turn signal relay

[ajf]

My in-dash turn signal indicator is always on. When the turn signal itself is engaged it blinks a bit, from bright to brighter, though it never is dark. As I recall, if correct it should be dark unless engaged, at which point it should blink on/off/etc.

So, I removed the turn signal relay and opened it up. It's pristine inside, with no corrosion, loose wires, etc. The connectors are clean and shiny but I steel-wooled them anyway.

By fiddling with the relay when connected I can get it to work properly, but it has to be in EXACTLY the right position (that is, the connectors into the relay needs to be at a precise angle/disposition/etc. in relation to the relay itself), which with even smooth driving it would not maintain. So, even arranging it "just so" and securing the connections in that position is unlikely to work for long and is not long-term solution.

Ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[teahead]

Signal flasher upgrade easy to do & what a difference

I read the FAQ article in the electrical section and than I got the parts and went to work. I did get tired of not hearing the turn signal or seeing the light on the dash and the fast signal rate. I tried to repair the old one with no luck, so the electronic one was the best way to go. - NAPA EL-...

www.bmw2002faq.com

 

[ajf]

Signal flasher upgrade easy to do & what a difference

I read the FAQ article in the electrical section and than I got the parts and went to work. I did get tired of not hearing the turn signal or seeing the light on the dash and the fast signal rate. I tried to repair the old one with no luck, so the electronic one was the best way to go. - NAPA EL-...

www.bmw2002faq.com

Thanks, saw that, was hoping to repair rather than replace if possible...

 

[Honolulu]

Although the internals of the flasher relay LOOK okay and are clean and bright, the dirty trick the relay plays on you is that the solenoid's magnetic strength (which pulls the contacts to close them) decays over time. Any you can't tell by looking. I had to very slightly bend the movable side of the contacts to put them in range of the solenoid's magnetic field. The actual change probably wasn't even visible, but it now works a charm.

 

[sfdon]

Re-solder the joints.

 

[Ohmess]

I've repaired a handful of old can relays using the three things pointed out here: clean the contacts, resolder the joints for the solenoid wiring, and slightly bend the moveable arm that is drawn to the core of the solenoid when it is engaged so that a weaker magnetic field will pull it in and complete the circuit.

 

[jmackro]

For some reason, the mechanical flasher units used on e9's (and 2002's) tend to be trouble-prone. Replacing the OE flasher with an electronic unit is an inexpensive, simple solution. I'm all for originality, but don't what to get rear-ended because I tried to save $15 by repairing a worn-out, obsolete part.

See this thread from last year where same issue was discussed: https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/blinker-gremlin.31191/#post-253776 My contribution to that thread was a post that said: "Electronic is the way to go. You can try resuscitating an old blinker relay by sanding the points or bending the spring, but from my experience they won't continue working for long.".

Back in 2013, in yet another thread about turn signal flashers, I posted "I installed an electronic flasher that cost $13 at a Carquest store last fall. The Carquest p/n was 7312. Other manufacturer's numbers are: CEC EF33, NAPA EL13, BUSS 233." See that thread at: https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/flasher-relay.6507/

 

[ajf]

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. I removed the L-shaped insulator from the connecting wires and hooked it up without the insulator and it worked. So, I crimped the connectors a bit to make them tighter, reinstalled them in the insulator, and put it back together; so far so good. Don't really know why, since the connections all seemed fine before, but the intermittent problem pointed to a connection issue. I didn't re-solder since all was tight and well and the solenoid arm didn't need bending since that always worked fine. The mystery is why the light previously was always on, suggesting a complete circuit, and why making the circuit more reliable by tightening things has resolved things (perhaps it was the ground that was the problem). I'll try this and see if it works and, if necessary, go to the replacement unit if it gives me trouble.

 

[bluecoupe30!]

I thought I read somewhere that "Trunk Monkey" had a service whereby he would make sure the signal relay was held in just the correct position to make sure the system worked properly. Could be wrong, but he does amazing work!