Indicator Tell Tale

[Barry]

Put this up in 914, but probably should be here really, so here it is:

Trying to get the '14 ready for MoT, and having sorted the headlight lift, pass. door handle N/W, washer jets N/W, front sidelights N/W, front driving lights N/W, replaced front shocks (Spax adjustables), I'm now stuck ....

Hazards on: light on hazard switch flashes, as does the indicator tell-tale on dash. If you indicate, you just get one flash from the dash tell-tale, while the actual indicators work fine (complete with nice steady ticking sound). The lack of tell-tale is MOT failure (or will be anyway).

Things I've tried:

All earths.
All indicator bulb resistances and connections.
Swapped tell tale for the main beam one (that works fine): still the same.
Rev counter (where the tell-tale lives) earth.
Connection between flasher unit and tell tale: I'm assuming the indicator switch itself must be O.K. as the indicators are flashing.
Two different flasher units.
Voltage and earth at flasher unit.
General wiring around flasher unit, indicator switch, and hazard switch.

Seems odd that the tell tale works fine with the hazards, and yet the same tell tale running through the same flasher unit does not work with the indicators, other than the one flash

If the 914 had seperate left and right tell tales, I would just bypass the existing wiring and hard wire the tell tale to each indicator circuit, but it only has one bulb for both.

Having spent over eight hours on this, on the drive in the cold wind (garage full: nice timing ), I'm running low on ideas .... any thoughts?

BTW, with the cover off of the flasher unit, it is of the older style, with two solenoids: a larger one for the flashers, and a little one for the tell tale. You can actually see the small one just work once, and then stop, almost as if something has broken the circuit. I would buy another one, but having already bought one new one that behaves in just the same way, I thought I would try here first.

I'm getting jittery as V/World is fast looming, and time is getting tight .

[Robster]

Hi Barry,

I reckon it could be the indicator stalk, and the point at which it connects to the steering column connections. As you seem to have dealt with everything else, it doesn't leave a lot else!

It sounds like as the indicator stalk is moved, that it makes and then breaks the connection to the 'tell tale', hence the single flash.

You certainly know your stuff, so I am sure you may have checked this anyway, but just a thought. It's a bit if pain to get the steering wheel off, but once you actually see the design for the indicator & windscreen washer stalks, you will wonder how they work at all!

good luck!
Robster

[Barry]

Thanks, Rob: I did take the assembly off, and checked it as best as I could: all looked O.K., and putting the meter across everything looked fine as well .

Current plan is to disconnect the battery and the flasher unit, and short the left and right indictors at the bulb holders. I reckon if I then put my meter between the flasher earth and the flasher output terminal, I should be able to measure the resistance through the whole indicator circuit, including the switch and all connectors. I'm hoping to find a resistance somewhere.

If this less than cunning plan fails, there's two empty bulb holder spaces on the dash: one was the EGR, not sure about the other. I've bought a couple of green warning lamps which will fit these holes, so can wire one up for each side of the indicators. As the side repeaters have been removed on this car, I'm assuming the system will be happy to run an extra warning light. Ergo: one MoT legal bodge that gives individual indicator tell-tales, plus the ability to use a standard three pin flasher unit (very easy to get): I've already tried one of these in the existing socket, and it works fine.

Thanks again for the thought .