 Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
Complete Newb
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OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19 |
Recently bought a Triumph America and installed a Triumph light bar on Monday. It was working fine last night, but this morning I noticed the new lights weren't on. Ripped everything apart tonight, and I think I have a burned out relay. I'm getting 12 volts at the coil posts, and there is no resistance across them, so the coil is fine, but the relay is not closing. Lights work fine when I manually close the circuit.
Cheap fix to install a new relay, but any thoughts on what could be wrong? Just a bad one, or do I have a systemic problem and will break the next one just as fast?
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877 |
Wired the relay backwards maybe?
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
Complete Newb
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OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19 |
I don't think you can do that -- it only goes in one way, and the factory bar plugs right into the existing wiring, so I couldn't have screwed that up. I don't think.
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877 |
Oh ok, so it's a pre-fab wiring harness deal. Hmmm. All I can think of is a lot of people have talked about chafed wires. Brad did (bradleyD) so maybe do a search for something like "lightbar woes" I think that's the name of the thread. Might find some useful info. Shorted out wires? Blown fuse maybe?
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
Complete Newb
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OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19 |
Okay, sorry to post too soon. Relay maybe isn't the problem. The posts line up nicely with 9 volt battery terminals, and it closes just fine. Maybe not enough amperage on the bike? Anyone know how much juice it takes to get the relay to close?
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877 |
I wanna say that is a separate fuse... Check it. Something might have shorted it out. And the wires can chafe on the edge of the light housing.
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,362
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,362 |
Quote:
Anyone know how much juice it takes to get the relay to close?
About 200mA. If the bike can't supply that it won't run at all.  If shorting out the supply pins of the relay lights up the lights and the voltage & earth check out on the coild side of the relay chances are you just got a dodgy relay which you can replace with any relay of the same type from any auto shop for $2. If not, I'd start looking at fuses.
Matt
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 455
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 455 |
Have you checked the 5 Amp fuse (#8, I believe)? There's a nice schematic of the fuse box layout in the Vault. Also, in this thread, there is a nice schematic of the lightbar at the bottom by Jay. I've printed both and added them to my shop manual.
Brad
Neon Blue '05 SM
Where are the pedals on this thing?
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
Complete Newb
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OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19 |
Well, three blown five amp fuses later, I think we have a contender. Any thoughts?
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 395
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 395 |
Even though the wire ends have protetive covers they can and did short out on me when I installed my light bars.Electican`s tape took care of the problem for me.
"Big" Jack Wilson
Mishawaka,IN.
2010 Thunderbird
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,362
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,362 |
If it's fuse #8 that's blowing, it can only be dodgy wiring on the coil side of the relay, or a dodgy relay itself (short circuit internally). You said there was no internal resistance on the coil of the relay, that's consistant with a dodgy relay. Get a new one and try that... it's probably the same price as 5 fuses anyway so you're not gonna lose much if I'm wrong, and you'll have ruled out one possibility.
Matt
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
Complete Newb
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OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 19 |
It was the switch on the left light shell. Taking that out fixed the short.
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7 |
Quote:
It was the switch on the left light shell. Taking that out fixed the short.
If you put the switch on the console and put a rubber plug in the left light housing you can eliminate the shorting problem in the light housing and make the switch much more accessible. I also powered the relay off the high beam light in the console so the light bar only comes on when the high beams are on.
We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.
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Re: Headlight Bar Relay burnout
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877 |
I think that was Brad's problem too...
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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