Left Turn Signal Won't Flash
 

When I put my left turn signal on the lights on the car and on the dash will not flash, they lit. However, the right turn signal works fine. Any ideas?

Erik

It is you blinker relay . Turn on the blinker that works and follow the clicking sound. Should be under the driver side dash about the knee and shin area.
It is a round silver cylinder. 1 inch in diameter and 1 to 2 inch's tall. You can get them at any auto part store for 2.00 to 10.00 dollars.

bulb is burnt out, just pullum and find out which one.

jep, burned out bulb.

I had the same problem. None of the lights were burnt out. I looked at the problem bulb and pulled on the wires leading to it and it started flashing. so i just pulled the wires so it flashed and ziptied it up. Its been working for a year now.

If your lights come on, on the front , back, and your dash but the don't blink. Then check your hazards. If the work then it is your blinker relay or could be a short in a wire. If one of the lights don't come on then it is a bulb. The hazards have their own separet relay. I dont know why but even if the relay is bad one side of the blinker can still work even though the both share the same one. I just fix one on this last Sunday that had this problem.

If the turn signals work on one side but not on the other then it can not be the flasher (or "blinker relay") - it's a physical impossibility. Both side turn signals run off the same flasher which is in the circuit before the turn signal switch. In other words, the power is already pulsing when it goes through the switch to the lights of either side. The stock flasher is a thermal design that depends on getting a certain amount of current flow in order to flash. That way you'll know right away when a bulb burns out because that side will stop flashing.

Now, if you replace the thermal flasher with an electronic one, it will make the lights flash on both sides even though you still have a burned out bulb. You haven't solved the problem - just eliminated the symptom. I would say that the one you "fixed" last Sunday still has a bad bulb.

One good point - check your hazard lights. With the hazard lights on, walk around the car and find the bulb that isn't flashing. It will usually be just a burned out bulb but it can also be a bad socket or damaged wires to the socket.

Or it will flash really fast.

Generally, thermal flashers will stop flashing on the side with the burned out bulb because there isn't enough current to break the connection in the flasher. Thermal flashers will flash really fast when too many bulbs are in the circuit - such as when pulling a trailer. Some electronic flashers have added the feature of flashing faster when a bulb is burned out in order to provide a visual indication of the problem.

I have seen thermal flashers flash faster when there are bulbs either burnt out or removed. This is because the current is enough for the thermal flasher to break the circuit but not enough to keep it open for the normal amount of time. If the current isnt enough, the thermal flasher wont work at all. As an example: my roomate's Tauraus has 4 front signal bulbs. If 2 of them are not connected, the rest flash double speed. Yes I have seen this happen -- the body shop forgot to connect them.

Sorry, no. Most late model Fords (including Taurus); all recent models of Jeep; about half the Chrysler lineup; and a good percentage of imported makes and models come with electronic flashers from the factory. That's why your roommate's Taurus acts like it does.

A thermal flasher works much like a mechanical thermostat in your house. The contact is attached to an arm made of two metals that expand at different speeds when heated. In the flasher, the flow of current makes the arm heat up and it bends because of the different expansion rates. Once it bends the current is interrupted and the arm cools until it springs back and completes the circuit again. Because the circuit is broken by the buildup of a certain amount of heat in the arm, and a decreased current (from a burned out bulb) will make the heating process take more time, a thermal flasher will always run slower (or stop) when the current is reduced. A faster flash is caused by an increase in current that makes the arm heat up faster (such as using higher wattage bulbs or more bulbs when pulling a trailer).

just had the same problem and it was because the blinker bulb needed to be replaced! its just the bulb not a relay or anything like that, trust me.

mine did this too..turned out to be a turn signal switch in my steering column...

It is a 1995 Taurus, and I've seen it on late 80's vehicles too. They couldnt all be using electronic flashers.

BTW, I do understand how a thermal flasher works.

Its also possible that over current could slow down a flasher because it would take longer to cool before recontacting. The opposite priciple can be applied to undercurrent. If there is barely enough current to break contact, it will break and recontact almost immediately.

Anyway... we are getting long-winded.

Basically, if the ligthts aren't flashing properly, look for a burnt out bulb or bad electrical connection cuasing a bulb to not work properly.

From what I can tell when Im driving the left side bulb which wont flash is out. But when I hit the alarm they both blink.......I bought bulbs from Advance auto parts but they are clear. I looked at the damn bulbs today on my car and they are coated yellow. Does anyone know the part number.

O.k., cool did the hazard test, all the bulbs blink except the problem one. Must be the bulb then. Anyone know the part no?

I dont know the part number off hand. I usually just go down to the auto store and look in the book.

O.k. Now that I think about it this is odd.

1. When I put my alarm on all lights including the one I'm having problems with blink

2. When I put my left turn signal on, the light on the dash and the rear light do not flash, they stay lit, left turn signal stays out.

3. When the hazards are on, the left front turn signal is out, yet the light in the dash still flashes.

The bulbs have two independant filaments. The alarm arming flashes the parking light (the dimmer filament in the bulb) but the DRLs and turn signals use the brighter filament so that's the one that's burned out.

The part number for Firebird is 3157NAK and for Camaro it's 3157K (clear). The K means long life filament. The NA means "natural amber" - the glass of the bulb is tinted amber. You could use a 3157A which is coated amber instead of having the tinted glass. And you can use a 3157NA if you can't find the long-life "K" version.

Thanks Alot!!! You have helped me out bigtime. Couldn't find the right part number.