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2002 ET2 Cobalt Blue
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Hi All,

New to the forum and am really pleased to have found what was missing from the web, a place dedicated to the newer Vespas!

Am starting off with a query on dash lights. I replaced the bulbs for my left turn signal and speedometer as they weren't working but they still refuse to light up.

Any ideas of what it could be? Its not fuses as the rest of the dash works ok. Could it be the actual 'motherboard for the circuits?

Thanks for any help,
Riccardo
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Addicted
Vespa LX150 (Diamondwhite baby!) 2003 suzuki Savage 650 (Thumper)
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Addicted
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I don't know for sure, but did the signal and the sped. light go out at the same time? does the back signal work? Electricals are sometimes a bear to narrow down.
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Do the left turn signals (as viewed from the front or the back of the scooter) still light up and blink when you activate them? For that matter, do the right-hand ones? Do all your various & sundry warning lights still work?
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Quote:
replaced the bulbs for my left turn signal and speedometer as they weren't working but they still refuse to light up
There are 3 connectors on the ET instrument panel. On the connector with 5 wires, the grey wire is the panel lamp, and the white-blue wire is the right turn indicator. On the connector with 4 wires, the pink wire is the left turn indicator. The connector with 3 wires is for the blinking immobilizer LED. If you're like most of us and mix up your right and left, the problem just might be with the 5-wire connector. If you're not dyslexic, check both connectors mentioned. If you don't readily find the problem at the connector, use a voltmeter to check operation at the connector. If you see voltage at the connector wires as described, the problem lies in the instrument panel. Good luck.
⬆️    About 2 months elapsed    ⬇️
OP
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2002 ET2 Cobalt Blue
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Guys, thanks for the replies. I had never realised someobody had actually replied as I thought I had switched email notification on yet never had any emails ...

The problem still persists as I have not done anything to fix it yet (its my girlfriend's scooter and I never ride it so I forgot cmnpletely till the other day).

One solution I thought would be to buy a new dash cluster off ebay (currently 2 for sale).

However, the ones for sale are for 125cc models and mine is a 50cc. Any ideas on how the speedo gearing works? Is it set up differently for each engine type?

Thanks again!
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Riccardo wrote:
One solution I thought would be to buy a new dash cluster off ebay (currently 2 for sale).
However, the ones for sale are for 125cc models and mine is a 50cc. Any ideas on how the speedo gearing works? Is it set up differently for each engine type?
Riccardo,

The speedometer is driven by the front wheel, where it counts wheel revolutions. Since both models use the same diameter wheel, there is no difference in the speedometer between the ET models.

Before buying a new dash cluster, you should first try to determine if the current one is faulty, or if your wiring is faulty. Were you able to understand the procedure I outlined for you?
addicted wrote:
There are 3 connectors on the ET instrument panel. On the connector with 5 wires, the grey wire is the panel lamp, and the white-blue wire is the right turn indicator. On the connector with 4 wires, the pink wire is the left turn indicator. The connector with 3 wires is for the blinking immobilizer LED. If you're like most of us and mix up your right and left, the problem just might be with the 5-wire connector. If you're not dyslexic, check both connectors mentioned. If you don't readily find the problem at the connector, use a voltmeter to check operation at the connector. If you see voltage at the connector wires as described, the problem lies in the instrument panel.
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2002 ET2 Cobalt Blue
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addicted wrote:
The speedometer is driven by the front wheel, where it counts wheel revolutions. Since both models use the same diameter wheel, there is no difference in the speedometer between the ET models.

Before buying a new dash cluster, you should first try to determine if the current one is faulty, or if your wiring is faulty. Were you able to understand the procedure I outlined for you?
Thanks Gary,

Ermm, to be honest no, I didn't understand the procedure at all as my knowledge of vehicle electrics is very limited and I don't have any tools for that kind of analysis...

What I suspect is that some parts of the conducting material have come off with time and thus the circuits are not 'closed'. My original idea was to buy a liquid copper pen and retrace the parts where it seems the original circuit has come off.

As, by coincidence, there are 2 dash panels on ebay right now I thought it may be easier to get a new one altogether. The issues is, the scooter is my girlfriend's Liberty 50 (LT50 in the US?) and one of the panels is from a ET2 (smaller wheels 10" vs 16") and the other for a Liberty 125 (quicker engine, so different speedo scale), so I am not sure they will work correctly, especially in the case of the ET2 one.

The other reason for buying them is that they have digital clocks in them and my girlfriend's one doesn't.

By the way, all 4 indicators work and so do the fuel gauge light and the other side indicator warning light.
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Okay Riccardo. Thanks for the clarification on the wheel sizes. I don't know if the 16" and 12" wheel speedo drive gears accommodate the ratio, or if the speedometer is calibrated differently. I have no experience with that, and guessing wouldn't be appropriate.
You can buy a voltmeter for $5 or less in automotive parts stores, here in the US (thanks to inexpensive Chinese imports). The positive voltmeter lead (red) connects to the connector wire(s) I described, and the negative voltmeter wire lead (black) connects to any bare metal surface on the scooter, or the negative battery terminal. Turn on the left turn signal, connect the voltmeter to the pink wire at the instrument cluster connector, and see if you get alternating (blinking) voltage at that wire. If you don't, then the problem is not at the instrument cluster. If you do, then you can continue to trace the connection into the instrument cluster, until you find the break in the trace. There are no intervening circuits between the indicator lamps and the instrument cluster wire connector. It's just a printed circuit board trace, as you've stated earlier.
I agree with you, that it may just be a broken circuit board trace or two. It is just as likely to be a problem at the connectors too, because the mechanical connection can oxidize, or corrode, over time (4 years?).

Another caution Riccardo: The color code corresponds to Vespa ET models. The wiring may be color coded differently on the LT50, but the 3 connectors, and the wires, have the same position and function in the ET and LT. It is basically the same instrument cluster assembly, except for the differences already noted.
⚠️ Last edited by addicted on UTC; edited 1 time
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2002 ET2 Cobalt Blue
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Well, sure sounds easier to test it than I had realised. I may end up getting a voltmeter as I guess it will come in handy in the future too. Re the other speedos I may give them a miss and hope the correct one comes up. As its a 7 year old scoot there are bound to be issues with some of the electric (its Italian after all...).
⬆️    About 13 years elapsed    ⬇️
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vespa et4 150
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Riccardo wrote:
Hi All,

New to the forum and am really pleased to have found what was missing from the web, a place dedicated to the newer Vespas!

Am starting off with a query on dash lights. I replaced the bulbs for my left turn signal and speedometer as they weren't working but they still refuse to light up.
Check small daylight running bulb
If it burns , cluster lights go off

Any ideas of what it could be? Its not fuses as the rest of the dash works ok. Could it be the actual 'motherboard for the circuits?

Thanks for any help,
Riccardo
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