Weird flasher problem

[ChrisK]

At this point in the build I'm doing all the wiring on the car. I bought a harness with fuseblock. It has a relay that comes on with the accessory terminal on the keyswitch. Probably so your not switching all the current at the key.

Also the fuseblock comes with a thermal flasher. Since I used all regular bulbs not LEDs I left it on and used it. Also the turns signals on the rear are shared with the brake so I use the white wire on the gm column. I get everything hooked up to the steering column and flip the signal stalk and nothing happens.

So I pull the thermal flasher. It was warm but wouldn't make or break. For those of you that dont know how the thermal flasher works it heats a bi-metallic peice of metal with a curve to it and when it gets warm the metal straightens out and attached to that curved piece is a contact the makes the circuit out to your signals. Invented in the 1940's its a simple cheap way to acheive a flip-flop circuit.

So after I pulled the flasherI checked for voltage on the input and it was battery voltage. Next I placed the meter were the flasher was and checked amp draw. When the signal was on both the front and rear bulbs combined with the dash indicator pulled 3.65 amps. The amp draw wasn't sufficient to heat the thermal flasher to make or break the circuit.

The fix was an electronic flasher relay from Napa. Its a model EL-12 and it was about 15 bucks.

I posted this so anyone else with this problem could search it and maybe get some info. Most of these old thermal flashers were used on old 60's and 70's cars that had 6-8 bulbs running across the back end that drew enough current to make these work right.

 

[ChrisK]

 

[tfeverfred]

Thanks for the Tech info.

 

[2old2fast]

On my car I'm using a 60 ,s corvair harness w/ 2 single bulbs & a conventional flasher , works just fine . I suspect you had a bad flasher or possibly a heavy duty unit
Dave

 

[butch27]

I'm using a '65 Corvair wire diagram with home made wiring and relays. I did this because I hate those clamp on turn signals

 

[ChrisK]

I didn't care for the clamp on turn signals either so I got a gm tilt column with self canceling turn signals. The "computer" of that car is pretty much that steering column. Like I mentioned the shared turn/brake lights out back look real cool. There model A repro's.

 

[ChrisK]

Heres the one I used for the hazard circuit. This is a replacement for the 552 called a 552LL. You can see under the clear plastic dome a relay, a transistor, filter capacitor, and five diodes.

 

[tfeverfred]

Nice manicure.

 

[railroad]

All you would have to do is hook up the trailer lights and it would have worked.

 

[Tjbucket]

I used a Hi tech turn signal module from Speedway.......wired it as directed in the instructions and BAM......done. I could not believe it actually worked. Single filament lights flash, turn signals work, brakes, 4 ways everything......it was too simple. I installed 2 momentary switches one for the left and right signal. No strap on switches on the column, no flashers.......works great.

 

[bamabucket]

I have the Speedway module and it works very well for me also.

 

[tbucketlar1]

I have the same problem