Indicator misbehaviour

[EDBANGER]

As above, when I flick my indicator on recently there seems to be a 20-30 second delay before they actually start blinking. Sometimes they'll only come on if I hold the switch in the on position. Any ideas what the problem might be? Someone has suggested that I'm washing the bike too often. I only give it a quick spray off with a hose once the journey is done so I find it hard to believe that might the trouble.

Cheers

ED
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If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, you are the sucker.

[Paxovasa]

Sounds like it may be a dodgy indicator switch.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[dragstaar]

check the connections, see if they've worked themselves loose or corroded. have a look at the indicator relay too. Is the flashing speed normal once the indicators kick in?

[robocog]

Quick test (when its the old style relay*)

Flick the idicators on to one side
If the bulbs light up on that side immediately (but don't yet flash)
It would point to the switch being OK and more likely the relay at fault or its simply not sinking enough current (check that all bulbs that should be lit are doing so...though they usually flash faster to let you know a bulb is out)

The later type flasher relays however I'm not sure if the default behaviour is the same as the old skool type - as in- they turn the lights on the side you indicating /before/ starting to flash(I'm sure legally they should be as its better to have the indicators at least come on - even in a relay malfunction scenario)

I have just changed my flasher realy to a "modern" one which was less fussy about bulb loading so I could add a hazard switch (original wasn't happy about flashing all bulbs simultaneously)

Regardless - from all the bikes and cars I have ever had a nose at...they are usually 3 pin items so easy to diagnose wether you are feeding it correctly (in which case its not your switch) or whether its the switch at fault, not feeding the relay what it needs to do its thing

Can use a bulb with bare wires to check or a multimeter

One pin is earth
One pin goes to the battery when the ignition is turned on
The other goes back to the indicator switch (which selects which side you want to light up)

I will try and knock up a sketch with suggestions of simple ways of testing what has failed

* they /used/ to work on heat generated by the current lighting the bulbs to make them flash- (Bi- metalic strips?) the "default" behaviour with this type of relay is the lights come on as soon as the switch is flicked

Its the current that it takes to light the bulbs that generates the heat that makes the relay turn them off....things cool down and the relay latches back to on and so the cycle carries on

Regards
Rob
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Needs a bigger garage...

[robocog]

Ok so multimeter or a low ish wattage bulb with wires attached in hand... and a pen and paper handy to scribble on

What wires are what going to the relay?

Remove the relay from its socket

Attach one of the multimeter (set to DC Volts!) probes (or the wire going to the tester bulb) to any of the sockets where the relay was and the other end to a bare bolt somewhere to frame of the bike (or the battery negative)

Turn the ignition on (with indicators off)
If the bulb lights up you just found the live feed (the red one in my sketch)
If not try one of the other 2 remaining pins on the relay socket till you find it
make a note of the colour of that wire and write "+" or "ignition feed" or something similar next to it

Now turn the indicators one way or the other- and with the end of the tester bulb still on the bared bolt or battery negative try and find the wire I sketched in brown that feeds the indicator switch
Nothing? test the remaining pin the relay
Still nothing...maybe it is your switch

The test bulb should light (or meter show 12v) when you indicate one way or the other and show nothing when in the central off position (jot down the colour of this wire and mark it as "ind" or "load" or whatever)

The 3rd pin should go to earth(sketched in black) ...test this by putting your meter or test bulb between the one you found above (marked in red on my sketch and you should have labelled as "+" or "ignition" on your paper) and the other lead of the test bulb or meter onto the pin you suspect is earth
Test it by turning the ignition on and off,ignition on and the test bulb should light, ignition off and the bulb should go off


Now

If you put that test bulb across the relay socket between the wires you labelled as "ignition" or "+" and the one you labeled as "load" or "indicators" , with the ignition on the bulb should not be lit, but when you flick the indicator switch one way or the other , the bulb should ligt straight away - as well as the indicators for the side you are indicating
If they are lighting up as they should without any delay and to full brightness then you have kind of ruled out the switch and the wiring - so only leaves the realy to be at fault

If using a multimeter to do the above test set the meter to read current (A) and make sure the leads are in the correct places on the meter!!! Been there and done that in a rushed moment

Regards
Rob
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Needs a bigger garage...