Series III - Indicators Starting to Give Up

The small box you refer to is the "flasher unit" a small metal can with terminals this is the source of the ticking sound sadly you will not be able to find it by listening where the noise comes from. It should be housed behind the intrument panel held in place by a metal clip. Often a bad earth is the cause of the flashers running slowly so you can also try running a wire from the battery earth to the light in order to check. The manual for the sIII is available at

It doesn't count as offroading if you don't get mud on the roof!

Derek uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Yep whip the bulbs out and give them a good clean up first of all. If you have a towing electrical socket also consider manky connections in there. They can oxidise up and have you chasing your tail for quite some time.

Bulbs out and clean the contacts with some light emery / wet and dry paper. also clean the socket if you can. If you are feeling really plush then get a can of contact cleaner from the likes of maplin too. Once all that is done if it's still playing up then look at other areas of the circuit.

Lee D

Do what Lee says first and check your earths.

If you do need to replace the flasher relay, when you go to buy the replacement you should need the cheap 3 pin mechanical variety. These cost about £3. You dont need a fancy (and expensive) electrical one.

On or around 12 Dec 2007 20:42:00 GMT, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

The sIII is a likely to be a thermal one (judging by the symptoms) and if you do any amount of towing there's a lot to be said for replacing it with an electronic one that can cope with 3 bulbs.

A thermal one certainly can't cope with three bulbs the flash rate will be rather too high. There must be other arrangments for the trailer indicators...

Agreed the symptoms are very much of a thermal flasher unit with a failed bulb but a high resistance somewhere would produce the same effect. IIRC both directions are affected so that indicates (ho ho ho) a fault in the common wiring, it could be supply side.

Tom Woods wibbled

I'd disagree, the 'larger' flasher relays that can cope with towing (6 bulbs flashing, not just 4) seem far more robust physically and electrically, to me.

YMMV. ;)