Turning signal control

[pflaming]

Want to get the turn signal 'handle' working on the workbench before hooking into the harness. Question #1: How do I ground it? I have a battery on the bench and I'm connecting direct to it. Any problems doing that? I do have a fuse between the battery and the flasher can. (2) How does a flasher can work? Is it like the coil in that it collects energy then repeatedly releases it?, (3) Set up this way, can I make it work on the bench by adding bulbs to each wire? (4) What am I overlooking?

I went to Signal Stat 900 (google) and got a diagram so I have the road map.

[MBF]

There;s a bimetalic spring inside the relay that as it heats up and cools down makes and breaks contact and acts as an on/off switch. The directional bulbs will provide the grounds when you get it installed in your truck. Just so that you have a load on it, I'd hook one of the output wires to a bulb, and ground the bulb housing to the battery negative. Depending on how output wires you have will determine how it needs to be wired on the vehicle. I may be wrong here since it was a long time ago that I did this, but the 5 wire setup requires separate directional signals in the rear, and the 7 wire setup is wired through the brakelight switch to allow you to use your 2 rear tail lights as directionals like a modern vehicle. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone has the right answer.

I did the same thing as you are going to do Paul. Disassembled, cleaned, lubed and painted the switch on the bench before putting it in the vehicle. Mike

[Don Coatney]

I just recieved the Technostalgia 2009 product catalogue. In this catalogue they offer 12 volt solid state turn signal flashers (2, 3, or 5 pin) for ten bucks each. These solid state flashers will work with LED's as a by-metal flasher will not. Other vendors sell these solid state flashers for as much as fifty bucks each.

[Merle Coggins]

You can bench test your signal switch by wiring it up like Mike says. You only need to ground the switch assembly to test the indicater lamp on the switch. Otherwise it'll still work if ungrounded, but the indicater won't light up.

[MBF]

Good point Merle-I forgot about that-and spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out why the indicators didn't work! Mike

[pflaming]

Picked up a flash canister for $7.00 at a local parts store. Opened up the controller, seems over the years the grease melted and has covered some of the contact points. One side worked, will clean the other side. Any suggestions on what cleans best?

Previous notes were incredibly helpful.

PF

[greg g]

brake cleaner is small amounts.

[Hounddog]

Picked up a flash canister for $7.00 at a local parts store. Opened up the controller, seems over the years the grease melted and has covered some of the contact points. One side worked, will clean the other side. Any suggestions on what cleans best?

Previous notes were incredibly helpful.

PF

I've always used electrical contact cleaner.. It takes moderate grease off well and dirt and a plus is it evaporates rather quickly

[grey beard]

Do any of you know where I can buy a solid state 6-volt flasher? Need one for my new LED's.

Thanks

[pflaming]

Have two controllers, a Signal Stat 900, no brand name on the other, opened both, both dirty. Cleaned both, still no signal out. Any suggestions? They do not seem to be broken or even capable of being broken. HMMMMM

[Merle Coggins]

When I was messing with my Signal Stat 900 switch I found that there are actually 3 different inputs. One comes from the brake light switch, and the other 2 are flasher inputs, one for the signals and one for the 4-ways.

Here's a web site that I just found that may help you figure out how it works. The animation only shows 2 inputs, but the theory is the same. http://home.comcast.net/~sday77/binky/repair_turn_signals.htm

I don't remember which color wires were for what. I started with my Ohm meter and probed the different combinations until I found the one wire that showed continuity to two other wires in the neutral position. This told me that the one that was common to both was my brake light switch feed and the other two were left and right rear lights. If you move the switch to the left or right turn position one of the rear lights should become disconnected from the brake light switch feed. For instance, if you switch to left turn, the left one disconnects from the brake light switch feed and should connect to the flasher feed.

By testing the various combinations this was I was able to determine which wire was which. Of course take note as you go so you don't confuse yourself.

Merle

[pflaming]

Merle:

Red wire to right front, green wire to left front, black wire to right rear, gray wire to left rear. Tail lights are tied to each other. Gray wire with a black line on it goes to the brake switch. Yellow to L (load) and blue to (pilot) on the canister. The third pole on the canister (X) is the incoming power source which needs a fuse. ALL bulbs MUST be grounded. I vice-gripped the front bulbs to the tail light brackets and ran a single wire to the neg pole of the battery. Could do the same with a battery charger. So much easier on the workbench.

The attachments show what I am doing on my workbench. You must check the system WITHOUT the flasher canister. My controller did NOT work, since I am trying to 'restore' everything I can, I took the controller apart and painstakingly have cleaned it with electrical control fluid, brake fluid worked also, but the electrical fluid dried faster.

The little printed circuit board electrical points can be crossed over to test the lights. It is really a system that will last forever. With the 900 series there aren't enough wires to run the park lights as turn lights. The Control Stat 900 is much simpler than the other controller I have, a much better system. Instead of points, the CS 900 has a printed circuit board. It is interesting that printed circuit boards were around in the '50's, maybe earlier. Any one know how soon then showed up?

Spent Saturday cleaning and playing with this controller, kind of neat to get it come to life. It was so full of 'dust/crud' that things shorted out and the few things that move couldn't.

Got my schematic from the net.

[Young Ed]

Are you sure its from the 50s? I just bought one of those brand new at napa

[Merle Coggins]

Glad to hear that you got it working. I found another one that I had laying around this weekend. I was going to figure out the color code again for you if you still hadn't figured it out.

Yours looks very much like mine, inside and out.

Looks like you were working on it over breakfast.

Merle

[pflaming]

My wife brought out the sandwich and pie for lunch. Can't figure out if (1) she was encourageing me to keep working on the truck or (2) found a way to keep me out of her house. Either way, the pie was incredible.

[bach4660]

Okay for us slow guys, I need a flasher for a 6 volt system, will a 12 volt work (someone said it would just at half speed)?

[pflaming]

Yound Ed: Vintage Power Wagon Catalogue has this controll for $65. Their comment is: ". . . for those who want a vintage look." I conclude from that and from the surface on mine that this controller has been around for some time.

[Young Ed]

For sure just saying not necessarily since new. BTW mine from napa was about 1/2 VPW's price

[pflaming]

This is an old thread. I have three wires to the rear. Black to the RR, Gray to the LR and Green to the stop filaments. Hit directly with a hot wire, all work. BUT not with the turn signal switch, nor through it. SO I guess it needs to be dissassembled again to see what is not quite right.

The brake lights are activated through the Signal 900 switch. The LR works through the switch but that is all.

Since I do not need turn signals for the DVM, I'm going to wire it stock and get the license then play later. Horn works, BUT not at the wheel, so it must be grounding out up top.

OT: Trying to buy a car for my wife and debugging electrical STRETCHES my abilitly to multitask. Looks like we'll get 2011 Nissan Altima. Anyone have any experience with such?

[B1B Keven]

This is an old thread. I have three wires to the rear. Black to the RR, Gray to the LR and Green to the stop filaments. Hit directly with a hot wire, all work. BUT not with the turn signal switch, nor through it. SO I guess it needs to be dissassembled again to see what is not quite right.

The brake lights are activated through the Signal 900 switch. The LR works through the switch but that is all.

I had a bad internal solder joint. Maybe?

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=28203&highlight=signal+stat

[MBF]

Does the RR tailight work? How about the right front signal light? If the RF works, I'd suspect a corroded joint someplace or a bad ground on the light itself.

[ggdad1951]

Horn works, BUT not at the wheel, so it must be grounding out up top.

I have the same problem, if I ground out the horn to the block it works, but not at the horn ring. The horn ring completes the ground for the horn to make noise....somewhere I have too much resistance or the circut is not being properly completed by the horn ring. For me, I lean towards resistance since I know the the steering column has good ground and even if I try to ground to that with a pliers (sans horn ring and such) I don't get a squeek.

[pflaming]

My horn ring will not release it's ground so I must have done something wrong when reassembling it. I lost the three little screws and used brass flatheads which are just above the surface, but will brass carry a current and ground out the horn? I'm going to get them flush some how, hate to grind them off.

Maybe just put a button on the side of the post and be like all the farmers in the 40's. :eek:

[ggdad1951]

My horn ring will not release it's ground so I must have done something wrong when reassembling it. I lost the three little screws and used brass flatheads which are just above the surface, but will brass carry a current and ground out the horn? I'm going to get them flush some how, hate to grind them off.

Maybe just put a button on the side of the post and be like all the farmers in the 40's. :eek:

yes brass will carry current. All metals will (just some better then others). I'd think you could get the right size and type screw from the local hardware store. I don't think those three are anything unique.

[pflaming]

I rewired my brake lights per OE. They WORK! So that problem is not wiring. Now to the horn, then the controller. Thanks guys every little bit of infor either teaches or confirms: both are helpful.