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Problem with turn signal.

RideTheLightning

Active Member
Hey guys,

I just noticed on my ride that the right rear turn signal was hanging off of its mount. I discovered that the bolt that holds the signal to the rear fender had popped out a bit, and I lost the original nut that goes on the inside of the rear fender. I tried to slide the bolt back into place, but it doesn't want to go back in kinda like the hole is off-center now. I found a replacement nut that doesn't match the other side.

Any tips? I can get pics if need be.

Thanks.
 
Make sure that the nut that you have fits the bolt that holds the turn signal in place then to get it all to line up you may have to loosen any other bolts holding the frame rails and rear fender together and get everything lined up get all the nuts on to the bolts before final tightening of anything
you may also have to loosen up the other side also just to get all to line up

Brian
 
Make sure that the nut that you have fits the bolt that holds the turn signal in place then to get it all to line up you may have to loosen any other bolts holding the frame rails and rear fender together and get everything lined up get all the nuts on to the bolts before final tightening of anything
you may also have to loosen up the other side also just to get all to line up

Brian
How does the turn signal stay mounted? I can't seem to figure that out. I just have the end of the bolt sticking out, no nuts or anything.
 
It has been a long time since i worked on the rear indicators from that era of sportster but if it is stock as i remember there was a standoff that the indicator head stood on that had 2 holes through it the 1 to the rear had a bar that was threaded both ends with a nut formed on it toward 1 end the long end went through the stand off and screwed into the head of the indicator the short end went through the the frame rail cover and was secured by a nut to the inside of the frame rail cover
the wiring runs through the front hole in the standoff and under the frame rail cover
however if anything has been changed since new then that might not be the case i personally have moved the rear indicators on my sportster 2 times and all the stock stuff has gone long before my time so i don't know how it was stock without looking at a parts list

Brian
 
It has been a long time since i worked on the rear indicators from that era of sportster but if it is stock as i remember there was a standoff that the indicator head stood on that had 2 holes through it the 1 to the rear had a bar that was threaded both ends with a nut formed on it toward 1 end the long end went through the stand off and screwed into the head of the indicator the short end went through the the frame rail cover and was secured by a nut to the inside of the frame rail cover
the wiring runs through the front hole in the standoff and under the frame rail cover
however if anything has been changed since new then that might not be the case i personally have moved the rear indicators on my sportster 2 times and all the stock stuff has gone long before my time so i don't know how it was stock without looking at a parts list

Brian
I took a look at the opposing signal and it appears that I have to pull the bolt through, tighten the nut on the INSIDE of the fender, and when it is at the end of the thread I line up the end on the outside of the fender, put the little mount over the bolt, align the actual lamp, then tighten the bolt using the nut on the inside of the fender.

I undid parts of the plate but I still couldn't get it through. Part of the problem is I can't get the bolt into the hole OR pull it out, yet there is enough play room side to side that I should be able to do one or the other.

Hey Lightning, might I suggest you may get help from the specific Sportster forum. I am a member there even though I no longer own a Sporty. Check out The XL Forum - For Sportster Enthusiasts!!

Kev
I will check it out when I get the chance. Thank you very much!
 
Have you tried to loosen off some of the other mounts on the rear fender to allow a little movement of everything

Brian
 
Have you tried to loosen off some of the other mounts on the rear fender to allow a little movement of everything

Brian
I undid the plate that runs horizontally along the fender on the side that is stuck with no luck. I got to feel the head of the bolt that is stuck and it is not flat like it should be, like it snapped at the end. There is a piece that connects the horizontal mount and the luggage rack. The two torx screws here are rusted on the inside. When I tried to remove the first one, I ended up stripping the inside because it was rusted. Seems like I need to order some extra parts, find a way to remove all the bolts and replace everything.

I will try and do what you suggested Brian and loosen up the other side of the fender because I'd rather fix it with what I have than get new parts.

Thanks guys!
 
Aye it looks like you need to strip the back end of your bike and remove all the fasteners that will come off and then work out a strategy for the rusted stuck ones
penetrating fluid some heat and a hand impact driver are your best allies in a situation like this
but as most of the fasteners in that area go all the way through and and are secured by nuts on the inside you may have to drill the heads off
I personally replace fasteners in that area with stainless steel ones and use a wee bit of copper grease on them as i have spent many hours in the past trying to coax out rusted fasteners

Brian
 
Well, looks like I found exactly what was going on. I removed the passenger backrest- didn't realize the rusted torx screws were just attached to that. I thought they ran all the way through. So I removed it and I discovered the rear turn signal stud (#56104-02) had actually broken. The end that goes on the inside of the fender had snapped, leaving only a partial thread, which is why it wasn't going all the way through.I just went to my local dealer and ordered the new part for $2. Now it's just a matter of when it gets shipped in.

This stuff is a little time consuming but it sure has saved me some money. :D

Thanks a ton guys, and Brian- I should probably get some copper grease. Will PB blaster work, or is that more for freeing loose things up?
 
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