Electrical - Constant power to tail light not working and..

CDN_Scott

Hi everyone,

I have a 2000 Honda ST1100. My tail light does not stay lite until I engage the brake. I can't seem to find where the constant power would be inturrupted. I checked the fuses and no issues.
The other problem I have is with the left turn signal. The right turn signal works fine but the left turn signal won't blink.

I tried to check some voltage however something poped and now I don't have constant power to the front signal lights or the tail light.

I replaced the left signal light housing as I found in another article however the problem still exists....
net battery - yes installed
different light bulbs tried - yes same result.
any assistance - greatly appreciated.

#goraptors
 
Are you sure you used the correct light bulbs ? Did they have two filaments ?

I believe the BRAKE light is coming on when you hit the brake. It sounds like your two TAIL LIGHT filaments ( one in each bulb) aren't being energized.

If you have a voltmeter, it's a simple matter to measure the voltage going into BOTH tail / brake light bulbs.
I'll look at my schematic and may add to the above.

EDIT: The Brown wire to each of the bulb connectors should have +12 volts with the ignition switch on.

Are you headlights working ?
 
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A dirty turn signal switch is not uncommon on these bikes and can cause the signals to behave erratically. Try squirting some contact cleaner into the switch mechanism and work it back and forth. You can also disassemble the switch for a more thorough cleaning and greasing.
 
Jim Van said:
Are you sure you used the correct light bulbs ? Did they have two filaments ?

I believe the BRAKE light is coming on when you hit the brake. It sounds like your two TAIL LIGHT filaments ( one in each bulb) aren't being energized.

If you have a voltmeter, it's a simple matter to measure the voltage going into BOTH tail / brake light bulbs.
I'll look at my schematic and may add to the above.

EDIT: The Brown wire to each of the bulb connectors should have +12 volts with the ignition switch on.

Are you headlights working ?
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Hello, yes the headlight is working. I will check the voltage tomorrow. I was away this weekend. Thanks for the advice.
 
MV_Dave said:
A dirty turn signal switch is not uncommon on these bikes and can cause the signals to behave erratically. Try squirting some contact cleaner into the switch mechanism and work it back and forth. You can also disassemble the switch for a more thorough cleaning and greasing.
Click to expand...
Hi, I did clean the turn signal switch last season. I'll try that again too. Thanks for the reminder.
 
Hi, I'm back again. so, I have no constant power to my brake light bulbs or my turn signal bulbs. the turn signal bulbs flash when enabled and the brake light lights up when applied.
I have power showing for the 'blinking' signal light bulb and the same time I have power to what is the constant power wire however the lights do not stay on after I turn off the flasher.
I am going to pick up a volt meter however it looks to be a bigger issue. Is there a fuse I'm missing that I need to check? is there a bypass I could use to have constant power to the lights?

I have the original shop manual with the wiring diagrams however I can't figure out if there is a fuse somewhere that I cannot see that needs to be replaced. I do recall hearing a pop when this problem first occurred. Thanks in advance
 
Check your fuses in the fuse block behind the left side panel. There's a 15A fuse that supplies power to the tail lights (slot "B", 2nd from the left, I believe). Replace it with a known good 15A fuse (even if it looks like it's okay) and see if that does it.

Your turn signals won't come on unless you activate them. That's normal.
 
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CDN_Scott said:
I have power showing for the 'blinking' signal light bulb and the same time I have power to what is the constant power wire

I have the original shop manual with the wiring diagrams however I can't figure out if there is a fuse somewhere that I cannot see that needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...
the schematic shows fuse/connector/switch information so you should be able to trace things out with a little patience. As previously mentioned fuse "B" would be suspicious.

When you activate the turn signal switch the solid color wire for the side you selected should be hot (blinking), and the wire with the white stripe should not have any voltage going to it. The other side should remain hot on the wire with the white stripe.

When the turn signal switch is not activated the white stripe wires should both be hot (L/R) and both solid color wires have no voltage.

Not sure if I understood your comment correctly, are you getting both filaments illuminated on the same side at the same time when you engage the turn signal???
 
Shawn K said:
Check your fuses in the fuse block behind the left side panel. There's a 15A fuse that supplies power to the tail lights (slot "B", 2nd from the left, I believe). Replace it with a known good 15A fuse (even if it looks like it's okay) and see if that does it.

Your turn signals won't come on unless you activate them. That's normal.
Click to expand...


OOOPS

I just re-read the first post and realized that the OP is referring to an ST1100. What I wrote was a response for an ST1300. I have no idea if what I wrote was correct or not.

Rather than delete my other post, I'll just apologize here.

Carry on...
 
Ok...

Headlights - low beam / high beam - work properly?
Running lights - light up when you turn the ignition on? Go out when you turn the blinkers on? Don't come back on when you turn the blinkers off?
Turn signals - work properly?
Tail lights - work properly?
Brake lights - don't light?

When you say you have power where are you checking? I'd be tempted to pull the flasher relay and check it for proper operation.
 
Shawn K said:
Check your fuses in the fuse block behind the left side panel. There's a 15A fuse that supplies power to the tail lights (slot "B", 2nd from the left, I believe). Replace it with a known good 15A fuse (even if it looks like it's okay) and see if that does it.

Your turn signals won't come on unless you activate them. That's n
Click to expand...
ST Gui said:
Ok...

Headlights - low beam / high beam - work properly?
Running lights - light up when you turn the ignition on? Go out when you turn the blinkers on? Don't come back on when you turn the blinkers off?
Turn signals - work properly?
Tail lights - work properly?
Brake lights - don't light?

When you say you have power where are you checking?
Click to expand...
headlights - yes both high and low
running lights - no
turn signals - yes
tail lights - no
Brake lights - yes when applied

I've checked all the fuses. I checked the power on the signal lights (constant none, blink - yes ground - none)
 
CDN_Scott said:
headlights - yes both high and low
running lights - no
turn signals - yes
tail lights - no
Brake lights - yes when applied

I've checked all the fuses. I checked the power on the signal lights (constant none, blink - yes ground - none)
Click to expand...
This is a 2000 Honda ST1100 not a 1300
 
CDN_Scott said:
This is a 2000 Honda ST1100 not a 1300
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity how does that affect the above checklist? Do the lights function differently on the 1100 (assuming their both US models)?
 
ST Gui said:
Out of curiosity how does that affect the above checklist? Do the lights function differently on the 1100 (assuming their both US models)?
Click to expand...
Hi, there are some differences, see above as someone had thought it was a 1300 and there was a 15A fuse involved... I found your original questions to be very helpful. I have replied do you have any other thoughts with the answers I have provided?
 
CDN_Scott said:
I've checked all the fuses. I checked the power on the signal lights (constant none, blink - yes ground - none)
Click to expand...
have you started tracing with the schematic yet? The brown/white wire to the tail light has nothing but wire between it and the B fuse. If that fuse checked out OK, then check the voltage at the brown/white wire at the taillight. No voltage there means a broken path in the wire somewhere, or the fuse terminal is corroded so the fuse isn't able to complete the circuit due to corrosion. Or, that the voltage supply to the B fuse from the battery is somehow interrupted. Check the voltage at both sides of the B fuse to verify that there's nothing wrong with the fuse terminals or the supply from the battery to the fuse.

However, that fuse also controls the lights to the speedo, etc. if there was a problem with the fuse or the fuse terminals then you'd also have the symptom that your speedo light isn't working, so double check that as a clue.

how did you check the fuses, visually, or with a multimeter? visually isn't reliable, use the meter to be sure if you haven't already done that.

The front running lights have the handlebar switch in their path from the fuse, so there could be a problem in the switch. But it does seem suspicious that both front/rear lights are out, so it would seem more likely that there's a common problem that applies to both circuits.
 
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dwalby said:
have you started tracing with the schematic yet? The brown/white wire to the tail light has nothing but wire between it and the B fuse. If that fuse checked out OK, then check the voltage at the brown/white wire at the taillight. No voltage there means a broken path in the wire somewhere, or the fuse terminal is corroded so the fuse isn't able to complete the circuit due to corrosion.
However, that fuse also controls the lights to the speedo, etc. if there was a problem with the fuse or the fuse terminals then you'd also have the symptom that your speedo light isn't working, so double check that as a clue.

how did you check the fuses, visually, or with a multimeter? visually isn't reliable, use the meter to be sure if you haven't already done that.

The front running lights have the handlebar switch in their path from the fuse, so there could be a problem in the switch. But it does seem suspicious that both front/rear lights are out, so it would seem more likely that there's a common problem that applies to both circuits.
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I've pulled out and checked all the fuses. none were blown. I have not seen any corrosion however that is a good point. everything is dry and no signs of weathering. I don't see any area's the wire could have been broken or damaged. everything is wrapped tight. is there an inline fuse somewhere near the dash for the signal lights or is the "main fuse box" the only fuse area?
 
CDN_Scott said:
I've pulled out and checked all the fuses. none were blown. I have not seen any corrosion however that is a good point. everything is dry and no signs of weathering. I don't see any area's the wire could have been broken or damaged. everything is wrapped tight. is there an inline fuse somewhere near the dash for the signal lights or is the "main fuse box" the only fuse area?
Click to expand...
if I pull the battery, will that 'reset' anything or would that be an option?
 
CDN_Scott said:
I've pulled out and checked all the fuses. none were blown. I have not seen any corrosion however that is a good point. everything is dry and no signs of weathering. I don't see any area's the wire could have been broken or damaged. everything is wrapped tight. is there an inline fuse somewhere near the dash for the signal lights or is the "main fuse box" the only fuse area?
Click to expand...
the main fuse box is where the fuse of interest sits. I also edited my post a couple of minutes ago before I saw you quoted it, so go back and read it again for new info, and please answer the questions that are asked. for example, "checked all the fuses" doesn't specifically answer my question. I want to know if you checked them with a multimeter, or just visually. Sometimes they look OK, but don't work OK.
 
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