only one turn signal works

[winstonsmith]

My turn signals have been working for quite awhile now but today the left turn signal no longer blinks. It lights up but doesn't blink. The right turn signal works perfect but not the left. Any idea what would cause that? When I turn on the left turn signal it lights up and I hear the blinking noise only once and then never again. The light itself never blinks. Which flasher unit is for the turn signals? I see two of them. A small one that hangs down a little and a bigger one further up in the dash. When I turn on my hazards they work and I hear a blinking noise coming from the small flasher unit that hangs down. When I use my turn signals i can hear a blinking noise coming from the bigger flasher unit that's further up. I always thought the hazards used the big flasher and the turn signals used the small one. Am I wrong?

[Virto]

...mine do the same thing. The left signal works fine and the right one lights solid and stays on. I haven't had the car long enough to really try and figure it out. Hopefully you'll get some info that can help us both.

Good luck.

[Arne]

How odd. The '71 I picked up last weekend is the opposite - the left side blinks (a bit slowly), and the right side does nothing at all. No click, no light, no nothing. It's not the bulbs because the hazards work normally. I'll post back when I find it.

[preith]

How odd. The '71 I picked up last weekend is the opposite - the left side blinks (a bit slowly), and the right side does nothing at all. No click, no light, no nothing. It's not the bulbs because the hazards work normally. I'll post back when I find it.

If my memory serves me correctly, the hazzards will still work even if a bulb is burnt out. I'd be willing to bet this is the case.

[SteveJ]

Corrosion is frequently the culprit. Check the usual suspects:

Sockets (clean with emery cloth)

Combo switch

Fuse box

Additionally make sure you have a good blinker unit. I had a part in mine to amplify the click. It drew too much, and slowed the blinkers to almost nothing. Removing it improved things. Replacing the blinker unit took care of the rest.

[Arne]

I should clarify - it's not the bulbs because when I switch on the hazards all the bulbs (both front and all 6 rear) flash at a normal rate. I doubt that it is the relay causing the right side no flash, as it works (slowly) for the left side. I'll probably replace it anyway to speed up the flash.

My best guess right now is the column switch.

[jurven240z]

Purchased my 5/70 in 1989 and I have done this twice. Took the column switch off opened the box and cleaned off the carbon buildup on the contact points. Make sure you do not breakoff the metal taps on the switch box. Take your time opening the box you have a spring and a small ball bearing in there held inplace by grease. You cannot miss the pivoting "V" shape metal contact. On each end there are two contacts that build up carbon over time. I used 4oo grit sanding paper to clean them up. Do it with care you do not want to sand the points down flat. Finally regrease before assembly. I did not have electrical grease so used regular wheel bearing grease. Nothing has happened yet.

[EScanlon]

If my memory serves me correctly, the hazzards will still work even if a bulb is burnt out. I'd be willing to bet this is the case.

This one I have to see.

If the light bulb is burned out, how will it light?

What I think you are referring to is that the hazard lights and the turn signal lights use the same filament in the dual filament bulb up front. If that filament goes, neither the turn or hazard can operate. The parking light is on the other filament. (Note: this refers to the FRONT bulb.) In the rear of the car, the Stop Lamp ALSO uses the Turn Signal / Hazard filament. (This is why you can have a steady brake light while the light on the other side of the car can blink.)

All of these circuits come together between the Hazard Light Switch and the Combination Switch at the Steering Column. Note that the Brake Light Switch wires ALSO head there to actuate the brake lamps.

So check items in order of increasing difficulty.

Check the Brake Switch wiring. Make sure that there is a good connection between the switch and the wiring. Make sure that there aren't any spots where the wires may have become chafed or pinched between items.

Next, check the Hazard Switch connections. Many times this switch is the CAUSE of problems such as these.

Check / replace the actual Flasher unit. The piece that causes the intermittent circuitry and the clicking noise and/or the "clicker" (the little round base the flasher gets plugged into to intensify the "CLICK" sound), can cause problems. Sometimes just removing the clicker, or swapping out the flasher units can rectify problems. This lets you figure out where the problem lies.

Once you've done all these, then tackle the Comb. Switch. Not that it isn't a good idea, it's an excellent explanation and suggestion, but it does require a bit of manual dexterity and care. By the way, instead of the #400 sand paper, I would recommend you find an item used by model rail road buffs, it's a contact cleaner / track cleaner pencil. This "pencil" is just a bunch of long fiberglass strands, tightly packed inside a tube. As you slowly push them out (whether with a screw/ plunger), you use them to clean the contact with the sharp ends of the strand. This method removes oxidation while minimizing the amount of material removed from the piece, i.e. it doesn't sand or grind off material. This is more desireable, and usually all that is required.

Hope this helps, and no offense meant to preith, just struck me as funny...

Enrique

[mlc240z]

it caught me too.

but i think he's referring to how in some cars (old fords and chevy's i think), when one lamp blows out the others in the circuit will still light. they just won't blink. so say if right front turn signal lamp blows, the inside indicator and the rear lamp will show a constant light but won't allow the flasher to work, killing the blink.

bart

[Arne]

it caught me too.

but i think he's referring to how in some cars (old fords and chevy's i think), when one lamp blows out the others in the circuit will still light. they just won't blink. so say if right front turn signal lamp blows, the inside indicator and the rear lamp will show a constant light but won't allow the flasher to work, killing the blink.

bart

That is generally true for turn signals, but hazard relays are typically designed to flash any good bulbs, even if one or more are burned out.

[EScanlon]

...one lamp blows out ...others ...still light. they just won't blink.

This is exactly what happens with most U.S. cars, however in my experience with cars imported INTO the U.S. (i.e. "foreign" cars) the SPEED of the blink increases on ALL bulbs that light. I can't speak for the Z so someone else speak up (I haven't had a bulb burn out yet).

You notice this when you're stopped in a turn lane behind a friend's car that has a "high-speed" blinker, and you later find out that their front light bulb has a burnt out filament.

2¢

Enrique

[winstonsmith]

Well I thought I'd post my resolution. I finally had a chance to go out and look it all over today and my left turn signal was lighting up and not blinking because the front left bulb was burned out. I didn't realize that one burned out bulb would stop that side of the car from blinking. I figured it would still blink but any burned out bulbs would obviously not work. Both sides of the hazzards were blinking inside but when I tried turn signals the left one did not blink, just lit up and did nothing. So anyway, easy fix to a silly question. If your turn signal lights up inside but doesn't blink then you have a burned out bulb somewhere. I did not know it would do that. I still don't have dash lights anymore but I think that's my crappy fusible link.