Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Guys, this is different to the Blown Bulb Blues thread... this time on my FI (1998 5th gen), one of the rear bulbs' parking filament keeps blowing. The braking filament remains intact. It's happened now with three consecutive bulbs, I've tested the voltage and amperage coming in at the connectors, everything seems fine. No major peaks in readings when reving up over 10,000 RPM, I've let her heat up, I've swapped the sockets over to eliminate the socket as the problem. It's definitely something else. Possibly a peak in voltage which didn't show up during the testing I performed with the multimeter... any ideas? I Found a possible rubbing point but the insulation on the wires themselves was still ok. I wrapped it up nice and immobilized it with some zip ties. I'm currently getting around with just one parker glowing, which obviously makes braking stand out more for those behind me, but I don't want to attract the attention of the boys in blue... I'm not the worlds most competent electrician so, maybe I'm not testing right... I'm thinking of putting an in-line fuse in to the positive lead to at least save on bulbs... fuses are worth 5 cents, bulbs cost 7.00 €. How many Amps should I make the fuse?? 2 A?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Does the 98 have two seperate bulbs like the 02 has? Is it the same one(top or bottom) that keeps blowing? Maybe reverse the wiring from top to bottom to see if it follows? I can't think of anything that would blow them but excess voltage....maybe use a multi-meter as a voltmeter(assuming you don't have a voltgauge) to test that you don't get spikes there? I suppose you could put a voltage regulator circuit on it, but that seems like bandaid to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer toro1 Posted April 1, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted April 1, 2008 I had a similar problem when I first got my bike. The brake light circuit kept blowing fuses -- not the bulbs, but the fuses -- and it was driving me crazy. Turns out the controls were rotated down a bit much and the brake light switch was making contact with the fork tube. Somehow it was grounding through the rubber boot, so I wrapped it with electrical tape, turned the controls up a bit, and I haven't blown a fuse since. I'd start at the beginning -- does it blow the lights when either switch is activated, or is it related to a specific one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Does the 98 have two seperate bulbs like the 02 has? Is it the same one(top or bottom) that keeps blowing? Maybe reverse the wiring from top to bottom to see if it follows? I can't think of anything that would blow them but excess voltage....maybe use a multi-meter as a voltmeter(assuming you don't have a voltgauge) to test that you don't get spikes there? I suppose you could put a voltage regulator circuit on it, but that seems like bandaid to me. It has two, but side by sde. Yes, always the same side See below from original post Did that Guys, this is different to the Blown Bulb Blues thread... this time on my FI (1998 5th gen), one of the rear bulbs' parking filament keeps blowing. The braking filament remains intact. It's happened now with three consecutive bulbs, I've tested the voltage and amperage coming in at the connectors, everything seems fine. No major peaks in readings when reving up over 10,000 RPM, I've let her heat up, I've swapped the sockets over to eliminate the socket as the problem. It's definitely something else. Possibly a peak in voltage which didn't show up during the testing I performed with the multimeter... any ideas?I Found a possible rubbing point but the insulation on the wires themselves was still ok. I wrapped it up nice and immobilized it with some zip ties. I'm currently getting around with just one parker glowing, which obviously makes braking stand out more for those behind me, but I don't want to attract the attention of the boys in blue... I'm not the worlds most competent electrician so, maybe I'm not testing right... I'm thinking of putting an in-line fuse in to the positive lead to at least save on bulbs... fuses are worth 5 cents, bulbs cost 7.00 €. How many Amps should I make the fuse?? 2 A?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 I had a similar problem when I first got my bike. The brake light circuit kept blowing fuses -- not the bulbs, but the fuses -- and it was driving me crazy. Turns out the controls were rotated down a bit much and the brake light switch was making contact with the fork tube. Somehow it was grounding through the rubber boot, so I wrapped it with electrical tape, turned the controls up a bit, and I haven't blown a fuse since.I'd start at the beginning -- does it blow the lights when either switch is activated, or is it related to a specific one? It's no the brake filament that blows, it's the parker... the one that's always on and glows less. I've been through the brake-filament-stuck-on-and-glowing-constantly-until-it-blows issue before, but that was on my VTECker, and the problem was the rear brake switch would get stuck in the on position... THIS TIME IT'S THE PARKER FILAMENT THAT BLOWS... The fuses are all fine and when I tested the wires there were no peaks in voltage or amperage... if I do put an in-line fuse to at least have the fuses (10 cents) blow instead of the bulb (7.00 €) how many Amps should the fuse be?? I know this is just a cost reducing bandaid, it doesn't fix the problem, but until I can isolate the problem I' d like t save on bulbs!!! Tearing my hair out again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AussieinUSA Posted April 1, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted April 1, 2008 Maybe check with Rick Asslee, bastage :fing02: Sorry cant help ya with this mate, beyond my knowledge but thought the guy in ya other post could...............still having a hard time keeping breakfast down........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted April 1, 2008 Forum CEO Share Posted April 1, 2008 I got tired of my rear running lights blowing too, I ordered some LED's from this place http://superlumination.com I also bought some of the wedge type LED lights, and some replacement connectors too, since the leads had come apart. I just cut off the old ones and soldiered in the new gray connectors. They had some connectors that fit into the slots in the rear light compartment. I had to remove a tab from the new connectors with my dremel in order to make it fit. The new ones have beefier wires, and they dont have that 90 degree connector that was the source of my problems. I tried to solider repair those 90 degree connectors a number of times but gave up and just cut them off in favor of all new connectors. I think the reason I was having blow outs in the running lights was not so much voltage spikes but intermittant connections, caused by exessive vibration. The 90 degree connector was prone to comming loose and not making connection, along with wires comming apart, so I cut the damn things off and replaced the whole thing with somthing better. rewired running lights with led wedges I also had a front headlight connector burn up and completely melt to my left headlight - I replaced that as well with a better ceramic connector from the same place. They sell connectors - LED bulbs, LED arrays and more. the wedge type LEDS I got are light weight and are not prone to vibration. new headlight connector I bought http://superlumination.com/connectors.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Have you tried swapping the good one into the side the blows and installed a new one on the other side? You might have bought some bad bulbs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Have you tried swapping the good one into the side the blows and installed a new one on the other side? You might have bought some bad bulbs... Yes, I stated that I have tried swapping bulbs and even sockets, in order to apply a process of elimination, the results point to it being at least from the connector back along the wires somewhere... but thanks anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear22099 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I had a similar problem when I first got my bike. The brake light circuit kept blowing fuses -- not the bulbs, but the fuses -- and it was driving me crazy. Turns out the controls were rotated down a bit much and the brake light switch was making contact with the fork tube. Somehow it was grounding through the rubber boot, so I wrapped it with electrical tape, turned the controls up a bit, and I haven't blown a fuse since.I'd start at the beginning -- does it blow the lights when either switch is activated, or is it related to a specific one? It's no the brake filament that blows, it's the parker... the one that's always on and glows less. I've been through the brake-filament-stuck-on-and-glowing-constantly-until-it-blows issue before, but that was on my VTECker, and the problem was the rear brake switch would get stuck in the on position... THIS TIME IT'S THE PARKER FILAMENT THAT BLOWS... The fuses are all fine and when I tested the wires there were no peaks in voltage or amperage... if I do put an in-line fuse to at least have the fuses (10 cents) blow instead of the bulb (7.00 €) how many Amps should the fuse be?? I know this is just a cost reducing bandaid, it doesn't fix the problem, but until I can isolate the problem I' d like t save on bulbs!!! Tearing my hair out again... You are thinking too much. The amperage is simply a function of voltage and resistance. So forget the amperage part completely. The resistance is in the bulb (that is what makes it glow) and in the connections from the power source to the bulb. If you have any resistance in this circuit, the bulb will be dimmer and will not blow. If you have no resistance in the circuit then you cannot possibly get more than operating voltage to the bulb. So check your charging voltage, make sure it does not exceed 14.5 volts. Adding a fuse will do nothing but add some resistance to the circuit from the extra connections. It will not limit the voltage going to the bulb. What will blow a bulb though is vibration. Make sure the actual lense assy is not touching the subframe, and check that the rubber is still on the socket where it meets the lense. The lense assy should not be "tight", it should move slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 I got tired of my rear running lights blowing too, I ordered some LED's from this placehttp://superlumination.com I also bought some of the wedge type LED lights, and some replacement connectors too, since the leads had come apart. I just cut off the old ones and soldiered in the new gray connectors. They had some connectors that fit into the slots in the rear light compartment. I had to remove a tab from the new connectors with my dremel in order to make it fit. The new ones have beefier wires, and they dont have that 90 degree connector that was the source of my problems. I tried to solider repair those 90 degree connectors a number of times but gave up and just cut them off in favor of all new connectors. I think the reason I was having blow outs in the running lights was not so much voltage spikes but intermittant connections, caused by exessive vibration. The 90 degree connector was prone to comming loose and not making connection, along with wires comming apart, so I cut the damn things off and replaced the whole thing with somthing better. rewired running lights with led wedges I also had a front headlight connector burn up and completely melt to my left headlight - I replaced that as well with a better ceramic connector from the same place. They sell connectors - LED bulbs, LED arrays and more. the wedge type LEDS I got are light weight and are not prone to vibration. This is good to know and very useful, firsthand info. Thanks a millioin HS!! So you're saying that the new grey sockets need a tab cut off them to fit into the housing? The rear can sure get a lot of vibration and bumping about. Hmmmm, so it could well be those connectors, they certainly don't seem all that great, and in order to get them out one almost always ends up pulling on the wires while depressng the lock-tab... which will screw up the connections in the end... While I'm sussing out the LED option... I'll install an in-line fuse to save on bulbs... hwo many Amps guys? My readings showed it never got up to 0.8 Amps, seem to recall an average of around 0.6 A. So a 1 Amp fuse will protect my bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 I had a similar problem when I first got my bike. The brake light circuit kept blowing fuses -- not the bulbs, but the fuses -- and it was driving me crazy. Turns out the controls were rotated down a bit much and the brake light switch was making contact with the fork tube. Somehow it was grounding through the rubber boot, so I wrapped it with electrical tape, turned the controls up a bit, and I haven't blown a fuse since.I'd start at the beginning -- does it blow the lights when either switch is activated, or is it related to a specific one? It's no the brake filament that blows, it's the parker... the one that's always on and glows less. I've been through the brake-filament-stuck-on-and-glowing-constantly-until-it-blows issue before, but that was on my VTECker, and the problem was the rear brake switch would get stuck in the on position... THIS TIME IT'S THE PARKER FILAMENT THAT BLOWS... The fuses are all fine and when I tested the wires there were no peaks in voltage or amperage... if I do put an in-line fuse to at least have the fuses (10 cents) blow instead of the bulb (7.00 €) how many Amps should the fuse be?? I know this is just a cost reducing bandaid, it doesn't fix the problem, but until I can isolate the problem I' d like t save on bulbs!!! Tearing my hair out again... You are thinking too much. The amperage is simply a function of voltage and resistance. So forget the amperage part completely. The resistance is in the bulb (that is what makes it glow) and in the connections from the power source to the bulb. If you have any resistance in this circuit, the bulb will be dimmer and will not blow. If you have no resistance in the circuit then you cannot possibly get more than operating voltage to the bulb. So check your charging voltage, make sure it does not exceed 14.5 volts. Adding a fuse will do nothing but add some resistance to the circuit from the extra connections. It will not limit the voltage going to the bulb. What will blow a bulb though is vibration. Make sure the actual lense assy is not touching the subframe, and check that the rubber is still on the socket where it meets the lense. The lense assy should not be "tight", it should move slightly. OK, I hadn't seen this when posting again about the fuse... will follow through on this check ASAP, the rubber gromet if I recall rightly, seemed fine. This would explain the two male rubber locating points that face rearward into which one must slot the corresponding female parts when fitting the entire rear tail fairing with the lense asay built into it... seems to be an anti-vibration device... back shortly... but figure I will have to do the LED light swap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you try switching the wiring from side to side as well? This would take either the wiring or the bulb mounting/vibration out of the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you try switching the wiring from side to side as well? This would take either the wiring or the bulb mounting/vibration out of the equation. I figure switching the sockets over, left and right, would be the equivalent of swapping the wires+conector over, left and right. I doubt the vibrations could vary dramatically from one side to the other. It's either the socket, the connector, or the wiring. The vibration should be the same for both bulbs. Unless I just experienced the rather large coincidence of two consecutive dodgy bulbs... Perhaps its further up the wires... I don't know where they originate... but the readings were witin spec... I hope it's not the R/R entering into intermittent failure... it's almost new... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Put a voltmeter on it(even a DVM will work) and ride it around(won't that suck to do :P). Look for any voltage above 15 as being bad....and if the R/R is the problem lets figure it out before the year warranty runs out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Put a voltmeter on it(even a DVM will work) and ride it around(won't that suck to do :P). Look for any voltage above 15 as being bad....and if the R/R is the problem lets figure it out before the year warranty runs out! Thanks for lookin' out Josh... well, I'm going to try something a little more basic first as I've just discovered this rubber gromet in the pic was missing: Well, not missing, just not in place... I had found it some time ago and not knowing where it was from (first I thought the rubber in the front pair of bolts that hold the fuel tank on... then I thought of the rubber grommets where the tailpipe fixes to the rear footpeg... but in the end... I'm kicking myself as I could have sworn I checked those two rubbers... I only took the rear fairing off 10 times in the last week!!! :cool: So I'll drop a new bulb in there and trust that it was just the extra vibrations getting through to the bulb... it's gotta be that. And it would explain why only the bulb on that side would blow, even when changing the sockets and wiring over... yes sir, the power of elimination... Thanks to all and sundry for their concern. HS was right!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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