BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: paulmatasso on July 26, 2015, 03:19:51 PM
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The turn signals on my 06 Patriot Thunder blink erratically. They always work but after turning them on usually after a few blinks, they start to blink fast, then slow no real pattern that I can come up with. Not the end of the world but curious if anyone else has had this issue?
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Perhaps the bulbs need to be changed. Not sure if they include the flashers or not, most likely they do. Usually rapid turn signals is an indication of a bad flasher.
Stan
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Anything erratic with 12 volt systems is almost always a ground problem. My front, under mirror left turn signal was not working. I replaced it with an LED version bulb. It was erratic too. I took it apart and the ground screw for the fixture was loose. Problem went away by tightening the screw.
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They always work but after turning them on usually after a few blinks, they start to blink fast, then slow no real pattern that I can come up with. Not the end of the world but curious if anyone else has had this issue?
Forgive me if this hijacks your question, Paul ... I have the same problem with my old eyes in the morning, and when sobering up :o
"Clearly" however, Bill is on the right track for a place to start. Check the seating of all your lamps - one or more may need a corrosion cleanup. Then adding a little dielectric grease before reassembly can prevent further corrosion. Dielectric grease, such as made by Permatex and others, is non-conductive.
I sometimes use what's called "bulb grease" directly on contact points because bulb grease, unlike dielectric grease, is conductive. But if more than a film of it is used, there is risk of it shorting a smidge of current between proximal contacts, so I only use it very sparingly and judiciously.
There are several videos out there, but here is a sampling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZ0hfqVNe8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W7o-CRRmGo (this one apologizes after-the-fact for calling dielectric conductive, but it's otherwise a decent video)
For exposed connectors you can use one of Ed Buker's favorites, Corrosion-X spray, as a cover-up. I use it on exposed nuts/posts, etc., for example in the electrical bay streetside forwardmost where a little overspray is okay; but I like the greases for the smaller contact points themselves, and bullet connectors, pins, etc.
Keep in mind that grease attracts dirt, so when I say "sparingly" or "thin film", I'm sincere. You don't want globs of grease laying around connections, useless to the electric service intended, and collecting road grime. Q-tips are handy as applicators.
-Joel
Addendum: for those of you reading this using Google Chrome, I just discovered it is the only one of my several browser options that for whatever reason does not render the italics operator I used above on the words "conductive" and "non-conductive". If like mine, the result was those words being eliminated from the text altogether, and it not making sense, it appears to be the fault of Chrome and nothing else. I also note that the italicized words describing the last edit (immediately below this post) are missing entirely from between the brackets when using Chrome. I don't know if this is an issue for all Chrome users or a glitch peculiar to mine, but Administrators here may want to check with the webmaster for SMF just in case. Thanks.
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Hi Guys,
Here is my experience with erratic turn signals. If the flasher is cycling rapidly and then slowly it is because of the resistive value in the circuit is changing. Example: If you have a burned out bulb, or an open circuit in a bulb socket the flasher sees less resistence and will flash faster. Inside the turn signal switch, when select right or left there are 4 contacts engaging. 2 for front circuit and 2 fot the rear. Try pushing or lifting lightly on the lever when you turn on the turn signals and see if that alters the flash rate.
I am also a big fan of dielectric grease any where bulbs fit into sockets because it displaces moisture. As old as these coaches are now becoming, I would take the time to check every turn signal bulb and socket and inspect. Bulbs and dielectric grease are not that expensive and when I'm driving, I like the idea that those watching me know of my intentions.
Regards, Fred
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Thanks everyone for the responses.
I removed the rear lenses and noticed that at one point there has been water standing in them. I cleaned the terminals, used bulb grease, and resealed each lense. So far no intermitiant blinking.