Turn Signals Not Working, Only Turn On With Hazards.

[Andresquintana.mma]

Hello I have an 89 4 cylinder conversion. When I had the 4 cylinder the signals worked. I swapped speedometer with the engine and rear-end. Signals worked great for a while. Car sat for about 6 months and now the signals don't work unless the hazards are on. I've checked the fuses and I've replaced the light switch on the dash. One afternoon I turned the lights on and my signals worked until I turned the car off. No luck since then.

 

[Chuckman]

check the ignition switch, this is one of the symptoms of it falling apart.

 

[Andresquintana.mma]

New ignition switch as well.

 

[jrichker]

It’s time for an Easter egg hunt…

The turn signal flasher is not mounted on the front of the fuse panel. The flasher on the front of the fuse panel is a separate one for the hazard lights. The turn signal flasher is in one of several places, depending on when your car was made. Some are behind the fuse panel on the back side, others are behind the radio and some are behind the glove box.

Other possible problem sources for the turn signal malfunction are the ignition switch, multifunction switch and the plastic shell that holds the turn signal wiring connector pins.

A word of caution about multifunction switches is in order here. The multifunction switch (high/low beam, wiper, turn signals) are different for different years. 87-89 will work in any 87-89 car. The 90-93 switches only work in 90-93 cars. You can't put an early model switch in a late model car, nor can you put a late model switch in an early car.

Supposedly you can move the pins around to make the switches work in model years that are different from the car the switch came out of. I cannot verify that and haven’t tried it .

The following diagram is for 87-89 model cars.

Turn signal switch wiring:

 

[Andresquintana.mma]

I was finally able to find the flasher and replaced it with no luck. But I believe the cause of the problem is the plastic shell that holds the turn signal wiring connector pins. any suggestions on trouble shooting this before I pull it apart?

 

[jrichker]

I was finally able to find the flasher and replaced it with no luck. But I believe the cause of the problem is the plastic shell that holds the turn signal wiring connector pins. any suggestions on trouble shooting this before I pull it apart?

Replacement pigtails are available from you local auto parts store or Late Model Restoration www.latemodelrestoration.com
It is not uncommon to find the wiring connector shell damaged or broken.

Multifunction turn signal switch:
Before you think about replacing the multifunction switch with one from the junkyard, here's some things to be aware of...

The problem is more common in GT models because they had fog lights on the same power wiring as the headlights. Ford undersized the wire and that caused problems.

A word of caution about multifunction switches is in order here. The multifunction switch (high/low beam, wiper, turn signals) are different for different years. 87-98 will work in any 87-89 car. The 90-93 switches only work in 90-93 cars. You can't put an early model switch in a late model car, nor can you put a late model switch in an early car.

Supposedly you can move the pins around to make the switches work in model years that are different from the car the switch came out of. I cannot verify that and haven’t tried it.

Other possible problem sources for the turn signal & headlight malfunction are the ignition switch, multifunction switch and the plastic shell that holds the turn signal wiring connector pins.

The following diagram is for 87-89 model cars.

Turn signal switch wiring:

 

[JoeDaddy]

Does the blower motor for the heat / ac come on? My car had no turn signals / no blower motor and it turned out to be the connector for the ignition switch was loose. With the steering column covers removed, I could push up on the connector and everything would work as it should. I put a couple of zip ties on it, and works good as new.

 

[Andresquintana.mma]

I don't have a heater or a/c and no controls to the front it's kind of gutted. I'll have to check that out. Thank you.