Indicator Relay/s

[jacobrjett]

Hi guys, first post, I own a 1999 Ford Festiva.

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I bought it for 1000 NZD a couple weeks ago. It had a blown gearbox but it came with a spare one, which I have since fitted.

Anyway, the LEFT/PASSANGER side indicator is sometimes sticking. I turn it on, and instead of flashing/blinking, it just stays on.

This is intermittent however, sometimes the indicator works fine and sometimes it sticks and stays on.

I am pretty sure it is a relay from the sound of it.

Does anyone know where the relays for the indicators are? i found 4 relays in the engine bay but none of them where indicators, they were EFI, ignition, umm headlights etc. or something, no indicator though.

I couldnt find any under the footwells, well I found one relay under the drivers footwell (RHD car) but I opened it and pressed the contact point and it was for the horn.

[crazyrog17]

Indicator Relay/s

On the us Festiva (you have what we call an Aspire on these shores) it is a green flasher module under the dash. Turn on the signal that works and you'll find the module by listening and feeling for the clicking one.

Before you go on the hunt though, turn on your hazards and make sure you don't have any burned out bulbs around the car. With no resistance (bad bulbs) the flasher will never click. If it's intermittent, like you say, it could be a problem with corrosion on the base of the bulb or socket.

[jacobrjett]

awesome i did not think of that!

i did trace to the little box when i was trying to find the fuses. I found the box, and thats actually where the horn relay was mounted off, which is why i assumed that was the indicator relay.

so the indicator relay isnt really a little relay but more of a module on its own? so I may need to replace this module, or hunt down any corrosion in the bulbs.

i didnt think of corrosion in the bulbs, the front and rear bulbs are seem to be turning on fine but it makes sence they could be temperamental.

thanks for pointing me a step in the right direction.

[crazyrog17]

Well, just a little about how a flasher module works:

Current travels through a bi-metal strip in the flasher. The bi-metal strip provides resistance (and so do your bulbs, enough to heat a filament to the point it emits light...), and this resistance heats the strip. Of the two metals sandwiched to make the bi-metal strip, one expands at a lower temperature and makes the strip bend. This breaks the circuit and turns off the lights. It also stops current through the strip and allows it to cool down quickly. Then it returns to complete the circuit again, heat/bend and break the circuit. Over and over...

If there is very little current passing through it, say, just the indicator on your dash.. it will never bend the bi-metal strip and stay on solid.

If one bulb is out, it will heat the strip a little, cool very quickly and therefore 'hyperflash' to let you know a bulb is out.

I suspect you have a problem with the turn signal switch. It may be completing the circuit to your indicator bulb but not be including the exterior bulbs. With the amount of use a turn signal stalk sees, it might not surprise you to find it's going bad.

[Banana Bonanza]

The cheap turn signal relays are the bimetal strip type. The reason the signal on one side wont fire if one of bulbs out or corroded is that it requires a specific load to fire. There is a also available an electronic replacement flasher relay (either 2prong or 3prong) that will fire signal lights without the necessity of a particular load. Need the electronic one for example if you convert to LED bulbs as the LEDs are a much smaller electrical load than incandescent bulbs. The standard flasher relay is around US$3, the electronic one is around US$7. By way even with incandescent bulbs, the electronic relay will tend to fire even with some corrosion or a burned out bulb in one corner. Remember its not load dependent. Obviously wont fire a burned out bulb or heavily corroded bulb or broken wire circuit.