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Need help with Turn signals
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13302		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Keith [ Wed Jun 08, 2005 2:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Need help with Turn signals
The left side turn signals on my 1969 Dart just stopped working.
Front and back lights and the dash indicator lamp do not come on.
The flasher stills makes the clicking noise, although a bit faster and somewhat different sound. The right side works fine. The bulbs and
fuses are all okay. What should I be checking? Thanks for any help.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Wed Jun 08, 2005 2:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well, check the obvious first. Step on the brakes with the car backed up to a wall after dark (or enlist a helper). Do the brake lights work? If so, then you know it's not a bulb problem, at least not entirely. From your symptoms, it sounds as if you need a replacement turn signal switch.
Author:  Keith [ Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
The brakes lights do not work now. They were working before the
left side turn signals went out. The bulbs test good. Is the turn signal
switch in the steering wheel?
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
The brake light wiring goes through the turn signal switch (which is in the column, behind the steering wheel), so yes, it's looking like you need a new switch.
Author:  Keith [ Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:54 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the help. I am going to order a new switch.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:25 am ]
Post subject: 
Order carefully; prices are all over the place. You can get a new switch economically from Shee-Mar. Their website is garbage; Darts and Valiants aren't even listed, but they do make the switch (they just don't pay attention to their website). Click the "Contact Us" link and just call them on the phone. Believe your '69 takes an SM-106 switch, but double-check with them.
Author:  valiantdave [ Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:47 pm ]
Post subject:  I need help too!
Dan, maybe you can help me out with a similar problem.

I also have turn signal problems in my 66 Valiant. It used to be that I had to hold the signal up or down (sometimes hard) to make the signals blink. Now they don't work at all, no matter how hard I hold the lever. The brake lights work fine. Is this a switch problem or something else.
Can a switch be repaired or is it better just to replace?

My left arm sure gets cold as I signal left turns.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I need help too!
Quote:
I also have turn signal problems in my 66 Valiant. It used to be that I had to hold the signal up or down (sometimes hard) to make the signals blink. Now they don't work at all, no matter how hard I hold the lever. The brake lights work fine. Is this a switch problem or something else.
Definitely a switch problem. You may well get away with just replacing the actuator cam. Cheap and fragile from NAPA (Echlin DL-6123) or super high quality from David Koldos. Don't know if that e-mail address is still current. The most common complaint with a worn out cam is failure of the signals to self-cancel, but that cam also actually moves the shuttles in the switch, so if the shuttle holes get wallered out, they won't work any more. When you remove the old cam, carefully take out each shuttle and use a pink pencil eraser to clean up the contacts in the switch base and on the shuttles. Be careful to put the shuttles back in the same orientation they had before, or they won't work! It helps to apply a little Ox Gard, a conductive grease, to the contacts of the shuttles so they'll slide more easily. Ox Gard can be had at well-stocked hardware stores and Home Depot type places.

If after all this the signals still don't work, then you will need a new switch.

Image
Author:  Jon Dahlberg [ Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
I remember when the turn signal switch mechanism broke in my 73 Fury...I called Murray Park, his ads are all over Mopar Collector's Guide. I had a quality used one sent to me in a few days.
Author:  valiantdave [ Fri Mar 24, 2006 3:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the tips. I'll check them out.

In the mean time, I'll work on my one-arm tan.
Author:  oldgoat83 [ Fri Mar 24, 2006 3:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
The problem I had with the assembly is that the horn stud kept breaking. I tried fixing it with super glue, which worked for a while.
Author:  valiantdave [ Sun Apr 02, 2006 10:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well Dan, I took your advice.

I ordered the turn signal cam before I popped the wheel off and took everything apart. When I did, everything seemed to be in great shape, the plastic wasn't a bit brittle or worn out, so it turns out I can return the cam. I cleaned the contacts in the switch and put the shuttles back the way they came out (I think).

After replacing all of the bulbs here is the status:

-right turn signal: works front and rear (hooray!!)
-left turn signal: front solid on, rear not lit.
-hazard lights: all flashing except left rear (off)
-parking and headlights: all lights working
-brake lights: right working, left off

So there is something going on with the left rear. Could this be a short somewhere along the line, or is this still a switch problem? The switch didn't look fried at all. It's a pretty basic mechanism, so I can't imagine what would go wrong with it.

Murray Hill was mentioned as a source for the switch. Does someone have his contact information or happen to know how much for this part? I don't have a copy of Mopar Collector's Guide to look for his ad.
Author:  emsvitil [ Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
the bulb or bulb ground
Author:  valiantdave [ Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:14 am ]
Post subject: 
Oh and one more thing...

The turn signal indicator light in the dash does not work. I just didn't feel like working upside down with my feet in the street to replace it this weekend. Could this be thie source of my problem? If so, why would the right turn signals still work?

I have replacement bulbs, so now that I have an extra hour of daylight after work maybe I can get it replaced and see if that takes care of things.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:30 am ]
Post subject: 
Probably still a switch problem. Most of the time, a failed switch will not be obviously/visually fried. The brass strips on the shuttles get worn down, the tiny copper fixed contacts get worn down, and stuff just stops working. A mix of works/doesn't-work lights in the system is the symptom. Did you try moving the shuttles manually without the cam installed? Left shuttle all the way up, right shuttle all the way down to check RH operation. Left shuttle all the way down, right shuttle all the way up to check LH operation. This isn't a sure-fire deal, but if you're able to twiddle the shuttles and make stuff work, then the switch wants replacing.

Probably not a grounds problem—those tend to show up as bizarre "crosstalk" behaviour (put on the left signal and both fronts flash dimly, step on the brakes and the parking lamps seem to light up, etc.). Nevertheless, a completely broken ground at the left rear remains a possibility. Check it out.

Probably not a short circuit—those blow fuses and cause smoke.

Could be an open circuit in the feed wire to the left rear brake/turn filament (broken wire, bad socket, freak 2nd bad bulb). Use a voltmeter to check: Ground one lead, and backprobe the dark green wire at the plastic multi-wire connector at the base of the steering column. When you step on the brake, you should see ~12v at the dark green wire (feeds the left rear) and the brown wire (feeds the right rear). If you have no voltage at the dark green when you step on the brake, then it's definitely a bad switch. If you do have voltage at the dark green when you step on the brake, then move to the trunk and find the next connector in the line. Put your voltmeter across dark green and ground at that location and check for voltage with the brake pedal pushed. If no voltage the wiring fault is between the steering column and trunk connectors. If there is voltage, then the problem is in the wire from the trunk connector to the left rear bulb, or in the socket itself.
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