replacement winker relays?
 

Hello everyone!
So I've discovered that my turn signal light has a very long delay. After a long search and much reading I've decided it best to simply replace them with automobile relays...but which one, and or from what? Comments or precautions from anyone else?
Thanks for the input!

Me too.

You need that info too, I presume?

And yeah I've heard to just remove the existing one and bring it in to an auto parts place...but honestly those employees in general don't know squat about nuttin, let alone electrical issues lol

The delay is usually due to needing the switch cleaned.. My guess is that if you replace the relay it will still have just as much delay as before.

There was a whole thread on this before, but the delay seems to be consistent with weather temperatures. The colder the weather, the longer the delay. Some cold mornings my blinkers refuse to work, but on moderate to warm days they work first time, every time. I have torn my switch apart and cleaned it and regreased it with no positive results.

Im sure tweety would know which relay to use.

This is the same as I experience, left blinker only.

Ya mine is temperamental. On cold mornings, it takes about 5 pushes to get the left to work, but I can press the right 100 times and nothing happens.

Right right we've already established all that..what I...or we would like to know is which automobile relay to use...cause cleaning does nothing, its a design flaw...and another guy on this forum has done it...was hoping for his input...or anybody's that actually swapped theirs out

This is what I am using.Custom LED Electronic LED Flasher Blinker Relay - Plug And Play
I swapped to it because of going to led blinkers and having a high flash rate, but should not be affected by temp either.

Sign me up too. My right blinker does not like the cold, but works fine when 60 degrees or above. Left is no problemo. Somebody, send me a free one, Partsman? :)

I had the exact same delay problem when it was cold. My left would either have a huge delay or not work at all. The right was fine. I believe it has to do with the load draw changing when cold and having either all LEDs or a mix. I replaced mine with a relay from High Tech Speed (same guys who make the Proton signals) and it fixed the issue.

HighTechSpeed - motorcycle high technology

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin bout! Links! Thanks guys! But has anybody used actual...like Ford truck blinker relays?

As far as the regular auto relays, I do not know. The issue seems to arise from LED signals not drawing the same amout as a regular bulb.

From the High Tech Speed website: "...virtually all motorcycle flashers are mechanical flashers, designed for bulbs. Using LED signals with a mechnical flasher causes "fast flash", or even failure to flash at all." The cold must alter the resistance and make the problem worse, as was in most of the reported cases.

If you replaced the relay with a car or truck relay, I am not so sure it would fix the problem unless it was made for LED signals. The High Tech Speed relay has the same plug as the OEM relay. It took about 60 seconds to install the new one and it corrected the delay and the fast flash. Hope this helps.

I believe he, like the rest of us, just wants a cheap way to improve the stock bulb flashers.

Yes! Rz racer got it...so what's the verdict? SOL? Lol

Unless those are hand signals of how to get to the nearest auto parts store, and what model number turn signal flasher to buy, I don't think that's gonna help, lol.

I'll wink to that

Lmfao! Yeah, what the heck is that? Sign language? Hahaha tellin ya man, people aren't trained to recognize those...I used a left turn once, an the guy got all angry, thought I was flipping him off or something...

Those are for other cyclists, particularly in a group ride. Cages are stupid. Throw rock at them. Unless I'm driving one. Then I'm the smartest, most perceptive, super-human petrol powered thing north of antartica.

LMFAO

+1

The delay is caused by two things... The switch, thick cold grease takes warming up and limbering up... The relay, it's actually a bi-metal switch, ie a metal flap that moves when the current through it makes it hot... So cold morning = slower movement until it builds heat...

So, combine the two problems, and the two solutions... Clean the switch on the handlebar, and clean the contacts inside the signal housings and on the relay... Then it is a good idea to replace the relay to get rid of that delay...

My advice is to get one of the two linked here, both are based on an integrated circuit, instead of an oldschool bimetal relay... However any replacement automotive relay will work really as long as it's threeprong and marked NO, but all of them are "oldschool" and all of them will need warming up even when new...

The simple answer is that any mechanical relay will need warming up... And the cheap one's are all mechanical...

Spent the money and get an IC based, they work the same in all temps... See the two links...

Do they sell IC based relays in the car shops? That'll be my next upgrade. :o)

No, usually not... The only OEM parts that are IC based will be for very new cars that use LED's, and those are probably even more expensive simply because they are OEM...

You can however probably find them as aftermarket parts for cars too though... They should be marked as "load independant" and be made to be used with LED signals...

The best way to tell is that any solid lump of potted resin and made to be used with LED flashers are IC based (resin means no moving parts)... If it's a plastic case that is hollow (tap it with your finger) means it has a moving part inside, ie bi-metal type not the type you want...

Off topic question, is there any problems with having led blinkers and not upgrading the relay other than an increased blink rate?

Other than the fact that a mechanical relay will eventually wear out, and LED's make that happen a lot faster, then no...

Kewl ok thanks for the insight, Tweet...looks like those aforementioned led ones are the way to go...even if I got no led's? Right?

Will this work? My local auto parts store has them for ~$18: Grote 44890

http://www.grote.com/images/prodcat/44890.jpg http://www.grote.com/images/prodcat/44890.gif

What?! Rz that's even better! No shipping! An according to tweet they appear solid state...

Well that looks very different than what is on our bikes:
http://zx11.homepage.t-online.de/38301-kk9-952.jpg

So my guess is no. :)

Back to the drawing board. May just have to order the one originally linked.

Idunno man...that female plug on ours looks like it will fit...an the ad for the one says it fits the rc51...?

Oh you did say that Lol...my bad...but that one you found may work with some jury rigging...with CRIMPS! Cause crimps are pimp, tweety...lol

Yep, those will work... Just replace the stock plug with sealed spade connectors... Yeah, crimped, but use shrinktube on them...

But it's an old style bi-metal relay...

Eh? How in the peeep are they solid state? Those are not load independant... Says right there on the image... Min. 1 Amps... A minimum load means not load independant... Also, that's just what i described, a plastic hood that is secured to the base, you can see the snap on the side of it...

That it says they are for LED's doesn't mean it's IC based... A bi-metal relay for LED's are just lower min and max load than one meant for incandescents...

I did say to look at it, tap it with your finger and decide if it was a solid lump of resin, or hollow... Then read on it... Solidstate is a hint, LED is a hint, but the markings are usually crap...

However, I'm fairly sure you wont find a solid state relay for cheaper in the local store than the one's linked here, regardless if you go to the bike store or the autoparts store... If you do, your local store is a keeper...

Definitely right. The IC models look quite a bit different, like the one linked in this thread earlier.

My local dealership has a Rumble Concept Easy Plug Relay from Tucker Rocky. Like the one HERE

http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/photos/20-6756.jpg

In stock, and not much more than the price of the other one. I'm going to go look at the one they have to see if it will work. It's a two wire, like the one linked earlier.

Hmmm...all good things to know! And they call me an electrical designer at work...Lmfao! I gotta lot to learn on the 'magic' side of design lol

Here is the Rumble Concept Easy Plug in action after I installed it. http://db.tt/4jjI5oW9
(hope link works, lol)
It blinks a little slow, but it blinks, lol. These are the stock signals.

In case the dropbox link doesn't work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LysTvSrp76Y

Less than $22 out the door. :o)

That ain't bad man, good lookin on the vid...but its slow...my uncle got a beamer...blinks nice an fast...an the rear tail light blinks fast then fades to slow...very cool.
But still. An improvement! Is it cold where you are?