I'm new here. I just bought a 1963 Ford Econoline van. (I had a 61 in high school so this is my midlife crisis purchase to take me back to the good old days). My right turn signal works great, it blinks and cancels itself just fine. The left turn will light up, but not blink and also does NOT cancel itself after a left turn. Any ideas what I should be checking. Very strange to me why one side would work and the other won't.

 

 

EmilBarnabas, you are a genius. Such a simple fix. The rear left light was NOT turning on at all with the blinker. The light seems to not have been making contact correctly. I pulled it out, cleaned the contacts and put it back in and the left blinker is working again.

The bulb is very loose in the housing, like it isn't the correct size or something. Anyone know which bulb is supposed to go in there? Anyway, it is working for now. I'll have to get one of the replacement plastic parts for the steering wheel to get it to cancel correctly, but I can live without that for a bit.

Thank you

 

Industry number: 1157 double filament bulb (clear) used with parking and tail lamps for all 12V Ford vehicles from 1956 thru at least 1979. There is also a 1157NA amber bulb.

This bulb has two offset pins, so it can only be installed in the sockets one way.

The plastic canceling cam that is part of the T/S switch is available from auto parts stores, but it can be a real b!tch to install.

Ford never sold it by itself, it was only furnished with the T/S switch.

 

Loose side to side like the wrong diameter base, or loose like the spring holding it in place is wearing out? Is the bulb the 1157 that Bill mentioned?

If the spring has lost it's springiness, which can happen if the socket gets corroded, you can cut the connector off the cable and push/pull the wire out from the bulb side and replace the little spring that sits behind the bulb and wraps around the wire. I think I used a spring from a ball-point pen last time.

Then you have to splice the wire back to the connector.