LED signals won't flash with LED flasher

[Crankthat]

I think the ground question was implied not for the test but as reference to final wiring.
Not sure if your answer was to the test or final.
Not always will the flasher posts ground correctly to the mounts points on different bikes.
This can be rectified with one of the circular wire connectors that will fit the flasher metal inner post.
The type your battery bolts go into only big enough to fit snug around flasher inner metal post.
Find a good/tested ground and hook wire now connected to inner post to the known/tested good ground and try again.
You can test if that is the problem just by keeping hot in the harness with flasher hooked up as if you are actually using and turn flashers on with a wire touching both the inner metal threaded post and your tested/good ground.

I am thinking if they stay lit and just not flashing this is not the problem though.
One more thing you may try is to disconnect your running lights and try for just the flashers.
If they work now you may try a different combination for wiring your running lights in.

I hope this helps, I am thinking it may be a easy test to try.

[81GS850]

OK I think I understand now. You are using the TSCU side of the TSCU harness connector to run a ground into the B/BL on the harness side of the same connector.

I was thinking you were cutting the connector off the harness. My bad

Hey no problem!

[popzeus]

Yes, I was first using a 3 pin led flasher and got no flash, then another led flasher with just two wires that I connected properly and still no flash. When I connected the second flasher to the battery instead of the o/g wire, it worked perfectly. I know the problem isn't the fuse, so it must be somewhere in between affecting the amount of power getting to the flasher. My bike is 1980 gs1100 that's quite a Frankenstein electrically and cosmetically, but the mechanics are great.

[mmattockx]

Before you ground out the "L" pin, check to see what the others are.

I have seen pins labelled B, L and G or E. Think of them as Battery, Load and Ground or Earth.
Battery should connect to your power source.
Load should be routed to the turn signal switch
G (E) should be your ground.

A million internet points to Steve for the pin legend explanation I needed. I grounded the "E" terminal and everything worked as it should. Magic blinky lights at the flip of a switch!

Now I need to know where to get a replacement for that funky spade connector and the proper multi-stranded wire for making up a ground wire and all the other wiring work that I will do along the way. I would re-use the old connector but I can't get the smaller of the two crimps open again. The material is surprisingly hard for what looks like brass and has so far resisted all my efforts. It doesn't help that the crimp is very small and completely flattened. I suppose I could cut the existing wire off and solder the ground wire onto the connector instead but I am trying to not butcher the OEM harness any more than is necessary.

Any help on the wiring front?


Mark

[81GS850]

No butchering of the wiring harness is necessary... Also don't need to get a new plug for the turn signal relay... They make relays with the terminals switched in the right direction, sounds like you go the wrong relay. Mines an tridon ep34 relay with the L in the center and the E on the right. This plug in just fine on my 850. Does your TSCU work? If not, cut off THAT plug and leave some wiring left. Run the blue/black wire to the ground a voila. No butchering of the bikes wiring harness.

Edit: you got the backwards relay. You need the one that goes the other way, if you don't wanna cut up the stock harness.

[posplayr]

This thread is way too long, here is a picture of the plug for the 3 pronged OEM flasher.

You can stick a newer LED compatibile flasher right into the same plug.

O/G is the switched ignition circuit (+12V) from the fuse box; leave that alone

Light Blue is the load (i.e. the signal lamps operated through the directional switch) ; leave that alone.

The only complications is the Black/Blue (B/Bl) wire which is the control signal from the TCSU. The newer OEM flashers will only flash when Bl/B is grounded.

There are several ways of doing that either cutting the wire and grounding it in the harness or using an dead TCSU with it's connector to loop back the B/W into the B/Bl.

As per this description there was no reason to have cut that entire connector off. If you have grounded teh B/Bl then obvioulsy you ahve defeated teh Auto Cancel function coming from the TSCU.




This is one solution to retaining the TSCU with a new LED compatiable flasher relay.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?218717-Harness-Installed-TSCU-MOD-for-LED-Conversions&highlight=TSCU