International Turn Signal Question

Fellas,

I had a recent issue with the truck. The turn signals and hazard flashers no longer work. I figured what the heck, i'll pull apart the switch on the column. anyways, I measured the hot wire coming in and the signal wires going out. All of them had 5 volts on them. That seems really strange to me? (i used the ground wire in the switch for my ground) I didn't have time to take things any farther yet so im wondering whats up. The "turn/hazard" relay in the fuse panel is a little round two plug relay that has 12 volts running across it. any idea how to check if its allright? I tried checking the continuity across it and got nothing, so I'm not really sure where to go from there. It has what looks similiar to a buss bar inside with a mechanical switch for each turn signal. The pads that make the connection in there look kind of rough/dirty so that might have something to do with it.

Any other ideas?

Check it again for voltage and use a different ground from somewhere else, you might have a bad ground eliminate that first by rechecking it, if you still have only five volts, follow back in the harness and at each place it connects and keep checking it till you find where your low on voltage.

As for checking relays, I usually switch them with another relay and see if that solved the problem, then you eliminated the relay from the equation, but you should still have 12 volts at the turn signal even without the flasher relay in it, I'm thinking but don't quote me on that, maybe some of the other guys will clearify that. When I had the same problem with my interantional, I ended up putting that 200 dollar turn signal in new to solve it.

Why would there be a ground wire in a turn signal switch?

Thanks randy, I have not had a chance to go back and fight with it yet, but i'm planning on it after work today. This isn't a normal relay with 4 or 5 prongs though (i forget which way is normal) This only has a two prong relay and the fuse panel even has it drawn as a circle which matches the shape of it in the fuse block. I do have 12 volts there. I had a major rewiring issue with the rear end of the truck in case it helps. The idiot before me used speaker wire. Needles to say it corroded all to hell and was falling apart on me. I spent quite awhile cutting that out and getting it to work right. Long story short, I still ended up having a bad ground at the rear lights (two underbody incandescent tail lights, 3 LED round lights on each side, 7 pin trailer plug, and the back up beeper.) MY wife was complaining that when she would put on the brakes the back up beeper would come on so that was sorta funny for me to listen to, but it sort of points me towards the back end.

Maybe I'm just venting on here, I realize its pretty hard to trouble shoot wiring over the net but I figured it was worth a shot if there was a common problem. I was really hoping to not have to buy that turn signal switch.


lantraxco- The "frame" of the turn signal switch is grounded. The whole thing basically unbolts from the steering column with two bolts.

I've had to go back to the battery for a good enough ground to double check to make sure its "not" a grounding problem. If you have 12 volts at the relay, track it from there up to the switch, I've still swapped out relays, even if I had to go buy a new one to make sure its not that, at one time I knew how to test those relays, but can't recall now how to do it, its far easier to just have a spare on hand, if I recall my truck has a spare in the fuse panel already.

I was thinking the ground was on the steering wheel column too but its been a few years since I had to replace that or work on it. My switch went bad and for some reason, it kept killing that relay and the blinkers would quit all the time. I fought it for months and finally the international dealer told me to buy a new switch and relay and install them both before using it again, never had a problem since.

hey randy, whats a typical labor rate at the truck dealership? This is my first "real" truck since having a pick up.
I am curious because I lose power for varying periods of time in my instrument cluster but that is unrelated to the turn signal issue. lol I hate electrical problems!

60-80 bucks an hour depending on what it is and what dealership or if its an independant mechanic working on his own. I take different things to different places, each has their specialities they are great at fixing and other area's they lack in.

I agree with you on anything electrical, takes me five times longer to figure it out than anyone else would but the problem I always have when I take it in, its working fine and they can't find a thing wrong, till I get it back home and it acts up again.

wow screw this I'm moving to Iowa, the local mack Volvo dealer is $168 A Freaking HOUR!

Dualie said:

wow screw this I'm moving to Iowa, the local mack Volvo dealer is $168 A Freaking HOUR!

Click to expand...

I've had lawyers cheaper than that, wow.....

i have had surgeons that were cheaper. its tandem amount to robbery

Mack at 168 an hour, it seems even they don't want to work on macks too badly either, holy sh*t did they provide the vasaline when they bent you over or did you have to bring your own, or just take it dry? The heavy equipement dealers don't even get that much, they are in that 100 an hour give or take up to 125 an hour and I thought 80 was bad for a truck dealership. I've got a few independants that work for that 50 an hour range that came from the local truck dealers that are good, but I have to take the truck to them, they won't come to me, their too busy to do that, now I know why, but even they won't work on macks, those are the b*****d child everyone shuns away from around here. Four of my fix it guys have told me if I ever buy a mack I'm on my own, they won't touch them "period" so I've never owned a mack.

What do other dealerships get if mack gets that much and what do heavy equipment dealers get then, they're ususally a lot higher priced?

Most newer trucks have a J1939 system that runs the lights. The switches are low voltage. The switch sends a signal to a computer that in turn operates the lighting circuit.

Im glad you guys spoke up, i was browsing the classifieds for my FIL for a tandem since he just bought a dozer. I was seriously considering a mack since they seemed to be tough as nails but if their repair shop is that expensive I think i'll steer clear.

As far as the turn signal, I figured I would stop at the parts store and pick up a couple different relays to give that a shot and lo-and behold it was that circular one on the fuse block to the lower left of the steering column. Now I just have to figure out why my dashboard intermittenly works!

Is the circuit heating up and kicking out the breaker, I had that problem a few times, a shorted wire that would rub when the truck bounced just right and kicked off my breaker, otherwise it would work fine. A weak relay would do the same thing.

The Mack dealer here gets $75-100 depending on what they are doing.

What year and model of truck? Very important to know.

its a 2001 international 4700 lp. Dt 530E motor ally trans. Got the problem sorted out for now though.