Signals acting funny

[Mortman22]

Hey guys, I have a question regarding my electrical system. On my XJ I can turn the turn signals on and they work fine, untill I turn on my high beams, then the signals stop working. Also, if I turn my hazards on my signals won't work for like 5 min. It is strange. My question is, could this be attributed to not getting enough juice from the battery? My brushes are worn and should probably be replaced, could that be affecting it? I thought I finally got the bugs out and now this. Oh well . As always, any help or insight will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Ken Talbot]

Yes, it is from not getting enough juice from the battery. The XS electrical system is not particularly strong, and especially not at low RPMs. Add in a handful of connectors with 25 years of light corrosion and your signal operation at idle will be the first thing to fail. Clean up all the connections, including the battery cable connections, and you'll notice a difference. BTW - you don't happen to be running a high-wattage bulb in your headlight do you?

[TopCatGr58]

Also,

The emergency flashers and turn signals are the same bulbs and filaments, they are just powered thru different circuits and different flashers. So...if you are using the ER flashers, you can't use the turn signals.

The turn signals draw lots of power, they are the highest fuse on the bike besides the MAIN 30A fuse; 20 amps, vs. the headlight and ignition at only 10 amps. And unless you've replaced them, the flashers are THERMAL, takes a fair amount of power to drive them. Have you checked your voltage while running the engine, should go up to 14.5 volts at 2500 rpm's, but at idle it can be barely 12. The XJ does have the ability to provide more power than the XS's, but with worn brushes it may be weak!
T.C.

[Mortman22]

not what I meant.

Hey TC, I prolly should have explained myself more clearly. I don't try and run the Hazards and the Signals at the same time. I turn on the hazards, they work, then I turn them off. Then I try to use the signals and they wouldn't work. Sorry I didn't explain myself better, and thank you for the input. I did figure out the problem though, the hazards need to be in just the right "off" position for the signals to work. Thanks guys.

[tjhummer]

electronics tech weighs in

Check your ground connections carefully. Floating or poor grounds can play havoc with anything electrical. I had a bike once that wouldn't pass inspection 'cause the tail light would dim slightly when the signals flashed. Bad ground. I am in communications. Had a phone system doing all kinds of strange things once the call volume got over a certain level. Floating ground. Just remember that all of the dc voltage levels on your bike are referenced off of that ground. The voltage levels could be all over the place depending on the load on the system and just how poor the ground connections really are.