CJ hazard lights

What year CJ? At least for the `76-83 revision the 4-way flasher button is on the steering column, right side just below the key switch. It should be a round button that either snaps or screws in. Take a look at your fuse block: there should be two small thermal-flasher canisters, or one and slots for the second one.

The 4-way switch for the above CJs is part of the signal light switch assembly and has no part in the head lamp circuit. You can't tag into the signal light system with just a flasher stuck into a head lamp socket and a SPST switch without running into problems with the brake light function -- remember, the brake lights and the rear signals are the same filament switched differently for different functions. If you try that route you'll end up with parking lights that come one when you step on the brake or signal lights that flash on all 4 corners. You won't be happy and neither will the DMV inspector.

e-mail me directly for more information: layrton at panix dot com.

Well, I may be out of luck then. The steering column on this jeep is an aftermarket product and I don't see any place where a flasher switch would have been.

What kind of fuse or switch do I need to install flashers?

Oh, and this is an 81 CJ7.

Hurm.

OK. This is how it works: B+ power from the battery passes through a flasher module (those little cans that click), through a switch, on to each signal light filament and then to ground and back to B-.

The catch is that you can't just tie all the wires to each signal light together at one single throw single pole, because power will then flow to all the lights, even though the 4-way flasher is off and you want just the left turn, right turn or brake lights to work. Normally, the signal light switch handles this by switching these functions seperately.

Were it my problem, I'd find a 4 pole relay (there may be solid-state ways of doing this, but that is beyond my ken). Use a switch and flasher to control the relay (you may have to use a flasher designed for LEDs if the relay won't pull enough power for a thermal flasher), let the relay handle getting power to each signal light without tieing them all together. The relay will act like 4 individual switches, sending power to each light seperately. When the relay is open it disappears, electrically speaking, and normal signal and brake function is restored. You might have to cultivate a friend in a boneyard to find what sort of cars have the relay you need.

B+ ----------------------------------+ | B+ -----[~]--------./.---------=== +./.----------[LF] flasher switch === +./.----------[RF] === +./.----------[RR] B- ----=== +./.----------[LR] [ Relay ]

You can tap into the signal light wires where they come out of the steering column. There will at least be one cold wire for each signal light, one hot from the signal light flasher, one from the brake light switch (hot only when brakes are on), one hot for the horn. The colors _might_ be:

Pink From Emergency flasher Red/White From Signal flasher Black/White Horn relay Lt. Green RR turn/brake Lt. Green/Black LR turn/brake Green RF turn Pink From Brake Switch Green/Black LF turn

Poking around, it looks like 4-way flashers are an issue for early fullsize jeeps. Here's one thread: 2. The Forward Forum: Re: 4 way flashers

You might try there and see if they have a more elegant solution than mine. I recall that my `62 Econoline has 4-way flashers as a dealer installed option.

The thread above include a link to a solution for early 60s Ramblers:

And a last thought: You _could_ gang 2 double pole, single throw toggles (each pole is really a seperate switch) together and wire them up like the relay diagram above, with the switches between the battery and the flasher module, and between the flasher and the lights. It would be ugly, but it would work. Make sure the switches can handle the load -- don't buy those cute little sub-mini switches.

Warning and disclaimer: Automotive batteries are high amperage devices that will happily destroy wiring, start fires and generally cause grave damage to vehicles, property and persons. Given a shorting conductor of sufficient size, batteries can explode. Understand what you are doing, the hazards and dangers before beginning. Any work the reader undertakes is entirely at his or her own risk.

Excuse me for butting in, but if you actually needed flashers, they would have been provided from the factory. This means you already have the circuitry in place, all you need do is figure out where it is and how to set it off. If your Jeep has no capacity for flashers, then they are not required. There is no retrofit available that I know of that adds emergency flashers to vehicles that did not have them from the factory.

I think you are mistaken, Bill. If one was going to create an flasher circuit, one would wire to the turn signals not the driving (running) lights.

In two posts dated today, "ezeppelin" specifies that it is an `81 CJ-7 so

4-way flashers would have been factory original safety equipment and mandatory on inspection, and that he's suffering with an aftermarket steering column that seems to have no provision for 4-way flashers. Hence the need to bodge.

I think I understand, my point was that one should create flashers from the turn signals, not the running lamps - as you seemed to have suggested.

And, it turns out the OP has an '81 that has emergency flashers already built in, all he needs is to figure out how to make them come on because he hasn't got a button on the side of the steering wheel column.

I noticed that after I made my reply.

You are in a bit of trouble, the circuit is pretty complex.

Stock you had a switch in the steering column. The steering column was a GM style saganaw column.

You need a stock switch that you could wire in with a lot of work. The stock switch has two parts, it has a switch to bypass the signal light switch power and a double pole contact to send power to the rear brake lights and front signal lights.

The stock saganaw steering column is really common, all GM full sized vans, Camaros, Chevettes, etc used them so the wrecker might be a good source for the switch or a 'proper' steering column.

What is left of your wiring down where it was supposed to plug into the steering wheel?

The fuse panel should have two metal can flashers on it or a place for two flashers. The power wire from the flasher on the panel to the switch on the column is likely a pink wire.

Then the switch tags the signals inside the multifunction switch in the column.

I suppose you could just add a double pole, double throw toggle switch with a flasher inline to the power and fire them all off on the second throw while breaking the power to the signals on leaving the first throw so it doesn't short out.

Sort of all the way up gives power to the signal switch via the red/white trace wire. Then the middle shuts everything off, then down sends power to the front signal lights via one pole and the rear via the other pole. (you have to have two wires and two poles or the lights will short right to left)

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

" snipped-for-privacy@msn.com" wrote:

From the way he phrased the question I was guessing that he wasn't interested in swapping steering columns, and was hoping for just a switch he could plug in. That, obviously, isn't in the cards. I wonder if his after-market column uses a standard GM signal light switch? It could be as simple as drilling a hole for the button.

My `62 Econoline had a dealer-installed "Emergency flasher". It was a big red knob in the middle of the dash, about the size of a big truck's air brake parking brake knob, with a lamp inside. It didn't disconnect the standard signal flasher when in use, it ran parallel to it. Putting both the 4-way and the turn signals on at the same time yielded some interesting patterns as the flashers competed for control. Blink. Blink. Blinkety-blinkety. Blink... Blinkety-blinkety-blinkety. Blink. Blink.

[snip] [snip]

[snip]

I know 'I' could wire in a switch, but I also have been doing vehicle wiring for years and redid my CJ's when I put the 'glass body on it.

Trying to walk someone else through it can be tough depending on their knowledge level.

I was just looking at the wiring diagram and it calls for 3 not connected until power is applied contacts. One for both rear lights that tags the stop light switch and one for 'each' side on the front.

So that would need an on/off/on 4 pole switch or maybe just an on/on 4 pole. (the extra pole is for powering the signals and shutting them off when the flashers come on.

Red/w to one center pole and the up position pin for 'normal' use and a gang power from the pink wire or a fused flasher on the other 3 center pins that hit the two fronts and one rear when the switch goes down.

This leaves all the lights disconnected from the switch and each other when the switch is up.

Mike

Lee Ayrt>

Thanks folks, for the helpful info.