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Post by chacham on Jul 2, 2018 11:03:48 GMT -5
Well, i figured i just had to follow the wires. Then i had an idea, just reseat the plugs...and wouldn't ya know it, this lil' guy was the source of my pain: Well, for the turn signals. Now they all work, front, back, and dash. I even put the old flasher back in. Oh well, that was five bucks i didn't need to spend. Or maybe that five bucks will teach me to just do some basic checking next time. The brake light still does not work. Again, the lower filament turns on, but the upper one does not. So, the brake is connected. Unless one of the wires has a break in it? How would i even check for that? A continuity checker? Another thing i noticed is the fuel gauge. When the moped turns on it goes up a little, but does not seem to reflect the amount of gas in the tank at all. I unplugged the wire, the needle fell, plug it back in, it goes up a little. By a little, i mean just a little above empty. That it, it moves, but hardly an inch. This isn't a major issue, but it is nice to kind of have an idea about how much gas is in the tank.
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Post by GrumpyUnk on Jul 3, 2018 11:14:00 GMT -5
Have you checked that yoou have power coming into the flasher... to be 'flashed' on and off to the signal bulbs? No power, no bulb lightup. If the switch were bum, you'd not get any flashing. Look at the diagram. tom
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Post by chacham on Jul 3, 2018 12:04:46 GMT -5
No, the turn signals work now. The plug just needed to be reseated. Though it did not look it, i guess it wasn't on all the way. I wonder how that even happens.
Anyway, my concern right now is the brake light, as it turns on (lower filament, when the key is turned) but the brake (which works because it prevents/allows the engine to start and stops the wheels when moving) does not affect it. I looked at the bulb, and the filament looks fine, but maybe i should test that assumption. Do you know how i can do that?
The wires that connect the brake light (where the lower filament works) also connect the turning signal (which now works) and the fuel gauge (which works, though not accurately), so the wire is connected. (Disconnecting the plug makes all three things turn off, so i know i have the right one.) Maybe one of the bundled wires has a break in it? I can probably borrow a continuity checker to check for that.
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Post by chacham on Jul 4, 2018 12:30:00 GMT -5
Some progress. Advice welcome and even encouraged, please.
I was able to borrow a multimeter and verify the brake light works. I think it was 2.3 ohms on one and vacillated between .4 and .5 on the other. So the light is good.
I then went to test the wires in parts. The turn signals and brake light in the back are clustered together in a black sheath and it forms a 5-pronged plug (place for 6 though) that fits into a socket on the side of the scooter that goes through the scooter to the front. I tested the plug in back against all three wires in the back of the brake and they showed resistance, so there is no break. I need to check the wires as they go to the front, but i will have to find them. I paused to to time constraints and i was sweating from the 90+ degrees outside.
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Post by chacham on Jul 4, 2018 20:51:55 GMT -5
Okay, tried again and learnt a little more. I had taken out the brake light to test it with the multimeter and put it back in. When i went to test it now to figure lout the problem, i noticed it looked brighter than usual. I took off the cover and both filaments were lit up! I played with it a little and realized that the brake light is put in and then twisted to lock it in place, which is where it touched the two leads. If it is not seated properly, it may only touch one lead, causing only one of the filaments to light up. Lock it in place, and they both work.
The wires that leads to the front go into an area i would not be able to get to without taking off the entire shell. However, from the looks of it, there is one bunch of wires (all the wires) that are covered in a tubing and that tubing does seem to pop up in the front. So, i decided to go with that for now.
Each brake has one cable and two wires coming out of it. The cable makes the brake work, and there seems to be no issue there, so i can safely ignore that. The two wires are more interesting. Let's call them R1, R2, L1, and L2. R1 and R2 come out of the right brake, L1 and L2 come out of the left brake. There are also to Y connectors, let's call them Y1 and Y2. Y1 connects one one side to R1 and L1, and on the other side to another wire. Y2 connects on one side to R2 and L2, and on the other side to another wire. Those two wires go into the bundle, and i can't see what happens to them after that.
If i disconnect both R1 and R2, the brake light goes dark, same with L1 and L2. So, i need at least one wire from each brake to make it work. (Ugh, even though i just tested this i am getting hazy on it. I'll have to check again. I can't remember if its R1 and L1, or R1 and R2 (and vice-versa).) In any case, it would seem the brake wires are always connected, meaning the problem is in the brakes themselves. I only got to this late and its dark now, so i'll have to look again tomorrow. Please, please, share any advice. I'm learning as i go along.
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Post by lilpinny on Jul 4, 2018 22:13:21 GMT -5
I'm kinda lost as to what the problem still is.looks like you worked through a bunch.
Couple of things... Make sure every thing is seated. Also digital flashers have a have a hot and ground wire where the analog ones don't care about hot and ground. So if you have a turn signal that stays on when you activate it, try switching the leads around on the flasher. It care about polarity.
In general--
From your brake you have, at least I have, two.wires that could be shrink wrapped together. Ones hot and ones ground. One set per brake (left and right). These you got to have straight, they'll go into your harness, get routed to your and flasher and to your lights.
The tail light will have inputs (and these could all be in a plug) for the hot wire (which is your running light, always on when the bike is on) a ground, and then a lead from your brake switches that'll make that already running light brighter when you hit it.
Thats three leads to your tail light. If the light has integrated turn signal lights you have two more, a left and a right. So five leads in that case.
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Post by chacham on Jul 4, 2018 22:34:46 GMT -5
The turns signals works. There are five wires, all seem to work. The problem is the brake light. It was originally that one filament stayed on, and the brake did not affect the other one. After testing and reseating the lightbulb, both filaments light up, whether or not the brake is held. I am working on that now.
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Post by lilpinny on Jul 4, 2018 22:45:01 GMT -5
You could have you running light lead (always on) plugged into the brake light input on the light... So the brake light would be bright constantly (two filiments). Sounds like you have the ground in the right place. Switch the other two leads around and see what happens.
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Post by chacham on Jul 4, 2018 22:47:21 GMT -5
You could have you running light lead (always on) plugged into the brake light input on the light... So the brake light would be bright constantly (two filiments). Sounds like you have the ground in the right place. Switch the other two leads around and see what happens. Sounds like a plan. I ought to do that tomorrow. Thank you for the idea.
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Post by chacham on Jul 5, 2018 6:33:30 GMT -5
You could have you running light lead (always on) plugged into the brake light input on the light... So the brake light would be bright constantly (two filiments). Sounds like you have the ground in the right place. Switch the other two leads around and see what happens. Thank you for the advice. With that and a friend whom i rode bicycles with this morning we were able to find the issue, mostly. In short, the left brake is shaky and usually makes a connection, even when the brake is not being pressed. Here are the gory details: I unscrewed the left brake lever (the screw was the pivot), and took the brake lever out of its harness. That changed little. So, the either the wire itself is broken or the break harness (the "housing" the brake lever fits into). That's held on with a bolt (to the handlebar). I only had a screwdriver with me, so i could not take it of to look at it. I hope to look at it later today, weather permitting. It's pretty humid outside and the forecast calls for rain throughout the day.
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Post by chacham on Jul 5, 2018 18:07:32 GMT -5
Anyone still following my adventure? I must make a correction. I said the right brake worked and the left brake did not. That was backwards. I was thinking of it from my standing point opposite the front. It's actually the left brake that works and the right brake that does not. Anyway, it didn't rain today (at least not yet) so i was able to get at it some more. How does the brake light work? Well, the harness has a little button behind the brake that when pressed turns the light off, but when not pressed, it turns it on. Here it is when i move the brake level away: The left brake has a piece on bottom that keeps the button pressed: When the brake lever is pressed, it pivots toward the front and away from the back, releasing the button: With the button released, the light goes on, as it is supposed to. The right brake, however, doesn't do that. It has a similar button, but the button is behind the lever itself, and closer to the front (as opposed to the left brake where it is pressed by a piece hanging under the level, and it behind it): Meaning, that it is supposed to keep it pressed when the brake level is in its regular position, and not pressed when the lever is used. However, the button is not being pressed when the level is not used, which makes the light stay on. When testing it, pressing the lever sometimes turned the light off (which is backwards) and other times did nothing at all. I thought it might be the position of the level, but it is held in place with a screw, so i assume that keeps it in place. Fwiw, the brake cable is not as perfect as it is on the left side: The brakes work, i just wonder if that is affecting the position of the lever causing the button to not be pressed properly. Any ideas?
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Post by lilpinny on Jul 5, 2018 18:56:52 GMT -5
Yep, that's how brake levers and lights work.
When you press the button with a punch or a small screwdriver does it turn the light on or off? If it does, and everything works well then I'd look at your lever. Maybe it's not hitting and releasing the button correctly. Maybe the lever is bent? I mean that lever looks like it has taken a hit and been dragged along the concrete.
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Post by chacham on Jul 5, 2018 19:41:51 GMT -5
The button was tested and works fine. Both levers look like they took a beating. But what can i do about it?
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Post by lilpinny on Jul 5, 2018 19:42:47 GMT -5
Bend it back
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Post by chacham on Jul 5, 2018 19:43:58 GMT -5
I didn't think it looked bent. It just look like it was roughed up from all the pock marks.
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