LED neutral indicator issue - staying lit all the time

[XSFazz]

Hey guys,

So I switched out the idiot lights for LEDs, wired directly to the old instrument light plug. The headlight indicator works fine, as well as the turn signal indicator (had to include diodes for that to work right). For some reason, my neutral indicator is ALWAYS lit even when I am in gear. Do you guys have any ideas why? I hooked up the LED to the + and - from the old incandescent bulb in the idiot light plug.

Here are the LEDs installed in the Motolanna bracket:

Here's the plug I wired them to from the old idiot lights which I wrote "inst LED" on:

Also, have you guys ever replaced the bulbs inside the speedo and tach with LEDs? Any idea which bulbs I need? I figure they have them on superbrightleds, just want to make sure I pick up the right ones.

Thanks!!!

 

[Brian902]

Normally there is a Brown wire that feeds power to the light and a Sky Blue wire to the neutral switch which is the ground side.

Unhook the Sky Blue wire and the light should go out.

Possibly a bad neutral switch located under your left carb. (approximately)

 

[XSFazz]

I will take another look tonight. If the neutral switch was bad, wouldn't the neutral indicator inside my tachometer not work either? Because that light works fine, it's just the idiot light, which, I don't get why there's a neutral idiot light AND a gauge light. Would prefer to just have one indicator, maybe I will remove it and add a L & R turn signal instead..

 

[XSLeo]

The regular bulb draws 3 watts of power. The neutral switch is designed for this much draw. That led might draw about .45 watts. The neutral switch works I n an oily environment. This oil may be enough power to flow so the lights.
If you want to use the LED neutral light try adding some resistors inline to increase the resistance high enough the oil can't carry the current.
Leo

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

If you have one of those later newfangled models with the safety system contraptions, your neutral LED may be backdraining thru a safety relay, which shares a line with the neutral switch. Maybe a quick test would be to unplug the safety relay/diode thang, and see if your neutral light works.

 

[XSLeo]

I don't think his bike is that new. With a 120 mph speedo makes it a 76 or 77. I think anyway.
Leo

 

[XSFazz]

Hey guys,

I have a '78 Special.

Here are the LEDs I used, supposed to have built-in resistors from radioshack:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062568
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062569
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062570

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Here's the 1978 XS650E Special Schematic. The SkyBlue neutral wire only goes to the neutral switch and to the neutral light, nothing else in between. Other 1978 service manuals can be found here:

http://www.biker.net/650_service/650service main.html

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Those LEDs are fine. Would suspect, like XSLeo posted, that there may be some electrical leakage at the neutral switch. Although rated for 20 milliamp, it only takes about 5-8 milliamps to get these things to start illuminating.

 

[XSFazz]

Ok. I know where the neutral switch is, but how do I check for "leakage"? Yes I have a multi-meter.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

First, disconnect the sky-blue wire on the neutral switch to see if your neutral LED turns off.
If it doesn't, there's a wiring problem.
Otherwise, using the 2K and 20K scales, check continuity of the neutral switch post to ground, both in gear and in neutral.
To get that minimal 5 milliamp current, the neutral switch would need to conduct in the region of a 2K resistor.

 

[XSFazz]

Ok great. I will try this tonight. So if I determine the neutral switch is OK, maybe I can just tap into the light that's inside the tachometer. Alternatively I may just remove the neutral idiot light since it is redundant and just go ahead and wire up a L and R turn signal indicator instead of the single indicator that I have now. Decisions decisions...