LIGHTS OUT - Front Running Lights, Tail Light & Turn Signals

Mike Aldea · Jun 26, 2016

I was out riding today and I noticed the turn signal indicators on my 2006 Gen II were very hard to see in the bright Sun light with Sun glasses on. I'm thinking I need to add some LED turn signal indicators to make them more visible. But when I take the sun glasses off I still can't see the indicators. What the F . . . !

So I put on my Hazards and take a walk around my motor. Nothing . . . no signals, no front running lights, no tail light. Thankfully I've still got brake lights and headlights. A check of my owners manual doesn't even show a fuse for the tail light or running lights. I check the Signaling System fuse and that appears to be good. Does the Signaling System even have anything to do with the Turn Signals? I check one of the Turn Signal bulbs and it looks good.

If this was my old Concours I'd say I have a bad junction box. Although a bad junction box would also have eliminated the headlights. Try riding from Vermont to New Jersey after dark with no lights of any kind. But that is another story.

I find the lack of fuses for the different light circuits very strange. Usually electrical problems are the one thing I'm good at solving but in this case I'm stumped on where to start troubleshooting.

Has anyone experienced or heard of anything like this before?

Donal · Jun 27, 2016

It has all the hallmarks of a spider bite.

I would start with the S6 spider, it's under the glove box. You should be able to get to it by removing the left hand side panel.

Fred W · Jun 27, 2016

Turn Signals, Hazard Lights, Running Lights and License plate light all come off the "Hazard Lighting Fuse"

The "Signal" fuse powers the brake lights, horn, and counter-intuitively also powers the windshield motor, accessory box solenoid, and optional heated grips.

Here's your fuse layout:

Hazard fuse should be a 10A fuse.

Donal · Jun 27, 2016

^^^^^ That makes a lot more sense than a spider bite - it accounts for all the 'problems' you mentioned.

Mike Aldea · Jun 27, 2016

Fred W said:
Turn Signals, Hazard Lights, Running Lights and License plate light all come off the "Hazard Lighting Fuse"
The "Signal" fuse powers the brake lights, horn, and counter-intuitively also powers the windshield motor, accessory box solenoid, and optional heated grips.

Here's your fuse layout:

Hazard fuse should be a 10A fuse.

It sure would be nice if the Owners Manual or Shop Manual told you exactly what circuits are protected by what fuses. If it turns out to be the Hazard Fuse blew creating my issue, then the question will be what caused it to blow. I think I better buy some spare fuses that will fit into that fuse box.

Thanks for all the leads. I will let you know what I find.

Fred W · Jun 27, 2016

Mike Aldea said:
It sure would be nice if the Owners Manual or Shop Manual told you exactly what circuits are protected by what fuses.

Well, it does actually. It's called the wiring diagram. That's where I got that information from.

rbentnail · Jun 27, 2016

Fred W said:
Mike Aldea said:

It sure would be nice if the Owners Manual or Shop Manual told you exactly what circuits are protected by what fuses.

Click to expand...

Well, it does actually. It's called the wiring diagram. That's where I got that information from.

The el-cheapo Haynes manual has that info too. JS...

Mike Aldea · Jun 27, 2016

It is nice that the information can be gleaned from a wiring diagram in a shop manual but not every owner has one or carries it with him while traveling. I'm lucky that I was only on a day ride and not touring. The information should be readily available in the Owners Manual.

Ignacio · Jun 27, 2016

The information should be readily available in the Owners Manual.

Wow. You've highlighted a serious first-world problem there!

Wait. It's seems to be a moving target because you first said:

It sure would be nice if the Owners Manual or Shop Manual told you exactly what circuits are protected by what fuses.

.....I'd imagine that if they did include all the details you'd want in the owners manual...it might be a bit too big to carry on rides then. But I digress.

Has anyone experienced or heard of anything like this before?

Yes. A very dark middle-of-nowhere in Idaho a few years and very happy the owner's manual showed me where the fuse panels are, labels them satisfactorily to easily narrow the fuse in a road-side situation.

I think I noodled that it was either the Fuse or the Signal one, but ATC fuses are remarkably easy to tell if they're good or not. And even if I hadn't narrowed down to the one or two....there aren't that many to pull out and visually check. Guess which one is good and which two are bad?

Fred W · Jun 27, 2016

Aw c'mon Matt.

I can tell the left one must be no good 'cause it's never been installed in a fuse socket and has no scratches on the prongs.

Just kidding, but not everyone is savvy when it comes to these electrical devices. Just read the first half of "Zen, and the art of motocrcycle maintenance" and you'll come to understand why. We just aren't all "wired" that way.

Mike Aldea · Jun 27, 2016

During the last 50 years every vehicle I've owned, two wheels or four, until I bought my FJR had an Owners Manual that listed all the circuits protected by each fuse. That information must have taken up a whole page in the manual. Weight being so critical for performance and the FJR being so under powered I can understand why Yamaha thought it important to avoid making the Owners Manual too big. But I'm an old fart who is used to having electrical information readily available. You can't expect me to get out the magnifying glass to read a circuit diagram every time a circuit stops working.

wheatonFJR · Jun 27, 2016

For your own use, you might want to make a cheat sheet for which fuses cover which circuits.

Fred W · Jun 27, 2016

Mike Aldea said:
You can't expect me to get out the magnifying glass to read a circuit diagram every time a circuit stops working.

Oh? really? And yet... I did just that for you in the matter of a few minutes.

The outpouring of gratitude is overwhelming

NTXFJR · Jun 27, 2016

^^^Haha! Are there any aftermarket items attached to that circuit?

Mike Aldea · Jun 27, 2016

Fred W said:
Mike Aldea said:

You can't expect me to get out the magnifying glass to read a circuit diagram every time a circuit stops working.

Click to expand...

Oh? really? And yet... I did just that for you in the matter of a few minutes.

The outpouring of gratitude is overwhelming

Gee Fred, I thought I thanked you in Post #5.

Well let me make it clear that i appreciate your effort and will happily buy you a cold adult beverage the next time we meet. And that goes for every body else . . . even Matt.

Mike Aldea · Jul 18, 2016

As predicted the Hazard Fuse was blown. Replaced the fuse and it did not blow. Went riding for four hours with no problem.

A few days later I went riding again and after four hours the fuse blew again. Replaced the fuse and it blew after 10 minutes. Replaced it again and it blew 3 minutes later so I finished the ride with the circuit not working.

Now I'm trying to troubleshoot the issue. Replaced the fuse and everything is working. Not sure where to look for the short. I don't suppose I'm going to be able to avoid having to remove the cowling in order to find the problem.

I supposed I could replace the 10 amp fuse with a 25 amp fuse and then just follow the smoke to the source of the problem . . . but that seems counter productive. Any and all other suggestions will be appreciated.

Btw Fred, I took a look at an electrical diagram in a 2009 Service Manual and I never would have figured out the fuse for this circuit without your help. Thanks again!.

RaYzerman19 · Jul 18, 2016

You may want to remove the front fairing inner panels and inspect the front turn signal light connectors. They are not waterproofed and I've seen a few greeny corroded ones........... it's the first place I'd look before digging too far elsewhere.

Fred W · Jul 19, 2016

First off, Mike, you are welcome. It's what I do in life (electronic troubleshooting) and I find it enjoyable challenge, especially when it doesn't involve the "pressure to get it fixed" that I don't enjoy so much at work.

So, let's look at this logically: As mentioned earlier we have the following devices being fed by the hazard fuse, which is only blowing intermittently:

Turn Signals, Hazard Lights, Running Lights and License plate light all come off the "Hazard Lighting Fuse"

The running lights and plate light are on any time the bike is. The turn signals (and hazard signals which is just all 4 turn signals at the same time) only come on when you use them. Since the fuse blows only intermittently, it is probable that the problem is in the turn signals somewhere.

Do you recall having used the turn signals during your testing? Maybe the times it lasted longer you made fewer turns in one direction or the other?

I would start the troubleshooting by pulling out the 4 turn signal bulbs and eye balling them for problems like being wet or corrosion. Pay attention to the bulb filaments too in case one has burnt and is now shorting internally.

You might be able to isolate which side is the culprit at the cost of another fuse by just turning on the turn signals on one side or the other. The problem may be in the wiring harness, but it is more likely in the sockets or bulbs themselves.

Good luck!

Ignacio · Jul 19, 2016

Mike Aldea said:
Now I'm trying to troubleshoot the issue. Replaced the fuse and everything is working. Not sure where to look for the short. I don't suppose I'm going to be able to avoid having to remove the cowling in order to find the problem.

I supposed I could replace the 10 amp fuse with a 25 amp fuse and then just follow the smoke to the source of the problem . . . but that seems counter productive. Any and all other suggestions will be appreciated.

Doing all the things Fred suggested is wise.

That all said...2006 with presumably a substantial amount of miles....I mentioned spotting a fuse in the middle of Idaho....one of the more extreme possibilities is a wiring harness rub through as it goes around the cylinder head. A key phrase to search for on various threads on the subject is highlighted for you. When it popped a fuse while in the garage...tracing the smoke took less than 10 minutes including time to raise the tank.

LIGHTS OUT - Front Running Lights, Tail Light & Turn Signals

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