Gremlin in lights

[hotwire]

Hi, everyone, my 02 1800 has some strange things going on with the lights. It started about two months ago as I was riding, I noticed my dashboard turn signal indicator lights were both dimly lit up, I stopped and checked the rear and both turn signals and all the running lights were on dimly. After a while it all went back to normal. When this happens, pulling the front brake lever will temporarily "fix" it. On occasion only does this happen. It will sometimes clear up while riding. While bike is sitting in the garage, turning ignition "on" will cause it, too. BTW, when this happens, cruise control will not set. Also, turned on the bike the other day, and green "cruise set" light started flashing. Have checked the wiring, all bulbs, in case a filament was "shorted", and cleaned connectors with contact cleaner. Anyone has any ideas, I am open to all suggestions, don't really want to ride bike with the brake and turn signals acting up, thanks!

[Viking]

I feel bad for you, because this sounds like a grounding problem. It appears that sooner or later, we all will have it in a lessor or more so degree. I dread trying to track down a ground fault.

[namgniwdlog]

Hello Hotwire.
First and foremost, do you have the Service Manual for your year of motorcycle? I can tell you this much; without the manual, you will have a most difficult time solving your problem. Your problem is almost guaranteed to be a grounding issue. That's the good news! The bad news; ALL Electrical grounds terminate at a SINGLE bolt that is located under the fuel tank. My 2003 has a total of 5 wires connected at that single bolt. Your wing has the same 5 attachments. Each of these 5 wires has MULTIPLE wires that are SPICED in at random physical locations throughout the motorcycle. The Service Manual contains a volume that covers all the electrical wiring paths. The ground return wires are very well documented on the location of all the spice locations in the grounding system. One of these splice locations has probably corroded.

I am very well versed in this ground system as I recently solved a 15 year old starting problem.
If you lack the Service Manual; provide a specific list of those components that are affected and I can trace the ground paths for you and provide you specific locations to check.

Eager to help as have been there before.
Don

[cihilb]

Here's a link to a thread on another site. Seems to be a normal problem on older Wings.
https://www.gl1800riders.com/threads/re ... re.274882/

[WingAdmin]

This is almost certainly a bad ground causing this. When you squeeze the clutch, you're closing the clutch switch and providing a ground in place of the bad one.

Just where the bad ground is located can be inferred by examining circuits and identifying exactly which items aren't working as expected, but even then it's not going to tell you exactly where the ground problem is. Often, instead of spending days or weeks trying to find a bad ground - and especially an INTERMITTENT bad ground, I will simply run a new ground wire to ground the circuit in question, which usually fixes the problem.

[Asphaltmaniac]

Have you pulled the seat off and checked all connectors for corrosion? I suspect you have current leaking from one circuit to another.

[cihilb]

Check this link:

https://electricalconnection.com/index. ... s-grounds/

[hotwire]

Thanks for taking time to reply, guys. It will get figured out with your help. Or meet it's fate in used sales at the Honda shop, Lol.
Again, thanks, and as soon as we are confident of a repair, will be sure to inform the site! Never say never, but never give up, 56 Degrees in East Tennessee today, ya'll. Riding season right 'round the corner, yay!