i fixed it

Last Call: Relay that signal, please

Jeff Glucker

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The other day, I washed my Montero. As I was driving home the turn signals decided to stop working. All the other lights worked fine, including the hazard lights. But the turn signals wouldn’t signal my turns. Turns out (hehe) that it’s typically the relay that goes wrong here, so I popped into my local O’Reilly Auto parts and snagged a $7 relay. I snapped that in place, turned on the car, and voila – working turn signals! In fact, they now function at normal speed, which is nice.

Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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6 responses to “Last Call: Relay that signal, please”

  1. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    Probably a flasher got replaced, not a relay.

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Is that not a relay?

      Reply
      1. OA5599 Avatar
        OA5599

        No, but the parts guy knew what you needed when you asked for one.

        A flasher has two electrical terminals and the control and output use the same circuit. Originally, the insides contained a thermostatic strip that would normally complete a circuit until it got too warm, at which point the metal strip would bend, which opened the circuit. After a brief interval, the metal would cool off, returning to its original shape, and closing the circuit. That’s the clicking sound you hear in older cars when you use the signals or hazard lights. If you changed the load on the flasher (often by hooking up trailer lights), it would change the frequency of the flashing, and so a few other methods of construction have been developed more recently.

        A relay uses one circuit to control one or more other circuits and typically have at least 4 terminals. They make it easy to use, for example, an inexpensive, low-amperage switch to control a winch with a high current draw.

        https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/mitsubishi,1991,montero,3.0l+v6,1207684,electrical,flasher,10139

        Reply
        1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
          Jeff Glucker

          I just picked it off the shelf. And it’s literally the one in the pic above, haha – and yes, my receipt says “FLASHER” so today I’ve learned a thing

          Reply
  2. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    Yeah, that relayability issue won’t re-turn soon!

    Reply
    1. OA5599 Avatar
      OA5599

      It would be Monterrible if that happened.

      Reply