Anyone had an indicator switch go on a GS (Solution)

andyclark

Guest
My left turn switch has become intermittent, and I dont want that old joke of , its on....no its not,,,,yes its on....no its not. Is this a common fault, is there a quick fix or is it beack to the bmw agent and a new one at a hell of a cost?
 
first

i would take the lens off and check the contacts on the bulb, then the contacts on the indicator that connect to the bulb, and then the connections of the two wires to the indicator. I would not think that you would need to buy another indicator.
 
The left went on my 1150.

As above, switchgear replaced under warranty.
 
. Is this a common fault, is there a quick fix or is it beack to the bmw agent and a new one at a hell of a cost?

Hi Andy,

You don't reveal which model you have in your post above, but this seems to be a pretty common fault on 1150's and a new switch assembly is around £145 as far as I know. :(

So, taking it that your bike is an 1150 this is most likely the problem;

When you open the switch assembly you will find these two wee switches;

switch2.jpg


One is for the indicator and the other for the horn.

You can buy a pack of two replacement switches from CPC.co.uk for under £3 but be aware that they have a minimum delivery charge which will bring the price up to £10 or £12. :eek:

It is quite a tricky job to replace the switches and you need a very fine soldering iron to re-attach the wires to the new switch as you can very easily melt the new switch. I melted two of them before I borrowed a mate's soldering iron. :eek:

Firstly, you need to retain the white collar from the switch in the picture below. Use a sharp pointy tool to remove the insulation from inside the white collar and remove the old switch.

switch1.jpg


Then thread the wires through the collar and carefully solder the new switch to the wires. When you are happy that the switch is working you can fill the collar with a sealant to stop water getting at the back of the switch. Re-fit the switch assembly and that's you done. Spend the £130 odd quid you've saved down the pub. :beerjug: :beer: :thumb2

It is not a difficult job at all Andy but is quite fiddly. Still better than giving BMW a stack of money for what amounts to a knackered £1.50 switch.

Hope this helps. :)
 
I took the switchgear apart as shown by Aidan and then squirted WD40 up under the rubber skirt/seal, still working at the mo :thumb2 I expect using an airline to blow out any moisture from inside the switch would help too. Worth a try anyway before replacing.
 
Its normally the right indicator you leave on isnt it big boy? Record stands at about 16.5 miles so far. Perhaps the left one is a bit miffed for not being favoured and shut down in a huff. So lets sort it out next week along with your cold start lever. Big thanks to Aidan for the pictures so should not have a problem doing it. And you can spend the money saved, on me, in Luxembourg
 
I had problems with the indicator switch on an R850R: sometimes it would take 2 or 3 attempts at pushing the switch to get it to switch the idicator on. At other times it would switch on immediately.

The cause (and solution) had me smiling!

The BMW mechanic explained that the rubber cover to the switch was sometimes too airtight (watertight). If you put your head under the handlebars and look up, you can see what is a bit like a rubber gaitor that sits around the switch itself. All he did was to take a scalpel blade and gently ease the rubber cover away from the plastic of the switch itself (only a millimetre or so). This obviously broke the seal and released the air pressure (or something of that ilk) because it fixed the problem straight away and I have never had it re-occur. He told me that he had found it out by chance but that in 9 times out of 10 that was all that was required.

(Many apologies for the poor description, but I could not think of a better way to describe it)
 
went on my 1200 - took the switch assembly off and squirted wd40 inside - all fine now

PS any moaners about build quality should take the switch assembly apart and have a look
 
indicator trouble

i've both switches changed under warranty. it starts as an intermittent fault then just gets worse. left one took a few weeks to fail totally,the right one took 40 miles. no problems with the new switches so far:thumb2
 
Re my post about the left indicator push switch going gaga and the help given.
Great info.
Part ordered (cost £2-83 plus post) took apart and as you say, fiddly but no real problem. Thanks mate saved me a fortune will toast you with a pint
 
Job done

Thanks mate saved me a fortune will toast you with a pint
No me, me , me in a bar in luxembourg in 2 weeks time !!!!!!!:beerjug: :beer:

Told you it would be easy to do, 40 mins including tea and chat. Wonder what a BMW dealer would have charged. Thanks to all for the tips and info and Andy is once again indicating correctly.
Just a tip for those that this happens to in the " field "and cant get to a parts department. The push button for the horn ( which is next to the indicator one ) is the same and you could swop them over albeit with a cut and solder of the wires. You could do without the horn for a while without resorting to hand signals.

Can we get this moved to the technical section - Moderator
 
Re my post about the left indicator push switch going gaga and the help given.
Great info.
Part ordered (cost £2-83 plus post) took apart and as you say, fiddly but no real problem. Thanks mate saved me a fortune will toast you with a pint


Glad to read that you have it sorted Andy. :thumb2


Just a tip for those that this happens to in the " field "and cant get to a parts department. The push button for the horn ( which is next to the indicator one ) is the same and you could swop them over albeit with a cut and solder of the wires. You could do without the horn for a while without resorting to hand signals.

I did that myself Bob, then put the new switch from CPC in for the horn. Good suggestion. :)

Can we get this moved to the technical section - Moderator

Done. :thumb2
 
CPC switches

Hi, my horn button seems to have given up the ghost so I thought I'd follow your suggestion for replacing it with one of the CPC switches.
However the link doesn't seem to work anymore. Does anyone know if they still do these switches?
Cheers
Tibs
 
Hi, my horn button seems to have given up the ghost so I thought I'd follow your suggestion for replacing it with one of the CPC switches.
However the link doesn't seem to work anymore. Does anyone know if they still do these switches?
Cheers
Tibs

From what I can gather CPC no longer stock these switches Tibs. BSD in Ireland purchased some from America last year but they were very expensive.

If you know someone in the US who would order them for you then post them over that would probably be your best bet. A quick search here should get you the part number.

HTH
 
Thanks for that, but hopefully I may have solved the problem.
I took out a years warranty when I bought the bike and it looks as though the switchgear is covered. Ocean are going to have a look at it when I take it in for a spot of accident repair work on Wednesday.
Cheers
Tibs
 
New switch assembly fitted today. I don't know the price here but they're $250 in the U.S. so I think the extended warranty probably just paid for itself!

Tibs
 
I also had a long thread on this and did this approach. Has only lasted a week though and I'm commuting without indicators at the moment!

Best bet is to get _any_ 1200 switchgear right or left and cut the switches out as they are all the same. I've just sourced one for £12 delivered.

Also, be sure to grease the switch tops so that they don't dry out and crack.
 


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