I just did the flasher on my 67 and boy was it fun finding it. If they light and don't flash it's probably the flasher and if it don't do squat it might be the turn signal switch, I just did one of those too

 

Check the fuse box first, often the connection will be bad on the glass fuses between the fuse end and the contact it snaps into. You can just try scooting it back and forth with the switch on and see if they start. With a test light, check the fuse on the actual contact rather than the end of the fuse. Also, try wiggling the switch and see if they will work some. Then look at the flasher as the turn signal and hazard are different circuits with different flashers. After trying the quick and dirty, grab a test light and test the switch.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think my day just got worse.
I found the SFE14 fuse - the top fuse in the attached photo - was blown. I replaced it, turned on the key and the turn signal and it immediately blew.
I recently had the dash out and replaced the bezel. I'm not sure if the turn signals were working when I first put the dash back in and I just didn't notice that they weren't working until now. My guess is I messed something up when I re-installed the instrument cluster, and it needs to come back out. I've apparently got a hot wire in the turn signal circuit grounding out somewhere? Any suggestions on where to start looking? Could it be a flasher wire that's not hooked up?
Or - could a bad flasher cause the fuse to blow?
I've pulled the heater control panel out - and I still can't find the flasher. I really don't want to pull the instrument cluster again - but if I can't do it right the first time, that's what happens.

 

On my 68 there is a flasher back behind the gauge cluster on top of the brake, clutch pedal support.
The other one hangs down from the front near the cluster.
I can't remember which one does what now.

 

Does the fuse blow with the right, left, or either turn signal? If the brake lights are working, there could be a simple problem with the front turn signal lights or wiring.

 

Thanks again for the help folks. I pulled the instrument cluster back out, and in just a short time I had forgotten how much fun that is.
I don't see any wires that are pinched or anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn't mean something's not messed up in there and I'm just missing it.
My turn signal flasher was securely mounted in a clip behind the left side dash support. I pulled it out, and as near as I can tell it's the original flasher. I've attached a photo. If these go bad can they blow the fuse? Is there a way to diagnos it while it's out?

 

Not likely the flasher would cause a short in itself as is basically an on-off switch. You could jump the connector without the flasher and see if the fuse still pops. Or try swapping it with the hazard flasher.

 

Try replacing the fuse and disconnect the flasher turn the key on if the fuse blues you know its between the fuse block and the flasher if it does not blow its after the flasher not much help but it does narrow it down a bit.

 

I don't see how a 2 wire flasher can blow a fuse. The worst that could happen if the 2 wires were twisted together is that the lights would light up and not flash.

 

With the cluster out, I was hoping to see something that was off - like burned or bare wires - but everything looks ok. I got up under the dash with a light, but I can't see any obvious problems.

That black wire in the pic below is an extra ground I'm not currently using.

As I mentioned, the flashers were working before I pulled the cluster. With the cluster out, I don't get power to the turn signals, so I can't test them. Is there a way to test the signals with the cluster out? What else should I be checking/testing while the cluster is out?

 

Now start at the front of the car. Take out the turn signal bulbs and check the bulbs, sockets, and wiring.

 

Thanks for the reply. I could be wrong, but I think if my flashers are working, shouldn't those things be ok?

 

Grab a wiring diagram and test your signal switch for a short to ground.

 

I lean with sixtysevenGTconv.

I’ve got a 68 shop manual (so 1 year off from yours)- the schematic that shows the green wire going thru the steering column connector and to the brake pedal switch.

not sure if that’s a break in the insulation?

Mike

 

I lean with sixtysevenGTconv.

I’ve got a 68 shop manual (so 1 year off from yours)- the schematic that shows the green wire going thru the steering column connector and to the brake pedal switch.

View attachment 994263

not sure if that’s a break in the insulation?

Mike

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the reply. Good eyes - that insulation is a bit frayed there, but it's still intact.

 

I might have pulled that instrument cluster needlessly - insert cuss word here.
I found another turn signal VMF post here
Post 6 includes this info:
The 14A 'ACCY' fuse protects the turn signal lights, PRNDL lamp (auto trans only), backup lights, and radio (not radio illumination light). The 'left' side of the fuse is connected to the ACC terminal on the ignition switch (which is hot with the ignition switch in the ON or ACC position) via a BLK/GRN wire. The 'right' side of the fuse is connected to a RED wire which branches to four wires at a splice: ORG/YEL (to TS switch), BLU/RED (to PRNDL lamp), BLK/RED (to BU lamps), YEL/BLU (to radio).

Last summer, in addition to the dash work I installed new carpets and an ACP console - which was a real PITA to install. Our car is an automatic, and if the above info is correct, my issue could be the wiring to the PRNDL lamp. The console lights and the PRNDL light were all working when it was installed. IIRC the PRNDL wiring harness was not altered, and plugged right into the new console.
We bought this car in 1987 from the original owners,and it has been a gem. I can only think the turn signal issue is from something I've done, so that PRNDL light wiring could be the issue. I might be able to pull the top of the console off and check the wiring for that.
I've always thought that fixing electrical problems isn't all that hard, it's finding the problem that's hard. But if I have to pull that console, that theory is incorrect.

 

Can't you just unplug the console light under dash instead of pulling it to eliminate that circuit?

 

Is this blue/red stripe wire the PRNDL light wire?

 

Does look like it, but I bet that won't be your problem. Try it.

 

If it were in that circuit, it would blow the fuse when you turn on your lights. Because it is when you turn on your signal light, it will be in the switch or downstream from the switch.

 

You put the fuse in, hit the key and the fuse popped when you hit the T.S. switch. This means there's power to the switch. The problem is either in the switch or after it.

 

When exactly does the fuse blow? Immediately upon turning the ignition switch to on or acc? Or only after activating the turn signal? Power for flashing the front and rear lights follows different paths for turn signals vs emergency until it arrives at the turn signal switch. Turn signals and emergency flashers use the same wires out of the steering column to the lights. If the fuse pops when turning the ignition switch on there may be a short in the turn signal power supply to the turn signal switch or it will be in a non-turn signal circuit such as shifter light or radio. Otherwise, if the fuse only pops when activating the turn signal then the problem is most certainly with the turn signal switch itself.

 

Thanks again everyone. Your help is much appreciated.
When I replaced the fuse and turned on the key - I already had the turn signal on. You all are correct - I should have tested it with the turn signal off and see if it blew just by turning the key on.
I hooked the wiring to the cluster back up, disconnected the wiring to the PRNDL light, and the fuse didn't blow, even when I turned the turn signals on - so the car is back up and running - except for the PRNDL light. I can live with that for the summer.
I believe when I hooked up the PRNDL wiring, I tucked the small amount of extra wiring into the shifter pocket. It must have gotten chewed up by the shifter mechanism. My bad. I should have taped the extra wiring down to the floor alongside the shifter. As I suspected, this great old car was fine, it was my mess up that caused the problem.
The next time I pull the console (hopefully NEVER, lol), I'll repair and correctly secure that PRNDL wiring. I sure like that console, but it was a royal PITA to install. Surprisingly cutting the console base for the convertible floor was the easy part. I was hesitant to put the 67 repro console in the 68 as it's not an exact match. But after looking for a presentable 68 console for literally decades, I went the the 67. The big test was if the wife liked it, and that's a solid yes. Before this convertible (it's her car) she had a 68 coupe that had a console and she's delighted to have one in the convertible. I'm not sure if I ever shared a pic of it installed, so here's what the 67 repro console looke like in a 68.

 

You might be able to pull the center chrome panel and get at least some access to the wiring.

 

Thanks. Great minds think alike. I also thought of that. I would need to pull the radio and then pull the "garage door" piece off the console. Those garage door fasteners for that piece are very hard to get to, and I would need to also pull the glove box.
I replaced carpets, hydraulic top cylinders, added the console, replaced the instrument bezel, related dash pieces and restored the steering wheel last summer - so we really missed driving the car. We're looking forward to having it available to drive this summer.

 

I'd like to have a console in mine but my jaw dropped when I priced them

 

Agreed, and our automatic also required a new console specific shifter - so add another $300 for that, another $80 for the console rear radio bracket, and another 40 for console radio knobs. Problems with the moving PRNDL light added extra time and effort as well. Convertibles require the base to be trimmed to fit. Keep in mind you're pulling the seats and a lot of the work involves getting under the dash. Accessing a few of the fasteners was challenging and I also pulled the glove box and instrument cluster to get to them. I also re-wired the console lights so it would easily hook up. I've pulled, rebuilt and re-installed the engine in this car and that went much smoother and was easier than installing this console - of course I was younger then.

 

I had a recent electrical short that turned out to be an under dash courtesy light bulb. Somehow the filament partially broke, so it still had continuity, but it was much lower resistance than it should have been. If you haven’t pulled the bulbs yet, consider doing that!