er... Indicator problems (not LED)

[3-Max]

'98 Canadian based trike.

what happened:
The trike builder's crappy rear indicator bracket broke on the rt side while out riding & that indicator was lost.

my fix:
bought some cheapie (tungsten bulb) replacements & fitted them (OEMs retained at front).

result:
Flasher rate increased - I think.
When I tried the hazards they came on once then stopped working.
Disconnected the new lights & refitted the one OEM & retried indicators. Flash rate remained same as with the replacements then stopped working entirely along with the headlight, neutral gear indicator light, flasher indicator light & rt hand running light (mounted on rr wheel mudguard).

my fix:
Cycling the head light to beam & back resorted that.
Found a 10amp fuse blown in the main fuse box. Replaced that which restored neutral light, flasher light & front indicators (rate still high?) but not the rear indicator or running light.
Checked the running light bulb, cleaned the terminals, replaced. Working again. Did the same with the OEM indicator, still won't work. Checked continuity etc on it, no faults found.

Hazards:
As supplied this added circuit was running directly from the battery with no fuse. I had previously fitted a 3 amp inline fuse between the battery & the switch & this was working fine with the OEM indicators. Checked this fuse & it had blown.
See photo for set up (inline fuse not in shot, it's under the seat). Green & brown wires go into the headlight besel but I've not traced further. I'm presuming the pair of 10amp diodes are really necessary to protect the additional flasher unit though they didn't care to fit a fuse...

Any ideas as to why the replacements caused such havoc? The bulbs are rated 12V 10 watt so why would that draw more amps than an OEM rated 21 watt?
Any ideas as to why the rear indicators now no longer work at all while the fronts do but at the faster rate?

I'm hesitant about reconnecting the new indicators until I've a better idea of what's going on. Thanks for reading.

 

[one2dmax]

The stock relay is designed for the higher resistance. Without it that cannot properly flash. PLUS, with the floating ground design (the "ground" changes paths) you can get a hazard blinking situation when power backfeeds from one side to the other in the single dash bulb. You can either pull the bulb to fix it or add in a one way diode setup.

 

[3-Max]

@one2dmax - useful info. Thanks.

 

[sparky4123]

The easiest solution is to install signals with 21-23 watt incandescent lamps. The flasher needs to see this much load to flash properly. Some people use ballast resistors to simulate the 21 watt lamp when you switch to LED or smaller wattage lamps. The floating ground that one2dmax refers to is how the flasher indicator works. That lamp is wired to the switched lead of the left and right signals. When the right signal is flashing the indicator lamp grounds itself thru the filaments of the left 2 signals. You do not see them flashing because the current going thru them is not enough to light the filament. When the left signals are flashing this reverses itself and the right lamps provide the path to ground. I suspect your blown fuse was a short you caused in the wiring. I have had luck with using an aftermarket flasher unit on an older Yamaha when changing signals but not sure you this would integrate with your 4 way flasher setup.

 

[3-Max]

Yeah that's the route I'm taking. I looked into ballast resistors / new flasher relay vs some 2nd hand indicators & there wasn't a huge difference in cost + I know OEMs work & way less hassel. Have a pair on the way.
I also strongly think you're right about the short, at least for the main 10amp. The connectors at the rear have also turned out to be dodgy, again.

 

[one2dmax]

The absolutely cheapest fix is to wire your original bulbs in parrallel and just tuck them under the rear seat with some electrical tape on them to hide the flash.