Turn signals not flashing

[Screamin demon72]

I have 72 demon with an American auto wire harness on the car. I also have digi-tails in the tail lights. With key on and engine off the turn signals flash normally and the emergency flashers work perfect. But With the headlights on, I can hear the flasher relay click slower and the front turn signals don’t flash at all, they just remain solid. The element in the bulb that flashes doesn’t remain solid, just the parking light element. I have tried changing my tail lights back to standard 1157 bulbs doing away with the digi-tails, made sure all grounding points were clean and also ran a ground straight from battery to the turn signal ground and none of that fixed it.

Has anyone else ran into this problem? I would assume the switch in the steering column works correctly being that it flashes perfectly with the headlights off. Thanks

 

[Dana67Dart]

I bet if you do the same test in the dark with the headlights off you will notice a slight lighting of the headlights with each turn signal flash. sounds like you are back feeding through the headlight circuit to get a ground.

I would verify that your turn signals front and rear have a good ground at each bulb holder. 4 double ended alligator clip wires about 24" long can be used to make a good temporary ground to each bulb holder.

 

[Screamin demon72]

I bet if you do the same test in the dark with the headlights off you will notice a slight lighting of the headlights with each turn signal flash. sounds like you are back feeding through the headlight circuit to get a ground.

I would verify that your turn signals front and rear have a good ground at each bulb holder. 4 double ended alligator clip wires about 24" long can be used to make a good temporary ground to each bulb holder.

I will try those things later today. On my American auto wire harness the ground feeds the headlight and the turn signal. I cleaned the ground really good but I will check them again just incase

 

[67Dart273]

Headlight wiring is for sure something that should be upgraded. This strategy of older cars that were manufactured with the grounding they used was stupid then and worse now. Mopar is not alone. Improve the wiring size, add headlight relays, and separate headlight grounds, and use star washers and bolts and nuts instead of sheet metal screws Even the old headlight connectors (if they have not been upgraded are suspect.

"Digi" do you mean LEDs? Those are a problem all on their own, "generally speaking."

 

[Screamin demon72]

Headlight wiring is for sure something that should be upgraded. This strategy of older cars that were manufactured with the grounding they used was stupid then and worse now. Mopar is not alone. Improve the wiring size, add headlight relays, and separate headlight grounds, and use star washers and bolts and nuts instead of sheet metal screws Even the old headlight connectors (if they have not been upgraded are suspect.

"Digi" do you mean LEDs? Those are a problem all on their own, "generally speaking."

Yes that’s why I upgraded. Needed to be done. And “digi-tails” are a brand of LED tail lights you can get. They are an LED panel instead of just LED bulbs

 

[Dana67Dart]

But when you replaced the LED
with old style bulbs you had the same issue.

The thing is the turning on of the headlights caused a change in the turn signal AND the E flasher so it must be something that have in common.

Perhaps as simple as a wire connector in the steering column turn signal switch in the wrong socket of the plastic connector housing.

I have had odd things happen with bad / missing grounds.

If you are missing a ground in a tail light for instance, the power will go in one filament then to their common grounding point, not finding a ground there, through the other filament and then back down that filaments wire to another bulbs filament that does have a good ground.

If all 3 filaments are the same wattage they will all light but be 1/3 as bright.

If one filament is 10 watts and the other filaments are 40 watts the 10 will light almost as normal and the other 2 may not look to light at all.

Electrons will find a path if one exists.