Morris Minor Owners Club

My repeater flasher on the end of the switch is very tempormental. I have exchanged flaser units, clean earths, bulbs etc. Any ideas?

What year is it??

Does it sometimes stay lit, even when the indicators are working properly.

I am assuming a late Lucas 3-prong flasher like mine (1969)

The car is a 1963. It should have flashing brake lights but has been converted to additional flashers on rear, and flashing white light on front. They have worked well for over 7 years, and all of a sudden they don't work all the time. Sometimes they flash once or twice, but have never stayed on. I think they usually flash externally.

I have had three diferent flasher units, and cleaned up every connection i can think of.

So let's get this straight. You have a column mounted flasher
switch? with a built in indicator light? Using a three prong flasher
unit. The external indicators work perfectly but the pilot light
is unreliable? Is that right?

If you have what Willie suggests, then I have had the same problem. I attributed it to poor quality replacement flasher units from Lucas (two of them!).

Yes correct about the indicator switch and three prong flasher unit. I have exchanged the unit several to others, but this does not seem to improve the situation. It tends to flash once, and then is intermitant aft this

Wierd! Of course the pilot lamp only lights if sufficient power is
being drawn by the indicators. In other words if one of the indicator
bulbs does not light up then the pilot lamp doesn't either so that you
then know something is amiss. Since you have tried three units it
could be a poor circuit to one or other of the indicators or you are
using much lower wattage bulbs than you should do. Then again, if
the pilot fails on both left AND right it is unlikely that you have a poor
circuit to both sides. So think simple! logic says it must be between
the flasher unit terminal and the pilot bulb(easy to say). If you have
a 12v buzzer handy it would be simple to disconnect the 'pilot '
connector and replace it with the buzzer. You will be able to hear
if the buzz is reliable when using the indicators.

My pilot light sometimes just stays on even when (by reflection) I can see that the indicators are working. It is not left / right related, nor temperature related. It just seems to be intermittant, although it has not done it for a while.

The l,h,f indicator on my 65 model all of a sudden stopped working today, the bulb holder and earth connections seem to be ok the l,h,r indicator flashes twice as fast,the r,h,f and r,h,r are working as they should, could it be a flasher unit fault or something else KEITH

Hello Keith,
the speed with which the indicators flash is dependant on the current drawn by the bulbs. Is one particularly bright on the L.H.? If so change it for a new one. (I'm assuming no wiring alterations etc additional side indicators?)

Alec

I posted this reply last night, but can't see it now - apologies if you see it twice. Had the same problem with the green repeater light, eventually turned out to be corrosion in the bulb holder. Tried cleaning it up, but no use, had to replace the whole unit.

It tends to flash once, and then is intermitant aft this

John: are you 100.0% sure that the external flashers are working correctly?

The l,h,f indicator on my 65 model all of a sudden stopped working today, the bulb holder and earth connections seem to be ok the l,h,r indicator flashes twice as fast,the

Keith: The faster rate of flashing was a design intended feature (so I'm told). This lets the driver be aware that one of the bulbs is not working.
If you are sure that the bulb holder and eath are ok (check it using 12V to the feed wire and it should light up), then it will be lack of power getting to the bulb holder.
Therefore trace the circuit from the inner wing back to the switch as there will be a bad connection or broken wire somwhere.

rayofleamington wrote:

The faster rate of flashing was a design intended feature (so I'm told). This lets the driver be aware that one of the bulbs is not working.

Very common design feature on older cars in general, yes.
a

Keith I know this sounds obvious but you have not mentioned it, the bulb is ok I suppose you have tried it in one of the other units to check its ok and tried one of the known working bulbs in the unit.