10 replies to this topic

[daveeeeee]

Model: Austin Mayfair
Year: 83
Description of problem: Indicator (right) is flashing too slowly to pass the MOT tomorrow (I believe it needs 60 to 120 a minute, 1 to 2 a second). Any advice on how to troubleshoot and solve this issue would be really appreciated!

It flashes fine with the warning lights, but that's a different flashing unit. I don't know if that means it's not got the wrong bulbs or a bad earth at lights :S



Thanks

Edited by daveeeeee, 18 May 2009 - 09:39 AM.

[daveeeeee]

Some further investigation:
Found that the n/s/f bulb has no earth, it must be a different type of bulb housing to the other side, guessing it earths to the wing :/

Going to try wiring the earth wire (which has been given the chop :/) onto the bulb housing with a ring terminal or something.

[daveeeeee]

Good earths now but it's still slow. Help

[brianmini]

Good earths now but it's still slow. Help

Switch the flasher units around, use the one from the hazzard (under bonnet, passenger side, mounted into bulkhead) and swop with the one which is under the dash (somewhere on the drivers side, depends whom shoved it up there last).

I recently bought a replacement flasher unit from ebay, it was half the size of the original metal lucas ones but it flashes really quick, easily twice a second and was only a few squid.

[daveeeeee]

Thanks for the reply Brian, I've since found that across the indicator switch I've got about 1 ohm for left and about 4 or 5 to the right. Guessing the resistance in the switch is what's slowing it down. I discounted the idea that it was the flasher unit because it was just on one side. A new stalk is over £30 :'(

Edited by daveeeeee, 18 May 2009 - 11:35 AM.

[daveeeeee]

Think I need to take those readings again because, I shorted the switch with my trusty screwdriver, just to make sure, and it was still flashing slow on the right side :S

[daveeeeee]

I swapped the flasher unit with the one from my other mini, which sped up both sides, so now I've got one thats just about fast enough to pass, and one that's nearly too fast to pass lol.

What's causing this massive difference! =(

[taffy1967]

Bad earths or the rear of the main fuse box has corroded severely with age?

So fit a new fuse box and coat the rear terminals with Vaseline first.

[brianmini]

Any LED bulbs in the indicator equation?

I fitted funky multi-LED ones and they wouldn't work, seemed to not draw enough power to discharge the flasher unit, so they flashed really slow when indicating direction, but fine with the hazzards. Soon as I put "normal" bulbs back in normal quick flashing service resumed.

[daveeeeee]

I'll scrub up all the connections atleast then (I'm skint)

No LEDs Seems the flasher units are quite sensitive to change.

It failed the MOT but only for a steering rack gaitor, which is funny because when I got it up in the air at home I found the CV boot had come loose on the way back and sprayed grease all over the place retest tomorrow hopefully.

They didn't even check indicator rate, in fact they only left it on long enough to see if the bulbs lit..

[daveeeeee]

Passed MOT today on the retest, still want to sort the indicators