Help! Turn Signals

[zack_280]

My turn signals are not working. I have tested the switch on the column with a multimeter and the contacts seem to be working correctly (but the Haynes manual has the switch development wrong, no surprise). Anyways, I'm still not getting a signal. In the manual it calls out a white wire that connects to the Turn Signal Flash Switch. There is no white wire on either of the turn signal switches I have (scavenged one from a part car), but there is a red and yellow wire that is not shown in the manual.

I'm open to suggestions. If you think you can help, please tell me what might need to be replaced and if/how I might be able to test it with a multimeter.

Thanks,

Zack

P.S. This is my first post. I just bought a 1970 240 from Mike in Arkansas. He had an ad posted that was up for all of one day. Car drove great even though I had no turn signals.

[azcarbum]

check the hazard switch... power runs through it, and then to your signals.

check forums here and at Zcar. someone posted a write up about that recently.

[zack_280]

Thanks, I haven't checked Zcar. The hazard lights work fine, just no turn signals. I will check that the wire from the turn signal switch to the hazard light is connected.

[nwcubsman]

The turn signals are a different circuit than the hazards. I was having switch problems but the hazards worked fine. Have you checked your fuses?

[loy]

In some cases if the hazard isn't conected right the turn signals won't work. I'd agree and check the fuses. Maybe check the flasher it self it's different than the emergency one

[EScanlon]

Bryan, the turn signals and the hazards are both on the SAME circuit, just that the switches and flashers that control them are operate at different points.

The hazards can still close the circuit with their flasher and operate the lights even though the turn signal switch on the column is inoperative.

This was referenced recently, I believe it was Montoya that pointed it out on another thread.

Check the switches and wiring at the steering column. Also check that the solder connections at the switch have not broken or come loose. If possible do a continuity check THROUGH the switch to ascertain that the switch is making proper contact.

E

[zack_280]

Thanks, guys. I have checked continuity through the switch and everything seems fine. It seems that the problem is downstream of the switch. I'll have a little more time to look at it tomorrow (hopefully). I visually checked the fuses, but I will go ahead and check the continuity tomorrow.

[EScanlon]

Now check continuity through the wiring from the haz. sw. connector to the comb. s. connector. That will tell you what to do next.

You HAVE checked the Turn Sig. Flasher to ensure that it IS working, haven't you?

At the risk of offending someone, but for the sake of those who might not know, you do know that the car's hazard flasher is separate from the turn signal?

Enrique

[zack_280]

Yes, I do know that the turn signal flasher is not the same thing as the hazard flasher. I think I may know where the problem is. The white wire that runs from the turn signal flasher to the turn signal switch is not connected to anything. None of the wires on my turn signal switch are white, so I'm not really sure where it should be connected. I do have a solid green wire that is not mentioned, but there was a black wire connected to that and when I disconnect the black wire and connect the white wire there is no change that I can see in any of my electrical stuff (including the turn signals). All of my fuses are good. Also the turn signal flasher looks brand new. How can I test it to find out if it's working properly?

On a side note the horn relay is now working. Now all I need is a horn.

[EScanlon]

The white wire connects the turn signal switch to the battery THROUGH the flasher. Without that wire you will not get any power to the lights to illuminate them.

Be aware that it is not uncommon for the wiring colors on the switch (or component) side of the connector to differ from the harness wiring colors. The harness wiring for the most part DOES follow the wiring schematic, with only a few exceptions noted over the years and over various cars (which may have been flukes). The switches and components, however, have shown variations over the model years and batches. As long as they operate correctly, it is rare for anyone to note these differences as they aren't uniform or constant.

AFAIK, there is NO solid green wire going to the Comb. Switch. There ARE 6 Green / XXX wires however, so look close to see the stripe, it SHOULD be there if it's going to the combination switch.

Be careful when connecting any wire that could possibly be "live" to ground. It's not unheard of to blow fuses this way, or worse yet, cause damage at other points. Black ~TYPICALLY~ denotes a ground wire, or at least the "return" portion of a circuit. Shunting a power wire directly to ground will / may cause a spark and may get extremely hot very VERY fast. Trial and error on wiring is NOT a recommended way to go.

By repeating "Everyone Knows" type of information, please don't feel I'm picking on YOU personally, remember, this site and posts get seen by a LOT of people, some of whom may not have the knowledge you do have or don't.

As such, sometimes "berating the obvious" is necessary to allow those readers the opportunity to learn from each post. It also then helps the "Search" function.

Enrique

[zack_280]

Well, I am pretty sure that all of the wires that are connected are connected correctly. There is the problem of the green wire and it is solid green. Someone who either wasn't qualified or didn't care about the quality of their work has worked on the wiring on this car. Unfortuantely all of the wires on the Datsun side of the harness have been cut. The wires that were cut were not properly spliced back together and I am reaping the benefits. I can live without turn signals, but I would like to get them working again. If only I knew where to connect the white wire to the turn signal switch...

[zack_280]

I got 'em working. I'm not sure why they work now, but the important thing is that they do. I ended up checking continuity of every wire. That looked ok, so I hooked a spare bulb up to my flasher unit and it flashed. So I reconnected everything and now they are working. I think it might have been the bare wires touching. Whoever worked on it before just soldered them and left them all jumbled together, so I got a male and female connector from Radio shack and connected them up properly. I believe it was one of two things...Either a bad/corroded connection or the bare wires touching. Now on to the suspension...by now I mean when I get the parts and $ together.

Thanks to everyone for your input.