Blinker Delay

[worldsmysterie]

My blinker on my 67 doesnt blink by itself I have to turn it off and one. Is that normal? If not ... Can I take one from another vehicle and use it?

[19674x4]

turn signal switch in the steering column is probably bad. its right behind the steering wheel.

[fordman]

yea the turn signal cam is broken. yo uneed a new switch. or if you want to chance it a new cam.

[worldsmysterie]

What do the flasher units look like, a pic would be good or what there connected to.

[390Nut]

Up under the dash. There is one above the ignition switch area, can't remember exactly where the other one is, but it's behind the dash on the drivers side somewhere.

This is what they looked like originally, OEM originals were plastic, the ones in my truck were a light blue color. New ones from the parts store will be metal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-AND ... otohosting

[Supermike]

I second that on replacing the flashers before you tear into the switch. They're only a few bucks each at your parts store. I replaced mine with electric instead of thermal, which are supposed to last longer.

Also, I had this problem too when I was trying to install a hitch light and had it plugged into my trailer wires. Apparently the pattern didn't match up and it was essentially shorting out the connection. Fixed it by removing the light and re-wiring the trailer lights.

[390Nut]

On that note, ^^^ make sure you buy the "heavy duty" flashers if you are going to be towing or using a trailer. Standard flashers will make the lights dimmer and signals flash slower because of the extra power draw through the flasher. They are only about a $1.00 more or so.

[fordman]

if its like you say and they wrok but you have to turn them off and on manually. then all that is wrong is the cancel cam is broken. if the blinkers dont work at all no matter what you do then you need to start buying new flasher cans and checking other stuff.

[Supermike]

I took it as his signal lights stay on solid and the blinker does not flash... and he has to flick the switch on and off and on and off to simulate a turn signal.

[kaptnkaos]

That's what I got too Supermike

My blinker on my 67 doesnt blink by itself I have to turn it off and one.

I've had to do that on '68 so many times I couldn't even count..

on off on off on off on off on off on off on off on off on off on off on off

I did that for years until I discovered the second blinker unit...
(gotta take into consideration that most of the drivin' I did in my truck was in the country where turn signals weren't a big deal)

KaptnKA S

[fordman]

i guess i didnt see it like that i could have mis interpreted his post.

[kaptnkaos]

No worries Fordman yer still a good mate...

KaptnKA S

[4th effie n counting]

Just curious, when did they start making signals that didn't blink because a bulb was out?
I know i've had vehicles where this was the main cause of no blinky. No blink i check bulb. I doubt this is the case for a '67 tho.

[seattle67]

Actually, its the older, thermal flashers that don't blink when the lamp is burnt out. There is a bi-metallic "arm" on the contact in the flasher, when you turn on your blinker switch, current flows through this bi-metallic contact and then through your blinker lamp making it light up. This current causes heat and because the "arm" on the flasher contact is made up of one type of metal on one side, and another type of metal on the other, the contact arm bends when heated. (kind of like those furry snake toys that arch their back as you pet them)
It eventually will bend enough that the contact opens, when this happens the blinker lamp goes off and there is no longer any current flow. No current, no heat, so the bi-metallic contact arm cools off, goes back to its original shape and the contact closes, starting the whole process over again. (Modern science, it boggles the mind!)

That is why thermal flashers don't work with LED lamps, LED's don't pull enough current to heat up the bi-metallic contact in the flasher, so they don't flash. Its the same if your blinker lamp is burnt out, burnt lamp = no current flow, no current flow = no heat, no heat = no blinky!

The newer flashers use electronics to just tell the flasher to turn on and off, they don't rely on heat. So they will work on LED lamps and continue to flash even if your lamp is burnt out.

[fordman]

thats interesting. i knew the flasher cans had a kind of points contact in them but i didnt thinkit was heat activated. i thought it was some sort of relay deal.