| Author |
Message |
    
Neon131
| | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 - 10:49 pm: | 
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2007 Firebolt
I'm sure one of you Buell nuts has been through this before. I went to get my bike inspected and the only thing that didn't check out was the rear brake pedal not activating the brake light. I'm guessing it is the switch but I'm a little confused by my results with the multimeter. The front brake switch works fine, just as expected. When the rear switch is disconnected under the seat I can "short" the pins out on the connector light side, essentially doing what the switch should be, and the light pops on as expected. While disconnected I've tested the connector on the switch side and with the pedal depressed I get the expected beep from the continuity tester, seems to take a lot of pressure to get activation however. Now while connected and key off the switch still seems to complete the circuit as expected, but with the key on there is no action. I'm guessing the switch needs to be replaced but I'm not sure why it would act like it works when disconnected. At any rate, I've not dealt with hydraulic activated switches in the past so I'm not sure what the gotcha's might be in this situation. Any insight would be appreciated. |
Sparky
| | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 - 11:21 pm: |
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If the switch is disconnected from the rest of the bike, it makes no difference whether the key is on or off while testing the switch. Are you saying it does?
There's nothing to adjust or maintain on the switch except for verifying the cleanliness of the contacts.
The switch must work with normal pedal pressure repeatedly. If it doesn't, it's suspect and should be replaced. |
Neon131
| | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 - 11:53 pm: |
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Sorry I can see the confusion, but no, not what I'm saying. I realize that with the switch disconnected the switch operation doesn't care if the key is off or on. I suspect the switch is the issue "suspect". The continuity test leads me to believe the switch is closing the circuit as expected and repeatedly but it takes a lot of pressure to make it close. They are fairly inexpensive, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't way off by thinking that is what needed to be replaced. |
Dave
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 07:23 am: |
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Sounds like dirty switch - I'm cheap so I'd look to clean it before replacing.
"Now while connected and key off the switch still seems to complete the circuit as expected, but with the key on there is no action"
If I understand correctly, could it be that you see this odd indication (contrary to other testing) because you're checking continuity on a circuit with 12VDC on it?
DAve |
Neon131
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 07:55 pm: |
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"If I understand correctly, could it be that you see this odd indication (contrary to other testing) because you're checking continuity on a circuit with 12VDC on it?"
You would be correct. It isn't the lack of continuity when the key is on that bothers me. What gets me is that when the key is off and the switch is connected I can get continuity on the light side of the connector when the pedal is depressed, which would indicate to me that everything is doing what it is supposed to but when the key is on...no brake light.
I'm doubtful that the wiring is bad due to the fact that when the switch is disconnected I can jumper the connector going back to the light and the brake light activates like it would when the switch closes. No blown fuses so I'm also doubtful of a short. The other thing that is getting to me is the amount of pressure it is taking to activate the switch. The force I'm applying to get the switch to close the contacts during the continuity check would likely lock the rear up, it seems to me that it would activate the brake light far before that point. I read somewhere that the contacts in a hydraulically activated switch are susceptible to heat and have a tendency to melt internally causing the contacts to actuate unexpectedly or incorrectly.
I rarely use the rear brake so I hate monkeying with it too much, I just want to pass inspection. I'm cheap too but it would almost have to be the switch and the time I'm putting in to testing is costing me a lot more than the $15 it would cost to replace it so I think I'm going to go that route.
Thanks to both you and Sparky for your suggestions and to shining a light on a couple of troubleshooting ideas I may have overlooked. |
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