Brake light failure

[richard100t]

I pulled the plug off of my rear brake master cylinder & put it back on. Now I dont have the brake light at all, front lever or rear lever. I checked the fuses & they're all good. Could this be a relay issue? Is there a certain way that the plugs go on that I'm not aware of?

[richard100t]

I just checked the plug wires with a voltage tester & no light. What is the next course of action?

[dlaing]

Check the bulb???

Try probing the bulb contacts(but insulate the positive probe so you don't short them out against the wall of the bulb socket)

The bulb on my bike never seemed to seat reliably...possibly oxidized contacts.

Eventually I got an identical lamp from a Buell for something like $25US...problem solved!

[richard100t]

Check the bulb???

Try probing the bulb contacts(but insulate the positive probe so you don't short them out against the wall of the bulb socket)

The bulb on my bike never seemed to seat reliably...possibly oxidized contacts.

Eventually I got an identical lamp from a Buell for something like $25US...problem solved!

92389[/snapback]

Thanks Dlaing. I wish it were that easy, I just bought the new fbf fender eliminator kit. I had it working fine then I pulled that damn plug off & put it back on & now I have no brake light at all. That btw has happened in the past. Somehow the gremlin seemed to leave on its own but now its back.

[jrt]

If it's happened before and went away, I would strongly suspect a wiring connector somewhere. You might just have to follow the wiring diagram and check every one in the circuit.

Did you check your fuses by eye or with an ohmmeter? I've been fooled before just looking at them.

 

Say, now that I'm writing this- I'm recalling that someone, somewhere, sometime wrote that the wires going into the relay block (wires under the fuseblock) had come loose. Might be a place to start, even though it's a PIA to get to.

[dlaing]

LEDs have much higher resistance then a regular bulb, so your test light may not register.

You probably need a volt meter.

Also keep in mind that correct polarity is mandatory for LEDs.

Getting the plug backwards on the switches is not a problem, but getting it backwards at the LED lamp would cause it to not work.

Assuming headlights and horn work I would not suspect a fuse or relay.

For the brake light not to work from either front or rear switch, look for the problem at the connector to the lamp.

If the tail light works, the ground is correct.

Could the grey wire(tail light) and the red/blue wire(stop light) be reversed?

But much more likely, there is just a bad connection for the red/blue wire.

Or there is the unlikely possibility that both your switches went bad (double doh!)

[dlaing]

You could connect the two wires at the rear brake switch to see if the brake light comes on.

If it does, you have a bad switch, or bad contacts to the switch.

Likewise you could test the front switch the same way.

The front switches are a bit less reliable.

[richard100t]

Well today was just way to frigging hot to either work on the bike or ride it. I took a look at it this evening & I traced the "plug" wire from the master cylinder to a panel under the seat that goes to the brake light. I changed a plug terminal thing & that didnt work & the other side looks fine so I'm going to take that panel off & follow the wire back & see what there is. I hope it doesnt just morph into a large bundle of other wires Its funny, I make electric meters for a living & I dont know sh!t about wiring.