Turn Signal indicator creating pulsing issue.

[frenkeje]

Hello All,

I have a 1984 goldwing 1200. Been sitting 20 years.

I noticed that when I turn on my turn signals, my running lights, and headlights pulse in rythm.. very faintly. Signals work perfect.
I didn't like this as I have to get this inspected in 2 weeks.. so I just finished rewiring and going over my entire system, cleaning every contact, electric greasing them, etc. I daisy chained the front turn signal lights to my side markers putting in 12v32 dual fill bulbs(eliminating the Br/W, Gr use all together).. With or without..the side markers still produce this. I even ran thicker guage wire on grounds

It is better, but still very faint. It seems to get better after running the bike for awhile.
I read it could be low battery.

Is this common? Grounds are great. Again this is very faint.
Could it be that tapped my new radio screen and reverse camera and oil cooler fan that is drawing too much from Gr/Blk wire.
Is there an aftermarket piece I can put in or replace to eliminate any of this slight flicker? Increase fuse? Is my turn signal relay drawing too much power?

Bike has only 7k miles.. opened the relay.. looks perfect. Tested voltage when on battery for good rectifier/stator.. reading 15v.

Any advice is helpful. I just don't want anyone with a close eye think I am turning a different way. It is very faint, but I can notice.

Joe

 

[thewhiterhino]

Welcome to the forum Joe

I have an 83 gl1100 Aspencade and I believe yours will have similar charging circuits. Your stator wiring will have 2 connectors, one at the regulator and one near the battery. They have three yellow wires that the connectors are notorious for not making good contact. They tend to over heat and cause voltage drop. Since the capacity of the charging system is only about 300 watts on the 83 it causes a drop of voltage and can cause the dimming you have noticed.
Do you have auxiliary lights other than the factory lights? The added load makes everything worse.
Add up your lamp and other loads and determine you watts of usage and see if you are near the max.
On the 83 and older the fix is to eliminate the connector near the battery and solder the wires direct.
If they are higher than normal resistance it will really stress your stator and eventually cause a failure.
If you have the usual load of auxiliary lights you can disable some of them to test and consider changing some of the lights to LEDs for a lighter load.


I'm sure others will give you their ideas also.

 

[dan filipi]

Hello All,

It is better, but still very faint. It seems to get better after running the bike for awhile.
I read it could be low battery.

Welcome to the forums.

The flicker is common and not much can be done about it except for what you've already done as far as I know.
If you look carefully at even the new cars you'll see a faint flicker with the turn signals.

 

[frenkeje]

Thanks for the reply, The turn signals are 1157's, 26.8Watts each, side markers now acting with turn signals are 12v32Watts each, Back brake are 1157's, and back turn are 1156's. 26.9Watts. I am thinking it is 256 total. I did notice that the clip from stator to rectifer was melted a little bit.. Kinda not even.. but connections are clean, drummeled off oxidation on prongs.. and packed with grease. Maybe I should bypass this with a soder. I think the stator is good. I am getting 15 V when bike is running at battery. Could the 32w running light now turn signal function be throwing this off and to sodier wire stator to rectifer be issue?

Thanks for the info.. something that might be it.

If this is common.. I think the sodier sounds like a help.

 

[thewhiterhino]

You have calculated the lighting load but don't forget the illumination in the instruments and the load of the other electronics also. If it was mine I would solder just to protect the stator. I have been trying to change as much as I can to LEDs myself for the same reason and am currently working on using LEDs from the boat and trucking industry. I did a video on my experiences that you will find in tips and tricks I think...

 

[Joep]

what is you rpms at idle.. if it is low.. ( under 1000) you could be dropping into 12.6 V which would show a flickering .. increase it to just over 1000 rpms and see if that makes a difference

 

[dan filipi]

Definitely solder the wires. That will ensure your getting the full current available.

Your battery voltage is good, a bit high but shows the charging system is working fine.
At that voltage do check the battery water often.

 

[frenkeje]

Hello All,
Well, I just got in from sodiering the 3 yellow wires and running the bike for about 10 mins. The volt at the battery now reads 14.86.. vs 15.03-15.05. 14.74 when I have all my accessiories on. Which looks like a better range. Also, yes..Thank you.. after running if for a couple mins.. the pulse is very very faint.. almost unnoticable. Bringing the idle up does help a little bit more but.. it seems like the issue is resolved. A good charge.. the knowledge provided to me.. I think I am in good shape.

I am glad everyone helped point me in the right direction with tech info. Thanks Much!!

I guess I am on to other research. Weather to use Premimun Gas, Is my idle too low at 600 rpm.. seems to pick up when getting really warm. After 10 mins of running it..even with my oil cooler fan.. The Needle almost reached H (I tuned Carbs). And lastly, is the synthetic oil (thinking this is better for my engine) warming up my engine unneccessary. The goldwing will be pushing a lot of weight. If anyone has a suggestion.. otherwise I look forward to researching this later tonight after some more time on the bike.

Again, Thanks a ton. I look forward to this forumn.

Joe

 

[dan filipi]

Well I don't notice any difference running regular verses premium so I save some money.

The idle spec is 950 RPM, 600 is a bit slow but I know what you mean about the idle increasing as it warms up, mine does that too so I have it set to be about 1000 rpm when warm.

I've never heard of synthetic oil making an engine run warmer, actually the opposite.

 

[thewhiterhino]

Hello All,
seems to pick up when getting really warm. After 10 mins of running it..even with my oil cooler fan.. The Needle almost reached H (I tuned Carbs). And lastly, is the synthetic oil (thinking this is better for my engine) warming up my engine unneccessary. The goldwing will be pushing a lot of weight. If anyone has a suggestion.. otherwise I look forward to researching this later tonight after some more time on the bike.

Again, Thanks a ton. I look forward to this forumn.

Joe

Does the 81 have an oil cooler or are you talking about the radiator and cooling fan? Check the antifreeze level. I would use a laser temperature gun and see what the temperature really is. until you are sure of the temperature don't jump any conclusions. The sender may be inaccurate. I was thought mine was running hot until I studied the gauge a bit. On the Aspencade it is digital and normal is about in the middle and at the second bar above that is where my fan engages. In the beginning I thought the center was too hot and was concerned however after watching it I decided it was OK.

I have put Synthetic oil in every thing I have owned since 1971 and have never had a problem with any I have used except Mobil 1.. I had two different vehicles that used Mobil 1 excessively. I have always gotten better mileage and ran cooler than with conventional oil. I have never worn out the rings or bearings using synthetic. In 1988 I bought a Lincoln Town Car program car with 17,000 miles on it and changed the engine at 340,000 due to heads and valve wear, it still didn't use excessive oil. It used 1 qt in 7,000 miles and I changed the oil every 15,000. If you have never researched synthetic oil its worth the time. It is especially important to use the right motorcycle compatible oil due to the transmission and clutch sharing the crankcase.

 

[mcgovern61]

I have put Synthetic oil in every thing I have owned since 1971 and have never had a problem with any I have used except Mobil 1.. I had two different vehicles that used Mobil 1 excessively. It is especially important to use the right motorcycle compatible oil due to the transmission and clutch sharing the crankcase.

Ross, which synthetic are you using in the 1100?

 

[thewhiterhino]

I have put Synthetic oil in every thing I have owned since 1971 and have never had a problem with any I have used except Mobil 1.. I had two different vehicles that used Mobil 1 excessively. It is especially important to use the right motorcycle compatible oil due to the transmission and clutch sharing the crankcase.

Ross, which synthetic are you using in the 1100?

I am using Amsoil specifically for motorcycles.

View attachment 2009_july_motorcycle_oil_white_paper.pdf

The above is a white paper comparing the most popular motorcycle oils.

 

[dan filipi]

We're getting off topic here but I thought that Amsoil white paper was a good read so I wanted to post images of it for easier reading:

My local distributor rides a GL1200. I think I'll try this stuff next oil change.

 

[frenkeje]

Hello All,

Spent all last night futzing with the bike. I haven't been able to get a good read on Heating issue yet. I would like to sync my carbs again.. hope to build a sync tool today as I no longer have access to one.
Great Info on Cooling issues and Oil Recommendation.. and your experience with this...awesome!
Thanks again, and will hopefully update later that everything is cool and where the issue was.

Joe

 

[frenkeje]

Hello All,

Wanted to update you on turn signal and coolant issues. Turn signals create a dimming pulse on the running lights/headlights when the bike is off even with a full battery. After the bike is running for a minute the issue looks to be resolved. I did hours of research to this and find a bigger Amp draw on the older bikes .. or resistance of wire. So, if I have to be anal about this, I could check the ohms on the wires and increase the gauge wire on the turn signal lines. But, I would not have looked at the Stator (which the hardwire probably saved me $$ and pulling engine replacement down the road), running the bike, rpms, or a little dimming is normal without all of your help. Thank you... and correct me if I am misguided on above resistance of wire.

After 8 hours of building a sync tool and syncing.. I think I am good on the sync (homemades are sooo tough to work with if your carbs are out of whack.. If one pulls too much.. your ATF fluid hits your carb before you can shut off.. and then it is back to letting the fluid drain back and tapping out air...ARRRG!!! After syncing, the bike was running for a good 20 mins.. The Bike seems to be better.. but is just below the H red line.. almost touches it. Fan kicks on.. and my oil cooler fan is on.. Is this normal? Checked for leaks, radiator is new.. actually aluminum 2 core. Maybe I will run it with the cap off to make sure no air pockets. Is the bike ok to run close to the H line? I did find out I had a 20 psi cap whereas now I have a 13 psi cap. I have idle at about 1k...

Joe

 

[joedrum]

i guess its got an after market oil cooler thats quite a draw on the batt and sator it would seem .. that might have something to do with lights dimming more than usealy would

i would not mess around on the heating issue you dont want to age the motor like that ...thats to hot

if it your me id take thermostat out ..theres ways to check it...but frist id put it back togrther with out thermostat in and run it ,it sould run alot lot cooler ....if it dosent that proably means something else is going on....

it is much more risky to run to hot as to cold

if it runs cooler with the thermostat out lets say 20 perchent or 3\4 gauage or so ride it around and see how it acts
all im saying is if there is somthing wrong it will run cooler with the thermostat out and you might be able to figure it out watching it while you ride. its obviously not able to keep its temp down the way it is ... the fan switch is working...the oil cooler fan is working...taking the thermostat out will tell if it rideable

thats just what i think good luck

 

[frenkeje]

Cool, Thanks. Can I just leave the thermostat out for good? That sounds excellent to me. One thing I noticed when I went back to check on the bike after cool down.. The overflow filled up when it got too hot.. which had half to 3/4 full when cool... and now it is pretty much empty? No leaks. I think it can use some more. I think I have to burb the system. But, again.. I like the idea of the thermostat removal if I can operate like this. Can this be done full time?

 

[joedrum]

on my bike i run without thermostat and thermoswitch for fan...i have a manual switch to run fan when i want to

most have issues with leaving out thermostat...i dont im not going to leave the fate of my 30yr old bike on cheap parts that restrict flow ... i was a farmer and ran engines of all kinds some around the clock fuull blast 90 percent of the time and have good feel for motors even motors like the wing

my bike is thirty yrs old and has never been open , heads never been off...wings have good motors but are very finicky.the gas out there today is just garbage to a wing and will clog the carbs up in no time at all

i always mix somthing in the gas like 2stoke oil ,atf oil even deisil fuel works great ther are huge advantages to the motor on these old wings if you do this one thing you will proably have no carb issuses again..

on your bike with it runnig hot like it is theres somthing going on but it might be small enough to run with out a thermostat and be ok if you watch it but it might not run that way either

it makes no sense to leave a thermostat in something that is running hot....

take the thermostat out and ride it see what happens and post back :mrgreen:

 

[dan filipi]

frenkeje, the cooling system is what's known as a "closed" system in that coolant will normally flow back and forth to the recovery tank. As it warms up the level in the tank rises, as it cools coolant is drawn back into the radiator.
The recovery should never get emptied. Look closely at the tank you'll see level marks for high and low.

If the coolant and temperature levels have been fine and just now started acting differently like filling up the reservoir and emptying it when cool then I'd be looking at possibly a leaking head gasket.

From my experience the point on the gauge the fan was designed to come on at automatically is alittle over 3/4, close to red, which is about 205 degrees at the radiator top fins when checking with a non contact thermometer.

I just got done sorting out an overheating problem on a 84 1200.
I've been back and forth, testing and retesting, comparing to other engines etc.
If you have to run without the thermostat to keep it from overheating then the thermostat is bad or there are other problems.

(I moved this thread to Shop Talk/1200.)

 

[Tomahawk]

on my bike i run without thermostat and thermoswitch for fan...i have a manual switch to run fan when i want to

most have issues with leaving out thermostat...i dont im not going to leave the fate of my 30yr old bike on cheap parts that restrict flow ... i was a farmer and ran engines of all kinds some around the clock fuull blast 90 percent of the time and have good feel for motors even motors like the wing

my bike is thirty yrs old and has never been open , heads never been off...wings have good motors but are very finicky.the gas out there today is just garbage to a wing and will clog the carbs up in no time at all

i always mix somthing in the gas like 2stoke oil ,atf oil even deisil fuel works great ther are huge advantages to the motor on these old wings if you do this one thing you will proably have no carb issuses again..

on your bike with it runnig hot like it is theres somthing going on but it might be small enough to run with out a thermostat and be ok if you watch it but it might not run that way either

it makes no sense to leave a thermostat in something that is running hot....

take the thermostat out and ride it see what happens and post back :mrgreen:

Just curious but what do you find adding oil and such to the fuel does. Does it help keep your carbs clean?? Do your plug foul etc. Any info greatly appreciated

Thanks
Tom