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Auxiliary lamps not working

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Casey0211

Member
I have an '06 Softftail Springer Classic with auxiliary headlight kit. Both those lamps have stopped working, although the main headlight works. Here's what I've done: grounded a circuit tester to the negative battery post & stuck the wand (don't know the terminology) in the splicing clip on the side of the single wire that runs under the tank and splices into the 2 wires that run to the lamps. The circuit-tester light goes on. Can't tell if wand goes deep enough to touch the two wires on the other side of the clip, but the light doesn't go on. When I remove lamps, attach the circuit tester alligator clip to the ground wire inside the housing and touch the wand to the positive wire-clip fastner inside the housing, circuit tester light goes on. Does this mean there's a short somewhere between the splice where the 1 wire attaches to the 2 lamp wires? What else can I do to isolate try and isolate the problem, given, as you've probably noticed, I'm no electrician? Other possibilities? I don't use an on/off switch, by the way, and the fuse and relay (brand new) are fine.

Any thoughts appreciated
 
Two possibilities here. Is the headlight switch on high beam by some chance? The aux. lights usually only work on low beam unless the feed line has been moved.

The second is bad bulbs.

You said you have the power at the plug in the light but the light doesn't work? It should unless there is a bad ground.

Have you looked under the triple tree to see if the grounding wire is under the riser bolt and it's connected?

Also furnish a different ground wire to the lamps/housing (temporary) from the battery as a temp test to verify that you have a good ground.
 
glider said:
Two possibilities here. Is the headlight switch on high beam by some chance? The aux. lights usually only work on low beam unless the feed line has been moved.

The second is bad bulbs.

You said you have the power at the plug in the light but the light doesn't work? It should unless there is a bad ground.

Have you looked under the triple tree to see if the grounding wire is under the riser bolt and it's connected?

Also furnish a different ground wire to the lamps/housing (temporary) from the battery as a temp test to verify that you have a good ground.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Glider.

I already checked the headlight switch. It's on low.

I don't have power at either of the plugs in the lights (That is, if I tested them correctly. I placed the alligator clip on the ground wire inside the light and touched the tip of the wand to the light's power plug). I only know for sure that I have power up until the splice where the main wire than runs under the tank is spliced with the two wires that run to the lights.

I didn't check the ground under the riser. I know there's one there, but I didn't know it affected the lights. Like I said, I'm not the brightest bulb in electrical matters
 
When I remove lamps, attach the circuit tester alligator clip to the ground wire inside the housing and touch the wand to the positive wire-clip fastner inside the housing, circuit tester light goes on.
Click to expand...
I thought you said above the light goes on?

The ground wire shouldn't have much of a bearing on the lights directly being they are bolted to the forks but it does complete the circuit back to the frame/battery.

SO...do we have power at the plug in the housing or not and have you tried to ground the test light back to the frame or NEG battery so the ground leg is eliminated from the puzzle to see if it is a ground problem or 12V feed problem. If you have the 12V up to the splitter where it splits to the two lights , then you may be loosing the power after that where the wires enter the housings from below. Take it a step at a time to see where you loose the power with the test light but check the ground first.
 
glider said:
I thought you said above the light goes on?

The ground wire shouldn't have much of a bearing on the lights directly being they are bolted to the forks but it does complete the circuit back to the frame/battery.

SO...do we have power at the plug in the housing or not and have you tried to ground the test light back to the frame or NEG battery so the ground leg is eliminated from the puzzle to see if it is a ground problem or 12V feed problem. If you have the 12V up to the splitter where it splits to the two lights , then you may be loosing the power after that where the wires enter the housings from below. Take it a step at a time to see where you loose the power with the test light but check the ground first.
Click to expand...

I do not have power at the plug in the housing, and I have grounded to the neg battery. The power seems to stop at the splitter, so I agree, it does seem like the problem is between the splitter and lights. I was hoping to avoid digging into the wire in the bracket, but I may have too. Thanks for your help.
 
If it's the same setup as on the touring bikes where the wire goes up through the bottom of the light through the mount bolt, You can unplug the two wires at the splitter and worse case scenario, pull a new wire up through the mount bolt after removing the end terminals.
 
glider said:
If it's the same setup as on the touring bikes where the wire goes up through the bottom of the light through the mount bolt, You can unplug the two wires at the splitter and worse case scenario, pull a new wire up through the mount bolt after removing the end terminals.
Click to expand...

Found the problem. It turns out that there was bad wire contact in the connector between the single wire and the two wires that run to the lamps. Changed the connector and the lamps now work fine.

Thanks for your help, Glide.
 
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