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turn signals repeatedly cut out


jdubs12
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You mean they flash on and off?!

Just kidding, but have you checked the flasher?

When you say they go out..do you mean they stay on without flashing? Or stay off and nothing?

Sounds like either a bad switch(stalk) (or dirty contacts) or your flasher unit. Its a little black box under your steering wheel. TTap/ smack it when they stop working and see if that helps?

Do you have hazards when they stop working?

Edited by NissanNismoZ
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I got a similar problem on my 95 Pathy. 4 days ago right turn signal sped up flashing then quit. I checked all the lights - none on.

I checked the hazard switch - not working either. I replace the flasher with new one tested to work. No signal or hazard lights still.

I check the lamps on the front and found a corroded right front - cleaned it and got it to work if fed directly from battery. I reconnect harness try signal lights - not working. I check ground on all lights = OK.

 

I drive to consult Nissan Mechanic 5 miles away. Just about there I accidentally use the signal lever again, holy smokes all is working! I drive home happy. Next day I drive to Napa to get a spare flasher (Tridon EP 34) I notice coming out of my driveway that the turn signals quit working again. 3 miles farther turning into Napa lights working again. I buy new flasher and install right away to test - not working. I put the one in I just took out - now also not working.

 

I check fuses: top row second from right (turn signal), bottom row 5th from right (hazard) - fuses ok.

.

I got a service manual and start to check all hot wires up to flasher - OK. I check hazard switch - Ok.

 

Next I will check all wires leading to ground, but I doubt that this will find a defect since all are connected together at Connector C under the dash. I still have to check the turn signal switch, but I doubt it is it, because the hazard lights are also out and not on the same switch.. Last there is the instrument panel connectors and lights, that means removing the steering wheel, etc.

 

So far I spent 4 afternoons in freezing weather taking things apart to get at it, then

putting the car back together for the next trip!

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Re Kingman's query: I have a trailer connector which has about 7 or 8 wires. I checked it already it looks good. I have it wrapped in bubble plastic and stashed away in left rear fender well just inside the interior access panel. I pulled the last tent trailer with it about 10 years ago.

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I had the same issue with an '87 I had. But sometimes instead of simply quitting the blinker relay would start squealing. Finally found a short and open wires in the back where they had spliced the trailer harness in.

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Thanks for the help, but I found no short or wiring problem as of today. I did however in the process figure out a simple and quick method to check the entire turn signal and hazard light circuitry on my Pathfinder. My problem was no lights on.

 

After trying to go by the book, I came up with a much quicker method to check:

 

Remove the flasher. Look at the male end of the connector cable, in a way so that the middle connector is up. Now the left slot comes from the power source and is positive. The right slot is always ground. The power source (left slot) is fed from 2 different places:

 

The hazard lights are fed to it directly from the battery, their fuse is the 5th from the right, bottom row

The turn signals are fed to it from the ignition switch "on", their fuse is the 2nd from the right, top row.

 

Start with ignition off, turn signal switch off, hazard switch off. Connect the left slot of the flasher cable to the middle slot with a jumper wire. Push the hazard switch to "on", and all 4 turn signal lamps plus 2 indicators at the instrument panel will light if these bulbs and their wiring and the hazard switch is OK.

 

Next turn the hazard switch to "Off", use the key to switch on the ignition, then switch on the left turn signal, the left indicator will light up in the panel and also the left turn signals. Switch the right signal on, and right indicator and right side turn signals will light up, if the bulbs and their wiring is OK.

 

When I checked all my bulbs lit, in all tests. That leaves the flasher as faulty, (I have to get a new one) unless there is an intermittent short in the wiring or a shaky connection. That can only be found once one of the bulbs does not light up.

 

To set up the jumper wire, I found a non-working flasher, reached under the cap with a screw driver to lift it from the locking tabs, and pulled out the circuit board. I then bent the left and right connector prongs to and fro until they broke off, so I had 2 nice brass blades which I then pushed into the (switches off!) connector slots, one on the left and one in the middle. then I connected the protruding blades with a clamp-on jumper wire.

 

Make sure all switches are off before you disconnect, then disconnect the jumper and immediately remove the brass blades from the plug, as soon as the test is finished, to prevent a short that could start a fire.

Edited by Canuck
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I noticed when I was repairing some previous vandalism to my truck when I first got it, that the turn signals will not work if the hazard switch is unplugged. Try replacing it first, snag a couple from the junkyard. to rule that out.

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My problem had started with the right front signal lamp corrosion, which I had cleaned away, and my "Light Test" showed that this light was working again. But the light did not flash, so I installed a new flasher. Still no flashes, so I checked again with my "Light Test" and none of the lights came on. I figured the flasher could have burned out because my cleaning did not get all the corrosion, so bought 2 new front signal Lamps, since one was bad and the new lens color did not match the original. I installed the new front lamp plus a new flasher - and still had no flashes. A new "Light Test" again showed all lights out. I checked for power at the Flasher connector, and it was there. I now checked for ground at the connector, and found it had disappeared. Somewhere the ground wire was broken from the "C" connector to the flasher plug connector.

 

I had to bring a new ground to the flasher circuit board since I could not get it from the connector cable. I opened the flasher, drilled a small hole in the circuit board next to the ground connector, inserted a 18 Ga. electric copper wire from the top and soldered it to the prong terminals below, then bent the wire toward the back of the board, made a knot in the wire there so it would not slip through the hole, drilled that hole in the back of the flasher housing, threaded the wire through the hole, and reassembled the flasher and its housing. I used another piece of wire & clipped on a loop connector for a ground screw, using a as vice grip as a tool.

 

Finally I removed the dash panel below the steering wheel, found a good ground at the right bolt that holds the fuse block in place, cut the other end of the loop fitted wire to the length required, and connected this end with the wire sticking out from the flasher with a twist on connector. I removed the bolt, put on the loop connector, and reinstalled. Then I plugged the flasher into its harness connector, reinstalled the dash panel.

 

My flasher and their lights now work like new!

 

In the process I found that the broken ground wire is right behind the connector. To make a permanent soldered wire repair to the harness I will need to remove the entire front dash, steering wheel and instrument panel included, that will have to wait for warmer weather, my back yard is too cold right now (-2°F.)!

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