wireing woe's

[rckslash2010]

1988 F-350 Flatbed
I bought this truck last summer and I've been having problems with the blinkers ever since. Around Oct. I bought a new set of trailer lights and wired them in as far to the front of the truck as I could, trying to weed out all the bad wiring that's been coupled up throughout the years. Using a tester I found all the wires needed, but the left turn signal. It's a light green wire with an orange strip through it. I got tired of messing with it so I ran a wire from the front blinker and hooked it up to the rear one, this worked for the blinker, but no brake lights. I've been running it like that all winter, and know that I have a little time on my hands, I'm gonna fix it. B.t.w. the front right blinker and running light went out somewhere along the way,(and it's not the bulb).

I figured it was the blinker switch in the steering column, probably still is the problem. Yesterday I tore into it. The little butterfly wire's were corroded, and so were the contacts. I cleaned them up and flipped the switch to the left and I had flashing power on the green/ brown strip wire. So I put everything back together and had power to the green/ brown strip wire under the truck, so I hooked it up to the tail lights and they worked.
'
That's when everything funny started happening. I pushed on the brake to see if the tail light would light, and all the running lights came on and the door buzzer when off. Now I have no left turn signal in the rear again. Today I started messing around with the front blinker, and got the running lights to work on it, but no blinker. If I turn the flashers on, I'll get all 4 blinker lights to work,as long as I don't put my foot on the brake. When I do that all the running lights come on and the flasher stops. The door buzzer goes off when I press on the brakes, and if I keep my foot off the brake, it goes off every time the flasher flashes.

I didn't want to put out the money for a new switch, but it looks like that's what I'll have to do. Bumper 2 bumper quoted my $130 or something like that last summer. It sounds like that's not my only problem now, hopefully it is, but I don't see how that would have anything to do with my running lights coming on when I hit the brakes. For now I have right rear, and left front blinkers. And a whole lot of brake lights. What do y'all think? Start with the blinker switch and go from there? Sounds like I may have some grounding issues somewhere along the way. Thanks.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Your first mistake was in hooking the trailer signal wire to the front truck signal.

The correct signal/brake wires can be accessed just behind the cab, inside the left frame-rail.

Your new problem probably developed from something you shorted or misconnected when messing with the column-switch.


The best thing I did for my turn signals was to dis-connect the entire mess and install an independent externally-mounted Signal-Stat turn-signal controller.

The next best thing I did was to build a turn signal brain-center with dual relays for both directions, independent fuses for each set of signals, and terminal strips for easy future additions and changes.

The relayed brain-center took all the load away from the flasher and controller; they now only carry the minute amount of current required to trip the relays.

I mounted double relays in tandem to cut the arc in half, thus making the contacts live much longer.

 

[idi traveler]

I just went through a turn signal fiasco, if you have an O' Riely's close to you, I got there life time signal switch for about $50. Check the back of the under dash fuse block for burned wires Midnight Rider's relay panel sounds like a good solution if every thing is all messed up. I was about to that point until one rainy day I went out and just laid in the floor board with a flash light when it was all over I had cut back and lengthened 4 burned wires, swung the turn signal flasher from its wires behind the dash. I have put my hand on every wire from the front bumper to the back bumper. And now have confidence that every thing is good. Stay in there and you'll get it.

 

[rckslash2010]

Your first mistake was in hooking the trailer signal wire to the front truck signal.

The correct signal/brake wires can be accesses just behind the cab, inside the left frame-rail.

Your new problem probably developed from something you shorted or misconnected when messing with the column-switch.


The best thing I did for my turn signals was to dis-connect the entire mess and install an independent externally-mounted Signal-Stat turn-signal controller.


The correct wire under the frame rail didn't work last fall when I hooked it up to the front blinker.
Is that signal-stat turn-signal controller just like a 3 way switch or something? I don't think I'm skilled enough to hook something like that up.
I'll go to o'reilly's today and pick up a new signal switch and install it, and see what happens. Do you think if something is shorted in there that it would cause all sorts of electrical problems? Every wire in that truck looks like ****, and the switch that's in the steering column looks like it's the second one installed in the truck, because all the wires are spliced and have connectors on them before it gets to the connector behind the fuse box. How long do these switches last?

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

The Signal-Stat is a 7-wire, easy easy easy to hook up; I just read the instructions.

Without seeing your particular situation, it reads like you need to just completely re-wire the whole mess.

If you are already puzzled, maybe you can get someone that really knows how to PROPERLY wire a truck to look over your shoulder while you work.

You will not get a good job at any garage or mechanic that works on vehicles for a living, as they know that if they spend the days and dollars that it takes to do it right, most driver/consumers are not gonna pay the price, so usually you get a black-tape job from them; it will work for a few weeks and then you are back where you were before.

 

[idi traveler]

the turn sig switch messed with my brake turn and e-flashers, it liked to have driven me crazy after I had confidence that it was good then I was able to tackle the bad wires. spend the extra $5 for the life time switch, I shorted a wire to the f;asher and thought I had burned the new switch. That $5 allowed me to take it bach no questens asked and get a new one. I hadn't smoked it but I had confidence in it again . Good luck you can do it, you drive an IDI

 

[rckslash2010]

I got my new switch ordered at O'reilly's 80 bucks. I will install it tomorrow, and see if it helps. I couldn't figure out what the brake pedal had to do with the switch in the column then it occurred to me " the cruise control" huh, maybe that will work now too. Doubtful. Still not sure about the running lights, must be a short in there somewhere.

 

[rckslash2010]

I got it all working yaaaa.
After I installed the switch I turned on the left blinker, and guess what? The buzzer still sounded and the running lights still flashed. I turned the right ones on and they worked great, ( the right front wouldn't work before). So I figure it was on the left side. I cut the wire going to the back, and the front one worked without any buzzing, so I knew it had something to do with the back tail light. I pulled the taillight off and tore it apart to find that when I was wiggling the bulb a couple days ago, I broke the connector point off, and it was wedged between the two metal parts of the taillight, grounding it all out. I cleaned that out and hooked the light up again and it worked. So I put everything back together again, and now, for the first time, I have a functional lighting system in my truck. Thanks everyone for the advise and encouragement....

 

[idi traveler]

I knew you could do it! It just take confidence in one thing at a time. Good work. Congrats.