Hazard Flashers

[Joel Ashley]

Last week I had occasion coming east up the Salt Lake to Park City grade after dark to turn on my hazard flashers.  Signs indicated that slow vehicles should do that, and I got bogged down behind trucks anyway, with high speed traffic in the left lanes precluding any passing attempts.  After a minute or so, the flashers began acting irratic, then have long pauses, or stop altogether.  If I turned them off, they'd normalize after awhile.  I ended up manually turning the switch on and off for a bit, then gave up.

I have to assume that the flasher unit was overheating trying to handle both the coach and the toad lamps.  Is this a correct take on it, and if so, can someone direct me to the proper flasher upgrade or other fix?  The existing unit I think is a Tridon fused at 20 amps, if I'm looking at the correct device under the dash access panel.

Thanks,
Joel

[Gerald Farris]

Joel,
It sounds like you have a flasher malfunction, however I would feel more comfortable in the diagnosis if I knew the amperage draw in the circuit when this happens.

Your coach probably has two flashers, one for the turn signals and one for the hazard flashers. Be sure that you have the proper flasher by holding your hand on the flasher with the hazard flashers on and feel for the corresponding click as the hazard flasher lights go on and off.

The flasher that you want as a replacement is called a heavy duty or towing flasher. This type of flasher should flash a the same rate regardless of how many bulbs it is flashing. Since coaches are designed to always tow another vehicle, your coach should already be equipped with this type of flasher.

Gerald

[Joel Ashley]

Thanks Gerald.  I also figured any hazard flasher on the rig would be designed heavy enough for servicing a toad as well.  I'll try to sort out with more certainty which is the suspect flasher tomorrow, then see what else I can determine from any markings, and test it as time allows the next time the toad is hitched up.  I'll try to determine the amp draw, but I'm not sure I have the right instrument with me for that;  my fancier stuff is back at home.  There may be a circuit diagram in my book that includes the flasher, which could be helpful as well, and perhaps clue to if there's another possible cause.

At first, on the Park City grade, the flashing worked just fine.  But after a minute the sequence slowed and became inconsistent, then stalled altogether.  I turned the switch off fearing I might burn out a component or the flasher.  Trying it again a minute later it worked fine initially, then repeated the scenario.

Joel

[Roger Bowton]

JOEL

  I had the same problem on our 06 Monterey and replaced the flasher unit which is in the cover around the steering wheel shaft about a foot above the floor and repaired a bare spot in the wiring  which I thought might be causing part of the problem and all was well . Hope this helps

Roger

[Joel Ashley]

Thanks Roger.  I'll pop the screws on that black cowling and take a gander;  I can't see everything under there from up top, even though there's a large gap between the two halves there.

I looked at my wiring diagram, but the flasher as such isn't shown between the hazard switch and the turn signal switch, whose diagram is hard for me to decipher anyway.  I've gained some diagram reading capability over the years;  but one of these days, while in Bend, I'd sure like to pow-wow with Enrique Monzalvo, the author of a lot of the diagrams, and learn how to read some of the drawings I can't interpret.

Joel

[Joel Ashley]

This morning I checked and when either the turn signals or the hazard switch is activated, the previously mentioned clear plastic-housed Tridon device is doing the clicking, and the copper components can be seen moving inside.  It is right on top on a steel bracket that holds a couple unused Deutsche brand connectors and some sort of momentary push switch, immediately under the removable dash access panel in front of the steering wheel.

I haven't yet taken off the black cowling around the steering post or tried to measure the amp draw, toad hitched up or not.

Joel

[Gerald Farris]

Joel,
There is a possibility that Monaco incorporated both flasher circuits into one flasher. I was assuming that they had used two flashers (one for each circuit) because it is an easier and more simplistic way of wiring the circuits.

The single flasher wiring method is used in a lot of the late model cars with body computers. Some even use a different control circuit in the flasher for right and left turn signals. However the flasher in some that use to cost $5 in the old design system, now cost up to $100.

Gerald

[Joel Ashley]

On the open roads of the Plains today, between Sterling, CO, and Sidney, NE, with little traffic and headlights off, I tried the hazard flasher function again.  After about 30-45 seconds of normal flash intervals and strength, the clicking and dash lamps became erratic again, doing more of a blip than a blink, and at a longer interval.  After 30 seconds of that they began clicking and bliping only every 2-4 seconds.

I reckon I'll give a holler at Ken at BCS this week and see if it's common enough that he knows the fix.  Probably a new spendy flasher unit.  Given it's hardly ever been used, and exhibits no burn marks, etc., through the clear plastic housing, I'd be a bit surprised if the flasher is the whole issue.

Joel

Wish me luck not to spend myself into oblivion in Cabela's home "toy" store tomorrow  

[John Hennessey]

here's a stupid question.  I can't find where to turn the flashers on our 2003 Marquis.  Needed them yesterday while stuck behind a slow truck going up a mountain and couldn't find where to turn it on.  Does anybody know where the switch is?

[Gerald Farris]

John,
I think that the hazard flasher switch on a 2003 Marquis is a black slide switch on the steering column that is about even with your left knee.

Gerald  

[Joel Ashley]

Don't feel bad, John.  I had the same experience when we first got our coach.  It took a bit of searching after the rig was parked, and then I found it staring me in the... well it's not far from where Gerald said  :X.

Ken C. at BCS agrees I need a new flasher, Gerald.  Darned thing has been used maybe 5 times, and is bad already?  Maybe another Monaco "quality" part retrofit?

Joel

[Joel Ashley]

Update:

Roland at BCS discovered the problem, rather quickly I might add.  

I figured by the symptoms that it had to be an overheating component, and sure enough, it was.  For whatever reason, Monaco's "electricians" didn't wire the horn and flashers to the correct post on the #1 truss bar in the chassis electric bay.  Instead of post (circuit breaker) 6, they used post 11.  The horn and the flasher need 20 amps.  Post 11, an "open" circuit breaker according to my bay legend, had a 5, check it out, 5 amp breaker in it!  The 5 amp circuit breaker would overheat after a minute of flashing, then melt, cool, and then reconnect, in a cycle that resulted in my erratic flasher performance.

Rather than splice and rewire the shorter wires to reach several inches up the buss bar to post 6, Roland simply replaced the small amp (does anything use a 5 amp breaker or fuse in these coaches?) with a 20 amp, and all is well ... and safer.  And I promptly edited my wiring legend for the electric bay accordingly.

If you've never checked the operation of your emergency flashers, by all means do so.  Especially if you have an 06 Monterey like mine, whose wiring may have been modified from the prescribed legend due perhaps to too short a loom at the factory, and your flashers and horn could be on too light a breaker.  In an emergency or warning situation as I was in your flashers may not work as you expect.

Gerald and Ken originally suggested a new flasher, a very reasonable idea, so hey, at least I now have a spare flasher unit if I ever need one  

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

My hazard flashers were doing the same thing as yours.  At a rally some guys looked at it with me.  We replaced the flasher unit which on my 2001 Beaver was located by getting on my back with shoulders up under the steering column area.  With the flashers operating we determined which part it was.  I pulled it out and took it to a car parts store.  They matched it up and I replaced it.  However, in view of the flasher driving both the coaches lights and the rear toad lights it was suggested later to me that I should have gone for a heavy duty one.  I called the parts store and they didn't have one.

Initially when we located the previous flasher under the steering wheel area --- the part was rather hot.  But the wires going to it were not hot.  After I replaced the part I felt the new one after it ran a while and it too got hot.  But it wasn't doing the same misstep of exterior lights like the previous was (as you described your problem).

I can't recall what the part I bought was called, but it was not clear plastic.  Seems it was about 2 inches tall and round with 3 prongs sticking up on top (which connected into 3 different female receivers hanging down under my steering column).

[Joel Ashley]

Perhaps a previous owner mistakenly used a standard flasher as a replacement, Richard.  Our coaches should be all configured originally with heavy duty flashers, given they are built to tow and must be capable of running significant current, covering many lamps from coach to toad.  Gerald referred to that in a previous post here.

If you haven't already, you should put in a heavy duty flasher;  it may seem fine for now, but believe me, you don't want it quitting on you when you really need it.  And the extra one I bought was less than $10.

Joel