Indicators/flashers

[AL TR250]

Judging by other posts, it is obviously the season for indicators to stop working.

 

Yesterday my flashers stopped flashing and just stayed lit. All the bulbs are working but there is no on/off action.

 

The flasher unit that I have is a 3 pin Signal Stat 180 that plugs into a round socket in the engine bay. Thinking that I just needed a new flasher unit, my friendly local garage ordered up two which he gave me to try but neither work. Am I right in thinking that American flashers are wired up differently?

 

The Signal Stat is marked X (left), L (right) and P (top) if you are looking at the plug. The UK flasher unit is marked 31 (left), 49 (right) and 49a (top).

 

The socket is wired with green and red wires to the L and P poles and a red wire to X. Looking at various wiring diagrams it seems that in the US the X pole is a power feed but in the UK the corresponding 31 is an earth?? This may be completely wrong as my understanding of wiring diagrams is very limited.

 

It is possible to swap the position of the wires in the socket but would this make it work or does it need completely rewiring.

 

I get the impression that Signal Stat flasher unit haven't been on the market for quite a while and were perhaps never available in the UK.

 

Any help would be most welcome.

 

Ali

[RobH]

On your original flasher unit the 'X' is the power input, P goes to the warning lamp and L to the flashers switch. The new units are different as you say and do not have a separate connection for the warning lamp. They are wired up as 49 power in, 49a to flasher switch and 31 to earth. You can't use those without making wiring changes because there is no connection for the warning lamp.

 

What seems odd is that according to published schematics, the TR250 has a two-pin indicator-flasher unit (below). The three-pin one is the hazard-flasher. Are you sure you are looking at the right one?

 

Rob

Edited May 29, 2015 by RobH

[AL TR250]

I am not sure my wiring bears any resemblance to the wiring diagram as it was probably rewired in California when it was restored. Should the flasher unit not be under the dash? I will investigate further with my multi-meter and maybe try swapping the wires to the UK set up and using an earth. The hazard lights seem to work perfectly.

[AL TR250]

Thanks Rob. Ignore the above post, I was barking up completely the wrong tree. The flasher unit under the bonnet is the (3 pin) hazard flasher, the indicator flasher unit is in the footwell where it should be. The problem seems to be the LED bulbs that I fitted to the rear last year. When I put the old bulbs back in, it worked away fine. Over the winter the flasher unit has obviously changed its mind about these new fangled LED's and decided to stop working with them. I think I will have to swap it out for an electronic one that is compatible with the LED's.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Ali

[snowric]

Ali,

 

Sometimes you need to put diodes in the LED indicator circuits to make them work per a couple of posts here.

Snowy

[AL TR250]

The strange thing is they worked fine last year with filament bulbs in the front and side markers and LED's in the rear. I am not sure what has happened in the meantime to change that. Perhaps there is not enough current/voltage reaching the flasher unit to make it work??

[RobH]

The original type bimetallic flasher needs the right current to operate because it relies on a heating element. Putting LED bulbs in means there isn't enough heating of the strip to make it switch. If you are going to retain the LEDs you need a compatible electronic flasher unit.

 

Rob

[Pridewood]

Hello Ali,

 

I have a new nos and original boxed 180 Signal Stat Flasher. Let me know there is any interest.

 

Best regards

John

[AL TR250]

Hello Ali,

 

I have a new nos and original boxed 180 Signal Stat Flasher. Let me know there is any interest.

 

Best regards

John

Thanks for the offer John, but I think the problem is with bulbs not the Signal Stat