Signals acting up

[grannyknot]

The signals are doing some strange things that make no sense to me, using the old flasher unit, sometimes I can get all four signals to flash by moving the signal stalk left and right. Then the next time I go back to the left the front left signal won't flash or light up, the rear left and right signals always work no matter what, switch back to the right and now the front right signal doesn't work. Then a couple more tries and they all work again until the next time and the front left stops working.

No rhyme or reason, I have taken the signal switch apart and cleaned the contacts with a scotch pad, the signal bulbs are working fine, I've switched them around, I've jiggled the all the wires while the front signal isn't working with no change.

The hazards work perfectly with a new electronic flasher

When I exchange the old signal flasher unit for a new electronic flasher, the right side flashes perfectly, switch over to the left side and it will flash once or twice then slow down then stop altogether and will not light up or flash again no matter how many times I go back to the right and then try the left again.

Any of this make sense?

[Captain Obvious]

What year are you working on? And is the wiring stock, or do you have aftermarket harness upgrades installed?

[SteveJ]

Are you using a two wire or 3 wire flasher relay?  A link to the part or part number would be very helpful. As for both sides flashing when moving the turn signal stalk, has the switch been rebuilt? That could be the rocker in the switch not being bent at the correct angle.

 

[grannyknot]

22 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

What year are you working on? And is the wiring stock, or do you have aftermarket harness upgrades installed?

April of 1971, the only thing that isn't stock is the headlight upgrade harness from MSA.

4 minutes ago, SteveJ said:

Are you using a two wire or 3 wire flasher relay?  A link to the part or part number would be very helpful. As for both sides flashing when moving the turn signal stalk, has the switch been rebuilt? That could be the rocker in the switch not being bent at the correct angle.

 

2 wire flasher unit. Part number for flasher?  I dismantled the switch today, cleaned everything, there is only one ball bearing in that switch and nothing looked bent or out of shape.

 

[SteveJ]

I was referring to the electronic flasher.

[dutchzcarguy]

Don't know what could be wrong but those little flashers on the front fenders can also give a lot of trouble as they rust away on the back and make bad contacts.. just check them by taking them out of the fenders, the rear rots away..

[grannyknot]

Here's a vid of it doing its thing,

 

[SteveJ]

29 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Here's a vid of it doing its thing,

 

So yes, the dash indicator will mimic the activity of the front blinker. Now you need to clarify.

1. Is this behavior the same with the thermal and electronic flashers?
2. If so is electronic flasher a 2 pin or 3 pin flasher? The 3 pin units need a ground wire.

So, there are 1 of 2 likely sources.

1. The turn signal switch contacts can be iffy. https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/turn-signal-repair/
2. The bulb sockets up front are iffy.

[grannyknot]

The behaviour is the same with the electronic flasher and the thermal, it wasn't yesterday, the electronic flasher would flash a few times then stop but now it is acting the same as the thermal flasher.

The electronic flasher is a 2 blade.

I like the ohm readings listed on your link, I'll do those readings tomorrow, check the bulb sockets again and the connections at the firewall.

Thanks Steve

[SteveJ]

I'm not a big fan of the 2 pin electronic flashers. Maybe it's the cheap Chinesium aspect, but the type I was buying had some intermittent performance issues with LED bulbs that I have not seen with the 3 pin flashers.

Anyway, if you're running incandescent bulbs and have intermittent performance of the turn signal, that indicates that you don't have enough current flowing through it. The intermittent performance with the electronic flasher tells me that the issues is probably between the flasher and the turn signal indicator. That would point to the switch or one of the connections to the switch.

Edited March 11, 2024 by SteveJ

[Yarb]

How about a cheap fix if it indeed fixes the problem with minimal time and labor involved, Try the three prong flasher and run the seperate ground wire.

[Zed Head]

Hazard switch maybe?  All of the circuits pass through it.