Weird Problem

Chaddprice · January 27, 2007

This might be a little hard to explain but I will do my best. On my dads '99 GMC Sierra 2500 I am driving at the moment, the turn signal is clicking without the lights being turned on. The lights on the dash don't even light up, but the flasher is still clicking away. I have checked to make sure that it's not making the lights blink as well and they aren't, its just the flasher. It's not even consistent to certain situations and the clicking is completely random. Some days it won't be a problem, then the next day it will sit there clicking away the whole time i drive it. I haven't looked into it much yet, I was just curious if anyone else had this problem and found a solution before I have. I thought that maybe the turn signal lever was just getting enough play in it that it was tripping the flasher enough to get it going from time to time but it doesn't matter where i hold it, it still clicks away. The truck does have 320,000+ Km's (~200,000 miles) on it now so it's possible something has to be replaced. It still works fine for signaling and everything just clicks away when not turning, and not at the same rate all the time. Could it be the flasher is shot? or because it still works does it have to be something else? It's fairly annoying so if it doesn't take a huge job I would like to find out what has to be done when i get the chance. Thanks in advance.

jmacf14 · January 27, 2007

are you sure it is your turnsignal flasher? There are several other relays under the dash that will click when activated. You might have a problem with a differant circuit that isn't showing itself yet.

rjirvine · January 27, 2007

You should try and remove the electrical center cover and see if you can feel the relay clicking (might now work though, cause it might feel like everything is clicking). You could pull the flasher and make sure the clicking stops to narrow the cause down. Usually a flasher is a bimetallic strip that when given an electrical current causes one side of the stip to expand more than the other (and thereby breaking contact...and causing the signal to be intermittent or "flash"). Just off the cuff, I would think a contact is bad in the turn signal arm. When the flasher sounds, can you giggle the arm and see if you can get it to stop?

Chaddprice · January 27, 2007

It was the flasher (so far), they aren't that expensive so I decided that I would just switch it out and see if it was the problem. There was a little confusion at the store on which one, none of them matched it exactly, but I think it's a little different being a heavy duty one for trailering. Just switched it out and it was fine on the drive back. Only a 20 minute fix seeing it was so easy to pull that part of the dash off and everything, and cost a whopping 18 bucks (CDN). Thanks again.

95Sierra2500 · January 28, 2007

I think my fiancee`'s '99 Jimmy is having this same issue, I am pretty sure it's the relay as well. I haven't gotten to it yet as it only does it sporadically.

Chaddprice · January 28, 2007

Well, I spoke too soon. Changing the flasher did not fix the problem. So I am going to have to keep crossing things off the list I guess. It was fine the drive back from where I bought the relay from, but the next time I drove the truck it was back to the same problem...

Chaddprice · January 30, 2007

I got to thinking and I am thinking that it might be caused by some water built up in the trailering plug. It first started when I was on my way out to school after Christmas and it was snowing a ton the whole 12 hour drive out to Vancouver Island. The drive actually turned out to take a whole 24 hours longer because the Trans-Canada Highway was closed twice as well as just after Revelstoke a chunk of ice fell from a bridge and smashed through my windshield, forcing me to stop driving until I could get it replaced in the morning. But that trip is a story on its own. I am thinking that seeing it's much wetter out here on the I coast versus my hometown in Alberta that there may be a short in the plug now that there's a bunch of moisture in it most of the time. Next time I get the chance to work on it some I think I will pull the back of the plug off and see if there's some water sitting somewhere making the plug short out and back feed to the flasher. If that is the case, that would help to explain the randomness of the flasher, as well as why the lights aren't flashing along with it at the same time. Does anyone think that it is possible? It might be a shot in the dark but I am running out of ideas.

Draenor · January 30, 2007

didn't I that tahoe in your sig in another thread, where it was totaled out. My guess is that there is some wiring issues in the harness. It may have a short somewheres.

Chaddprice · January 30, 2007

didn't I that tahoe in your sig in another thread, where it was totaled out. My guess is that there is some wiring issues in the harness. It may have a short somewheres.

That is my Tahoe, but I am talking about my dad's '99 GMC Sierra, which is what i am driving while mine is getting fixed. Which is just waiting for the inspection to go through on wednesday, so the problem might be into my dads hands by the weekend...

buckjim · January 30, 2007

Hey chadd where are you from in Alberta? i myself am from High Prairie if you know where that is?

Chaddprice · January 30, 2007

I sure do, but I am not from that far north, although I do have a couple friends in that direction. I live in the country outside of a small town southeast of Red Deer, called Acme. It's only got 600 or so people in it. Although I am not there right now, I am playing baseball in a college on Vancouver island while in school. I do miss the country from time to time. Not much of a winter out here most of the time. I guess I also wouldn't be playing baseball outside at home either like we are now.

Rolandd · January 30, 2007

You might try blasting the trailer plug with WD-40. Make sure you use WD-40 and not just any penetrating oil. WD-40 was designed to displace water and will not conduct when mixed with salt.

You may have a short between the flasher unit and the signal switch that is causing it to activate.

buckjim · January 31, 2007

well the weather is awfully cold here lot's of snow at least 3-5 feet of it already this year and temp near -20, sorry i can't help you with your problem but it was nice to chat with you none the less.

ps. i wish i was playing baseball right now!

brufener · January 31, 2007

I think my fiancee`'s '99 Jimmy is having this same issue, I am pretty sure it's the relay as well. I haven't gotten to it yet as it only does it sporadically.

The problem is the turn signal switch (which is basically the base of the turn signal stalk/lever). I had the exact same problem on my 99 Blazer, it was driving my wife nuts. I replaced the turn signal stalk (including the switch) and didn't have a problem for another 6 months - until I sold the vehicle.

The turn signal switch is integrated with the turn signal stalk, so you end up buying an entire new stock. I think they are $300 or so at the dealer, you can find them on ebay for $150 to $200. I got mine from a parts recycler for $80 with a 1 year warranty.

Doing the switch isn't too bad. The hardest part is taking apart the steering column and reaching up on top of the column to pull a few wires. It is hard because the space is so tight.

mshell56118 · January 31, 2007

I think my fiancee`'s '99 Jimmy is having this same issue, I am pretty sure it's the relay as well. I haven't gotten to it yet as it only does it sporadically.

I had a 99 Blazer and mine was doing the same thing i thought it was the flasher so i replaced it worked ok at first but then started doing it again i ended up having to replace the whole multiswitch (turn signals, cruise, wipers) I had figured this out after talking to a couple friend that worked at dealers at the time. They said there had been a few that came in with the same problem and this is what it was. Not sure if there is a TSB for it or not

Matt