Signal Lights Not Working

[zcatcreative]

I just purchased my first motor home, a 1986 Windjammer with 22,000 on it. Love it. However I can not get the signal lights to workI can not get the signal lights, nor the four way flasher to work.
Tail lights, break lights, backup lights do work.
I found the fuse box, by the drivers left knee, and all fuses look good. I can Find NO WHERE where a flasher might me plugged in. Does anyone know if this vehicle has a flasher, and if so where? Does anyone know if this vehicle has a flasher and if so where?
Other suggestions to get the lights to work?
Help!

[zcatcreative]

Wrap it in Foil" I LOVE IT!!!
I used to always carry foil but it's been so long I forgot about it. THAT is a BEAUTIFUL response!!! Thanks!. will do

[georgehebert]

If both the flasher and directional signals fail then it can't be a switch problem. Check the fuse box. You have standard fuses in your 86 vehicle. Wrap tin foil around the fuse until you get to an auto parts store.

[j-d]

On the chassis similar to the OP's that we had, there seemed to be separate flashers. Parts lookups indicate that too. We know where the Turn Signal Flasher is, corner of the Fuse Panel. OP can confirm by pulling it out and seeing if the Four-Ways still work. If they still do, then clearly they have their own flasher. Might be possible to listen under the dash and hear it click. The flashers were one of the few things we never tinkered with on that '83 E350. Replaced some lamps, but that was it, the nearly 10 years we owned it.
In some vehicles, there's a spring clip under the dash that holds the top of the Flasher. In a vehicle that old, I'd expect the Flasher to be out of the Clip, dangling someplace. That makes it quieter since it doesn't have the Dash to reverb on.
It's time to get busy with one of these:


Far easier to check automotive circuits than dinking around with a Meter.

[beemerphile1]

Not sure about a 1986 but later years had all the lights running through the emergency flasher button. If that button sticks it can cause all kinds of weird brake, tail, and signal lighting problems.

[zcatcreative]

The WD40 worked on the 4 way! Tried it on signal light, so far they have not worked. but I now assume is may be connections somewhere... like the fusebox. My bet is the same flasher activates with both

[beemerphile1]

zcatcreative wrote:
Here is a picture of my Here is a picture of my fuse box.fuse box.

You have to post a picture online somewhere and provide a link. We can't see a file that is on your computer.

[j-d]

Pic won't display till you post it to a website.

[zcatcreative]

Here is a picture of my Here is a picture of my fuse box.fuse box.

[zcatcreative]

wow... you guys are great. Obviously I will try WD 40 first.. I won't be working on it until Tuesday, but I shall try all and keep you posted. thanks!

[j-d]

BP makes a good point. Since there's no airbag, wouldn't hurt to run WD40 in there. Other than maybe dripping out on your pants.

Turn Signal Switch touches both Turn and Hazard signals. Brake Lights are also involved since the steady brake signal has to be broken to let the flasher blink that side.



The little piece sticking out at the Five O'clock position is the Hazard Button.

The Switch is available around $30.

On our '83 chassis, pushing Forward on the Turn Signal Lever released the Tilt Steering Wheel. It seemed to settle into a groove where it was really hard to release. Shaking the wheel front and back at the top helped it to release.

[beemerphile1]

Before you go crazy chasing phantoms, try this first;
Fill the well around the emergency flasher button with WD40. Work the button up and down until it operates smoothly. Now check your lights and let us know.

[j-d]

If Diagram above is your panel, it uses ATO (plastic) fuses. Ours were glass, so Ford went to a newer style panel. Just looked at the Diagram at 200% and 400%. Do likewise and focus on Fuses 1 and 5. Do the other features they serve work, or not.

[j-d]

Oh, My...Looky Here:

HAZARD FLASHER - 1985 Ford E-350 Econoline (D1FZ13350A)
and

TURN SIGNAL FLASHER - 1985 Ford E-350 Econoline (C5AZ13350B)

These were on a Ford Dealer's parts website. BOTH discontinued. By Ford that is. The auto supply stores'll have them.

Here's Autozone

And it looks like Two-Terminal. This one flashes 1-10 Lamps.

And the Four-Way

Verify any part numbers anybody sends you. What worries me is you say neither flasher system works. Maybe one fuse feeds both, maybe somebody discarded both flashers. Mystery brewing...

[j-d]

Kit, we had an '84 C on '83 E350 and the above was all the chassis fuses it had. Few Fusible Links under the Hood and that was it. Panel above was in the floor pan to the left of where the column passed through the floor mat.

Your '08, probably more than our current '02, has probably 3x the circuits and fuses the older ones did. Especially while they still had carburetors.

OP, First, Belated Welcome to the Forum! You have questions now, but it won't be long before you're giving answers!

You should see either three socket slots in a "C" pattern or two slots in an "L" pattern. If you have a single front turn signal bulb and two rear bulbs (on each side) and do NOT have a trailer or vehicle connected to your coach... Then you need a Three-Lamp version of the "C" or "L" flasher. One bulb each side and then you need a Two-Lamp flasher. Yes, you can get a "Heavy Duty Flasher" that blinks between one and six bulbs. Problem with those is that they flash at the same rate regardless of the number of bulbs. That's good till one goes out. The Two- and Three-Lamp ones blink differently or not at all if a bulb goes out. That warns you to get out and check.

I don't remember if we had a separate flasher for the 4-ways. I don't think so but again don't remember for sure. If Ford's solution in that year was One Flasher, then (at least logically) it'd need to be the HD version.