2008 Q-Link Legacy Turn Signal Issue

knauff13 · 05-15-2023, 04:44 PM

Bit of an electrical gremlin here... If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears. New to me bike. Sorting out issues from previous owner, who stated they had no idea about the issue.

The other controls on the left hand work fine, including high beam and horn, but I'm not getting any response from all four flashers. Actually everything else electronic on the bike seems fine.

I replaced all 4 blinker bulbs... I couldn't find any information anywhere about exactly what bulb goes there, but they appear to be 5007-type. I tried incandescent first, then LED, no change with either. I ordered an OEM flasher relay from the official qlinkmotor store, and no change with that, either.

I opened the headlight bucket and also poked around on the wiring harness for any loose connections, but nothing stood out. This is about where my expertise ends. Please help!

Edit: Forgot to mention I replaced all of the fuses except the main fuse, as its position under the starter solenoid makes it kind of hard to reach, but it seems unlikely that is the issue since other things are working appropriately.

Bruces · 05-15-2023, 06:23 PM

Do you have a test light or a meter ? Sounds like you will need one as throwing random parts at it has not worked for you or your wallet yet .

krat · 05-15-2023, 06:25 PM

Beg, borrow or buy a multimeter.

See if you have power to the switch, if so see if you have power to the relay.

It beats the he!! out of throwing parts at something until you replace everything and never find the broken/shorted wire that is the real issue.

Sorry Bruce, I was typing my reply while you posted yours.

knauff13 · 05-15-2023, 06:28 PM

Fair enough. I'll see if I can track one down.

knauff13 · 05-19-2023, 02:06 PM

I'm playing around a bit with this today. I discovered that with LED's all four lights are lighting up solid (very faintly) with the original relay when the turn signal is engaged. I couldn't tell with the light covers on that they were doing anything at all. With incandescent, none of the four lights light up.

With the replacement relay, nothing happens in either case.

I have a multimeter here. I'm getting some odd readings. It's telling me I have a continuous line from any of the four turn signals to either the orange or blue wire in the main harness.

I noticed that if I disconnected either orange or blue from the odometer/indicator light, the correct side began lighting up (though still solid) so I took apart the odometer, thinking the wires might be shorting there. I didn't see any shorts, but when I removed the indicator bulb, again, the correct side was lit up. I restested the continuity between the turn signal and harness and now I'm only getting a continuous line from blue to blue and orange to orange. I'm thinking the light blub that was in there was incorrect or damaged and possibly connecting orange to blue so everything lit up.

I'm still not getting any output (no lights whatsoever) with the replacement relay plugged in, but this now seems to me more consistent with a relay issue because I'm getting solid lights only, on the correct side, with the original relay now that the indicator light bulb is out.

What do you guys think? Send the replacement relay back and pray the new, new one works?

Edit: To their credit, they are sending another one at no charge, so I guess we'll see when it gets here. If anyone has any thoughts though, please let me know.

knauff13 · 05-29-2023, 11:13 AM

Q-link sent another relay that appears to be used and it does nothing.

I've since observed that with the blinkers engaged, the correct light will flash at the moment I pull out the indicator bulb. Is this anything? I'm really lost here, as all of my wiring is reading correct as far as I can tell.

knauff13 · 06-05-2023, 07:29 AM

Just to put a bow on this...

My electrical testing was a little misleading to myself, probably because I didn't understand the mechanism or action properly.

I picked up a universal 3-wire LED relay from Amazon as a last ditch effort, because ultimately I really couldn't find anything that appeared to be wrong in the wiring. Finally, success! All four blinkers flash properly on the appropriate side.

So the unfortunate recap:

- Bad blinker relay from seller
- TWO bad OEM replacement relays from the official Q-Link store
- Bad chinese relay from Amazon
- Finally, successful replacement relay from Amazon

05-15-2023, 04:44 PM	#1
knauff13 Join Date: May 2023 Posts: 5	2008 Q-Link Legacy Turn Signal Issue Bit of an electrical gremlin here... If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears. New to me bike. Sorting out issues from previous owner, who stated they had no idea about the issue. The other controls on the left hand work fine, including high beam and horn, but I'm not getting any response from all four flashers. Actually everything else electronic on the bike seems fine. I replaced all 4 blinker bulbs... I couldn't find any information anywhere about exactly what bulb goes there, but they appear to be 5007-type. I tried incandescent first, then LED, no change with either. I ordered an OEM flasher relay from the official qlinkmotor store, and no change with that, either. I opened the headlight bucket and also poked around on the wiring harness for any loose connections, but nothing stood out. This is about where my expertise ends. Please help! Edit: Forgot to mention I replaced all of the fuses except the main fuse, as its position under the starter solenoid makes it kind of hard to reach, but it seems unlikely that is the issue since other things are working appropriately. Last edited by knauff13; 05-15-2023 at 05:02 PM. Reason: Add'l info
	0

05-15-2023, 06:25 PM	#3
krat Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: KY Posts: 260	Beg, borrow or buy a multimeter. See if you have power to the switch, if so see if you have power to the relay. It beats the he!! out of throwing parts at something until you replace everything and never find the broken/shorted wire that is the real issue. Sorry Bruce, I was typing my reply while you posted yours. __________________ %90 of the Chinese motorbikes ever made are still on the road. The other %10 made it back home.
	0

05-15-2023, 06:23 PM	#2
Bruces Join Date: May 2018 Posts: 1,580	Do you have a test light or a meter ? Sounds like you will need one as throwing random parts at it has not worked for you or your wallet yet .
	0

05-15-2023, 06:28 PM	#4
knauff13 Join Date: May 2023 Posts: 5	Fair enough. I'll see if I can track one down.
	0

05-19-2023, 02:06 PM	#5
knauff13 Join Date: May 2023 Posts: 5	I'm playing around a bit with this today. I discovered that with LED's all four lights are lighting up solid (very faintly) with the original relay when the turn signal is engaged. I couldn't tell with the light covers on that they were doing anything at all. With incandescent, none of the four lights light up. With the replacement relay, nothing happens in either case. I have a multimeter here. I'm getting some odd readings. It's telling me I have a continuous line from any of the four turn signals to either the orange or blue wire in the main harness. I noticed that if I disconnected either orange or blue from the odometer/indicator light, the correct side began lighting up (though still solid) so I took apart the odometer, thinking the wires might be shorting there. I didn't see any shorts, but when I removed the indicator bulb, again, the correct side was lit up. I restested the continuity between the turn signal and harness and now I'm only getting a continuous line from blue to blue and orange to orange. I'm thinking the light blub that was in there was incorrect or damaged and possibly connecting orange to blue so everything lit up. I'm still not getting any output (no lights whatsoever) with the replacement relay plugged in, but this now seems to me more consistent with a relay issue because I'm getting solid lights only, on the correct side, with the original relay now that the indicator light bulb is out. What do you guys think? Send the replacement relay back and pray the new, new one works? Edit: To their credit, they are sending another one at no charge, so I guess we'll see when it gets here. If anyone has any thoughts though, please let me know.
	0

05-29-2023, 11:13 AM	#6
knauff13 Join Date: May 2023 Posts: 5	Q-link sent another relay that appears to be used and it does nothing. I've since observed that with the blinkers engaged, the correct light will flash at the moment I pull out the indicator bulb. Is this anything? I'm really lost here, as all of my wiring is reading correct as far as I can tell.
	0

06-05-2023, 07:29 AM	#7
knauff13 Join Date: May 2023 Posts: 5	Just to put a bow on this... My electrical testing was a little misleading to myself, probably because I didn't understand the mechanism or action properly. I picked up a universal 3-wire LED relay from Amazon as a last ditch effort, because ultimately I really couldn't find anything that appeared to be wrong in the wiring. Finally, success! All four blinkers flash properly on the appropriate side. So the unfortunate recap: - Bad blinker relay from seller - TWO bad OEM replacement relays from the official Q-Link store - Bad chinese relay from Amazon - Finally, successful replacement relay from Amazon
	0