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intermittent right blinker

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AUSMHLY

AUSMHLY

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My right blinker does not always activate. (When the dash directional does not light up, work, the outside lights do not work either) The left always does. This has been going on for a while. I need to find the problem and fix it.

I've taken the trafficator apart, cleaned it and made sure all contacts are clean and snug. I have a new Lucas flasher unit. I've opened up the Flasher relay to find it's a computer board, no points. All the bulbs including the two directional bulbs on the dash work.

I'm guessing my next step is to trace all the wires to the bullet connectors, take them apart, clean them, make sure there's good contact and reattach. Maybe it's a ground problem, and that is most likely one of the black bullets or where it get's grounded to the car. The bullet chase is going to be a bit of work. So, before doing that, any suggestions what I should look into?

I haven't rule out that one of the parts I've looked into might be defective.

Cheers,
Roger
 
Concentrate on the ground connections first, since that's the common denominator....
 
Hello Roger,

After checking/fixing the ground connections, if you still have the problem, suspect the big relay on the inside of the fender under the clutch+brake reservoir. Had the same problem a few years ago and it was that relay. I replaced it with a new one
from Moss with modern solid state internals but it looks like the original on the outside.
It wasn't cheap !

Ed
 
Hi Ed,

Maybe my flasher relay is bad. As mentioned in my post, I've opened up the Flasher relay to find it's a computer board, no points. Well it was from Moss....just saying, repro things seem to be problematic from all the vendors. Give me NOS anytime.

Thanks Randy and Ed for chiming in. I am in the process of checking all the grounds.
Cheers,
Roger
 
Hi Roger,

Don’t be so quick. The flasher you have is an electronic flasher used where reduced resistance and/or amperage bulbs are installed. This type of unit is used where LED replacements for 115X have been installed for reduced amperage draw and long life..

One more point. You indicated your problem is in one direction and not both. I would expect that, if it were a flasher malfunction, both sides would be affected.

Since both dash indicator light and outside directional bulbs are all affected, look to the single power source feeding both. If I am not mistaken, power is fed from the flasher to the trafficator and then onto the directional and dash indicator of choice. I would trace the circuit from your right side trafficator post to the dash and directional bulbs. I appreciate that you have checked out the trafficator but would do it again as it is the initial source of power to the indicator and outside lights. I think you have a power problem and not a ground issue as I don’t think your front and rear bulbs depend upon a single ground.
Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
I missed the part where you said you checked the relay....
I have just looked at the wiring diagram to refresh my memory.
You did not mention if your parking lights were working on the
right side but I will assume that they do work. If they are not working then we are troubleshooting the wrong symptom.

Look at the wiring diagram for our cars ( early BJ8 ) at item #15 flasher relay. The wire that is attached to terminal#4 of the flasher relay comes from the trafficator. When your turn the trafficator to the right, that energizes terminal 4 of the relay which causes both the front and back right turn signals to work. If there was an open connection from the trafficator on the GU wire, then both the ( front and back ) right side trun signals would not work nor would the dash indicator flash.
...
Put a lead from a voltmeter onto the wire that is attached to terminal 4 or the flasher relay with the other lead attached to frame ground.
Turn on the ignition key then turn on the right turn signals from the trafficator. Did you see the meter jump from 0 to 12 volts when you turned on your right turn signals ? If yes, the flasher relay is bad. If no, then you have an open on the GU wire from terminal # 4 of the flasher relay to the trafficator. It is probably that crappy Lucor bullet connector up under the front of the shroud.

Happy hunting,
Ed
 
Hi Randy, Ed and Ray. Thanks guys for replying to my post.

I think I found the problem.

Ed, all the lights worked. Headlights, high and low, directionals, parking, gauge lights and directional dash lights.

In the past I rebuilt the trafficator. It works perfectly with a solid click when in position. It snaps in and out of position beautifully.

I have a new Lucas flasher unit.

I've checked all the bulbs and they're fine.

I opened up the flasher relay to check the condition of the points to find the unit is a modern replacement with a computer board.

I traced all the wires and made sure they all went where they should.

I opened every bullet connection, cleaned and made sure the fit was snug. I cleaned all contacts for the ground wires associated to the directionals.

Did it fix the problem? No.

Interesting thing I did find was when I unplugged the ground from the right front directional case, it did not affect the blinking. It still had a consistent blink as did the right rear and dash. It did not affect the left side either, as left front, back and dash blinked fine. I plugged it back in, then unplugged the left ground at the front case. The left front, rear and dash blinked twice as fast.

The only unit I thought would be problem free would be the flasher relay, for it's a reproduction using a computer board. I think it was designed by Lucas. I swapped it out with an old flasher unit that has points. Before I installed the points relay, I opened it up, cleaned the points and all contacts and put it back together. Installed it, thinking this is just another item that was a pain to get in and out and I'll be doing it again in about five minutes, for it's an old unit and how could a modern computer board unit be bad, right?

Voila!...it solved the problem. I so did not see that coming.
Yup, bad modern flasher relay?

The problem seems to be fixed. Time will tell if it really is the flasher relay.

Who'd like to tackle the following whatsupwithdat question:

Having the lucas flasher relay with points installed on the car and everything works, where's what I did.

I unplugged the ground at the right front directional housing and it blinks consistent without ground.

I unplugged the ground at the left front directional housing and it now blinks consistent without ground. Constant blink, not twice as fast as before when the ground was off.

I can leave the ground wires off the front right and left housing and all directionals front and back including the dash work fine, slow constant blink like they should. What's up with that? (All grounds are connected now)

Lucas 101
Roger
 
Yep, it's British all right; all the correct symptoms too!

(fyi = Voila! I use that term a lot when things I fix on a Healey mysteriously work) :wink:
 
Editor_Reid said:
Sitting here with a cup of morning coffee, I just want to savor the shear poetry of the concept... "intermittent blinker"... "intermittent"... "blinker"...It's like a Zen moment or something...
Click to expand...

Oh man....I can't believe I didn't pick up on that, and I wrote the heading. Nice one Reid! :cheers:
 
I always enjoy that moment when doing an inspection of a concours car and we get to the point where we check the function of the turn signals. As I stand behind the car and someone activates the blinker, I announce, "Now it's working... now it's not... now it's working... now it's not..." It's usually good for reducing the owner's stress level, at least briefly.
grin.gif


And while we're on the subject, remember that Lucas was inventor of intermittent wipers. Not intentionally, mind you...
 
OK Roger, I am a little confused. Am I understanding you correctly, did you disconnect the bulb grounds from each directional? If so, where is the bulb sourcing the ground? You need a ground to complete the circuit to light the bulb and create the necessary resistance to activate the flasher.

Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
RAC68 said:
OK Roger, I am a little confused. Am I understanding you correctly, did you disconnect the bulb grounds from each directional? If so, where is the bulb sourcing the ground? You need a ground to complete the circuit to light the bulb and create the necessary resistance to activate the flasher. Good luck, Ray (64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

Hi Ray, well that makes two of us that are confused.

Yes, I unplugged the black male bullet ground wire from the brass female bullet connector which is part of the light assembly. Removed it from the two front directional housings in my test. Both worked fine without that black wire attached. That was the test, I have them plugged in now.

Maybe someone else who has a BJ8 with the single combination park/directional lamp will unplug theirs and report back. Or, maybe someone here can explain why this is so.

Maybe because the housing is screwed into the sheet metal wing, creating it's own ground?

At the present time, my system is working perfectly. And I've been trying to get the right directional to work for the last two years!

Roger...that
 
Thought I'd share what the problem was, just in case someone else runs into this same situation.

The broken link in the chain turned out to be the flasher relay. It was the "upgraded repro" now being sold, which has a computer board inside.

I had an old flasher relay with points, that I opened, cleaned then installed. Problem solved.

Thanks for all the help here guys.
Cheers,
Roger
 
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