5casey1dimer0 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 1972 510, 4 door Original L16/ 3 speed auto, matchbox dizzy, electric choke removed (other than that, all electrical is intact and unmolested) Car has been at the above state for a good period of time, I haven't changed anything recently to bring about this problem. The story: The car has always had slow blinkers, I've learned to deal with it. On the way to work one morning about 2 weeks ago, I noticed my driver side blinker to be non-functional. When I signal left, the dash light (blinker, left) would illuminate, but stay solid until I turned the signal off. Didn't troubleshoot for a week. A week after noticing this, my left blinker dash light started to always be dimly lit up if my running or headlights were on. It would light up brighter when I signal left, but still would not "blink." I've noticed that my driver side running light lit up much dimmer than the passenger. (Fronts) even when I switched the two bulbs. What I've done so far- Searched for similar instances, no luck. Switched right and left blinker bulbs (front & rear) Checked fuses, cleaned contact points. Switched blinker fuse with known good fuse. Wiggled/snugged up battery ground. Tapped on relays and voltage regulator. Toggled the living hell out of my blinker switch. Any ideas? Where might I find some wiring grounds that might have something to do with my front running/blinker lights and/or blinker switch? Thanks in advance, I'm going to go swap out a voltage reg. not sure if it might have any relevance but its a quick guess and check. Casey. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Follow the Black wire on side marker light. It should go to a good solid ground. The front mounted turn signal should ground through the mounting screws. Be sure they are clean and tight. Won't be the regulator or all lights would be affected. Won't hurt to tighten the mounting screws to the body though. One of the volt regulator mounting bolts also has the ground wire from the alternator, the head light relay and the front side marker lights. This could be loose or broken wire. Quote Link to comment
5casey1dimer0 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thanks mike, ill check that next. Does my dash light for my driver side blinker always remaining on when my running lights are on indicate anything to you? Forgot to add, all four lights flash as should when hazard switch is on. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Maybe a filament (dual filament bulb) in one of the rear or front turn signals has broken and welded to parking light filament. Maybe unplug each lamp one at a time till it goes out? Quote Link to comment
5casey1dimer0 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Removed blinker housing and gave it a quick scuff with some steel wool, tightened up snug and noticed the bulb was much brighter. Dash light turned off, and now the blinker works- extremely slow. Ill clean the ground better tomorrow, as well as all the other grounds on the car. Maybe I can fix my slow blinkers for good! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Slow blinkers on one side indicates a burnt-out bulb (one of the three dash/front/rear) or an underperforming bulb (like an LED bulb). Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Slow blinkers on one side indicates a burnt-out bulb (one of the three dash/front/rear) or an underperforming bulb (like an LED bulb). Or a 35amp alternator that has lived a long life. When I put in a 60 amp alt, my blinkers sped up to a constant speed no matter my rpm. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 If it was an alternator problem, it would blink slow on both sides. But if it only blinks slow on one side, that is not an alternator or regulator problem. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 You can also replace the flasher with an electronic one that flashes the same speed regardless of the load. All new cars have them so I just grab them from wrecking yards. The only drawback is if you blow a lamp the flasher does not slow down or stop giving you a warning. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Yes, getting a new-type flasher does not solve the problem, it hides the problem. Quote Link to comment
5casey1dimer0 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Both sides are slow, always have been. I've been through 2 alternators in tha past couple years same problem. I just need to upgrade I guess. Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Erm new cars dont tell you when bulbs are out? Take a blinker bulb out. Blinker will blink twice as fast. Same with putting a LED bulb in. Its a common issue with LEDs in new cars. My 01 Jetta would rapid blink if a blinker bulb went out. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Yes, some new cars tell you when a blinker is out. Some don't. Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 7, 2013 Report Share Posted January 7, 2013 Same problem for me but the blinkers are inconsistent (random blinker speed from normal to slow) and occasionally stop blinking like how the op described. I've cleaned and restored the housings front and rear, replaced the blinker relay and pulled and cleaned the indicator switch with no improvement. One thing I have noticed is that the voltage drops noticeably (1 to 1-1/2 v) while the blinker is active, any ideas? I think this may be related to the op's problem. Joel Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Bump... Still can't figure it out. Today the blinkers were going machine gun fast as the switch was turning off and still random the rest of the time. Joel Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 > the blinkers are inconsistent (random blinker speed from normal to slow) Ground problem. Clean the bulb housings, the fuse box, and the wire connectors. Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Solved! Through all the new paint in the engine bay, the blinker housings were having a hard time grounding to the body. Cleaned a little spot under each mounting stud and they are now performing perfectly :) Joel Quote Link to comment
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