Turn signals... where did I go wrong?

[loglat]

Ok, I think with enough head scratching, I can figure this out, but maybe someone can help me.

I completely disconnected my instrument panel to do some cleaning/etc, and to make a long story short, now that it's back in, my turn signals don't work. I'm pretty sure I have everything plugged back together, and everything else seems to work, to include the emergency flashers and parking lots.

It has to be something simple. Can anyone figure it out off the top of thier heads? I'm not so good with a volt meter

[70_F100]

There's a good possibility you pulled the wires loose from the flasher.

[loglat]

But dont the emergency flashers run off the same relay?

[kaptnkaos]

Hey Loglat..

There are two different flashers...

KaptnKA S

[loglat]

Ok, did some more diagnostics. Even though I couldnt find it on the wiring diagram, I found the second flasher, but they're both plugged in, so its back to the ol drawing board.

Now, when the turn signal is switched on, and I press the brake, the whole light goes out. Also, when the emergency flashers are on, and I hit the brake, the flasher stops flashing and the light remains constant. Not sure if that second part is normal but it doesnt seem to be.

This must point to something specific. Is it possible that I somehow damaged the flasher? Since it starts and ends at the instrument panel, I never needed to remove it. In fact, I tried to remove it just now and it's stuck on there pretty good. What's next?

[kaptnkaos]

Just to eliminate the flasher units, I would replace both of them...
They are only a couple of bucks each.
If the flasher is hard to unplug from the harness.. there is a possibility that it got real hot or corroided and is causing cicuits to fail... the only other thing I can think that would cause those specific circuits to act up, would be the turn signal switch itself... that's the one place that all the circuits you mentioned converge.

KaptnKA S

[rjewkes]

ok the brakes interfering witht he emergency flashers is correct.

does the in dash indicators light up at all?

if not then the contact on the Printed Circuit Board has probably seperated from the plastic sheet its on. if you have a pcb what year is the truck?

if it is one with all the individual wires going to the back of each guage did you reverse them or did they come loose when you re-installed the cluster?

you may just have a dead flasher or bulb

[loglat]

My truck is a 69. All the gagues are individually wired, but I just unplugged the whole thing from the harness and didnt mess with them. The indicators do not light up at all, none of the bulbs flash, cant hear the clicking of the flasher itself.

I never messed with the switch either, but on a 40 year old truck, stuff can get tired and randomly break for no good reason.

I also did a little more playing around... the back up lights work--fuse is good. I also swapped the flasher units from the emergency flasher to the turn signal flasher, and vice versa. This would lead me to believe that they're both good.

I think electronics was my lowest ASVAB score. Darn it!

[rjewkes]

ok whats the plug like on is it possable to plug them together upside down? this is the only thing i can think of, or could the connectors for the lights jus not be seating all the way?

i have seen this with computer power plugs and wires on the headlight switch plug they get loose and slide out when you plug it in.

[loglat]

The plugs are idiot proof, but i guess there's a slight possibility one of the pins got pushed out or isnt making good contact. The plugs themselves click into place and they'll only fit one way. I'll try to clean them up and start over tomorrow when there's more light out.

[kaptnkaos]

Hey loglat,

I'm wondering, if when you pulled the panel you might have pulled the turn signal switch (TSS) connector loose, since it ties into the harness right there as well...
behind and just below the support brace.
This might sound like a silly question, Did you disconnect the battery before pulling the panel?
I keep going to back to the TSS, because all of the problems you've described so far can all be caused by a bad TSS.
Especially since you mentioned that the flasher units weren't making any noise. The power feed for them comes from the TSS
The brake lights, turn signals, e-flashers, instrument panel indicator lights all go through the TSS.
It doesn't take much to burn out a TSS... I spent nearly a month rewiring and repairing connections that the PO of my bus "Olde Skool" had butchered when it was the TSS all the time...
It took that long to fix the bus, because there isn't a wiring diagram for it anywhere in the country...

KaptnKA S

[fordman]

the cluster has to be plugged in for the lights to blink. the turn signal flasher gets it power to the pilot lights through the inst cluster wiring. if you interupt ethe circut whiel it is suppsoe to blink the power wont get to the blinker or flasher can. my guess is that flasher can got damaged or burned out while you were cleaning. do the hazard lights work at all when everything is back together? if it does put the hazard flasher onto the blinker flasher and see if the blinkers come on. if they do then the blinker flasher can is bad.

[loglat]

I already tried swapping the cans and it didnt change a thing. The flashers are still good and the turn signals are still bad.

I did take the tss connecter loose, but its back together now. The only thing that makes me think the switch is still good is that when i have the brake on, and i turn the switch, the brake light goes out in the direction I turn it. Doesn't blink, just goes out. Which to me sounds like the flasher again, but I've already swapped them out. Grr!

[kaptnkaos]

Hey loglat,

Check your TSS connectors with this diagram. I was having the same problem with my light functions...

It's for my '68, but it is the same for '69's.
You can click on it to enlarge and download it from Webshots to print out if you want.

KaptnKA S

[fordman]

so all of the lights go out on that side including the dash pilot light?