My turn signals are acting weird (includes flasher relay pinout)

[frankenduck]

If your turn signals are doing strange things then the your first assumption is probably that the flasher relay has gone bad.  This is a logical assumption but on K bikes this usually is not the case as the flasher relays are generally not prone to failure.  There are a couple of things to check before replacing the flasher relay.

1 Check the fuses:  The flasher relay has both switched (Fuse 7) and unswitched (Fuse 3) power.  If it is not getting power from both of these then it can exhibit erratic behavior.  Note that K bike fuses can appear to be good when they're not so it's advisable to test their continuity as opposed to just visually inspecting them.

2. Clean out the starter motor: Parts of the electrical system are grounded through the starter motor. When crud builds up over time inside of the starter this ground connection can become flaky and cause electrical gremlins.

In case you're interested, here's the flasher relay pinout:

(Note that the auto turn signal cancel feature can be disabled by cutting the blue/green wire.)

edit by scott_ 10-12-13 to update missing photo's

[enialb2]

Indeed, my turn signals just started acting and sounding weird.

My left side turn signals (indicators) work fine, but when I push the right, nothing happens except a low beep/moan from the fuse panel/relay box, and when I cancel the indicator, the beep/moan stops as well.

I also noticed that when I first start riding the bike (it hasn't been on for at least 45+ minutes) the right side indicators start working again briefly at least for a few flashes, sometimes longer.

The bulbs and connections look good and clean, and I swapped around the 3rd and 7th fuses with each other and with an old fuse rattling around my tool bag but to no avail. I still need to check continuity of the fuses once I get back my garage/workspace.

After I check continuity, and possibly buy a new fuse or two, I guess its time to lift the tank and poke around the relay box? It doesn't seem to be a grounding issue otherwise since the left indicators work every time.

 :hmm: :hmm:

[frankenduck]

Usual suspect is a dirty starter. What do you expect to find in the relay box? (Aside from relays.)

[enialb2]

I don't really know. Funny thing is that the morning after I posted, I drove to a job an hour each way, and everything worked fine, while the night before it wasn't working properly.

Was cool in the morning and warm in the evening on the way back, but not hot like the day it acted up.

I'll check the starter ground and do a continuity test on the fuses when I get back in town next week.

[doctorchad]

I had the turn signal thing a few weeks ago, and with everyone's help here, I was able to put new fuses in and away we went. 

But today, after a quick stop, the bike died.  I coasted to the road side, and she wouldn't fire when I pushed the starter.  I noticed that the dash went wonky again, like it did when the turn signals died, so I played with the fuses again, pulling and resetting them, noticing changes in the way my cluster lit up (or didn't) and after a bit, she started again.  Road another 40 miles and parked to go into a shop.  When I came out, started right up, dropped off the center stand.....and died.  Got it going with some more fuse box prayers, and made it home to have it happen again when I stopped to open the garage. 

The fuses don't seem to sit very tight in the box, but all seem connected.  There is a whining from the fuse box when it won't start but the button is pushed.  I will check the starter (after I read my manual to find it), but what should I look for?  Dirt on the connections?

'89 K75s

[frankenduck]

Ignition switch is also a possible culprit.

[rdilaure]

Thanks Duck.  Saved me a lot of work.  My turn-signal fuse blew the other day and I only realized it when I tried to signal a lane change.
No blinky-blink.
So when I stopped for gas, I pulled the side cover and found the fuse blown.  Didn't check for spares in the tool tray, but saw that the horn
had the same size fuse.  I can do without a horn more than I can turn signals in the traffic I commute in, so
what the heck, swap the 2 fuses and go.
Only, now when I push the button - right or left - BOTH lights light, while I am holding the button.  Not good.
I did a few checks, but remembered the advice that there are multiple sources of power to the flasher, so I replaced the horn
fuse (which, rereading your post, I see is #7 as you say).  Guess what?  Now it works correctly!

[enialb2]

Funny, exactly 11 months later, the same problem has resurfaced and isn't going away.

I've got all fresh fuses, checked for continuity. I removed, disassembled, and cleaned up the starter and all connections and grounds related to the starter and the battery.

No dice yet, still just a low whine when I hit the right signal paddle. Left signals work fine just as before.
All the bulbs on the right side have continuity.

I'm guessing this is unrelated to the ignition switch, but I might as well check that before opening up the relay box. What do I look for in the ignition switch area?

If that is a dead end, I guess I pop up the tank and take a look inside the relay box?

Could I be looking for a short? If so, how does one search for a short with a multimeter?

Thanks,
B

-Brooklyn, NY

Indeed, my turn signals just started acting and sounding weird.

My left side turn signals (indicators) work fine, but when I push the right, nothing happens except a low beep/moan from the fuse panel/relay box, and when I cancel the indicator, the beep/moan stops as well.

I also noticed that when I first start riding the bike (it hasn't been on for at least 45+ minutes) the right side indicators start working again briefly at least for a few flashes, sometimes longer.

The bulbs and connections look good and clean, and I swapped around the 3rd and 7th fuses with each other and with an old fuse rattling around my tool bag but to no avail. I still need to check continuity of the fuses once I get back my garage/workspace.

After I check continuity, and possibly buy a new fuse or two, I guess its time to lift the tank and poke around the relay box? It doesn't seem to be a grounding issue otherwise since the left indicators work every time.

 :hmm: :hmm:

[enialb2]

Whew, problem solved.

 I was able to pop off my mini radiator fairings and prop up the back of the tank to get to the relay box. Like Duck said, its just a box of relays (tiny sealed plastic boxes with wires plugged into the), so all I could really do with the flasher relay was unscrew it and lift it out. Turns out the connector plug going into the flasher relay was loosely connected and partially hanging off! I unplugged it and plugged it back in, reconnected the battery, turned the key, and hit the right signal paddle and Bingo! Success.

Just in time to ride out of town for 4th of July long weekend.

 :usa2: :riding:

[Fliegenziegel]

To anyone that may need to find the answer...I went through the steps suggested and found that switching the relay with the fuel pump relay solved this issue ( this was suggested in another posting). Very unlikely I would have solved this as quickly without help from the motobrick community.
I figure the one relay was bad at one junction and that junction was not needed for the other relay usage.