Turn signal relay question...
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
Turn signal relay question...
In GENERAL, what makes turn signal relay run on and on...but since no switches are "switched" (turns, hazards)?
I have a schematic that shows keyed power when the hazard swithc is in the "off" position, a ground to chassis (for the relay) and a wire going to the TSS that "blinks".
MY relay will "click" on and on...randomly. Looking at the schematic, I don't "get it". I'm not seeing something correctly.
I have a schematic that shows keyed power when the hazard swithc is in the "off" position, a ground to chassis (for the relay) and a wire going to the TSS that "blinks".
MY relay will "click" on and on...randomly. Looking at the schematic, I don't "get it". I'm not seeing something correctly.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
Well, in this case it's my '96 Silverado. I have swapped the flasher for a "HD unit" for the boat trailer. I tried a different one the other day...same symptom, so it's not the relay itself.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
LOL on the CO air.
I think the problem is in the "Multifucntion switch", which is the conglomeration that includes turn signals, Hazards, wipers, ho/lo beams, cruise, etc. I will try unplugging at the base of column; that will narrow it down. What is confusing to ME is looking at the schematic, I can't figure out what makes the relay function.
...It always has power (KO) and always has ground. As far as I can tell, the turn signal relay gets grounded via the purple wire going to the TS sw, through the sw, and on through the turn signal bulbs. Sl maybe my purple wire is being grounded somewhere before or inside the TS sw? Wouldn't that blow a fuse though? When the thing is clicking, no lights illuminate.
...It always has power (KO) and always has ground. As far as I can tell, the turn signal relay gets grounded via the purple wire going to the TS sw, through the sw, and on through the turn signal bulbs. Sl maybe my purple wire is being grounded somewhere before or inside the TS sw? Wouldn't that blow a fuse though? When the thing is clicking, no lights illuminate.
Last edited by Tom400CFI; May 19, 2012 at 01:28 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
The TS relay has power all the time so you can run the turn signals and 4-way flasher without the ignition being on.
Most turn signal flashers have a thermal element that heats up from current flowing through the turn signal lamps. When you add a trailer the extra lights add more current and mess up the flash rate. For that reason, many "heavy duty" flashers add a relay inside that actually steers the current through the lamps. The opposite problem can happen if you put in LED tail lights -- they don't use enough current to make the flasher work correctly. I don't know how the "electronic" flashers work -- I assume they have a transistor instead of a relay.
The fact that you have swapped flashers seems to eliminate that as the problem -- unless your other flashers were not compatible.
Anyhow, 90% of the time if you have a flashing problem it's caused by a filament breaking inside a bulb and shorting to the other filament. Start unplugging bulbs and see how that goes.
Most turn signal flashers have a thermal element that heats up from current flowing through the turn signal lamps. When you add a trailer the extra lights add more current and mess up the flash rate. For that reason, many "heavy duty" flashers add a relay inside that actually steers the current through the lamps. The opposite problem can happen if you put in LED tail lights -- they don't use enough current to make the flasher work correctly. I don't know how the "electronic" flashers work -- I assume they have a transistor instead of a relay.
The fact that you have swapped flashers seems to eliminate that as the problem -- unless your other flashers were not compatible.
Anyhow, 90% of the time if you have a flashing problem it's caused by a filament breaking inside a bulb and shorting to the other filament. Start unplugging bulbs and see how that goes.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
LOL on the CO air.
I think the problem is in the "Multifucntion switch", which is the conglomeration that includes turn signals, Hazards, wipers, ho/lo beams, cruise, etc. I will try unplugging at the base of column; that will narrow it down. What is confusing to ME is looking at the schematic, I can't figure out what makes the relay function.
...It always has power (KO) and always has ground. As far as I can tell, the turn signal relay gets grounded via the purple wire going to the TS sw, through the sw, and on through the turn signal bulbs. Sl maybe my purple wire is being grounded somewhere before or inside the TS sw? Wouldn't that blow a fuse though? When the thing is clicking, no lights illuminate.
I think the problem is in the "Multifucntion switch", which is the conglomeration that includes turn signals, Hazards, wipers, ho/lo beams, cruise, etc. I will try unplugging at the base of column; that will narrow it down. What is confusing to ME is looking at the schematic, I can't figure out what makes the relay function.
...It always has power (KO) and always has ground. As far as I can tell, the turn signal relay gets grounded via the purple wire going to the TS sw, through the sw, and on through the turn signal bulbs. Sl maybe my purple wire is being grounded somewhere before or inside the TS sw? Wouldn't that blow a fuse though? When the thing is clicking, no lights illuminate.
Yes. It does always have power, but if you look at the schematic you'll notice the 'Flshr out' line is 'floating' until you complete the circuit with either the turn signal switch or the hazard switch.
The 'gnd' pin is the 'reference' ground for both circuits and would not cause the relay (flasher) to function until one of the other circuits are completed with the switch.
If the 'flshr out' wire were to have an intermittent short, then the relay would activate but the lights would not illuminate because the rest of the circuit is not 'active'.(switches are not in the 'closed' position)
It may be a good starting point to try to track down the problem.
I think you are on the right track in suspecting the purple wire (flshr out).
BTW. The reason it wouldn't blow the fuse is because the heating element (bi-metal strip) in the relay would 'open' the circuit once it got to temperature.
If it were a direct connection to ground, then it would blow the fuse.
Last edited by Keystring; May 20, 2012 at 11:32 AM.
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