1973 F-100 Turn signal switch
 

I have a 1973 F-100.

The turn signal switch is not cancelling so I am replacing it with this (see picture). The truck has two wires, one is red and one is green. Both wires are red on the new turn signal switch. Which wire goes to which wire? Does it matter?

I got it hooked up (I guessed which wire went to which wire) and when I click it to turn left or right, I can hear it click (it goes kind of fast), but I don't see the arrow on the dash flashing, nor does the front turn signal light flash.

Do you have any suggestion on how I fix my problem. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...65d3752cf2.jpg

Try swapping those two wires in question, and see what it does.

Were the other wires solid colors too? Or did they have colored stripes? Sorry to hear you're running afoul of cheap manufacturing that feel like color coordinating isn't important enough to bother with!
But could you tell where each wire terminated in relation to the old cancelling switch? Is the rest of the design the same as your old one?
It's possible you simply have a cheap piece of crapola that's simply not working. Of course, the wires could still be reversed too.

If the diagrams are to be believed (and for '73 model years I've been a skeptic for a long time), then there is no Red wire in a '73 switch. Only a Red w/black wire, that is the brake light circuit passing through the switch.
The Green and Green w/white are turn signal related, but not sure they go to your piece. The indicators are tied into the front circuit, so if the front turn signals are not activated then the indicators won't work either.

Your fast flashing sound could be a result of the rears working, but the fronts not. This is often how the system works and how you can sometimes tell that a bulb is burned out. In my first car I could tell if a front or a rear was burned out by how fast, or slow, the lamps blinked. With my Fords though, I could only tell if one or the other (don't remember which) was out. One being out made no difference in flashing rate, while the other caused it to flash faster than normal. Sounds like it's the front in your case.

Not sure where to go from here yet. Keep plugging away and check your new and old connections. Especially the new ones of course, but any of the others could have been bumped while you were working in there.

Good luck.

Paul

I will look at the colors of the wires coming from the truck and get back to you tonight.

Looking at the wiring diagram, it looks like the Green is for the left turn signal and the Red is for the right turn signal. My guess if I had them backwards, they would work, but turn on opposite turn signals.

I will start with checking all the blubs and can do that by turning on the hazard lights I guess.

Another thing to check is your brake lights. Their circuit runs through the turn signal switch too.

Today
 

Today I got the turn signals to work and blink the way they are supposed to. It was a bad bulb.

The remaining problem is with the back lights. Only the top light goes on. It turns on when I hit the turn signal switch, and it turns on with the lights on. The bottom lights in the back never turn on. When are the bottom lights in the back supposed to come on?

Just taking a guess, but are the bottom lights for the brakes only?

The bottom bulb is backup lights, they only come on in reverse. Turn signal and brake lights use the same filament in the bulb.

As I was installing my turn signal cam I was in the same situation. I found that two of the bare wires were contacting the plastic housing, preventing those to make contact. I had to cut them back a little. Go to https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...am-repair.html
I have a short description with pic. of the issue that is dealt with.

Edit: I now see that you are passed the cam. I'm glad that worked out for you.

JD, can you tell me when the bottom lights in the back of your truck go on?

I can't get the bottom lights to work.

Alex

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...0af76a9f58.jpg
The bottom back bulb is clear with a clear lens. That is your reverse lights. The top clear bulb with red lens is the brake, turn signal, running lights.

The reverse light comes on with key in run position and shifted into reverse.
Also, check the turn signal, running and brake lights in all combination of uses. Sometimes the signal and brake light doesn't work together.

Thank you all. That is why the bottom line is not going on. I have yet to put it in reverse.

Alex