No turn signals | FerrariChat

No turn signals

Discussion in '308/328' started by kiwiokie, Dec 6, 2020.

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  1. kiwiokie

    kiwiokie Formula 3

    Aug 19, 2013
    1,539
    Tulsa, OK
    Full Name:
    John McDermott
    In the process of changing the exterior lights on my ‘75 GT4 to LED bulbs. Interestingly they work fine using the hazard light switch but nothing with the turn signal stalk. This is a project car that I bought mostly assembled and this is the first time I have had power in the car since I took ownership 6 years ago. I found a post from Thorn that mentioned a Novita EP36 flasher unit which I purchased and installed with the same result - hazards but no turn signals. I assume the problem is the contacts in the turn signal stalk but just in case has anyone else made the change to LED’s and had this problem? Cheers, John


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  2. dave80gtsi

    dave80gtsi Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2003
    1,948
    Ohio
    Full Name:
    Dave Meredith
    Pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but what happens if you swap the original incandescent lamps back in place of the LED's?
     
  3. TurtleFarmer

    TurtleFarmer Karting
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    Jan 13, 2020
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    Jason S
    John,
    Agree with @dave80gtsi ; try it with the incandescents put back in. That will at least eliminate the LEDs from being the problem.

    The hazards and the turn indicators use the same flasher relay. If you're using the relay suggested by @thorn (Novita EP36), then it should work fine with LEDs. These LED-compatible relays are not dependent on the current drawn by the lights (they have an internal timing circuit), so the 5-10x lower current of the LEDs (vs incandenscent) won't matter. If you have the traditional style of flasher relay in there, however, it is possible that hazards will work when the turn indicators won't (since they draw 2x the current..twice the number of lights on). Also, when you have the wrong style flasher installed, the failure mode is that the lights turn *on* but won't blink. So, for both reasons, it doesn't sound like the problem is the LEDs.

    Based on your description, your most likely suspect is either the indicator stalk or the flasher switch (the turn indicator circuit is routed through both).

    Also, I've switched to all LEDs thoughout -- dash instruments, exterior indicators and headlights. The only thing not yet LED is the interior overhead light (afraid to touch my cracked and fragile cover).The biggest problem in switching is sourcing the "small" bulbs (dash lighting and side markers)--none of the existing products on the market fit well and it requires a bit of dremeling to make it work. Everything else was very simple. In addition to the significantly better lighting (way better safety on the road), it also reduced the current load on the vehicle. I don't have my spreadsheet in front of me, but with all lighting turned on, it went from something like 40-45A to 6A. This also means less heat in the lens--during replacement there were at least a few lenses that were clearly deforming after 41 years of incandescent heat pouring into them.
     
  4. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Aug 7, 2012
    3,324
    Tallahassee, FL
    Sorry to hear you're having troubles with this. I agree with Jason - "try it with the incandescents put back in. That will at least eliminate the LEDs from being the problem."

    My issue the old relay was a fast-flash - not NO flash. My first instinct would be to check the fuse, and from there determine what's going on with the switch.
     
  5. kiwiokie

    kiwiokie Formula 3

    Aug 19, 2013
    1,539
    Tulsa, OK
    Full Name:
    John McDermott
    Thanks guys. I was reluctant to pull the turn signal bulbs again as I bought replacement bulb holders and the fit in the reflector is quite tight. I didn’t want to push my luck and risk a tab breaking or a crack in the reflector. I will give it a try next weekend with the original flasher unit and incandescent bulbs.


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  6. TurtleFarmer

    TurtleFarmer Karting
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    Jan 13, 2020
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    Jason S

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