Please Help, TurnSignal problem

Pitch4pd · Nov 23, 2004

This started a couple of weeks ago, driveing to school the left blinker went alittle crazy. IT flickered every now and then while flashing. So I did alittle bump lest on all the lights make sure nothing was loose. It never happened again. Last week going to school I lost both turnsignals, neither way would work but my hazards would work (realise they are on different relay). Before I gave up fiddling with things they magicaly started working again. Now today, the same thing. Worked going to school till I parked. Stopped working, went home they worked. Went to school they worked. Came home (50 minute drive to my house not to my school apartment) and they worked once and nothing else for 40 minutes. Now I have no hazards either. Its not a fuse, I found the hazard relay fiddled with that and nothing. Where is the turn signal relay? What can I check or do..... anyone have this problem? Please help

Charles

87'GTstang · Nov 23, 2004

Check for a possible short to ground.
The relay should be built in to the fuse box or behind it. If you have ever heard the "click-click" sound, then you will notice it comes from behind and below the I/P.

Pitch4pd · Nov 23, 2004

There is a flasher relay on the front of the fuse box, that is for the hazards . AFter playing with that for awhile I just got the hazards to work again. THere is no relay on the back of the box, so that means it is built in.....>? Another tidbit of information is that since I bought the car it had unusualy slow flashers for turnsignals, it would do a short flash wait for 2 seconds than flash again etc. Turn the hazards on and they flash normal speed. IS it possible that the flasher relay was slowly going to hell and now it finaly did....... should be fun to replace. And can anyone send me a wireing diagram my Haynes manual decided to dissapear so I am in the dark. THanks....

Charles

Black1987Stang · Nov 23, 2004

Hey same here too, except when it doesnt work,which only happed a few times the outside blinkers still work but the inside blinker signals just wont work. But theyre still always slow as hell and i can barely hear them, sometimes i leave them on and i dont even realize cuz i cant hear the clicky clicky, and it takes like a full second or two for the signal to turn on.

HISSIN50 · Nov 23, 2004

the TS relay is often under the left side of the glovebox or behind the radio.

the TS relay has a bi-metallic strip. it makes contact till it heats up, then it bends away (lights go off). it cools off and comes back to make contact again (lights on). this happens every second or so. if one has a burned out light or improper wattage bulbs, the draw and subsequent heating of the bi-metallic strip is thrown off (ever had a bulb burn out and the TS wont shut off - the good light just stays on solid?). the lack of current does not allow the bi-metallic strip to bend away to shut the light off.

i would check the relay (electronic flasher relays are cool and bypass many of the problems i addressed above). i might check the MF switch to make sure the wires and connections are tight (wonder if you have a bad connection which works and doesnt depending upon if you have hit a bump and jarred it).

good luck.

sgarlic · Nov 23, 2004

Well this thread presents and interesting problem for me. I recently changed my heater core, and noticed a relay to the left of the glovebox.. it looked pretty ghetto rigged, I figuerd it wasn't in use, so I yanked it and believe I pulled one of the wires out with it. Would anyone happen to have a schematic/wiring diagram for that thing?

The Shape · Nov 23, 2004

On my '87 the flasher fro the turn signals was actually behind the dash on the drivers side. It was way up above the steering column. The little nipple on the end of it was snapped into a hole in a bracket. I was sore for three days after laying on my back fishing that thing out of there. When I replaced in my turn signals worked noticably faster and I zip tied the flasher under the dash in a more accesible spot. Some are behind the radio or the glove box though. I think ford hid them like easter eggs for some reason.

HISSIN50 · Nov 23, 2004

The Shape said:
On my '87 the flasher fro the turn signals was actually behind the dash on the drivers side. It was way up above the steering column. The little nipple on the end of it was snapped into a hole in a bracket. I was sore for three days after laying on my back fishing that thing out of there. When I replaced in my turn signals worked noticably faster and I zip tied the flasher under the dash in a more accesible spot. Some are behind the radio or the glove box though. I think ford hid them like easter eggs for some reason.

TS, good info.

i wonder how TS relay renewal played out at dealerships early on. "what, you are charging my 6 hours of labor to change the relay?"

sgarlic · Nov 23, 2004

Is the blinker relay a square shaped one like you normally think of when you hear relay, or is it a round one that plugs in to something?

The Shape · Nov 23, 2004

Round with two prongs sticking out.

Flyin88LX · Nov 24, 2004

It's probably relay related but could also be the turn signal-hazard assembly in the steering wheel

Pitch4pd · Nov 24, 2004

I am gonna first try the T/S relay, it always bothered me the way it worked so it needed to be change anyway (PA law states a blink must happen every second up to 2 times a second, this wasnt even close). From there it is rip apart the column again and mess with the Multifunction Switch. It is alittle over a year old I am hopeing to find a lose wire there. If it isnt anything in there I think a gasoline can and a match are going to be my best answer.

Thanks for the replies.

Matt D. · Jun 3, 2013

93 Lx 5.0... Open clove box fold in the sides of said clove box and allow to open fully.. P.S. EMPTY CLOVE BOX FIRST... To the left there will be two wires with alittle blue relay... (CHANGE) Relay... GOOD LUCK...

Matt D. · Jun 3, 2013

Or rebuild said relay...

jrichker · Jun 3, 2013

The turn signal circuit does not have a "relay".

What it does have is a flasher, which isn't anything but a auto-reset circuit breaker. When you turn on the turn signal, the turn signal light bulbs draw current. When everything is working correctly, they draw enough current to trip the auto-reset circuit breaker AKA Turn Signal Flasher. The Turn Signal Flasher cools down and the contacts reset to pass current to the turn signal light bulbs until it trips open again. Hence the flashing turn signal light bulbs.

The following diagram is for 92-93 Mustangs. You model year may be slightly different, but the idea is the same.

Here's the turn signal multifunction switch from an 89. The wiring should be the same from 87-89.

Before you think about replacing the multifunction switch with one from the junkyard, here's some things to be aware of...

A word of caution about multifunction switches is in order here. The multifunction switch (high/low beam, wiper, turn signals) are different for different years. 87-98 will work in any 87-89 car. The 90-93 switches only work in 90-93 cars. You can't put an early model switch in a late model car, nor can you put a late model switch in an early car.

Supposedly you can move the pins around to make the switches work in model years that are different from the car the switch came out of. I cannot verify that and haven’t tried it.

Other possible problem sources for the turn signal & headlight malfunction are the ignition switch, multifunction switch and the plastic shell that holds the turn signal wiring connector pins.

tca7291 · Jun 3, 2013

Holy thread resurrection Batman!!!!

blackfive-o · Jun 4, 2013

Could be ignition switch!

Please Help, TurnSignal problem

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