Turn signal flasher

[Matthew Keij]

We have a little problem. 1 of the turn signals do not flash. It stays on and it doesn't flash!
I looked for the turn signal flasher (as the book calls it) but I did not found anything! I only found the wires that goes to the headlight switch and to the dash lights.
Anybody knows where I can find the flasher??? My guess would be Roger but if anyone else knows it...

[Faulkner]

Matthew, the flasher is under the dash, attached to the steering column by a little clip. But...

Are the signals flashing on the other side? Then it's not the flasher -- you've got too much resistance in the circuit. Check the contacts for the bulbs. Or, you could even have a bulb burned out!

Dan

[Faulkner]

Matthew, the flasher is under the dash, attached to the steering column by a little clip. But...

Are the signals flashing on the other side? Then it's not the flasher -- you've got too much resistance in the circuit. Check the contacts for the bulbs. Or, you could even have a bulb burned out!

Dan

BTW, I'm here at the Apple Store with my daughter's iPod, waiting for my turn to get waited on. 59sportfury.net now looks great with Safari (the Apple browser), now that I fixed the html. Hurray!

Dan

[Matthew Keij]

The turn signal is flashing on the otherside.
We already have a little problem with the turn signal kit that is under the steering wheel. Could that be it?

[Faulkner]

The turn signal is flashing on the otherside.
We already have a little problem with the turn signal kit that is under the steering wheel. Could that be it?

Matthew, the flasher controls the flashing for both sides of the car, since only one flashes at a time. If it's flashing on the other side -- it's not the flasher. It's corrosion in the circuit, a break in a wire, or a burned out bulb -- guaranteed.

Dan

[Ron Keij]

Thanks Dan, but I am sure the bulbs are fine. In fact on the driver's side they are working twice the time they should. When I actuate the switch they keep burning, and on the passengers side it works just fine.

Ron

[Faulkner]

Thanks Dan, but I am sure the bulbs are fine. In fact on the driver's side they are working twice the time they should. When I actuate the switch they keep burning, and on the passengers side it works just fine.

Ron

OK -- then the fact that they are lit means there's no break. But perhaps the sockets are corroded?

The flasher contains a bimetallic element. When it heats up, it breaks the circuit, cools, and reconnects. That's where the flash comes from. If there's not enough current -- because there's too much resistance in the circuit (i.e., corrosion), then the element doesn't heat up enough to open.

If it works on one side, it's likely not the flasher. But hey, what do I know?!

Dan

[rogerh]

Matthew,
I am not clear on your car's problem.
You say the left side flashes just fine. This tells us there is nothing wrong with the flasher unit.
You say the right side stays on but won't flash. Are you saying the actual signal lamps come on and stay on, OR are you saying the turn signal mechanism itself does not turn off?
If the brighter signal lamps are staying on, then Dan is correct..there is not enough resistance in that circuit to trigger the flasher. So, make sure that both front and rear lights are coming on. If they do, then the problem is corrosion in the bulb sockets or a weaker than normal "ground" of the light housings...To fix the latter, remove the lens from the front lights, and loosen, then tighten the screws that attach the housing to the fender, trying to improve the "Grounding" of the housing.

[Ron Keij]

Thanks roger!!
The problem is fixed! The housing was only held in place by 2 (rusty) screws and it didn't made enough ground!
Well, on to the show!

[Faulkner]

If the brighter signal lamps are staying on, then Dan is correct..there is not enough resistance in that circuit to trigger the flasher.

Correct. Well, almost. The problem is actually too much resistance. From Ohm's Law,

V = I x R where V is voltage, I is current and R is resistance. Since V is fixed at 12 volts, there's an inverse relationship between I and R. I decreases if R increases -- R is actually nothing more than opposition to the flow of electricity, and corrosion increases that opposition.

In purely resistive elements that don't glow, electrical energy is converted entirely to heat. The more current, the more heat. When you heat a bimetallic element, it bends because of different coefficients of expansion in the two metals. If you don't get enough current, you don't get enough heat, and you don't get enough bend to open the flasher.

And, like that. So how come I can't get my freakin' steering linkage apart?!

Dan

[Faulkner]

It's corrosion in the circuit, a break in a wire, or a burned out bulb -- guaranteed.

[rogerh]

Dan must be a professor. Not only did he know the solution but also the electrical theory behind it. If I knew how, I'd throw balloons and confetti in the air! Too much resistance at the socket=not enough resistance at the flasher.
I am so glad the problem was solved!
I have been looking forward all weekend to reading that Dan got his linkage apart. Let's cheer him on! Go, go, go!

[Ron Keij]

Thanks for the help!!

@ Dan, seems that the steering linkage has to much resistance. We grounded the turn signal light, would that be a solution for the linkage

@ Roger, you are the practical professor! You told us what to do without the theory and we (Matthew) solved the problem within 60 seconds.

Hats of to both

[rogerh]

thats a good joke about Dan's steering having too much resistance!
Thank you for making me feel useful

[Matthew Keij]

Yeah Roger! You are VERY usefull!
We never found it without you! We were looking under the dash. I never thought about the ground