Fault Finding Indicators

[Davo]

I'm trying to get my dad's car back to mot standard and the indicators are an obvious issue.

 

In the footwell I've found the three spade flasher with terminals 49, 49a and 31.

 

Indicators individually don't seem to work. I get a slight buzz from the flasher unit while indicating left or right with ignition.

 

Hazards do work but if I indicate left or right whilst running hazards I get unfortunate results with some dropping out and the bms flasher going double time.

 

As I understand from other posts, the ignition live feeds the flasher which then feeds the indicator stalk waiting for the circuit to be made left or right to a light circuit which is then fed back earth through the body of the car.

 

The hazard switch however moves the live from ignition to a permanent live which then feeds the flasher - back to the stalk which now has both circuits complete and lights the indicators.

 

So it makes sense to me that the flasher is working as it works for the hazards.

 

I'm thinking this might be a poor ignition live maybe?

 

Or a short in the stalk?

 

I'm a bit of a novice at this so any help appreciate.

 

David

[Guest snowy2]

i had a similar issue with my car......it looked to be low power from the battery........when the engine was running the indicators work fine but engine off they don’t work at all...........they just light up once and didn't flash......start the engine every thing worked as it should.......the fault i am sure was the indicator switch having high resistance contacts.......since the MOT allows the lights to work when the engine is running to pass, i haven’t bothered replacing it.

Edited September 11, 2016 by snowy2

[Big Jim]

If the hazards work then it's not the flasher unit. Basically inside the indicator switch there are 2 separate circuits that join up at the output from the switch to the respective left & right wires.

Your fault is in the indicator switch, you can take it apart and clean it, then hopefully it might work. I had exactly the same problem after my car had been laid up for 4 years, I cleaned the internals of the switch a few times, but never got the indicator side working properly, hazards worked fine though. I finally had to find another indicator switch and that cured it.

 

Check the wiring circuit for the switch in the Haynes manual as separate from the main wiring dia.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Big Jim

[Davo]

Ok. I'll get that indicator stalk off and clean it up. Any advice on what it should be cleaned with? Just a wire brush or solution? If I don't get any luck, what should I search for to get a replacement stalk?

 

If I wanted to test if the circuit works, could I take the coupler off the back and do:

 

Join pin 54 in supply to pin 49 to supply the flasher

Join pin 49a to l or r to complete the circuit to each side

 

That should test to see if circuit works independently of the stalk right?

[Davo]

Jim, oddly enough the car has been unused for about 4 years also!

[Grim]

a buzzing flasher relay can be a short to earth (frequency of flash is dependant on the resistance of the circuit, so a short makes it switch on and off very quickly).

[Davo]

That does sound like it makes sense

 

The symptoms are that when the hazards run I only get front left and rear left lights flashing.

 

If I move the stalk to the right flash position all four flash.

 

This sounds to me like the lecy is routing wrong. Maybe a short as you say. Time to clean the stalk.

[Longboarder]

Does sound like a fault in the internal contacts of the flasher/hazard switch. Clean or replace the switch for starters.

 

Nigel

[Guest 2b cruising]

New flasher units are very cheap.

If I get out of this place and get home in the next couple of days I will send you the working one I have just changed on my car for led lights.

I will let you know when they let me out of here.

[Davo]

Thank you. Everyone is very helpful.

[Davo]

After a rinse through with wd40 and change of the fuse, I now have fully working indicators. Unfortunately the indicators not turning off repressed the next problem!

[Peter Bell]

If you mean self cancelling then not many do as the as the lug? bit to operate the mechanism is not fitted to the replacement wheel.