Turn Signals Flashing Fast

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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#16

Post by Sidecar Bob »

Um... Electronic flashers can start flashing faster when failing (or when a bulb is not working) but bi-metal type (which is what older cars had) flash slower in both cases.

Without looking at Dave's old flasher it is impossible to tell which type it is. It might be the original but 40 years is a long time and it could have been replaced several times by now....

As for a chafed wire causing it to flash faster, even if it somehow didn't blow the fuse it would at least cause one or more of the signals not to light.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Solina Dave
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#17

Post by Solina Dave »

Sidecar Bob wrote: Without looking at Dave's old flasher it is impossible to tell which type it is. It might be the original but 40 years is a long time and it could have been replaced several times by now....
The one I just replaced Bob, is about 10 years old. I bought it at an auto parts store, and it looked just like the original.
It was about an inch long by 3/8" square, and was held in place on the wall under the faux tank side cover, by a factory elasticized rubber strip, attached in a dedicated location.
The new electronic flasher is cylindrical in shape, about 1" x 2", and with a serious stretch of the elastic strip, I thought it would rip but it didn't, I was able to secure the flasher in the same position. It's just like it grew there.

:2thumbs.......Dave
"ASSUME NOTHING"

1st motorcycle-1977 Honda CB550F Super Sport
2nd motorcycle-1978 GL1000

"Not riding a motorcycle is wrong"
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#18

Post by Sidecar Bob »

Most bi-metal ones had cylindrical aluminum housings. If it was square it was probably an electronic type (early electronic ones often had only 2 terminals).
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Solina Dave
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#19

Post by Solina Dave »

Sidecar Bob wrote:Most bi-metal ones had cylindrical aluminum housings. If it was square it was probably an electronic type (early electronic ones often had only 2 terminals).
I doubt it. The lights used to slow down when I stopped. My new electronic flasher only has 2 pins.
"ASSUME NOTHING"

1st motorcycle-1977 Honda CB550F Super Sport
2nd motorcycle-1978 GL1000

"Not riding a motorcycle is wrong"
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#20

Post by Sidecar Bob »

I did say "most", not all. Some electronic ones work by charging a capacitor and having it operate a relay so lower voltage could cause the capacitor to take longer to charge. If you still have it open it up and see - if all there is inside is a strip and a contact it is b-metal but if there is a coil &c it is electronic.

BTW: :oldies All this talk about flashers made me think about the 2 terminal electronic one I used to have on Eccles. When I first put it together I put a pair of running lights on the front of its sidecar, 1 with the original H3 bulb as a headlight and the other with small bulbs for a running light and turn signal. The turn signal bulb didn't draw enough current to trigger the flasher so I bought a 2 terminal electronic one. That worked fine with incandescent signals and even after I changed to LED signals but when I replaced the instrument panel with the one I made for it (long story + evolutionary dead end) with LEDs for indicators the flasher wouldn't work. I figured out that the little bulbs in the original indicators drew just enough to make it work.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
pjlogue
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#21

Post by pjlogue »

robin1731 wrote:Well, if it was a hot wire chafing against the frame, grounding it out, that should blow a fuse.

If you've ever blown a turn signal bulb in a car you know that they will flash faster. At least on older cars.

Flashers do wear out over time. Causing the issue that Dave was having. So the easiest/quickest/cheapest way to begin diagnosis is to replace the flasher with a new one. You can always go with an old style flasher. Using an electronic one gives you the added benefit of the signals not slowing down when sitting at a light from low voltage. If the issue "isn't" with the flasher you would still have the same problem. Then you could go further with diagnosing from there.

.
A fuse will blow if the short is capable of carrying enough current to go above what the fuse can handle. If a wire is rubbing against a rusted part of the frame it can easily short to the frame without blowing a fuse because the contact point has enough resistance to keep the current below the fuses threshold.


Putting the wrong wattage (i.e. higher wattage) bulbs in the turn signals will also cause the flasher to flash faster if the flasher is an old fashion bi-metalic type flasher.

-P.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Turn Signals Flashing Fast

#22

Post by Sidecar Bob »

On a bike that is in regular use, if a wire is rubbing against a point on the frame enough to wear through the insulation there won't be any rust there either.

I am currently working on my winter bike, which is driven on salted roads so if something is going to rust it will. I dealt with a lot of rust but none of it was where anything was rubbing against anything.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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