turn signal won't work

[Topsterguy]

Okay, so both my brake lights work, both driving tail lites work fine, the right signal front and back works, but the left signal flashes once when I turn it on then goes a solid dim. I checked the ground ( ran a wire from the front housing to a good ground) and switched the bulbs side to side etc but it doesn't chnge.  HELP!

[wayne petty]

flasher operation...

flashers are load sensitive...

when you activate the turn signal switch..  you complete the circuit..

the amp draw through the flasher heats the resistance wire in it..  when it gets hot.. it causes a bent bimetalic spring to snap  over center..  this breaks the contact.. allowing it to cool... when it cools.. it snaps back.. causing it to heat again...

this happens every time you hear it click..  

now.. ben franklin got it wrong...   electrons flow from negative to positive..  he had a 50/50 chance..

so if you have a bad ground on any of your lights..   there might not be enough amp draw across the flasher element to heat it up to make it pop open..  and start cycling..



i am going to think that your problem could be the actual flasher is bad..  the internal contacts do get burned..  the moving parts do fail..

plug in a new flasher unit.. match the part numbers on it.. or use a 552.. if it is a 2 prong flasher.. as the 552 will flash 2 to 8 32 candle power bulbs...

it could also be a bad ground somewhere in the system..


i normally strip back 6 inches of wire.. .. wrap it around the base of the bulb so it is in contact with the top of the brass sides...  then i ground that wire...  this is for testing.   or sometimes.. to add a new ground circuit when the socket has failed...


if one of the turn signal indicators on the cluster comes on with the headlights. and off with the turn signals use.. then back on..  that bulb probably has a bad ground.. or a burned out bulb...

remember most of these bulbs have 2 filaments..    test both contacts...  with the other lead on the brass shell...

[Bruce Dorsi]

Okay, so both my brake lights work, both driving tail lites work fine, the right signal front and back works, but the left signal flashes once when I turn it on then goes a solid dim. I checked the ground ( ran a wire from the front housing to a good ground) and switched the bulbs side to side etc but it doesn't chnge.  HELP!

If I am reading your statement correctly, you grounded the housing, but did you check for continuity between the bulb socket and a good ground?

I'd also verify that the left REAR bulb is properly grounded.

If you turn on the tail lights and apply the brakes, do both rear lights stay lit and get brighter?

Sometimes a brake or tail filament will ground through the other circuit. .....If the brake filament and tail filament fail to light simultaneously, I believe the problem is a bad ground.

[wayne petty]

well i was a little off as usual

i looked at autozone.com this morning... selected turn signal flashers with no cars selected... (view all parts)   and the info a a whole bunch of flashers was shown....

here is the info from a conventional 3 buck 552...

Part Number:   552
Weight:   0.25 lbs
Description:    Thermal/standard flasher alternate part # LL552
Terminals:    2
Life:    36 hours
Lamp Load:    1 - 4 lamp maximum
Power:    100 W.
Shipping Information:   Overnight and Two Day shipping are not available for PO Box, APO/FPO/DPO or US Territory addresses.
Features & Benefits

The Tridon® 552 is a thermal turn signal flasher that operates at 12 V. Developed in the early 1940's, thermal turn signal flashers use heat, generated by electricity, to bend spring steel internally which causes the flasher to operate. Thermal flashers are made in Indonesia. Tridon® LL552 and EL12 are direct replacements that are made in the U.S.A.




here are a few more that might be of interest


Part Number:   EL12
Weight:   0.1 lbs
Description:    Heavy duty long life flasher alternate part # LF12
Terminals:    2
Life:    400 hours
Lamp Load:    1 - 10 lamp maximum
Power:    240 W.
Shipping Information:   Overnight and Two Day shipping are not available for PO Box, APO/FPO/DPO or US Territory addresses.
Features & Benefits

The Tridon® EL12 is an electro-mechanical turn signal flasher that operates at 12 V. This type of turn signal flasher uses electro-magnetism to operate and lasts 10 times longer than thermal flashers. The EL12 is capable of handling additional lamp loads due to trailering and is proudly made in the U.S.A. by Novitá Technologies Inc.


~~~~~~~~~

Part Number:   LL552
Weight:   0.1 lbs
Description:    Long life flasher alternate part # EL12
Terminals:    2
Life:    180 hours
Lamp Load:    1 - 6 lamp maximum
Power:    150 W.
Shipping Information:   Overnight and Two Day shipping are not available for PO Box, APO/FPO/DPO or US Territory addresses.
Features & Benefits

The Tridon® LL552 is an electro-mechanical turn signal flasher that operates at 12 V. This type of turn signal flasher uses electro-magnetism to operate and lasts 5 times longer than thermal flashers. The LL552 is capable of handling additional lamp loads due to trailering and is proudly made in the U.S.A. by Novitá Technologies Inc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Number:   LF12
Weight:   0.25 lbs
Description:    Heavy duty loud flasher
Terminals:    2
Life:    200 hours
Lamp Load:    1 - 10 lamp maximum
Power:    240 W.
Shipping Information:   Overnight and Two Day shipping are not available for PO Box, APO/FPO/DPO or US Territory addresses.
Features & Benefits

The Tridon® LF12 is an electro-mechanical loud flasher that operates at 12 V. This type of turn signal flasher uses electro-magnetism to operate and is 5 times louder than standard flashers (EL12). Loud flashers were designed for applications in which engine noise can cause the driver to be unable to hear the turn signals operate. The LF12 is capable of handling additional lamp loads due to trailering and is proudly made in the U.S.A. by Novitá Technologies Inc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


there are also several there listed that work with LED lamps.. but those require 3 terminals to be connected...

[Topsterguy]

Thanks guys, some good things to check. It's a new Ron Francis Bare Bonz wiring kit so I doubt the flasher's gone. I'll recheck the grounds.

Bruce, ahhhhhhh, with the lights on and I hit the brakes the left ( problem side) tail light goes out! Bad ground on the tail light?

[sirstude]

Bad ground in the brake/turn light circuit.  Wish it was simple enough that the one that goes dim is the problem.  I have a 65 Impala, and they are famous for that issue.  The lights in the trunk ground through the trunk hinge so sometims is not even the ground on the lights.  My fix on the Impala is to run a ground wire from the body to the trunk.  Bad grounds are almost always a trial and error process.


Doug

[Topsterguy]

Bad ground in the brake/turn light circuit.  Wish it was simple enough that the one that goes dim is the problem.  I have a 65 Impala, and they are famous for that issue.  The lights in the trunk ground through the trunk hinge so sometims is not even the ground on the lights.  My fix on the Impala is to run a ground wire from the body to the trunk.  Bad grounds are almost always a trial and error process.


Doug

Thanks Doug!   I'll start the "trial and error"!

[wayne petty]

voltage drop tests can find bad grounds...  

turn the lights on for the circuit you are testing...

set your digital volt meter to 20 volts DC...

find a known good ground..     touch another suspect grounded item... 0.02 volts is a good ground..    

0.00 means there is something wrong with where you are testing or the current is not flowing between those parts...

voltage higher than 0.02.. or 0.04 between the engine and the battery negative post indicates a bad ground..



oh crud..  more crud from wayne... this is a real test.. it does work...

this test takes 2 minutes.. everybody try it on their car..  learn it..  it will save you from pulling out all your remaining hair..


try it...    start at the battery for a test...  

start the motor...   turn on the headlights...

set digital volt meter to 20 volts DC scale

measure between the negative battery post and the engine block..   0.04 is good..

measure between the negative battery post and the body..      0.02 is good..

measure between the engine and the body...   0.02 is good..

if you get 0.00... something is wrong with the testing..

  or more than the above, 0.02 or 0.04 volts dc ..   you have a bad ground..  

since electrons flow from negative to positive.. bad ground.. the circuit will not have enough power to operate..  it may also try to get electrons from any other source..   with dual filament bulbs.. the other filament through the harness.. through another bulb to that ground...    so the lights may work reversed...  go out when power is applied..   yep.. strange.. but thats the way it works...

[wayne petty]

this voltage drop test and also be used for testing problems cranking the engine..

20 volts DC scale..    again from the negative battery post to the engine block..   have somebody crank the engine while you look at the meter..    depending on the size of your battery cables .. you might have up to 0.25 volts DC..  perhaps half a volt .. this is during cranking..

you can also do this on the positive side..    

positive battery post to the starter terminal..

a quarter to half a volt..  while the engine is being cranked...


do the same test between the alternator output wire and the positive battery terminal..    i like to see 0.04..  or perhaps just a little more..  this is with the engine running .  get much more.. check the connections.. or change the wire diameter..   you can even run a second wire too see if it helps..   just for testing..   reduce the voltage drop between the alternator and the battery means  more power to charge your battery...