Help With Turn Signals

[Domdart]

I am working on a 72 Charger. I just replaced my broken turn signal switch with one I got from Marketplace. The lever didn't catch on the old one both ways. The new OEM one I put in from Marketplace looks new, like it was never installed, but the turn signals don't work. The flashers work fine. Did I just get a bad turn signal switch or is there something else I need to check?
Thanks FABO.

 

[Domdart]

I found the problem. The charger has a red wire that is crudely connected to a black wire with a wire nut. This wire connects to the ACC in the fuse block. I removed the wire nut earlier to make a better splice. I spliced it and clipped it onto the fuse block ACC and now the turn signals work.

 

[71Beeper]

It sounds like the turn signal switch is being fed power from the ACC terminal on the fuse block - that is not factory. The factory power wire has been by-passed.
The factory power wire is in the bulkhead connector and it comes into the car from it. Look for a heavier guage red wire in the bulkhead connector in the engine bay side.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to pull the bulkhead connectors and inspect them for any overheated or broken wires.
If any of the connectors looks like this you will have to investigate further.

 

[Domdart]

It sounds like the turn signal switch is being fed power from the ACC terminal on the fuse block - that is not factory. The factory power wire has been by-passed.
The factory power wire is in the bulkhead connector and it comes into the car from it. Look for a heavier guage red wire in the bulkhead connector in the engine bay side.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to pull the bulkhead connectors and inspect them for any overheated or broken wires.
If any of the connectors looks like this you will have to investigate further.

View attachment 2071479

I will check it out. Thanks. The red wire that was cut is a heavier gauge.

 

[71Beeper]

That's correct, it should be a heavier guage.
But that wire originates from the engine bay side & goes thru the bulkhead connector.
Here's is a picture of the heavier red wire (see black arrow). This is from my 71 Runner engine bay.

 

[Domdart]

Here are some pics of the red wire that clips into the ACC at the fuse box that makes my turn signals work. They cut a heavy gauge tan wire near the emergency brake pedal. At the cut they attached the red wire on one end of the cut and just taped up the other end. The tan wire comes from a splice at the floor with a yellow wire, thru a connector, and to the red wire.

 

[Domdart]

My bulkhead is fine. The car does have power windows. The yellow wire does head back the rocker.

 

[71Beeper]

Good luck with that set-up - hopefully it won't give you any more problems.
I do know that feeding that circuit from the ACC on the fuse panel is not correct.

A couple of members here will have more knowledge on this.
Calling Nacho @Nacho-RT74
Or Doug @72RoadrunnerGTX

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

The pictured brown 12ga wire pictured is the power supply to the power window harness. Appears to have been altered with a direct battery connection. Would have originally connected to another short harness running to the PW relay and circuit breaker clipped to the fuse box, drawing power directly off of an ammeter stud. Red and black wires affecting the turn signals was likely the original radio power connector wires having been cut-off, needing to be reconnected to restore turn signal function. T/S shares the same ACC fuse circuit with the radio originally

 

[Domdart]

Thank you

 

[Nacho-RT74]

Ok… will add some info just in case.

Turning lights circuit

Comes from ACC circuit to feed the flasher on a black wire. As mentioned it’s spliced along the Radio power circuit too. Flasher is located between ashtray and glovebox. A red wire leaves the flasher to reach the turnings switch plug. Then the turning switch works as a matrix to spread it out according to the desired position… light green and dark green to one side (front and rear) and tan and dark brown to the other side (once again, front and rear respectively)

To test if turning circuit is reaching the turnings switch plug is just test for voltage at red wire plug with key in RUN or ACC. If you don’t get power at red wire switch plug, then flasher is broken open, or flasher is not getting power at black wire.

Circuit won’t blink untill you set switch to left or to right, since works with a constant hot and cold cycles into the flasher. Flasher works with the bulb loads heating the flasher element to open the circuit untill gets cold, but while switch is in rest position, flasher allows constant power up to the switch being closed circuit.

Hazzard circuit is pretty much same principle, but flasher is heavy duty to handle all bulbs, and power comes from BATT source… spliced into the pedal brake light source circuit. Reaches the turning switch plug with a pink wire.

All these circuits are part of the main underdash harness, not divorced. So any visible splice is a signal of harness manipulation (for whatever reason)

I have no details on the PW circuit right now.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

This is the Radio Plug… it gets orange wire (for screen light) on one cavity and a red and black wire on the other cavity. That the ACC power. Red comes from fuse box, black runs to turning flasher

On this pic Radio and flasher plugs are visible, but the Radio conector gets hidden the black wire by the pic angle… however you can see the black wire arriving to the flasher connector.

Then the flasher red wire runs to Turning switch.

 

[Domdart]

I found the tan wire that they cut in the service manual. It shows the tan wire going to the connector then to the splice with the yellow wire. I will try to figure out why this was done. I will probably reconnect the tan wire and see what happens.

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

I found the tan wire that they cut in the service manual. It shows the tan wire going to the connector then to the splice with the yellow wire. I will try to figure out why this was done. I will probably reconnect the tan wire and see what happens.
View attachment 2072969View attachment 2072970

That yellow wire splice is part of the PW harness, should be tapped up in the harness further back down the sill. Are the relay and circuit breaker present on the fuse box?
Page 8-163

 

[Domdart]

I don't think there is a circuit breaker.

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

Likely the reason someone would splice in another power source for the windows. Do the windows not work with the key off as the should?

 

[Domdart]

The front windows only work when the key is on. The rear windows don't work, the rear switches are gone. The driver switch doesn't work them either.

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

The rear switches need to be in place for the 4-way driver's switch to be able to work the rear motors. So then what/where is the red wire, wire-nutted to that tan wire, connected to?

 

[Domdart]

I just looked in the hole for the rear switches and they are down inside there. I will start checking for power at all the connections tomorrow. The red wire is connected to a black wire that is clipped into the ACC at the fuse block. It is the black wire with the tape on it in the fuse block pic. The red wire wasn't long enough.

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

I just looked in the hole for the rear switches and they are down inside there. I will start checking for power at all the connections tomorrow. The red wire is connected to a black wire that is clipped into the ACC at the fuse block. It is the black wire with the tape on it in the fuse block pic. The red wire wasn't long enough.

Yikes, first, disconnect it from the fuse box right away. There is no circuit protection on that fuse box ACC bus tap and it draws its power directly through the ignition switch and its Molex connector. The current draw of the power window motors will kill those things in fairly short order if it hasn’t already done so. Find the correct 30amp circuit breaker and restore the wiring back to how the factory had it. If finding the correct breaker becomes an issue, get a generic fuse holder and a 30 amp fuse, install male spade connectors and plug into the breaker socket in the fuse box, restore the factory safety relay function.