Fog Light Switch

[JackB]

Started the bike up last week and no fog lights Damn!
So after a few days they didn't fit them self, Damn.
Time to check fuses. All good.
Then I asked my Honda dealer he said check the switch.
So I took the switch out and one terminal was dead?
Back to the dealer, these were the high priced Honda lights that I bought the same time as the bike.
So I was hoping they would be included with the 7 year warranty but no only 1 year on accessories, Damn.
Ok so I need a new switch the Honda brand is on back order would be next week maybe, Damn
Then he opened up a Big Bike set of the lights took out the switch and it looks the same except the wires were bigger. Great.
They were about $10 cheaper so back home I go and in a few minutes the lights are back on YEAH!
So anyone else have the switch die on them, I noticed there are a lot of them on eBay.
The switch should last longer than 4 years.

[lgjhn]

I've had to change a bunch of em. Common problem on GWs, that and cruise along with the CB control switches on GWs...especially older bikes and/or those stored outside.
If you ever pull one of those apart, there isn't much to them. A small metal slider and spring. Once the original lubricant wears off/dries out, it's only a matter of time.
Last fog light ones I bought were off the internet....several sources, eBay, etc.
FWIW, one of the things I do is I never turn them (or the cruise control switch), off unless I have to.
I also use Radio Shack's Control/Contact Cleaner & Lubricant, Catalog #: 6400148. This stuff can be hard find locally sometimes. I just order it from em online.
I use the spray nozzle and work in behind & spray it on the CB switches....seems to work on those pretty good.
IF the fog light or cruise control switches aren't totally burned out, I've had varying degrees of success/failure in trying to get some of that spray inside those but it's more difficult as they're sealed pretty good.
On my own bikes, I spray those about twice/year whether they need it or not, especially the CB switches on the GW. Sometimes the volume control and/or radio channel control will freeze up too. That spray works good on those too.

[JackB]

Just got back from a ride and the fog lights are not working. They were fine when I left. The button is lit up, the left light is dead the right one is flickering, but very dim.
So did the switch go bad after 1 week?

[lgjhn]

Hi Jack.
From what you describe, it doesn't sound like the switch to me.
If you press the switch to off, does the one that lit, go out? Come back on?
IF so, it's not the switch....it's something else.
Sounds like maybe a short or a bad ground somewhere.
I would start looking at the connections at the lights themselves and make sure everything is right and tight.
IF they were working when you headed out, maybe something vibrated loose?

[JackB]

I will check tomorrow
Thanks

[olegoat345]

check the grounds, that area gets lots of crap hitting it. Clean them ad a tad of anti seize on the lug & bolt head will help keep the corrosion off.

[JackB]

This morning the lights were still not working.
So I stop at my Honda dealer and he said maybe it is the switch or maybe the wires are pinched.
When I got home they were on, an hour later they were dead.
So I was going to take the switch out but the lights were working again so I moved the wires around a little and turned the lights on and off a lot. And they worked every time. I then tried the old switch and the lights did not work so I put the new switch back in and when for a 10 mile ride and they were working fine.
So time will tell if it's fixed I doubt it, it is hard to fix something when it starts to work again.

[Heatnbeat]

Yeah, stuff that fixes itself usually unfixes itself too.

[JackB]

Well it's a year later and as far as I know the fog lights have been working fine all of last year. This year they didn't work again. So after a long afternoon of them working then not working and testing I found the short, it was were the relay wire is plug into the factory wiring harness. It was hard to get into the plastic cover plus it was buried in the lower faring. It wasn't easy. Hopefully that was it

[53driver]

Well it's a year later and as far as I know the fog lights have been working fine all of last year. This year they didn't work again. So after a long afternoon of them working then not working and testing I found the short, it was were the relay wire is plug into the factory wiring harness. It was hard to get into the plastic cover plus it was buried in the lower faring. It wasn't easy. Hopefully that was it

Glad you finally got something tangible to fix rather than the usual "intermittent avionics problem."
Hopefully this will disinfsckulate your lighting forever!
Cheers,
Steve

[olegoat345]

I'd bet on a bad ground...… someplace. Maybe around where your fogs fit in the cowling. You can't have too many grounds, so ad them if you can't find a ground. Remove & clean all grounds you can locate, a little dielectric grease won't hurt.
Could be a pinched or loose hot wire.
Electrical problems will make you crazy if you let them. Shops charge "by the hour" to hunt for them.
Keep us posted … good luck

[JackB]

I believe that it's fixed.
I don't think the relay plug was plugged it to the wiring harness all the way, if it was clipped in, it would of not fell off.
They is very little room to be able to push the plugs together

[VStarRider]

I do not have the the Honda lights, I have the Tridium lights from Big Bike Parts. Their crimp-type connection that connects the wire to the light leaves a lot of room for failure after a short period of time, it appears. I ended up cutting their connectors off and soldering everything together and then sealing it up with shrink tubing. As Olegoat noted, that is vulnerable area for impacts, moisture, dirt, dust, etc. All bad news for electrical connections.

I have the remote saddlebag lid kit that I have yet to install. I will be soldering those connections as well.

[unsub]

I do not have the the Honda lights, I have the Tridium lights from Big Bike Parts. Their crimp-type connection that connects the wire to the light leaves a lot of room for failure after a short period of time, it appears. I ended up cutting their connectors off and soldering everything together and then sealing it up with shrink tubing. As Olegoat noted, that is vulnerable area for impacts, moisture, dirt, dust, etc. All bad news for electrical connections.

I have the remote saddlebag lid kit that I have yet to install. I will be soldering those connections as well.

The wiring and connectors with that package leave a lot to be desired.