Auto Cancel and LEDs

I recently changed all the bulbs on my '87 Interstate to LEDs. Everything works as it should now, except the turn signal auto cancel stopped auto cancelling. Took it apart. Found a crushed (pink) wire near the steering head. So I changed out it out with a spare unit (removed wiring from the brown connector near the fuse box to, and including, the auto cancel unit at the bottom of steering stem). The auto cancel still doesn't work. I don't 'get' electrics but thinking maybe it has to do with adding the LEDs? Any ideas?

Hmmmm I'd say that's right maybe

Put the old bulbs back and see if cancel works. If it does then my guess is the LED's are not enough load on the circuit. Load resistors should fix that. If you already have load resistors in, then I'm at a loss.

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=216597#p216597:2253r8d3 said:

dan filipi » Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:24 pm[/url]":2253r8d3]
Put the old bulbs back and see if cancel works. If it does then my guess is the LED's are not enough load on the circuit. Load resistors should fix that. If you already have load resistors in, then I'm at a loss.

Click to expand...

:good: +1

Thanks for replying, Dan. No load resistors, but have installed LED flasher relay to get rid of the hyperflash. Do you advise load resistors with the LED relay? If so, do the get added to the left and right circuit or each bulb or what? (me and electrics = duh) Thanks again!

One load resistor each side. The flasher relay won’t care. I would judge by the speed of the flash which relay to use.
The auto cancel with LED bulbs and resistors is all pretty unknown territory.

I was tossing this around some more in my head. Maybe the handlebar switch is the problem. The ts switch is designed to go to a neutral/off position either by signal from the auto cancel unit or by manually pushing the switch in and letting go. Mine fails in both modes. My switch must be manually moved sideways into the neutral position; it was designed to be turned off like that. Since the switch fails to shut off as it was designed to do, maybe that's the problem. I'll have access to a working handlebar switch in a couple days and will install it to see if it makes a difference. If so, good. If not, I'll try the uncharted territory of load resistors. I'll come back to report when I know.

Edit: Yes, the switch was opened up and thoroughly cleaned using WD40 Contact Cleaner and DeoxIT.

You don’t need resistors with a fixed rate LED flasher but you may need circuit resistance for the auto canceling unit.

[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=216708#p216708:w5s5z2h8 said:

Ansimp » Today- 5:26[/url]":w5s5z2h8]
You don’t need resistors with a fixed rate LED flasher but you may need circuit resistance for the auto canceling unit.

Click to expand...

Sure enough because I swapped my turn signal switch at the handlebar and the auto cancel unit at the bottom of the steering stem with no joy. I'm looking at the auto cancel wiring diagram and don't know what wire should get the resistor. Can you help with that?

You are trying to recreate the resistance/load of the original 21w incandescent bulbs. One of the main reasons I didn’t bother to convert my flashers to LEDs on the Rats Nest was the special flasher unit required, and back in 2013 amber replacement bulbs weren’t bright enough. I use fixed rate flasher units for all my LED conversions now but you loose the diagnostic feature of hyper flashing when only one bulb is working and no flashing when both bulbs are faulty. You maybe able to use one resistor per flasher circuit (left and right) and create enough load for the self canceling to work but more than likely you will need to use one for every bulb. They create the same load as the original bulbs so they are wired from the positive feed to ground on each bulbs light supply circuit. I don’t find any advantage to using LED replacements if I am not reducing my electrical load in the process. Even longevity isn’t an issue as I have yet to replace an incandescent flasher bulb on the Rats Nest. :yes:

Thank you.
I wasn't interested in LEDs (based on past experience) but dropped some in my other bike and liked the increased brightness. LED tech has apparently improved over the years. The added visibility is a plus in the area where I live since it gets busier every year. I'll first try one resistor on each circuit, as you said, and hope for the best. If it ends up that each bulb needs the resistance, that's okay too...I have a few of them hanging around my box of stuff.

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=216729#p216729:16xd2sq8 said:

BadMonk » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:41 am[/url]":16xd2sq8]
Thank you.
I wasn't interested in LEDs (based on past experience) but dropped some in my other bike and liked the increased brightness. LED tech has apparently improved over the years. The added visibility is a plus in the area where I live since it gets busier every year. I'll first try one resistor on each circuit, as you said, and hope for the best. If it ends up that each bulb needs the resistance, that's okay too...I have a few of them hanging around my box of stuff.

Click to expand...

Hopefully these are similar to what you have hanging around.

Update: Each turn signal bulb received an appropriate resistor. My bike has no trunk so that saved some time and expense. The LED turn signal relay was replaced with the original Mitsuba. The results are that 1) the auto cancel for the turn signals works as it should 2) the turn signal switch works as it should, i.e., push the turn signal button in to manually disengage the switch, and 3) the idiot light ("Tail Light") in the instrument panel is off...and still have bright LEDs.

Congrats! :clapping:

:salute: