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Blinkers will not work.

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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 01:42 PM
  #1  
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Blinkers will not work.

I have a 1999 Expedition, 4WD, 5.4 and my blinkers do not work. The hazards work fine. I went and bought new wires for the Turn Signal Switch and they still do not work. I bought a test light and 2 slots in the little plug have power and 6 in the bigger plug have power. Bought a new Turn Signal Switch and they still do not work. I know it is not my Relay because it runs on the same as the hazards and they still work. I checked all the fuses and none are missing or blown. This is my work truck and I really need to get this fixed. Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you.


EDIT:
Pigtail got replaced.
Relay is good. (Hazards work.)
Switch is good. (Tried new one, didn't change.)
Fuses #1, #13, and #23 are good.
#13 lit the test light only in the left side. #23 only lit the test light on the right side.
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
Relay is good. (Hazards work.)
Unfortunately you did a lot of extra work for nothing. All you had to do was replace the flasher unit. The flasher unit has 2 flasher circuits built into it, one supplies power for the hazards and the other for the turn signals. The reason for the 2 circuits is that turn signals only work with the key on and hazards work all the time. They just built both into one unit for convenience and cost efficiency.
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by alloro
All you had to do was replace the flasher unit.
Thank you so much! Everyone told me that it was not the relay because the hazards worked. Happy to say I fixed it and I now have working blinkers Thank you Alloro!
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
Everyone told me that it was not the relay because the hazards worked.
Not everyone!

You must be pissed over all of the extra work you had to do, when the whole it was just a matter of swapping the flasher unit? I would be.
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by alloro
You must be pissed over all of the extra work you had to do
You have no idea.
 
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Old Jun 15, 2014 | 03:56 PM
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I have the same problem. Where is the flasher located? Thanks.
 
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Old Jun 15, 2014 | 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by M fire
Where is the flasher located? Thanks.
Driver's floor to the right of the steering column. There you will find the flasher and the blower high speed relay together in one block.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 08:28 AM
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Hope it's okay to revive this older thread briefly. I'm having the same issue with my 2005 Expedition: hazards work fine, but turn signals light up, click once, then stay lit solid without flashing or any sounds.

Can you all tell me what and where the "flasher unit" you mention is? Are we talking about the relay (#2, I think) in the fuse panel that is behind the passenger side kick panel? Or the blue box I keep reading about that's behind the dash on the driver side below the headlight switch? Or something else?

BTW, haven't gotten into the steering column to check out multi-function switch yet. Really hoping it's just a flasher.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 08:50 AM
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It's the blue relay under the steering column. Replace that and you're good to go.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 09:23 AM
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New here... same issue on my 1997 Explorer. The turn signals work (albeit intermittently) only with the tilt steering up, and sometimes I get a buzzing sound. Any ideas on what the fix is and an approximate cost? I'm not much of a do-it-yourselfer, so I will probably have to take it somewhere. Thanks for any input.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 11:25 AM
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Not sure about the Explorer. But, check to see if you have a Turn signal relay under the steering column. The Expedition is blue. Takes about an hour at most for the replacement.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by awc21
The turn signals work (albeit intermittently) only with the tilt steering up, and
The wires going to the switch are tight, so when the column is tilted down they pull enough to break the retainer and unseat the connector. Remove the steering column shroud, tilt the column up for slack, press the connector back in tight, then use wire ties or something similar to help hold the connector in place.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 02:18 PM
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Thanks, M fire. I'll give that a shot. Do you by chance know a part number or anything? Is it a Ford-specific or model-specific part, or something I can pick up at a chain parts place?
 
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Old Nov 3, 2014 | 01:08 PM
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Wanted to post a resolution here, since so many of these threads just end unresolved when someone solves the problem.

My issue was that my turn signals would sometimes suddenly go from blinking to solid on. It was intermittent and seemed to happen after driving for a while. They always worked first thing in the morning.

At others' suggestions, I messed with the tilt steering, but that had no effect on the problem.

Then I tested to see if quickly cycling the hazard button did anything. It did. When one of the signals would stop flashing, sitting at a light for instance, I could rapidly push the hazard flasher button a few times and the turn signal would start blinking again and work for a little while.

The problem turned out to be the blue flasher/relay thing behind the dash, as M fire suggested. Specifically, at least for my 2005, it was part number 5C3Z-13350-AA (or SF-633) and cost about $19. It seems to me that being able to restore the turn signal by rapidly pushing the hazard button is a "tell" that this is your issue.

Changing it was easy. You kind of contort around to lie on your back on the driver floorboard with your feet on the ground. Turn on your hazards and feel around with your right hand behind the dash a few inches below where the headlight switch is. You can't see it, but you can easily feel it cycling.

There's a little box lid about two inches across that comes off to get to the flasher. It has catches on either side that you squeeze to lift it up and off. Then pull the flasher out by hand. No tools are needed for any of this.

When the flasher comes out, pay close attention to its orientation. There are little vertical grooves near two of the corners. Remember where those are so you can get the new one turned the same way. If it's not turned right, it won't go in.

Even when you have it turned right, it takes a bit of feeling around to get the blades on the new one to slip into the grooves, but it's not hard. Once it's in, pop the black lid back on, and you're done. Total time for me was maybe 15 or 20 mins.

I did this about a month ago, and it appears to have completely resolved the problem. Weird that there would be no mention of this in the owner manual and that a flasher unit would be so well hidden...
 
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Old Nov 3, 2014 | 08:35 PM
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Congrats with the fix!
 
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