Turn Signal

VW's aircooled mini SUV. Great for riding in the country, or cruising the beach.
Via Manci
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Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:40 am

Turn Signal

Post by Via Manci »

Just how are the indicator lights to flash on the speedometer. I usually get one flash and then no light, but the clicking sound comes from the relay. Sometimes I get no light only the clicking sound.
What you you think?
"73 Thing"
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Jadewombat
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Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2002 12:01 am

Re: Turn Signal

Post by Jadewombat »

I seem to remember if it flashes really fast it meant that one side wasn't working in the front or back.
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Chip Birks
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Re: Turn Signal

Post by Chip Birks »

Sounds like a bad connection to me, probably the bulb holder going into the speedo. Clean the contacts.
5.0 Chero
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Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2015 7:47 am

Re: Turn Signal

Post by 5.0 Chero »

sounds like a bad ground or the wire to the bulb has a loose connection
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Marc
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Re: Turn Signal

Post by Marc »

Thanks for playing everyone ;)

The flasher on a `73 Thing is a 4-terminal. 49/+ is power in, 49a is flasher output, 31 is ground, and KBL is the output from an auxiliary contact that works counter to the main contact for 49a - this is needed in order to make the indicator lamp on the dash flash in unison with the external signals. `69/`70 Beetles used the same setup, but starting in `71 someone realized that the KBL feature was a luxury item - the indicator lamp could be connected to 49a as well, and would still flash (just in alternation to the external signals)...late Beetle flashers have only three terminals: +, 49a, and 31.

On the `69/`70 Beetles the first thing to go wrong with the 4-prong flasher was usually the KBL contact - the symptom's exactly as you describe, the flasher's working and clicking and the outside lights are working normally, just no indicator lamp on the dash (beyond a single flash at first). The pragmatic "fix" was to simply use a piggyback connector to hook the KBL wire to the 49a terminal. I can think of no reason why this wouldn't also work on a Thing.

Or, if you replace the flasher with a 3-prong VW (or a generic American 2-prong flasher that has no ground wire) and connect both the KBL wire and the 49a wire to the output terminal the result will be the same - the indicator lamp will work, just not in unison with the external lights.

Here're the flashers of a `73 Thing and a `71 Super so you can see what I'm talking about:
`73 Thing T'signal Flasher.jpg
`71 Super T'Signal Flasher (Copy).jpg
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Last edited by Marc on Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Marc
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Re: Turn Signal

Post by Marc »

{Duplicate Post ... and for some asinine reason one's not allowed to delete posts in this forum}
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