TO THE TURN SIGNAL COACH 
This is my fourth attempt to post and I do not know what i am doing wrong because I have posted thousands of times on various sites. Here goes again. MY 1973 cougar has always had great working lights when just a small but unusual problem popped up recently. ALL lights were working great but then I noticed that the center bulb in the rear drivers side sequential was not lighting during the sequencing. The sequencing itself was still working going from inboard bulb to outboard in proper timing but no light on the center bulb. I have replaced the bulb and cleaned the socket and have bought two new electronic flashers but to no avail. What could make one bulb do that while all is well everywhere else? THANKSā¦BUD
A bad ground on that lamp socket will do it.
Just a short update coach. I am sorry , I just found out that the same middle bulb is not flashing when the four way flashers are on. But everything else is working fine. THANKSā¦BUD
Midlife, thanks for your suggestion. How would I best go about checking on a possible ground problem (if you are at all familiar with a 73)? Do I have to go inside the trunk to do so? THANKSā¦BUD
IIRC, the ground has a lug on the outside of the socket, and these get corroded all the time. Iād sand off the contacts and re-crimp the connector.
Iām sure itās probably been covered at some point or another, but I didnāt see it while skimming through the posts here.
Iāve got a 68 F-Code Cougar that is in the middle of an overhaul of the electrical systems. Recently I fixed my rear turn signal/brake lights, however, after doing so I noticed that the front Turn Signals/Parking lights now both blink when the turn signal is active (Regardless of side selected). Is there an easy fix to this problem? Also, the back-up lights donāt seem to work at all. Iāve tried fresh bulbs and also did a check with a circuit tester and current is flowing to those pieces but still no illumination occurring.
Any suggestions?
Midlife, how do you get the socket out to get to the ground and sand it? THANKSā¦BUD
What year are we talking about? Some sockets have ground connections inside, some outside, and come directly crimped!
Most ground issues are at the point where the wire connects to the socket, although I have found many sockets corroded on the interior. Unless I can get < 1 ohm resistance through the entire circuit to the bulb socket, I reject the socket and splice in another.
One thing I have not tried yet (it takes too long) is to soak the socket in Evapo-rust. I donāt know how long the socket will hold up against corrosion after that, though.
Midlife, thanks for the return info. This is a 73 and it seems like the bumper has to be removed to change a socket. I know that sounds kind of ridiculous but I believe it is trueā¦BUD
Yes you do have to remove the bumper, remove the housing from the bumper (only cause itās easier to work on) you will have three wires going into the socket, you will have to cut the protective boot open and the ground wire is connected to the inside of the socket. It is a plug in type connector and I have found it difficult to try to repair. One thing to do before you remove anything is pull the bulb and check if power is on the lead to the bulb. These have a brass sleeve with a spring to push the wire against the bottom of the bulb and usually that is the problem, the corrosion destroys the spring and it will not contact the bulb. If that is the case you will have to replace the complete socket. I have done this with used sockets from other housings and just spliced in the new one, it also maintains the watertight(?) seal on the socket. WCCC is searching for a new replacement socket as used ones are becoming scarce. Good luck!
Thanks Mistress. That is what I was afraid of. I will look for a new socket or are they not available? I dont want to pull everything apart and then need the socket and not have it. ā¦BUD
But then, on second thought, the tailight works on that bulb so does that mean that the socket itself is ok? Of course I have tried replacing the bulb itself but that made no differenceā¦BUD
Looks like you got over-looked in the shuffleā¦Front TS lamps run on the same voltage sent to the REAR CENTER lamps. This comes from the Sequential relay in the trunk. Check to see if both sides blink in the back. If yes, both relays (left and right) are firing when only one should, and that is controlled by the turn signal switch in the column. There could be a short there, IF not either the two wires for the front are shorted together somewhere (resistance check), or wired wrong.
Back-up lights require the neutral safety switch to close the contacts in auto cars. Firewall harness connection running into the trans tunnel, black-red wires IIRC.
Kaley200, we havenāt found a good three wire socket that is weatherproof, although Clieve (WCCC) is at the SEMA show this week and that is one of the items on his list. You might take a dental pick and try to pull the wire loose and play with the springs, try spraying an electrical cleaner in the socket to. Make sure you have power at the socket for the turn, if so Iām sure you will find the springs corroded. We do have the pigtails available so if you mess it up you can get one. Just let us know the wire colors so we (WCCC) can match it.
Hi!!
I recently purchased a nice 70 Cougar convertible in a nice original condition.
However, there are some minor errors. ex. sequential taillight.
I explain:
Right side:
- Brakelights working properly
- The turn signal is working as it should except it flashes quickly.
- With headlights turned on, flashing all tail lights simultaneously
- With emergency flasher on, flashing all the tail lights simultaneously
Left side:
- Brakelights works only the inside lamp and sometimes in the middle (I have tested the bulb and the ground), it lights up when the brakelight is on and the right turn signal turned on.
- The turn signal works only the inner lamp.
- With emergency flasher on, works only the inner lamp
I think I need to buy a new Flasher Unit and Tail Light Sequential Unit to solve my problems. I just want to check with someone that Iām right.
SwedishCougar
Narrowing down the problem with the sequential taillights is important because too often people replace an item, only to have the
problem persist. The components that affect the turn signal operations are as follows:
- Charging system
- Emergency flasher
- Turn signal flasher
- Brake light switch
- Turn signal switch
- Sequencer in the trunk
- bulbs in the taillights
Are you using LEDs in any of the taillights, rear marker lamps or front turn signal lamps? The original system was designed for use
with incandescent bulbs not LEDs although the new solid state reproductions will work with LEDs BUT needs either an incandescent bulb in
the front turn signal or a load resistor.
A weak charging system or loose/corroded ground wires could cause your issue when the headlights and emergency flashers are enabled
(as indicated in your right side condition). Check your charging system, make sure the alternator is putting out 13.7 to 14.5 volts.
Also check the battery condition and just as important the ground wires. Also make sure the ground wire to/from the sequencer in the
trunk is clean and tight. It is very important to run all of your turn signal tests with the engine running.
The sequencer in the trunk has two plugs, the red plug is the input to the Sequential Circuit and the black plug is the output.
Circuit 442 (Green-orange) powers the left inner turn signal light and also provides an input signal to the SEQ. This signal is used
to internally select the left center 443 (Green-red) and left outer 444 (Green-black) taillights. Circuit 448 (Green-white) is also
used during a left turn signal operation and it provides power for the sequencing (timing) circuits. Combined with 442, this enables
the left lights to sequence. You can verify that your sequencer works by disconnecting the red plug and directly power circuits 442
and 448 with a 12V fused power source. Note, this will only cause the taillights to sequence once ( the flasher can turns all of the
taillights off and on to repeat the cycle).
Note the right side is analogous to the left except the circuits are mirrored as follows:
442 - 445
443 - 446
444 - 447
448 - 449
When the left lamps are engaged, does the rear left fender marker lamp flash or does it do nothing? This is tied to circuit 448 from
the turn signal switch which is used to control the left lights. If the left marker light does not turn on check the circuit for
power. If there is no power, then move under the dash and disconnect the turn signal harness and verify that you have power on the
circuit with the turn signal stalk in left mode. If once again there is no power, then the turn signal switch is causing the problem.
Good Luck and let me know if you need any additional information.
Coach Jack
Thanks for the quick reply coach Jack.
When I bought the car all the lights on the left side coupled. This was done because the Swedish vehicle inspection did not approve the car due to the flashing frequency was to slow, according to the last owner???
I am afraid he has managed to burn the circuit for the inner light since it does not illuminate when the brake or turn signal is on. The right side was untouched and working properly ā¦
It is only old-fashioned light bulbs in all places in the car.
When I removed the jumper between the lights and tested, I had a freshly charged battery without the engine running. Here in Sweden it is -20 degrees cold and I have to open the doors to the garage where the car is and itās my buddy 's garage. The frequency of blinking could be due to voltage as you point out. I will test with the engine running, as you propose, as soon as it gets a bit warmer and it will stop snowing.
The lights on the rear fenders will light up when the center lamp lights on both sides.
The car is painted in 2012 before shipped to Sweden from the US so it can be ground problems. I measured the resistance of the ground point and got it to 0 ohm but I will loosen it and grind away any paint anyway.
Now a new question, should the hazard warning light flash in the same way as the normal signal lights do (sequential).
Apologies for my spelling, I try to use Google Translate to write to you.
SwedishCougar
Hello,
in order to fix my problem, IĀ“ve been browsing the web for quite some time now, but I wasnĀ“t able to find an answer for it. I also tried to work with the troubleshooting guide on thuntek.net.
Because IĀ“m living in Germany, my problem is somewhat different.
I bought the 69 Tbird with stock wiring. When I bought it, only the two inner bulbs were flashing on the rear end. German laws require me to install white corner lights. So I took the two wires of the corner light on front driver side, put them into a connector and connected it to the new 5W corner light in the headlights, which in addition to that have H4 bulbs (also required by german law). Moreover I connected ground to the chassis. I did the same on passenger side (itĀ“s only one wire because of series circuit). Since that moment, bulbs and flashin indicator flash too fast and only the innermost bulb flashes at the rear end. The centre bulb glows really weak sometimes. to me it feels like itĀ“s willing to flash, but there is no time for it, because the inner bulb is already flashing too fast.
And now itĀ“s getting really weirdā¦ when I disconnected the sequencer unit in the trunk, the inner bulb was still flashing.
IĀ“m really looking forward to hearing from you soon and getting any help. If you need any further information or I should measure anything or so, just let me know!
Best regards,
Hendrik
Hi Coach Jack !!
During the last weekend, the temperature had risen to 1 plus degree so I starade up my old car and did some tests on it.
- The charge voltage of the battery is 14.3 volts.
- I sanded the ground connector located screwed in the trunk near the tank tube, it seems OK. Have I taken the wrong ground connection ??
Despite this turn signal behaves exactly as before
.
Have sequencer any other earth connection in trunk ??
Is there anything else I should check before buying new parts ??
SwedishCougar
SwedishCougar,
If the left side wires are tied together ( assuming that they tied into the 442 wire )then yes it is possible that this shorted out the internally circuitry of the sequencer. You can test this by unplugging the red plug and placing a 12 v fused source on the sequencer side on both 442 and 448 wires and see if the left inner and left outer taillights sequence. Note, they will only sequence once then stay on. I bench tested this on a 69 sequencer box to verify this.
One thing to note, while I was testing the sequencer, I disconnected the ground wire on the sequencer and noted that both lights turn on without sequencing.
Coach Jack