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[Ginetta lad]

Can any of you give me some advice on a problem I have with my Enfield 500 bullet?
Its a 1992 early engine style 4 speed bike and the indicators are not working properly.
They originally tend to start flashing then stop after one or two flashes but on testing I found a more serious problem.
When the bike is not running with ignition on and a good battery the indicators are ok but with the engine running and the multimeter on the battery as soon as I turn the indicators on the battery voltage dropped from 13-14v to 5v so I quickly turned it off?
The old battery had clearly burnt out last year some time possibly due to this problem but the bike ran fine as do the lights. This does explain why the indicators would not flash as no battery power. With a new battery they flash ok as long as the engine aint running suggesting some conflicting wiring connections?
I have checked and shimmed the alternator which does have some historic rotor abrasion wear but when running its charging ok at 14V. The bike runs fine presumably without a good battery as the old one had about 5V left in it too.
I now don’t want to wreck the new battery of course.
Does this effect suggest reversed polarity or a direct short negative to positive? Why only when the engine is running? What changes in the wiring when the alternator kicks in?

So it seems the problem or a short is only happening when the indicators are switched on and only when the engine and alternator are running?
The indicators seem to have one wire to the bulb and the other to the bulb holder and stem earth I presume? Should the indicator stems not be earthed??
I found a load of poor earths above the carb which are now repaired but are there any known problem areas weak point to check out?
On cleaning these up the indicators wont work at all with ign on now suggesting one of the black wires may not be an earth at all???? Arrrrrrrrh!
I’ll undo them one by one but one cable runs outside the loom from the back of the headlamp suggesting its a non standard extra for something added by a past owner? So for now discount that issue.
Sadly very little on the bike appears standard and the wiring is a mess so I think I bought the problem with the bike as the indicators have never worked well. The Alternator is a two wire one not an Indian one possibly to run the Halogen headlamp bulb which is fine.
The ignition switch was mounted on the frame as no toolboxes were fitted but I’ve since moved it back into a toolbox I bought. Now so should the external barrel of the switch earth through the tool box to the frame? Toolbox paint may prevent this earthing well at present?

The handlebar switchgear does not look great or standard so I think I’ll check the wires there soon but if any of you have any pointers please let me know.

So in conclusion.
1. Ign on 12v battery - indicators working before I cleaned the earths?
2. Engine running indicators switched on battery Volts drop very quickly to 5V??

Would any of you have any parts I could trial fit to see if they cured the problem?

As the bike is post 86 I’m told I cant just remove and bin the indicators due to the MOT rules.

Thanks in advance.

Harvey

[Mark M]

One thing at a time. First l would replace the flasher unit, they are cheap and l once had exactly these symptoms cured by a new unit. Raegards, Mark

[Ginetta lad]

As the bike aint standard I dont think the flasher unit is either? I checked the Indian ones online which completly different. Would any 12V unit work as some seem to have different connections?
If it were that why would it work ok with ign on but alternator / engine not running?
Just realised that maybe the AC circuit is somehow upsetting the DC battery powered items. All the lights and horn on mine seem to run from the battery with ignition on. Its got electronic ignition that seems to work fine but I've no idea what wiring changes have been made by previous owners sadly. My bike has a smiths speedo and rev counter which twitches and makes a tiny whirrring noise when the ignition is switched on but they work ok too.

[PeteF]

You can't just use any flasher - it needs to be balanced to the wattage of your bulbs.

[Scalyback]

modern electronic flasher will handle any bulbs from 23W to LED without problem, cost about ten quid (UK).

[Norm]

I'm not going to bother reading all that but in the last post you start talking about A/C you have a 2 wire stator so no A/C circuit A/C only to rectifier. As Mark says stop you are only confusing every issue

[Norm]

Ok had a quick think about it and this is what I would do. First you need a test light with a spike and probably a mulitmeter. Now unplug the flasher unit, turn the ignition on and you should have power to one of the wires in the plug. Turn the ignition off. Then with a piece of wire, strip both ends, push one end into the plug that didn't have power to it, turn the blinker switch either way and put the other bare end of the wire in the plug to the positive terminal on the battery. The blinker lights should come on and stay on, on one side.If they do switch to the other side and you should get the same result. If not you have an earthing problem with the blinkers most probably in the headlight shell. This is where the multimeter will be needed

[Ginetta lad]

Thanks norm I'll try and do that at the weekend. I think the bike has a power box some have mentioned rather than a regulator and rectifier. As far as I can see just one silver box is evident plus bb ignition. Sorry I'm no expert in electrics but do you mean my alternator is dc as it's only got 2 wires or is it ac as far as the silver box? H

[Norm]

Alternator puts out A/C but only to the silver box which I assume is a rectifier or a rectifier/regulator. It was only the later Enfields that had A/C headlight with everything else D/C. They had a 4 wire alternator.@ wire is D/C only. Power box is a rectifier/regulator but they are black not silver, silver one I'm guessing is an Indian one, does it have finning on it?

[Scalyback]

Norm, I'm guessing if its a 92 bullet, then it may be an indian one. Mine is 94, and seems to have been built by some children who may have been in detention. It rattles too!



Ginny, If you have four wires into a black or silver box, then 4 from that to a second box, then you have separate rectifier and regulator.

If you have four wires into just go into a silver box, then you have a combined regu-rectifier.