Flickering lights, grounding issue on headlight CA72.

[deafanddiabetic]

So, apologies for messy picture, I tried to clear it up as best as I could.

My brake light, running light, horn and spark works great so I just got a new dual filament bulb to put in the headlight.

P.O. had soldered the bulb right into the metal casing, which in theory isn't a bad idea so I did it myself. Not wanting to invest in another sealed beam bulb if I don't have to.

The problem is after a few seconds of being on, all lights flicker, if I turn off the headlight on the switch, the tail light/horn go back to normal no flickering. So obviously there is a grounding issue with the headlight causing it.

In the picture, you can see that I'm soldered to the headlight ring, connected to a ground 3way that's attached to the ignition switch, and the ground from the headlight switch is also grounded with a eyelet attached to the frame.

I've tried to resolder and reconnect grounds all over but I'm still getting flickering. Cleaned out the handelbar switch, as well.

I know it's messy in there with wiring, but does anyone have a suggestion as to better grounding or how to create a solid ground?

[deafanddiabetic]

I kept getting No Post Code Selected error, let's try this instead!

[G-Man]

If it wasn't a problem before, I suspect your soldering may not be perfect.

G

[mike1969]

I only see 2 wires coming out of your headlight bulb. there should be 3. One for high beam, one for low beam, and one for ground. the ground wire should go to the headlight frame.
I recently put a high, low beam bulb in my Dream and used JB weld with no problems.

[deafanddiabetic]

I only see 2 wires coming out of your headlight bulb. there should be 3. One for high beam, one for low beam, and one for ground. the ground wire should go to the headlight frame.
I recently put a high, low beam bulb in my Dream and used JB weld with no problems.

Mike, originally I had the ground wire soldered to the side of the bulb, then I tried soldering it to the actual headlight frame and metal backing. It flickered then, so then I tried moving it around to other places.

Should I get a different bulb, with 3 prongs or something to try?

[OldStan]

You may have damaged the filaments in the bulb, possibly with the heat from all that soldering. A bad filament will sometimes flicker when broken and making an intermittant contact at the break.

I'd replace the bulb, trying to keep the heat to a minimum. Maybe silicone or JB Weld the bulb in place and solder a ground wire directly to the bulb.

[mike1969]

D&D, I used a 3 prong bulb I got from a Nissan Sentra at the junk yard. I took the pigtail from the car too so I could tell which wire goes where. Got 2 bulbs and connecter for 5 bucks. They have 3 prongs and the prongs can be bent flat to give you clearance from the speedometer. I've done many of these over the years and never had a problem.
I didn't know of any double filament bulbs that only have 2 wires. They are usually either high beam or low beam bulbs. Not saying there isn't, just never saw one.

The grounding of the headlight frame occurs when it's installed in the headlight case so it has to have any paint removed where the two fit together.
Like Stan said you could be burning out the bulb from the heat of soldering. It's much easier to use JB weld or silicone. Silicone would probably work better if you have to change the bulb in the future. I used JB weld because it was handy.
I'd cut the old bulb out and go with a 3 prong bulb.
I can get you pick this weekend if that will help. Mike