1965 turn signals not staying on

[Macraw21]

Hi everyone,
I bought a 65 yesterday! Freaking love this thing! Anyway... There's obviously stuff to fix.
One of my issue is that the turn signals don't stay on. The lever appears to work well. It stays in place until I turn as it should. The issue is that the lights (fender front and tail) suddenly stop blinking. They work well until they stop working though.

Any ideas? Since I'm still getting confortable driving the car, knowing my flashers are working properly would give me some peace of mind.

 

[74 Harley]

Have you changed the flasher yet with a known good one?

 

[Ward 57]

I had an issue with my'57. The handle wouldn't return but I could feel the neutral position. Been that way as long as I can remember. Finally pulled the wheel and the under wheel cam mechanism was totally worn out.
If you can duplicate the issue when sitting in the garage it could be that the contacts are dirty or corroded from lack of use. Not unusual. as the old saying goes 'use it or loose it' definitely applies to our cars. Exercising every system you can think of will do no harm.

 

[seeker2736]

Hi everyone,
I bought a 65 yesterday! Freaking love this thing! Anyway... There's obviously stuff to fix.
One of my issue is that the turn signals don't stay on. The lever appears to work well. It stays in place until I turn as it should. The issue is that the lights (fender front and tail) suddenly stop blinking. They work well until they stop working though.

Any ideas? Since I'm still getting confortable driving the car, knowing my flashers are working properly would give me some peace of mind.

I have a 65 you should check the sequntenial controller in the trunk behind the spare. Sometimes the cam sticks I had to lubicate mind with WD 40.

 

[cougarsunlimited]

Hi everyone,
I bought a 65 yesterday! Freaking love this thing! Anyway... There's obviously stuff to fix.
One of my issue is that the turn signals don't stay on. The lever appears to work well. It stays in place until I turn as it should. The issue is that the lights (fender front and tail) suddenly stop blinking. They work well until they stop working though.

Any ideas? Since I'm still getting confortable driving the car, knowing my flashers are working properly would give me some peace of mind.

Several possibilities (in order of probability):

1. The indicator relay (which controls the fender lights) is intermittent.
This is a common failure where the fender lights may flash one or two times and quit.
Typically, this problem occurs when the current drawn by the turn signal lamps is insufficient to trigger the current-sensitive indicator relay.
This happens when a bulb is out, the alternator doesn't put out enough current, or the metal relay arm has work hardened which throws the relay out of calibration. In this case, the turn signal lights front and rear continue to work.
Solution: replace the bulb, service the charging system, and/or replace the indicator relay with a C5SZ-13A366-CR relay.

2. The sequential flasher (in the trunk) stops working after a few flashes.
This can happen with the original electro-mechanical motor-driven system because of a problem with the motor.
Solution: replace the electro-mechanical sequential system with an electronic sequential system, C5SZ-13A366-AS.

3. The turn signal switch contacts are intermittent or failing with high resistance.
Verify by testing the turn signal switch using the Thunderbird troubleshooting information on my website, www.cougarsunlimited.net.
Leave the turn signals on until they fail, then check the signals on the orange/green, white, and violet wires in the trunk.
You should find 12V power on the orange/green. The white wire is also hot during a left turn and the violet wire is also hot during a right turn.

 

[Macraw21]

Amazing!
Thank you everyone for your inputs. I'll get on the trouble shooting train!