Brake Light Issue

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StuartKeith
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Ok all bar the ignition harness is unplugged from the headstock. All over connections unplugged. Still shorting. Loom is wrapped am I going to need to remove the loom to find the issue? I'm testing with a multi meter. Should I get continuity from the white green at the fuse box to ground or not?
 
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StuartKeith
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Ok all bar the ignition harness is unplugged from the headstock. All over connections unplugged. Still shorting. Loom is wrapped am I going to need to remove the loom to find the issue? I'm testing with a multi meter. Should I get continuity from the white green at the fuse box to ground or not?
 
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StuartKeith
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RIght here is a quick video.


I have also put the light bulb from the gree/w to the frame and it also lights when the ignition is on, just case I have not done it the correct way in the video. I am also getting continuity on the Metre from the G/W wire to the Blue/aqua wires on the harness for the left-hand switch gear.

Is this correct? or is this the issue that the feed is shorting to the indicator wires?
 
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Ok with bulb plugged into fuse it's on full constantly. I've removed the tank again and rear lights as well
Then you need to look for where the green/white wire is accidentally being grounded.

It should either be visibly physically damaged/pinched against metal, or melted inside the wire harness.
 
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Should I get continuity from the white green at the fuse box to ground or not?
No, it should be floating (neither hot nor grounded) if the flasher is unplugged and neither brake switch is engaged. Unplug the little wires at both brake switches to be sure.

With it shorted, yes, it will show as solidly grounded with the short circuit still happening.
 
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I saw that, but didn't twig on to it meaning high beam. To many abbreviations!
"Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put on K.P." ~ Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam
 
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I have also put the light bulb from the gree/w to the frame and it also lights when the ignition is on, just case I have not done it the correct way in the video.
You should not have disconnected all of those other connectors. There was no reason to.

I can not tell how you had it connected in your video, but it doesn't matter.

Do these two tests and let us know the results:

Connect one wire of the bulb to the green/white wire, then touch the other wire to each battery terminal, one at a time.

Ideally, it should not light up at all in either test with the three points I mentioned all disconnected.

Normally (no short, fuses in, key on), it should light up with the other bulb wire on battery -.

With the short circuit, it should light up with the other bulb wire on battery +.

It should never light up with the other bulb wire contacting both battery terminals (one at a time).

Message me if you would like my phone number.
 
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StuartKeith
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No, it should be floating (neither hot nor grounded) if the flasher is unplugged and neither brake switch is engaged. Unplug the little wires at both brake switches to be sure.

With it shorted, yes, it will show as solidly grounded with the short circuit still happening.
So I Need to start stripping back the harness tape then and find the white wire in the entire harness and check? I also tested from the white/green on the relay module connector to the green on the relay connector, and it shorts. so is this the short? Or am I clutching here?
 
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StuartKeith
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I am also getting a beep from the white/green on the fuse box to the left and right wire for the indicator on the plug on the loom end where it joins controls
 
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So I Need to start stripping back the harness tape then and find the white wire in the entire harness and check?
Not yet! That's why we're doing these troubleshooting tests first.

I also tested from the white/green on the relay module connector to the green on the relay connector, and it shorts. so is this the short? Or am I clutching here?
The solid green wire is ground, or battery -. The green/white and the green should not show continuity (with the flasher out and neither brake-light switch activated).

By "it shorts" do you mean it blows a fuse or it indicates continuity. If the latter, yes, that's the problem.

Under normal conditions, you should have voltage between the green/white and the green terminals.
 
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I am also getting a beep from the white/green on the fuse box to the left and right wire for the indicator on the plug on the loom end where it joins controls
A beep? Continuity tester? Don't bother. Your headlight bulb or a bulb-type tester is the best tool.

Any wire that tests as grounded will light a bulb between that wire and battery +.

Any wire that tests as hot will light a bulb between that wire and battery -.
 
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StuartKeith
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Connect one wire of the bulb to the green/white wire, then touch the other wire to each battery terminal, one at a time.
Which part of the green and white wire? at the fuse box or at an end point?

When you say each battery terminal, do you mean the red/blacks at the fuse box, or the actually +/- on the battery?

Do you use whats app? if so can do a video call
 
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Which part of the green and white wire? at the fuse box or at an end point?
Any, all, it doesn't matter. All points along a given wire are the same wire.

That's why either brake-light switch can activate the same light.

When you say each battery terminal, do you mean the red/blacks at the fuse box, or the actually +/- on the battery?
The battery terminals themselves are easy to reach and leave no doubt what you're actually connecting.

Do you use whats app? if so can do a video call
No, but I'm really good at doing this without seeing it.
 
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Found the fault. Thanks for all the help. Turns out that when I put the last remaining engine mounts on I crushed the wire just above the rear brake light switch
That'll do it. It ended up being what I described in post #11, as the logic dictated it would.

Put a couple of wraps of electrical tape around that one wire, then a few around the whole bundle.

Glad you found it, hope the help was helpful, and hope you get everything else put back together.

For future reference: http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=3908.0
 
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StuartKeith
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Yes thanks. Didn't know the light trick. Have the Haynes manual so did work out from there what wire was the issue.jist didn't know how to test.
 

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That'll do it. It ended up being what I described in post #11, as the logic dictated it would.

Put a couple of wraps of electrical tape around that one wire, then a few around the whole bundle.

Glad you found it, hope the help was helpful, and hope you get everything else put back together.

For future reference: http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=3908.0
Great job helping the poster troubleshoot Larry and having the discussion on here helps everyone!

I laughed when you said "logic dictated that" ....Not for me it doesn't. :) I'm very electrically handicapped. :)
Nice to have your skill set on a forum like this.
 
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Found the fault. Turns out that when I put the last remaining engine mounts on I crushed the wire just above the rear brake light switch
I'm curious how you found the problem - was it visually by following the loom covered cables or by following Larry's instructions? If the latter how did that narrow it down?

I went back to your first post and reread this thread. I was curious about the path to the solution. @ST_SVK was the first to suggest a pinched wire, I reiterated his idea and pointed out that when something stops working after a project, it was usually that work that caused the failure (which you denied ("I only changed the engine")). @Andrew Shadow also supported the pinched wire idea.

I'm not trying to assign any blame here, I'm trying to figure out how best to troubleshoot electrical faults. As an electrician, I found the problem was most often visually identifiable and obvious once I looked in the right place.* Tracing a circuit was usually slow and laborious, and did not bear fruit unless I was dealing with multiple splice boxes with many wires. We learned an important troubleshooting technique from @Larry Fine here, and it will help many of us.

*Residential electric codes do not tell the electrician where to run his wires and blue prints are rarely available. Even if they are, outlets, switches and lights are simply shown as symbols and the circuitry is up to the installer. An electrician may make a splice in the conductors for a circuit in any convenient box, even if it is not part of that circuit. Finding that elusive loose wirenut then becomes more an exercise in logic than electrical theory. Often 'local knowledge' - how the old guys wired things is more useful than your tester.
 
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