Honda Nighthawk Turn Signal Problem

I hope you guys can help me with my problem. Bought a used CB250 and
had to replace a few parts to make it street legal. One problem i have
is that the left turn signals don't work. When I click on the turn
signal, I hear it click once. The front left blinker comes on and
stays on. The rear left blinker doesn't light up at all. I checked the
bulb and it is in working conditions. The right-side turn signals work
(after a slight hesitation).

I am thinking that the problem lies with the turn signal relay. I have
several questions regarding this part. Is it something that can be
fixed? Is is better to just replace it? How much does it cost? Where
under the seat is the relay located? What is involved in replacing it?
Why are men and women so different? And where can I find a owner's
manual for this beast?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Israphael (and his CB250 "Naga")

 

It is the relay.

They are about $4 to replace.

Replacing involved unplugging 2 wires and pulling it out of it's rubber
mount.

 

Check the wattage of the bulbs, it may be that the left side is not
providing enough current draw to activate the relay (swap the left and right
bulbs over).
Most relays are interchangeable, as long as the current requirements are low
enough and they have the same number of pins.
When we change relays, we tend to use chinese "flash anything" relays as
these only require 2*10w to operate.

 

The same relay flashes both sides, so if it works on one side I'd bet
the flasher is ok. You might check the system voltage; on my small
bike (a 200 with a really marginal charging system) there's a long
delay before flashing starts and it gets longer with lower voltage.

A bad connection or two could put one side over the edge while the
other still works.

bob

 

Except it's not the relay. If it was, the right-side
signals would show the same symptom.

It's either the left-rear bulb, or the wiring to it. With
any luck, it's as simple as a wire not being plugged in. It
could be that the wires are crossed, and it could be that
one of the connectors is plugged in but isn't making contact
internally.

Swap out the bulb with a known good one, or swap that bulb
into a signal known to be working. Don't assume that because
you don't see a break in the filament it's good.

If the problem moves with the bulb, the bulb is bad.
Replace it.

If the problem stays at the left-rear with a known good
bulb in the socket, it's the socket or the wiring to it.
Check all the connectors and trace the wires looking for a
break.

Steve 65

 

The other thing to check is the ground. I'm not too familiar with the
CB250, but the old CB750's grounded to the mount itself. On my 75
CB750F I had a front light stay on and the rear not light at all. To
fix this, I removed the whole rear and scrubbed the mount on the stalk
with 0000 steel wool and shaving cream. Stainless steel or brass
toothbrushes work as well. Once I did this the worked perfectly.

 

Replace the blinker fluid. It has probably all run out...

Charles

 

same symptoms 20 years ago on honda's were sorted by directly
earthing the (metal) flasher unit.
.....if its plastic today this tip aint a tip no mo'
Whatever though, you have a bad earth some where.
tim r