No turn signals please help

[86k15383]

Ok I have a 86 gmc k1500 and I am doing after market guages cuz I just put a 383 in it. First I cut out the small guages side of the cluster for all my Temps and volt meter and left in the big speedo and tank level guages in. The turn signals worked then but today I took out the cluster all together and put in a 5 inch tach and I also redid some wiring by the battery and rewrapped the main harness cuz it was falling apart. I started it up and went for a drive and when I got back I realized I had no turn signals. Do I have to have the cluster for my turn signals to work? Or could it be a bad ground somewhere?

 

[chengny]

I realized I had no turn signals.

They don't light up at all - or they light up, but don't blink?

 

[smoothandlow84]

Use a meter to verify hot lead...., possibly a loose ground

 

[86k15383]

The grill lights do light up but they do not bink.. and the rears don't blink either.

 

[smoothandlow84]

Flasher relay...under dash.

 

[chengny]

Do I have to have the cluster for my turn signals to work?

The open/close action of the flasher relay is dependent on sufficient total current flow in the directional lights circuit. Without getting into too much detail, the proper current flow is required to make the bi-metallic strip operate (i.e. snap the contacts open/closed).

So, to answer your question;

Yes, the cluster may need to be wired up. This is because the two indicating lights in the cluster (that are now disconnected) are no longer contributing to the total circuit load. That might be the cause of the problem. Even though they are small, their loss may have been enough to reduce the current flow to a point where the b-metallic strip won't heat up and open the contacts.

Different flasher relays operate at different loads. Try switching the emergency flasher with the directional flasher and see if it works. If not, try reconnecting the cluster for a minute and then try again.

 

[86k15383]

Ok thank you I will try it tomorrow. Is there another way to hook it up if it only works with the cluster cuz I deffinetly don't want the cluster in there. I saw on another forum some where of a guy that put all auto meter guages in like I'm doing. He must have ran in to the same problem

 

[Georgeb]

Ok thank you I will try it tomorrow. Is there another way to hook it up if it only works with the cluster cuz I deffinetly don't want the cluster in there. I saw on another forum some where of a guy that put all auto meter guages in like I'm doing. He must have ran in to the same problem

You could add some small indicator lights in the dash to increase the load on the circuit. Or find a different flasher as suggested. I think the 224 flasher has a lower operating current than the 552 flasher. I suppose you could also add a resistor to each side to increase the load as well. I think if you measure the resistance of a bulb you could find the right ohm resitor to use.

 

[OneShot]

Ok thank you I will try it tomorrow. Is there another way to hook it up if it only works with the cluster cuz I deffinetly don't want the cluster in there. I saw on another forum some where of a guy that put all auto meter guages in like I'm doing. He must have ran in to the same problem

You know what you could also do is replace the flasher relay with an LED relay. They operate at lower voltages and will run lights with lower current draw (LEDs) should you decide to use them in your signals in the future.

The 552 flasher is one of these. It should do well for you.

 

[86k15383]

You know what you could also do is replace the flasher relay with an LED relay. They operate at lower voltages and will run lights with lower current draw (LEDs) should you decide to use them in your signals in the future.

The 552 flasher is one of these. It should do well for you.

Thanks I will try it. I have been so busy lately I havnt had time to get in there and mess with it. I'll let you know how it works out

 

[86k15383]

You know what you could also do is replace the flasher relay with an LED relay. They operate at lower voltages and will run lights with lower current draw (LEDs) should you decide to use them in your signals in the future.

The 552 flasher is one of these. It should do well for you.

And where can I get those 552 led flashers

 

[OneShot]

You can walk into a NAPA store and get one or order one on their website. Just use the search bar with "552 flasher".

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[Georgeb]

Her is a bit of flasher info......