I have not been able to purchase a helms yet but, if someone could look in theirs for me, any help would be good and very appreciated. My turn signals don't work at all on my 5th gen. My hazards do work. The "clicker" above the fuse box clicks when the hazards are on so I assume it's ok! I went and purchased the actual switch that goes in the steering column, plugged it up and still.....nothing.. Does anyone have the wiring diagram? Is there any other possible breaks in the wiring? Relays etc...


[Modified by madcowdk, 7:20 AM 1/30/2003]

 

Have you check the fuse?? Hazards and signal run off a different fuse.

 

Ya, I've checked every fuse in the car.

 

I am not sure if this is how it is set up in the 5th gens or not. But in a lot of cars the flasher (thing that makes the clicking noise) for the turn signals is not the same one that is used for the Hazards... Not sure why maybe so if a flasher goes you will still have the hazards since that one isn't used as much?? So that's where I would start looking. My $0.02

 

I'm not sure what else that it could be. The first time that I posted this problem, someone said that if that "clicker" above the fuse box wasn't clickin that it was most likely that. He made it sound like the hazards and the signals went through that. I am just hoping that it's not something in the harness, that maybe there is another weak link.

 

Well the reason I say that I think it is the Flasher (clicker) even though the hazards work and you hear the clicking is because if the hazards used the same flasher as the turn signals the hazards would be very very slow. Like maybe a blink every 10 seconds. The reason for this is that clicking noise you hear is actually a piece of metal inside the flasher bending and cutting the circuit. Let me try to explain this a little better... Okay say you have your left directional on. Now just assume that there are 2 bulbs in the back of the car that blink and 2 in the front. So a total of 4 bulbs have to blink. Inside the box is a piece of metal (forget what kind) Now this piece of metal is connected at one end and the other end is touching a contact. This is all inline on the positive line going to those 4 bulbs. When you turn on the directional the current runs through the Flasher (all going through that piece of metal. That metal gets really hot and Bends cutting the power to the bulbs so they go off. Then the metal cools down really fast and snaps back into position connecting the circuit again. This is why you hear 2 different clicks. The first one is the metal bending the second is the metal returning to it's original position. Now have you ever noticed that if one of the bulbs is out it blinks faster? This is because there is less of a load on the circuit so that piece of metal heats up a lot faster causing it to bend. So if you where to have this same flasher connected to your hazards that would make it 8 bulbs on the circuit. Thus meaning there is now twice the load. So it would take two times as long for that metal piece to heat up enough to bend. So there must be a separate flasher for the hazards.

Sorry it got so damn long

 

Well.... I did not completely understand that flasher.. That helps. I will go pick up a new one in the morning.. Also, when I replace that flasher, is there an easy way or a tool to take it out? It is held in by a tab on each side and is very difficult to get to with the clutch linkage right there? Thank you very much for explaining that. I hope that fixes it, so I don't get rear-ended.

 

Didn't you learn to use hand signals in drivers ed...n00b.

Btw, bump.