HELP. front flashers constantly on

[dabmb01]

hi, new to forum (well the 60-66 part, had a 67.) i didnt have brake lights, well they only worked when the turn signal was on, so after hours and hours of tracing wires and doing tests i found that the turn signal switch was bad. i replaced that and now my brake lights work and turn signals work. everything works, but the *fun* part now is that my front flashers are constantly flashing but my rear ones arent, if i use my turn signal it cancels the flashing and properly does whichever side turn signal i use, but wen i turn the turn signal off my front flashers kick on and again its only the front not the back. please, if i didnt have short hair id pull it out.

help me please lol. its costing alot in cigarettes to do this project, stress level is killing me. (figured id throw in humor instead of frustration ha)

[raycow]

Well, in the most general terms, your problem is caused by either a bad TS switch or by bad wiring, but I suspect you knew that already. What you are really asking for now is specific troubleshooting suggestions, right?

Before we get to that, a little background information would be helpful.

First, what year truck do you have? Does it have a factory or aftermarket wiring harness? Were any additions or modifications made to the wiring by you or a PO?

Are you using the factory tail light and parking light housings? Do your parking lights and tail lights work normally? Do you have hazard warning flashers?

Your previous problem with the brake lights - did you inherit it when you bought the truck, or did it begin after you did some kind of work on it? This could include work of any kind, not necessarily electrical. When you replaced the TS switch, did you do any other work on the wiring or anything else?

Was your new TS switch a direct replacement? That is, did it have the same number and color of wires as the old one? If not, how did you determine what to connect where? Did you have any wires left over?

Sorry about all the questions, but I can't see what you have, so you need to be the eyes for this adventure.

Ray

[dabmb01]

i cant believe i posted this and didnt put a year, sorry about that. its a 1964 c20 3/4 ton 2wd lwb. i bought the truck with the problem, and yes the turn signal switch was a direct replacement switch. i didnt modify any wires at all, just tested a bunch of connections and traced wires to make sure they werent broke. as of right now, i have turn signals, brakes lights and the hazards work. the problem is this:

from the time i turn the truck on to the time i shut it off, my hazards flash. but not the back, only the fronts flash. but if i use the turn signal the flashers stop and the appropriate turn signal flashes. when i cut the turn signal off, the hazards (or flashers if i type that), come back on, but again, only in the front not back. if i turn the flashers on then the back come on properly.

for a temporary fix i disconnected the firewall plug for the front turn signals and hazards. i understand that a safety issue but hey atleast my back turnsignals still work. with the front turn signals and flashers disconnected, my dash still shows that the hazards are still flashing. so i know its not a wiring issue from the firewall to hood. i cant understand this problem. i dont understand this at all. if im not being clear about anything let me know, this is such a confusing thing that im just blabbing things out so if you want more specific info please just let me know.

[dabmb01]

also the wiring harness in the truck is to the best of my knowledge original. or atleast it looks it. ha.

and also, im using the factory housing for the rear lights.

[raycow]

That's a good start. You told me a lot.

I don't believe factory hazards were very common in 64. Most likely, yours are dealer installed or aftermarket. Do you have the kind of hazard switch that has a red knob with a bulb inside it?

Let's assume your TS switch is good for the moment. Could I talk you into into disconnecting the wires from the hazard switch? If they are permanently connected, can you trace the wires from the switch and disconnect them from the main harness?

Ray

[dabmb01]

yes the hazard switch is the one with the red knob and light inside of it.. ??? is that bad?? its hard wired inside the switch and yes i will 100% do that but what is that going to tell me? id like to continue to have hazards, just correctly working haha.

[Indian113]

I gotta say your a standup kinda guy!

[raycow]

Well I like a challenge, if that's what you mean.

However, I think dabmb01 is going to be up the creek in a leaky canoe without a paddle if his TS switch is defective, which I suspect it is, and the seller won't exchange it for him.

Ray

[steverino66]

Originally Posted by raycow

Well I like a challenge, if that's what you mean.

However, I think dabmb01 is going to be up the creek in a leaky canoe without a paddle if his TS switch is defective, which I suspect it is, and the seller won't exchange it for him.

Ray

Ray-
Don't want to hijack this thread, but I have a similar/related problem with front turn signals. Sent you a pm earlier.

[raycow]

Originally Posted by steverino66

Ray-
Don't want to hijack this thread, but I have a similar/related problem with front turn signals. Sent you a pm earlier.

Thanks for the heads-up. Normally the board gives me an alert if someone sends me a PM, but I didn't get one this time. I'll get right on it.

Ray

[dabmb01]

i really really appreciate your help, the purple wire starts at the fuse panel (wired into it, looks factory not just clipped on). i cant remember off the top of my head where it goes without going back outside, but for now heres what i did:


i ran 2 jumper wires under the hood from the front turn signals to the wires on the fire wall for the rear turn signals, i then jumped them into that harness. in process something happened and i lost my brake lights. (***** bleeepp****) haha. i finally figures out that somehow i lost power to the brake switch. so i jumped my power wire off my cigarette lighter over to the brake switch. now i have brake lights and turn signals, and i took the bulbs out of the dash for the turn signals because they continued to flash on my dash. so no i did not fix the problem, but i think i did a decent job rigging them to work correctly. trust me this is the easier way, i am by no means an electrician and im not exactly the best at problem solving with electric. so this convo wouldve been alot longer with my stupid questions.


i am so thankful for your help, you dont even understand. i appreciate the time you took out of your day to try to help me out but i had to rig it so i could get to work. ha, now all i have to do is figure out my heater before winter, its already getting chilly in the morning.

[Indian113]

It seems to me that you really go the distance to help people like me out! I hope he gets his problem corrected.