light out on 82 Maxim 550

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by camelCase, Sep 5, 2018.

  1. camelCase

    camelCase Member

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    I don't have any wiring experience so before I drop it off at the shop, wanted to stop by here first.
    Two days ago, another rider told me at a gas station that my tail light was out. I then turned the bike back on and tried the brakes. The light didn't come on at the start and it didn't come on when I hit the brakes. Turn Signal works fine.

    I took off the lens and saw that there's two bulbs in there. When I got home I bought two new 27W/8W bulbs. This didn't solve the problem.

    My friend has a multimeter and I've got the Clymers manual. But other than that, I'm pretty much in the dark.... pun intended. I've done some research on this forum already but thought I'd tailor this question to my own situation.

    Would appreciate any and all help before I drop it off at the shop.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2018
  2. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Welcome to XJbikes

    The brake light and tail light receive their voltage from different sources. The tail light (L wire) directly from the ignition switch and the brake light (Y wire) from the turn/signal fuse routed through the front or rear brake switch. The license plate light is also part of the tail circuit and receives power from the ignition switch. If none of these are working then check the black wire (bullet connector) coming out of the tail / brake assembly for a clean connection - if any of the three are working the ground would be OK.

    Corrosion can be an issue here, the tail / brake bulbs must have a clean non corroded socket to complete the ground path.

    Some other information since you are a new member to ensure you have a safe and reliable ride:

    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-information-overload-hour.27544/

    And, if it hasn't been done this is the major source of electrical problems on the XJ's:

    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/your-fuse-box-a-ticking-bomb-by-rick-massey.2210/

    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-install-an-aftermarket-fuse-box.6350/
     
  3. camelCase

    camelCase Member

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    Thanks for the welcome and for all the info, I'll dive into that tonight. I love this bike.

    I should also mention (I'll edit the post in a second) that the turn signal works fine. So that black wire could be the culprit. Maybe it's disconnected? I do not think corrosion is the issue. I looked inside the sockets and they seemed clean.
     
  4. camelCase

    camelCase Member

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    Turns out I didn't put the bulbs in correctly. Amazing. Guess I was just too tired last night. Everything works great. I'll keep this post up in case anyone else has a similar issue.
     
    Franz and Rooster53 like this.

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