Replacement turn signal (flasher) relay has two prongs, not three

SweetSusie

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Hey guys,

I bought a new flasher relay from MikesXS and it has two prongs at 90 degress to each other rather than the three prongs of the original.

I have a '75 XS650B.

There are three wires: brown, brown/white and black connected to the original flasher relay harness.

Is this just the wrong replacement relay or do I just try plugging it in ... which would give me two options for plugging it in (rotated to the right or the left).

Thoughts? Wisdom? Figured I'd ask before frying anything.

Thanks,
JR
 
- probably goes between the power feed and the handlebar switch providing a pulse that is diverted by the switch left or right to the independently earthed blinkers...may well work only one way ie unidirectional
 
A two prong flasher plugs in where the brown and brown white wires are, the black wire isn't used.
 
Sweet Susie, how did this work out? I'm curious because I just installed aftermarket (non-LED) signals that light but do not flash, and I'm trying to discern why. I have not tried them with the bike running so it could be low voltage, or maybe the flasher itself.

- probably goes between the power feed and the handlebar switch providing a pulse that is diverted by the switch left or right to the independently earthed blinkers...may well work only one way ie unidirectional

This was interesting. I combined my two rears to one ground at the frame behind the gas tank, and combined the two fronts to one ground in the light bucket. But I'm wondering if each signal has to have its own ground and if this could be why mine are not flashing.

Hope yours worked out okay.

TC
 
Everything grounds back to the battery, just how it gets there don't really matter. The signals can each be grounded or hooked together, then grounded. It shouldn't matter.
The stock flasher won't flash any light with less than a 27 what bulb. If your lights have the 23 watt bulbs you need a different flasher.
A replacement flasher needs just two prongs. None of the three prong flashers work. The stock thrre prong flasher used the third prong for a ground on the early models, or hooked to the canceling unit on the later.
Most parts stores have an flasher that will work. I think it's number is 522 or 533. Any of the electronic should work. A nonload sensitive should work.
The load sensetive flashers may work, but flash to fast or to slow. They are designed to work in a car so they flash right with all the bulbs good, when one blows it flashes fast to let you know a bulb is blown. With a lesser load like the 23 watt bulbs it might flash too fast.
I got my flasher at www.superbrightleds.com It is a LFS-1-pin or flat. The pin type has bullet connectors they will plug into the bullet connectors of the bike. The flat has blade connectors in a plastic plug connection. The blades can be removed from the plastic connection and plugged into the flasher plug. I think I used the pin type, I was building my own harness. I thought the pins would be easier to work with and match the rest of the connectors. Just hook the red wire to the brown, the black to the brown/white wire. This flasher will flash at 80 per minute with just one LED or up to 150 watts of any kind of bulb. $8.95 + s&h
 
Leo... not sure if SweetSuzie has seen this, but it's a great post... thanks! I had picked up a 522 and may swap to it once I see how the stock one does with my Bike Master signals.

Good info!

TC
 
Everything grounds back to the battery, just how it gets there don't really matter. The signals can each be grounded or hooked together, then grounded. It shouldn't matter.

- absolutely correct...i prefer to use separate earths for my bits, for me it makes problem diagnosis easier and reduces the ammount of cabling
 
I've been away from the computer a while, my plan is to make a "custom" flasher by taking the aftermarket one I got, which has two prongs at rights angles and use the three prong base from the old one to make it plug directly into the wiring harness... sort of making an adapter.
 
That will be fine. On the flasher the prongs are often marked with an X and L, B and L. Something of that sort. The X or B hooks to the harness brown, the L to the brown/white.
 
The stock flasher socket has three wires. One brown, one brown/white and the last black or yellow/green.
The two prong flasher, just plug it right in the socket so the two prongs plug into the brown and brown/white wires.
If you are building your own harness. Power from after the switch through a 5 to 10 amp fuse then to the relay, from the relay to the center of the turn signal switch, from each side of the turn signal switch to the lights.
If it won't light or flash the bulbs then swap the brown and brown/white wires on the flasher.
On signals with incandesant bulbs the 522 flasher will work ok.
On LED lights then you will need an LED spec flasher. See post #6.
Leo
 
Hey just to add my .02, I got some aftermarket blinkers and they didn't work. Used Leo's advice and figure out it was just the flasher. Only thing I want to add is that the unit I found was actually numbered 552. I don't know if it makes a difference but I couldn't find anything when I looked for 522.

Thanks for the help!
 
I often get the numbers mixed up on that flasher. 552, 522. If you don't read them often it's easy to misquote them.
Leo
 
Bringing this back to the top, I'm still a little unclear. As I'm reading the thread, the flasher needs to bridge the brown and brown/white lead.(I too have a '74/'75 with socket for 3 prong flasher). OK, that makes sense. Where I'm getting lost is the concept that the 2 prong relay will plug into the 3 prong socket and bridge the brown and brown/white wire. Not on mine. On my socket the brown and brown/white wires are opposite each other, such that the relay would have to be set up with the prongs parallel to each other. I can only install my assortment of 2 prong flashers such that I contact the the black wire, and my choice of either brown or brown/white. I just don't see how it can "plug right in". What am I missing? I have no problem cutting off the molded plug, but I'd rather not if possible. Perhaps there is a style of flasher out there with parallel prongs that will "plug right in"? Just trying to make sure I'm clear before I cut. Now, full disclosure, all the flashers I have floating around are 552 style with 90 degree oriented prongs. Perhaps the 522 has parallel prongs? Inquiring minds want to know! And if I'm being stupid, I can live with that, just tell me ...
 

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First thing is clean the corrosion out of that plug. If you'd like to keep the original plug you can simply use a pick or tiny screwdriver to release the terminals from the plastic connector. And reorient them so the 2 used terminals are in the correct location in the plug.
 
Yes, if you look at your socket on the side the flasher plugs in you will see a small rectangle slot next to the big slot the prongs go into. In that slot is the lock that holds the wire in place. A tiny screw driver or a small wire such as a paper clip. will slide in there to push the lock back into the terminal so it slips out. Once out clean them bright and shiny.
Once out you will see the lock, it's just a small tab in the side of the terminal. Bend it back out so it will hold when put back in. Once clean put the brown wire and brown/white wire in the slots so the flasher fits.
I think that's the first one that way I seen.
Leo
 
Cool guys, appreciate it. We're just mocking up things at this point, looking for issues(like this one), and in that process all connections are being cleaned and labeled, where possible, or photo documented. I've had mixed results reconfiguring various styles of molded plugs over the years, so if I'm going strictly for function, I just cut 'em out. But I'm trying to keep this bike relatively "correct" as far as the electrics and mechanicals and limit the customization to cosmetics. Plus learn the system in anticipation of the next one. The flasher was wired with speaker wire when I got the bike. We'll switch the leads around.
 
After reading this post this explained why my dual filament 23w/8w bulbs didn't flash. I went to Advance Auto and bought the two prong #552 relay, and it worked like a charm. Thanks for all of the R/D!
 
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