New wiring, Tail light and flasher issue

[3andit]

Hey guys, I have been rewiring my 75 XS and have run into an issue with my tail light not lighting up when I turn the ignition on. When I turn the ignition to the second setting it lights up my tail light as if I have the brakes on. I am using stock hand controls, stock wiring harness, and stock lighting all around. The only thing that I'm using that isn't stock are the speedo and tach. and on a side note, on these old bikes did the clearance lights (signals) turn on when lights were switched on if so I missed something there too ! Oh and when testing the system my flasher, flasher plug and wires melted down too.... What would have caused this as it was working fine when testing before. I had read somewhere on the forum that the 75s were prone to melting down, or did I screw up here too

As always thanks in advance!

 

[3andit]

Oh and I should say I used a wiring diagram from here for the 1974 xs650 as the wiring colours all matched up

 

[member3480]

What I can add for you is first you need a test light and it sounds like some wires are crossed.
Tail light should only have three wires GROUND-BRAKE LITE WIRE- RUNNING LITE WIRE. Stock switch on lights front and Running lite should be on. Test your tail light may be crossed.
Turn signals are a little more tough because of flasher. I don't remember if that year has running lights in turn signals but that's a easy look check bulb to see if one or two filament . I have had flasher go bad and lights do crazy stuff and the control on the handlebars also have problems. So the test I would do is remove the flasher jump it out and see if you have left/right lights. Colors are good if harness never touched but I have found that just a bad wire poor ground can have a effect on harness.
Good Luck take your time

 

[XSLeo]

I don't think any year XShad running lights in the turns.
If you have wired the bike as stock. The blue wire off the key switch powers the tail light. It should hook to the blue wire on the tail/brake light. The yellow wire at the tail/brake light is the brake light. The black is ground.
The headlight comes on when the headlight on/off switch is in the on position.
On the burned wires around the turn flasher, I've seen this on both of the 75's I've had. I think it relates to the three prong flasher it uses. For some reason when the flasher fails it burns up the ground wire.
I would fix the damaged wires and replace the stock flasher with a two prong flasher.
Plug it in so the two prongs plug into the brown and brown/white wires.
If you find the wiring right at the tasil/brake light then check you rear brake switch, it maybe adjusted to tight and be keeping the brake light on. This would cause the brake light to come on when you turn the key on.
Leo

 

[3andit]

Oh ok perfect thanks daddygcycles and Leo that's what I needed to know I think I messed up on the ignition part, I'm away to work till Thursday next week so I'll check it out and report back!

Thanks again for the help

 

[3andit]

Hey guys, i took all the wiring apart on my bike today and rewired it up and got the headlight tail light etc all working except now I cannot get my flasher to work on the signal lights.
this is the relay that I purchased, is there any reason why this one wouldn't work?
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...long-life-turn-signal-flasher-ll552/5060004-P

it is a 552 relay but it looks way different than the old 552 one that was in it before.

thanks

 

[3andit]

I think I found the issue: the flasher I purchased is electromagnetic and the one I need is Thermal...

 

[fredintoon]

I think I found the issue: the flasher I purchased is electromagnetic and the one I need is Thermal...

Hi 3andit,
to be sure it's a flasher problem pull the flasher and jumper the flasher plug-in terminals.
With the flasher replaced by a wire the signals should light up steady when the signal switch is operated.
FWIW, I swapped in a 2-prong electronic flasher when Mr Cheap balked at the cost of a stock replacement (Plugs in 2 ways, one works, t'other don't) and it works OK and it's cadence is independent of load. It pulses at the same rate even when shorted out (for 3 clicks, then the fuse blows)

 

[XSLeo]

On your flasher socket there are three wires, a brown, power in, a brown/white power out and black, ground. The srtock flasher used a ground on the older bikes, the later used it to signal the self canceler.
On a 74/75 there was no self canceler.
Ok, when you plug the two prong flasher into the stock socket be sure it polugs into the brown and brown/white wires.
As I mentioned the brown is power in this same brown wire delivers power to may things on the bike. On your new flasher the terminal marked BATT or something simular should plug into the brown wire. The other terminal is marked L or LOAD. This terminal should plug into the brown/white wire. This brown/white wire runs up to the turn signal switch. From there power gets sent out to each side on a dark green wire, right side, Chocolate or dark brown, left side.
Each turn sugnal light needs a good ground. If stock, they used a black wire with ring terminals that went under the mount nut for the lights and a bullet connector on the other end to plug into the harness ground.
As fredintoon mentioned putting a jumper wire from the brown to the brown/white wire should light up, but not flash the turn lights. If everything works with the jumper then insrtall the flasher as described earlier.
Often with old controls the wires at the switch come loose, poor soldering at the factory is often the culprit.
Open up your switches. Check the wires, resolder any loose ones. The switch can come apart and you can clean up the contacts.
The stock flasher was a large silver can with three prongs. The 552 should work fine. It just needs to plug in right.
If the flasher won't plug in so the two prongs line up with the brown and brown/white wires in the socket, you can remove the wires from the socket and swap them around.
Leo

 

[3andit]

Thanks Leo and Fredintoon, I got it figured out, it ended up being a bad connection on the brown/white wire and the hand switch is/was a little finicky but I got it all working now

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Hey XSLeo,
Hello fellow New Yorker!
I'm having some turn signal issues, to, as I am wrapping up my resto of my '76c. I want to eliminate the possibility that my flasher is not wired correctly; you see, the 3-prong socket is missing, so the individual wires are connected to it, leaving the possibility they are not on the correct post. Could you tell me from the diagram below if they are? thanks !

 

[XSLeo]

Ok, In your pic, is that a stock flasher or an aftermarket three prong flasher?
If it's an aftermarket three prong, chuck in the trash. They don't work. Use a two prong flasher.
Now In the pic, yes, that will work with a stock flasher but not an aftermarket flasher.
Most of those three prong flashers are for cars or maybe much newer bikes and the wiring for them is much different than our old bikes.
Most any two prong flasher from the parts store will work.
On the two prong flasher it may be marked with a B terminal and an L terminal. Brown wire to B, brown/white to the L terminal.
Leo

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Thanks for the reply, XSLeo.
Its a Nippondenzo, as illustrated in the pic below, # FA249EA
It fits the rubber hanger/holder nicely, as if it belonged there, and has a clasp holder on the side, apparently for the plug.
What do you think? OEM ?

 

[XSLeo]

On my 75 it used a long round silver cased flasher. On the later models, as in my 81 it used a black plastic box like in your pic.
Try it. Wire it as in your first pic. The worse thing to happen is it won't work.
If it doesn't work try making a jumper wire that you can replace the flasher with, just hook the jumper between the brown and brown/white wires. This won't flash the turns but they should light up if everything else is ok.
If they work with the jumper and not with that flasher, replace the flasher. As Mentioned most any two prong flasher will work.
Leo

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Thanks, I'll try that.
I plan to do some extensive troubleshooting of this situation, then post what issues remain, and what I've done. I'll give you a heads up on the post.

BTW, I see you have a Seca Turbo. I really loved mine, then sold it when the bike started blowing a good deal of smoke. Perhaps you could tell me what year mine was:

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Resolved the turn signal issue, which was that the signals were blinking in a confused pattern. It seemed as if the wires were crossed somewhere, but my troubleshooting found this to not be true.

Today I evaluated the integrity of the ground wires using an ohmmeter, and found that the ground wire to the front signals was weak. Inspection found that most of the copper strands were broken near the connector. All is good, now, following a soldering job.