Rate is a function of the flasher unit -- to change rate, change flasher.

 

Sounds like a bad flasher. I don't think turn signals have "speeds" to adjust. I know on my newer cars, they blink faster when the bulb is bad...

 

You don't adjust the turnsiginal speed. It is determined by the resistance load on the metalic strip inside the flasher can, and if everything is right, it will click and blink at a normal, consistant speed.

This might be a stupid question, but what is acting up, the dash indicators, the lights themselves, or is the clicking noise varying?

It coulo be the Insturment panel voltage regulator (not entirely likely), battery voltage regulator, or flasher can. The IVR is $40 or so, an elctronic battery regulator is $10 from Autozone, and a flasher can (clickey thing) is $4. It could be that you have some funky wiring, corroded bulb sockets or intermittently working bulbs, which could vary the resistance load on the flasher can and make it click at different speed.

Also, why did you replace the battery, had it been boiled over? That would be a sign that the battery voltage regulator is bad and overcharged the battery siginificantly for an extended period of time, causing it to boil the fluid out and ruin the battery. To get a more precise diagnosis, more details are needed.
HTH
--Kyle

 

I'd put my money on a ground problem. Start with changing all of your turn signal bulbs (fronts and rears) and clean the bulb sockets really good (WD-40). It's probably a corroded socket-to-bulb contact that's causing it. If that doesnt fix it, I'd check all of your grounds for a corroded one.

 

Are you using the correct viscosity of turn signal fluid? Too thick and they blink slowly, too thin and they blink too fast :rofl: :rofl: :joker:

 

It coulo be the Insturment panel voltage regulator (not entirely likely),

The CVR of the instrument cluster has nothing to do with turn signals. It only controls the voltage going to the temp, oil pressure and fuel gauges (drops them to ~7v). All the lighting circuits, including the dash lights and turn signals are a 12v circuit.

 

The CVR of the instrument cluster has nothing to do with turn signals. It only controls the voltage going to the temp, oil pressure and fuel gauges (drops them to ~7v). All the lighting circuits, including the dash lights and turn signals are a 12v circuit.

I thought it controlled everything on the cluster.
I guess you learn something every day. :winkgrin: Thanks for setting me straight JohnPro. :highfive:
--Kyle

 

If it actually matters how quickly the flashers flash, you can try a "heavy duty" can type flasher and see if its any slower....thats about it.


The rate of flash depends on the load the flasher sees. I guess it's theorhetically possible there could be a semi short to ground causing a high flash rate, but I wouldnt bet on it.

 

Make sure the turn signal connecting flange is torqued to the proper ford specs, and as said, check the level of the turn signal fluid. If that doesnt rectify the situation, check the corrosion of the bulbs/sockets/wiring of the turn signal bulbs, and replace the flasher can.

 

TS will always slow down with battery voltage going down. you may have gotten accustomed to slow flashes and when you replaced battery the faster speed was more noticable.aalso, your VR may be putting out too high voltaage -check that.

 

You can also replace the flasher unit with one of the newer electronic types. They flash the same speed all the time. Down side is the speed does not change when a bulb or bulbs burn out. I think I'm going to switch mine back to the old resistance type. With the old type(resistance) the turn signals will slow down or just stay lit if a bulb burns out.

 

It doesnt hurt to check the grounds and conections but i think your battery suspician is right. The Battery was probably on its way out which made its voltage drop cousing the blinker to blink slowly once the car is running and charging the battery the voltage will increass making the blinkers speed up. Now that the battery is replaced it has a higer voltage making the binkers to be a littel faster.
The one think you might want to test further is the voltage regulator, i am not 100% shure, but the voltage put out by the altinator shouldnt have taken awhile in order to get up to the point were the blinker would blink faster. You should have noticed a difference as soon as you started the car.

 

On the older Fords the load ( number of bulbs) and the correct flasher will give a "normal" flash rate. The flasher is really only a circuit breaker on the old cars. It has a pre-determined load rate and will break (blink) and reset ,blink,etc. When adding a load ( trailer wiring,extra bulbs,etc. you can get a "heavy duty" flasher from a parts store. OR you can buy the green flasher from Ford dealer ( sorry, I don't have part#) that was designed for 4 way ( emergency warning) flasher and it will flash at the same rate no matter the load.BUT, it will not blink slower when bulbs are out.It will blink when ALL the bulbs are burned out! The reason the flasher would stop or become very slow was by design to warn driver of malfunction in the flasher system. Similar to new cars where they flash fast if bulb is out. Same,but different! :: As others have noted you should always have good contact in the bulb sockets etc.,good,clean grounds,too........