Turn Signal Indicator Question....

Allright...when wiring in my seat heaters this weekend I also addressed a couple other 'clean-up' the wiring things while I was hanging upside down on the seat with my head under the dash....the seat heaters seem to be working great!...but on to something else for a second...

So I might have finally gotten my turn signal indicator to work...the actual turn signals lamps on the front and rear of the vehicle have always worked fine, but the little bulb that is in the switch with the cancellation wheel mounted on the steering column has never worked - I always assumed it was some sort of grounding issue I could never resolve. So after cleaning up some wiring....it works! Well maybe...the little light flashes on and off when the turn signals are switched on (which is great), but the lamp is always on - as in when the turn signal switch is off (middle position), the lamp is light up. Should it always be on? As I drove to work in the dark this morning...its a new experience having an unusual light on all the time.

 

There is a part of me that seems to remember these flashers as having two strips of metal sandwiched together with different electrical/thermal properties. When current goes through it heats them up differently, and thus one expands more causing the metal strip to bend and break the electrical circuit. Then without current it cools back down to a uniform temp which straightens out the metal strip and closes the circuit again and it repeats this pattern until the 12V source is shut-off. For the light to be on the circuit has to be closed, but it shouldn't stay permanently on if the current is also going through the flasher in series. So, in my case, the light bulb circuit must be getting 12V and grounding when the switch is in the off (center position)...when the switch is moved up or down (left or right turn signal), the current is shortcutting the bulb (bulb goes out) and only goes through the flasher, but when the flasher bi-metal strip heats up and opens the circuit, the current then goes back through the bulb to ground (causing the light come on) until the bimetal strip cools and closes the flasher circuit again.

I am guessing, it shouldn't work this way? When the switch is on, seems like it the current pathway should be through the bulb and flasher in series to ground. When the flasher is closed, the bulb is on, when the flasher opens the circuit, the bulb goes out. When the switch is off, the bulb-flasher series should not get 12V, and nothing should be on....? I wonder why I am getting 12V to the bulb even when the switch is off.

 

Original sparton unit....I'll see what binky shows....I gave up trying to get it to work years ago (as long as the outside lights work I was fine with it), but now that I have made some progress with cleaning up some of the mess of wiring I may be able to make some progress...

 

I assume X, L and P terminals are the flasher terminals? I have to check when I get home...kinda thinking I might only have a 2 terminal flasher...let me check on that before I get to far down this road.

 

Had a few minutes to look this evening....the flasher does have 3 terminals. It plugs into some sort of 3 blade receptacle with 3 wires coming out that disappear into the wiring mess. I did another check of all functions, and everything works as it should in terms of the front and rear signals, brake lights, 4-way flashers etc. The only thing that doesn't work as it should is the indicator light in the sparton switch. The flasher can looks old and the can is dented up shrug so maybe something on the inside is shorting. None of the terminals are labeled on the flasher can - are they always in this arrangement?

After I somehow slipped off the seat (my head was down under the dash and feet up high) and got wedged between the steering column, dash, gear shifters and seat frames - I literally had to yell to get my wife to come out to the garage to help me get unstuck - I may be done for the night. ...I am going to buy a new flasher - last time I bought one 20 years ago they were cheap. Might be a waste of $5, but might be an easy solution. If needed, i will then cut the wire bundle ties etc, separate the wires and see what I can trace where.

 

Is it only on with the key on? When you say cleaned up wiring did you redo any connections or just arranged it neater?

 

will check tonight...thanks!

 

The flasher only works with keyed power. In the case of the 'always on' indicator bulb in the switch - yes, it comes on with keyed power and stays on until the turn signal switch is moved and then it flashes.

I only changed one wire related to the flasher, which is a 12V supply wire. There was a burnt out inline fuse in the wire (which I didn't even know about)...after replacing that fuse the light came on. Of course, I don't know for however long that fuse has been out...but the flasher system has always worked properly (in terms of the outside signals etc). The only thing that didn't work was the indicator bulb in the switch. Does the 12V wire only supply to the bulb? So maybe I now have two different 12V supplies going into the flasher? I need to trace the 12V supply wire(s) a bit more.

 

Since the diagram calls it a pilot light it seems like it should be on when not flashing.....otherwise why would there be a place (lens area) for it to show?

 

Sounds that way....diagram indicates it's not correct though.