turn signal issue

[Young Ed]

This is in my 46 dodge pickup with the signal stat 900. Just started on saturday on the way back from WI. The indicator light has become irratic and the lights blink normal the first one or two times and then blink very rapidly. The indicator does the same thing usually. Blinks normal then fast but then after about 6 blinks it stops. The outside lights keep blinking fast and the indicator stops. Since it does this for both left or right I figure its gotta be in the turn signal itself. Its got a dedicated ground wire that seems ok. What am I missing to check?

[Plymouthy Adams]

have you checked the flasher itself...it is common to both sides also..

[Young Ed]

Tim what is there to check? This whole system is faily new only has probably 500 miles on it. Can a flasher go bad that fast? I will try swapping it out with another and see if anything changes.

[P-12 Tommy]

Ed, The flasher I bought for mine did that one day not long ago. I wiggled one of the prongs on the flasher and it straightened right out. And that's a NAPA flasher too.

Tom

[Plymouthy Adams]

yes Ed I have seen them bad out of the box, bad but a few days later and good for what seems an eternity..oft times the life of the flasher is dependant on the total resistance it encounters while working..heavier the load the faster the flashing rate (ie some heavy duty for 4 way, other for trailers etc etc)..sometimes they can heat up and distort internally, probably what happened to this one..they are but a bi-metal heat (current) operted switch..only the sofiscated electronic flashers are as we say stable across a large range of reisistance load due to the fact the switching of the load is fired by an internal timing circuit

[Young Ed]

Tom this is a napa flasher too. I haven't been having good luck with theirs. This one I thought had been working good but now I'm thinking its dead. The two I bought for my car this spring were both bad. They both wouldn't light the indicator. When I used a new one that I had as a spare for the pickup it worked fine. Anyone got a source for a better made one?

[BobT-47P15]

Sometime back, when installing my turn signals, I bought two NOS

flashers from an area fellow. One was weak and didn't flash so well,

the other was fine and still in use.

Do you have any other auto supplies besides NAPA.....maybe they

carry a different brand flasher. Surely they can't be all bad.

One old name in flashers is TungSol........

Edited June 28, 2010 by BobT-47P15

[Captain Neon]

O' Reilly's has good flashers.

[Young Ed]

Bob the better question for me is which ones don't I have. Between 40th and 53rd along central ave there is Napa, O'Rielly, Advance, and an Autozone. I live off 43rd so these are all right near by.

[Young Ed]

O' Reilly's has good flashers.

Good to know I'll try one from there next.

[BobT-47P15]

It's just a guess which one could be best......think I would just have to try

other brands. Can you extend the wires to which the flasher attaches - put

some lengths of wire with small alligator clips

on the end to attach easily to a flasher unit.......so you can test them

without having to get up under the dash??

Drive the truck to the auto supply - ask to test the unit before buying.

Some would probably let you do that......ask a counter guy to accompany

you to see if it operates right. If they have several on the shelf, you might

end up with a good one.

Just another one of my hare-brained schemes.....

I try to buy most of my stuff from O'Reilly since they've been here the longest......and I know a

couple guys who've worked there for years. NAPA is usually my second choice. We also have an

AutoZone, which is sometimes OK too.

Edited June 28, 2010 by BobT-47P15

[Don Coatney]

My guess is most all flashers come from the same manufacture and are private labeled. Much the same as the eggs you buy at Kroger say Kroger on them but they come from the same chickens.

[Plymouthy Adams]

NO chicken jokes...okay..

[Young Ed]

I finally found my extra flasher. Issue fixed. Now to hope this one lasts a little longer. At $9 each and only getting a few 100 miles out of this one this could get expensive quick.

[Jim Yergin]

Ed,

It will probably last longer if you stay on "the straight and narrow" and avoid turns as much as possible.

Seriously, good luck, I hope it is a permanent fix.

Jim Yergin

[Brad Lustig]

I can't believe nobody told you to top off your turn signal fluid. These guys are getting slack

[LAKOTA169]

.... only getting a few 100 miles out of this one this could get expensive quick.

So your the one driving down the road with the signal blinking.

[Young Ed]

Sadly it has happened a couple times. These are manual canceling signals.