1962 Flasher RHS not working

mullokintyre

mullokintyre

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Jan 2, 2021
Thunderbird Year
1962
After a lot of assembly then disassembly, I finally got my steering column back together after fixing the sloppy detent plate/gear lever fix and the broken hon wire.
However, when i went to test everything, I find that my indicators don't work.
I am getting power to the blue wire on the switch, but when I push the switch down to activate the RHS or LHS flasher, I get zilch.
I checked with a meter and I am getting 12 volt to the blue wire, so I presume that the fuse is ok, and the circuit up to that point has no broken wires.
I also noticed that the front and rear park lights do not work on the same RHS , but do on the LHS.
According to the 62 electrical diagram, all the lights work off the same 15 amp fuse, so seeing as headlights and LHS park lights work, that fuse is ok.
I cannot find a relay on the circuit diagram so, presume all current goes thru the fuse to the flasher then to the switch then the individual lights.
So I am taking a punt and thinking that the flasher unit has died.
So where is the flasher located? I am looking for a cylindrical silver unit, but with all the other junk cant find it.
Are these a thermal type unit like the 55 to 57?
Is it to left or right of the column when sitting in the drivers seat?
I will sort this out even if it kills me.
Thanks,
Mick

So, I pulled the flasher switch out and noted the following.
The blue wire coming in has power, so I assume that the the flasher can is getting power.
When I pull the switch down as if I was turning left, the the blue wire along with the LHS flashers both work.
The two wires for the RHS side flasher both have power switched to them when the switch is pushed up, but the flasher can is not flashing, nor are the lights themselves. I would have expected the lights to stay on if there was power but thy do not.
I suspect an issue with flasher can.
mick
 

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Hi, I had a similar problem due to the earth connections on the rear lamp buckets. The lamp holders seem to rely on the alloy which doesn't conduct well so it seems. Not sure from new but I ended up soldering a wire to the edge of the metal socket and drilling through the bucket in the trunk and earthing. My signal lights then worked and were much brighter too! The flasher is the old style thermal and from memory behind the left gauges (fuel/temp) as the voltage reg is behind the clock.
 
Well, I did some more testing.
Firstly, Like Hadderz above, I had an earthing problem.
The erath was a large ring crimped connector that may or may not have made contact with the body if the nuts were tightened down.
Like him I made a new earth strap directly to the body.
Once I sorted that out, and worked out that I needed the engine running to get the brake switch to work, I had both rear tail lights working, plus the stop lights. We have progress.
Next I started looking at the front parkers. That was fairly, simple, a broken wire stopped power getting to the RHS park light/flasher combination. Some crimp connectors and a bit of shrink tube, and now we have park lights front and back,
All thats left is the indicators.
I could get the left hand indicators to work sometimes, but not all the time.
So I had a choice of a bad switch, a bad flasher can, or both.
So I decided to bypass the switch and connect the live blue wire directly to the output wires that went to the indicator lights.
Lo and behold I got both left and right indicators to work.
So this suggests that the flasher can is ok, but the switch is dodgy.
I ordered a new switch which is just as well, as I prized the top of the old switch to see how it worked, and the two tiny springs inside flew out somewhere . I have yet to find them.
So in the end it was a combination of lots of issues, but by working methodically thru them I think we have got them all.
Now I sit patiently hoping that there is a plane between the USA and Australia with a new switch in it.
Mick
 
Well done, always a bad earth provides the weird and wonderful faults lol. Hope the switch sorts the issue.
 
Well done, always a bad earth provides the weird and wonderful faults lol. Hope the switch sorts the issue.
Thanks Hadderz, I envy you guys in the US that have oriellys, NAPA, and tousands of other parts stores that seem to stock everything under the sun. We don't have harbour Freight, or the Yard store etc.
Here in OZ, nothing is made here , its all imported, and the few stores are tiny compared to US ones, and stock a small range.
Mick
 
I feel you pain even though I do live in the states. NAPA has excellent line of electrical stuff, but when it comes to specific stuff The T-bird suppliers come through. It's just the wait for delivery that makes it so frustrating.
 
Thanks Hadderz, I envy you guys in the US that have oriellys, NAPA, and tousands of other parts stores that seem to stock everything under the sun. We don't have harbour Freight, or the Yard store etc.
Here in OZ, nothing is made here , its all imported, and the few stores are tiny compared to US ones, and stock a small range.
Mick
Actually I’m in the UK so just as bad!! So have to import all the parts suffering the postage which often is more than the parts cost and then the import duty. I do use Rockauto.com which has great priced service parts.
 
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