Turn signal help please.....

[engine24355]

Been putting this off, but with Fred's motivational videos (wiring), I am inspired to fix now...lol. My T is wired, but my turn signals stick when the brake lights come on. They blink fine till I hit the brake and my tail lights are triggered. How do I fix this? The weather here is great (70's and sunny) and I am almost through tax season so the T is getting real anxious to get out of the garage...lol.

Thanks!!!

 

[Hotrod46]

Engine

What type of switch are you using?

When you say sticking, do you mean the lever is sticking?

Don't know if I know the answer, but more info would help.

Mike

 

[EX JUNK]

Sounds to me like you did not wire the brake switch into the turn signal switch. Are you using a factory type column? Or are you using a column that does not have a turn signal switch incorporated into it? If you have the later type, I suggest that you refer to the prints that Fred has posted. On those prints you will see how to interconnect your brake switch with your turn signal switch. The reason for this interconnection is to allow the side that is signaling the turn to keep flashing while the opposite remains lit steadily while the brakes are applied.

I hope that this solves your problem. I'm sure that it will. (If I knew how to post pictures here I would so you would not have to search through the earlier posts by Fred.)

 

[engine24355]

I will look at Fred's post again. To answer the questions, there is a simple two way toggle switch for the signals so no column switch etc. I bought the car already built, but going through and fixing little things and changing up to make my own. Sounds like I need to check for the interconnect connections (if there is one). The actual lights are blinking till the brakes are applied then the light stays on steady. Thanks for the help. I will look into this ASAP.

 

[Hotrod46]

OK, here's a possible answer.

Sounds like whoever wired the lights didn't use a turn signal type of switch or if they did it's either wired incorrectly or it has failed internally. Any dedicated turn signal switch should have a provision for the brake light circuit. When you turn on a signal the switch disconnects that light from the brake circuit so that it will get power only from the flasher circuit.

If you use a simple toggle switch, it would do just what you describe.

Ron Francis has a toggle type switch that is supposed to have the correct circuits internally to use as a turn signal switch, but I've never seen or used one.

Hope this helps. Wiring can be hard when you're doing hands-on trouble shooting, much less long distance!

Mike

 

[Hotrod46]

or if they did it's wired incorrectly
Mike

Well, duh! You already had that pretty much figured out, didn't you?!

Mike

 

[EX JUNK]

Since you have now clarified that you only have a toggle switch to operate you turn signals you may have a hook up that used to be posted on the NTBA Tech Pages. With that system there was NO provisions for the blinker to operate with the brake applied. The ONLY way that that system would work was if you installed an additional light that was dedicated to the flasher ONLY.

Again, without being able to actually see what you have it is VERY difficult to try and solve your problem. We have given you several possible solutions and I hope that you find one to cure your problem.

 

[engine24355]

Thanks for all of the help guys. Sounds like I need to just get the proper switch to make things easier instead of trying to make a switch work that was not made for signals. Maybe I can use the existing switch for an accessory of some type. Do not want to leave hole in the dash. Thanks again!!

 

[flatheadgary]

i always use a seperate turn signal light and a brake light. two lights. i like to use those little 2" rectangle chrome and yellow ones for turn signals. sometimes i use 2 toggle switches and two flashers so i can have 4 way warning lights. i just like to have seperate wiring paths and jump them all from one hot lead to a fuse panel.

 

[engine24355]

Okay, I have installed the turn signal switch from speedway, but have a couple of questions. My signals and my 4 way flashers are working correctly, but they are working off of the battery. Is this okay or should I try to re-wire to an ignition only power source? I noticed that after I wired everything up that my brake lights and headlights do not work. However, I found that the brake fuse was blown so that is the brake light problem, but would that same fuse effect the headlights too? Please let me konw what the experts think. Thanks for the help in advance!! Looks like the devil gave up on Fred and is now bothering me....lol.

 

[tfeverfred]

It sounds like you may have a flasher issue. Like you, i wired everything up to the battery to make sure they worked. Then, I wired to the fuse box. My problem was that the Haywire fuse box used a flasher for turn signals and one for hazards, both having only two prongs instead of three. If you notice, the Speedway schematic shows only a 3 prong single flasher.

I wired BOTH my wires coming off the signal switch to the hazrd flasher plug on the fuse box and everything worked. maybe it can be done differently and I was probably just lucky, but either way, it works and I'm leaving it as is. No problems so far.

I hope this helps. If not you may want to give Exjunk a PM and ask for his number. He is very patient over the phone and a good coach.

 

[tfeverfred]

I just remembered. It was the blue and black wire coming off the switch that I ran to the hazard outlet on the Haywire fuse box.

 

[engine24355]

It sounds like you may have a flasher issue. Like you, i wired everything up to the battery to make sure they worked. Then, I wired to the fuse box. My problem was that the Haywire fuse box used a flasher for turn signals and one for hazards, both having only two prongs instead of three. If you notice, the Speedway schematic shows only a 3 prong single flasher.

I wired BOTH my wires coming off the signal switch to the hazrd flasher plug on the fuse box and everything worked. maybe it can be done differently and I was probably just lucky, but either way, it works and I'm leaving it as is. No problems so far.

I hope this helps. If not you may want to give Exjunk a PM and ask for his number. He is very patient over the phone and a good coach.

From the sounds of it Fred, I have a similar fuse box. I wired the same way (black and blue to hazzard connection on box) and it works correctly so far, but cannot test fully till I get a new brake fuse. I will try to get some tomorrow and then try again. I konw that the hazzard connection is a constant (battery) power source so if the signals are wired to that then they will work off the battery also.

 

[tfeverfred]

Cool. Like I said, I didn't know what I was doing, I just tried different combinations with the wires until things worked. I didn't question why it worked, I just started celebrating! I also watched things for a while to make sure nothing caught fire! My worries were for nothing and everything is fine.

I also discovered that the body of the switch is supposed to be grounded to make the lights work. i solved that problem, but ended up disconnecting the light because I just don't like it for some reason. It just looks hokey to me or sumpthin. Besides, I can look over my cowl and see that my lights are still flashing and turn them off I after a turn. Go figure.

 

[engine24355]

Well, I just replaced my brake fuse and still not working. I hooked all my signal wires accordingly (LF, RF, LR, RR) then have a few more wires from the brake switch etc. so my problem has be there somewhere. The old three way swich that used to control the signals had three connections (L, R, Center prongs). There was one wire going to the center prong that is on ignition power and one wire that was split to bo to the left and right prongs (not sure what signal). Do not have much time to look into right now, but konw that my brake lights do not nor my headlights, gauge lights, etc. I konw it is hard to picture what I am talking about, but let me konw what the experts think. Thanks!!

 

[engine24355]

Any thoughts out there on why my brake lights, head lights, etc. do not work? I hope to work on it some this evening, but need some help from the experts. I usually do not have any problem with wiring as I have wired different types of things, but this time the devil is giving me a run...lol. Think the problem is somewhere between my brake pressure switch and switch. Maybe I need to hook everything back to the three way switch and see if everyting works, then start over. Any thoughts??

 

[EX JUNK]

Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you some prints that may help you out. Or e-mail me at ***jimnnan42@ bellsouth.net***. ( Eliminate the asterisks.)

 

[engine24355]

My signal switch is in and working now. Thanks to all of you for your help and advice. Once I was able to focus on it I was able to find the problem pretty quick (with the help of my wife). Thanks again!!

 

[tfeverfred]

My signal switch is in and working now. Thanks to all of you for your help and advice. Once I was able to focus on it I was able to find the problem pretty quick (with the help of my wife). Thanks again!!

Glad ya got it working! Congrats! Bucketheads 2... Devil 0!