flasher ?

[bobtail]

i'm trying to decide if my flasher is good or bad. should I be getting continuity from tab to tab or not?

 

[hankjr]

Howdy. what is the symptom that you are trying to resolve?

Hank

 

[Broncobowsher]

You should have at least something. Presuming this is a standard mechanical flasher and not one of the new high tech LED flashers,

There are 2 different ways they can work. The simplist is a self resetting circuit breaker. The load causes the thermal spring to cycle off, cools, resets. Another version works the opposite. Starts off with a small heating element and when it heats enough the contacts close bypassing the heater. Cools, opens, cycle repeats. Different patents. One starts with the light on, the other with the light off.

Either way there has to be some continuity through the flasher to get the thing started. If you are getting an open through the flasher, it is bad.

Electronic flasher (LED style) all bets are off.

 

[bobtail]

I have no turn signals. and I have no emergency flasher.

 

[Broncobowsher]

If you jump the 2 wires on the flasher it will turn into a solid. If the wiring and lights are correct the light will just turn on but not flash.

Do you have working brake lights? When you turn on the signal (not hazard) does that side go out?

Hazard is an oddity, doesn't really use the turn signals. It flashes the brake lights and both front turn signals. If you hit the brakes with the hazard on the fronts and dash indicators will just turn on solid. That is another way to test hazard. Turn them on, hit the brakes. If all 4 corners light up, start looking at the flasher and the power to it.

 

[bobtail]

when I step on the brake only the drivers side lights up. then when I turn on the left turn signal the brake light goes out.

with the warning flasher on no lights. step on the brake back left light comes on and so do the front parking lights but, they don't blink. sometimes I can hear the flasher click a few times but, no lights. also the flasher indicator lights come on but, do not blink.

 

[Broncobowsher]

That sounds about right. wiring and bulbs to the fronts and Left rear sound solid. The right rear is still a wild card.

If you remove the hazard flasher one of the two wires should have voltage present. If that is so, put a flasher in. That should fix that one.

Turn signal, Same check. One of the terminals should have voltage present, with the ignition in run. But there is so much more going on. If the bulb, socket and wiring are good there is a pretty good chance it is the turn signal switch. Fairly high failure rate but need to rule out the basics before that.

 

[bobtail]

I have replaced the turn signal switch, this is what happens now. the warning flasher works now like normal. stop lights work like normal. still no turn signals. except when the warning flasher is activated and I turn on a turn signal the turn signal flasher pulses along with the warning flasher. turning the key to acc or on seems to make no difference. I am lost.

 

[nvrstuk]

What brand of turn signal switch? Aftermarket China crap or FoMoCo? Huge difference.

 

[bobtail]

it's a scott drake

 

[nvrstuk]

Well... should be good. Doesn't mean it is but...

I was helping my son last fall on his 1998 F150 with flasher issues... all kinds of symptoms like you're having. We replaced both flasher units 2x with cheap, China local auto parts store replacements. I told him to order Ford flasher units. He didn't think it would make a difference...

2 days later he plugged them in and everthing worked. Very erratic symptoms with the China ones...

Wish there was such a thing as quality control.

 

[bobtail]

must be 25 years ago I think I can remember having the same issues and I think it was a new turn sig sw back then that solved the problem. it does seem like its a bad turn sig sw. this new scot drake did fix the hazard light and the stop light problems. just not the turn indicators. is it normal that both flashers operate at the same time, if I activate the hazard light and a turn signal at the same time? that's what mine do. I thought the hazard flasher would cancel the turn signal flasher.

 

[bobtail]

is there a way to test a turn signal switch?

 

[DirtDonk]

Yes. Since it's just a switch that opens and closes circuits, measure the ohms, or if you leave it connected, voltage through the different wires.
Get a diagram so you know what color is what, and go from there.

Are you testing both flasher units? Did you replace both flasher units? One for turn signals and one for hazards?

What year is the Bronco? Hazard switch on the dash, or the steering column? If a '74 does it have both the dash and the column switches? Just checking on that last point. Very few have ever been seen it seems, and any of those could have been column swaps from my standpoint. But still curious.

Paul