Having a spot of bother... GPZ indicators not working

_Alex_ · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Karma :

Hello useful people of BCF,

So on the way back from my hospital accommodation the other day and about half way home the indicators on my GPZ 500 stopped working. All four at once, and the lights arent flashing on the dashboard either.

Managed to get home without crashing which is harder than it seems and checked the fuse, which was fine. Then heard the indicator relay buzzing, took that off and there was what sounded like something loose inside so I thought that had gone. Bought a replacement but that hasnt worked either, still absolutely nothing.

So...what's wrong with the bike? Are there any other obvious places to check or is it a wiring fault somewhere? Bike has been left out in the rain but in the past there hasnt been any bother.

Cheers for your help

Alex
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Bikes: RS50 (sold) XL125V (trade-in) GPZ500s (current - and loving it!)
Restriction over: 1/10/11

_Alex_ · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Karma :

Bumppppp
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Bikes: RS50 (sold) XL125V (trade-in) GPZ500s (current - and loving it!)
Restriction over: 1/10/11

StormCrow · Scooby Slapper Joined: 14 Mar 2010 Karma :

I found that the indicators on my GPZ500 are a bit of a pain.

Pop each of them off and see if any of them work individually - just apply 12v to the wiring to see if they light.

Assuming that they do then it's going to be a wiring fault somewhere - make sure that any plugs are securely connected (and not full of water).

Could be the switch on the handlebars - if it's full of water then it may be shorting out - try taking it apart and spraying the insides with WD40 or similar. Also make sure that the wiring for the switch is still attached - it may have pulled free from the plug where it meets under the tank.

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

Was the replacement relay a new or used one?
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GREENI3 · World Chat Champion Joined: 26 Nov 2010 Karma :

Could be a faulty earth.

The old indi's I had on the cb would flash at different rates or sometimes not at all.
Turns out the indicator had been bodged badly and the wiring was partially stripped, making contact with the frame.

_Alex_ · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Karma :

Okay so had another look at the bike this weekend and still not completely sorted the issue.

After checking all the indicators and switch gear I tried with the relay again. On the GPZ there are two pins on the relay but three sockets on the part that it connects to. One of these is for the earth I think, the other two have orange (indicator) wires coming from them. The relay looks like this (scroll down to the bottom):
https://www.gpzzone.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Relays__switches__sensors_and_electrical_equipment.html

Okay so, when the relay is fitted the proper way into the socket I get absolutley nothing. When I turn it so one pin connects to the orange wire and the other connects to the earth, I get the back two indicators on constantly.

So I'm guessing there's some sort of problem with either the other orange wire or the connection with it to the pin of the relay. Gallons of WD40 didn't help either.

Completely stuck as to what to do now, really annoying me not having the bike working with something as daft as electrics. Anybody have any ideas how I can fix it?

Cheers BCF Thumbs Up

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Bikes: RS50 (sold) XL125V (trade-in) GPZ500s (current - and loving it!)
Restriction over: 1/10/11

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

What year is your bike?
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StormCrow · Scooby Slapper Joined: 14 Mar 2010 Karma :

My indicators were the same at one point - it was a fault with the wiring at one of the plugs. Interestingly though, when my relay was plugged in wrong, nothing, when it was plugged in right (with the fault) I had all four on at once (at one point - they've been every which way but loose at some stage or another!)

EDIT: Just re-read your post - the relay SHOULD be connected the 'wrong way round' as it has to sit wonky in the socket - can take a photo of mine if you like?

Do you have the wiring diagram for the bike? What year?

https://www.ex-500.com/wiki/images/b/bb/Ex500_UK_wiring_diagram.jpg

This may help? (Borrowed from www.ex-500.com - a very useful (American) site for GPZ500 owners)

Just thinking about it again - mine was REALLY funny with bulbs being different wattages - it wouldn't flash if the bulbs weren't all in good condition and the right wattage - all your bulbs the same?

Do you have a multimeter? If not - get one. One of the most useful diagnostic tools you can have (especially with older bikes with old electrics!) - it sounds like some wiring is crossed somewhere...

_Alex_ · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Karma :

@ Vincent, it's a '94 M Reg.

Thanks StormCrow, will have to try and find the correct wiring diagram. Not as confident with electrics as I could be, whats the best way to start looking at them? Will probably have to invest in a multimeter, is it a case of testing for voltage at various points along the cable until I find a 'dead spot'?

I just replaced the relay the same way as the old one came off, think it's right. If could grab me a picture that would be great, one less thing to worry about. Will have a check in the morning, pretty sure all the bulbs are the same and are in decent working order.

Cheers guys
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Bikes: RS50 (sold) XL125V (trade-in) GPZ500s (current - and loving it!)
Restriction over: 1/10/11

StormCrow · Scooby Slapper Joined: 14 Mar 2010 Karma :

A multimeter (don't cost a lot, can get em stupidly cheap on eBay) will let you check voltages at various points, check resistance on cables, check for an earth on a wire etc etc.

I have taken some photos - I use an LED relay now so it's not quite the same, but it still only uses two pins - might help... and couldn't be arsed to remove the fairings (it looks accessible but believe me it's not!) as the bike is buried behind another one Laughing

they're uploading to my PC now...

EDIT: Here...

https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/BCF/IMG_20121005_223422.jpg

https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/BCF/IMG_20121005_223213.jpg

https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/BCF/IMG_20121005_223139.jpg

https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/BCF/IMG_20121005_223117.jpg

Looking at the diagram above, you can see that the relay should be connected to the orange and brown wires - tried swapping which orange it's connected to if you see what I mean?

You can make a simple test bulb with a bulb (12v), a bulb holder and two bits of wire - connect one end to a good earth and the other to the wire or terminal block that you want to test - it will light if +12v is present. Come to think of it... that's sort of like an indicator! Whistle

You basically need to see if you're getting +12v at each indicator (it will flash, so a multimeter will show +12v, 0v, +12v etc, unless its a slow one) or a bulb will flash obviously. You should also check that it flashes one side or another - if not, then it's likely that your wiring is at fault, water in a plug possibly, or if it's none of those things then it may be the new relay...

uberkron · Crazy Courier Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Karma :

I dont know your bike but i have found that old style, cheap thermal flasherunits are a good indicator test tool. Simply because they are not polarity sensitive. Many electronic flashers are available in a few different configurations. Are there letters or numbers next to the pins on your flasher relays?
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