Turn indicator only flashes on one side

lamp bulbs. Only flash on passenger side. I checked the driver?s side an d the bulbs do light when the turn indicator handle is placed in the down p osition and it does cancel after a turn is initiated. Could the flasher uni t at the fuse box be bad and let one side flash and not the other?

Yes.

What happens when you turn on the 4 ways? Do all 4 come on at the same brightness? Have any bulbs been changed prior to this? Does it have a trailer harness/connector?

The flasher is probably OK, it powers for both sides. Sounds more like either a bad ground, socket or wrong bulb installed. If it has a trailer harness it could also be a fault caused be a bad connection.

The flasher works on heat. When the lights are on the current flow through the breaker causes a strip of metal to heat up and flex. That opens and closes the circuit and causes the lights to flash. Poor ground or wrong bulbs can cause the circuit to fail due to poor power flow.

bulbs. Only flash on passenger side. I checked the driver?s side and the bulbs do light when the turn indicator handle is placed in the down position and it does cancel after a turn is initiated. Could the flasher unit at the fuse box be bad and let one side flash and not the other?

I doubt it. Perhaps one of the bulbs filaments broke and dropped onto the other filament, assuming at least one bulb, front or back, is a two filament bulb. That might allow it to light but at reduced current draw.. too little current and the flasher won't flash. I'd just go ahead and replace both bulbs on the side that's not flashing.

i'd be amazed if a 94 mazda still had metal strip flashers - afaik, japanese cars have been electronic since the 80's.

yup, poor ground or poor connection most likely cause.

Same truck as the Ranger. Most of the ones I have seen still had the thermals. Either way the flasher is a 2 terminal and won't be the problem.

i wasn't thinking - mazda = frod. it will indeed be thermal - saves about $1.50.

agreed.

talking of cheap, a friend was just telling me that mazda/frod used to have a problem with engine computers failing. computer went, dealer said they all did and couldn't get a replacement. so he took it apart and did his own diagnostics.

apparently they'd used cheapo 75°C caps in construction, not 105° or

Same thing happened a few years ago with a couple computer companies. In that case it was a STUPID industrial spy at fault. The spy stole a new electrolytic cap design and sold it to a couple companies that made "off shore" parts. Problem was the formula wasn't complete and tested. The original company worked it out and the recipients of the info didn't. The caps made with the bad stuff would fail under even normal use.

OOPs !

Possibly, but what that is really telling you is that one side is drawing an off-spec amount of current so look for bad grounds or corroded connections on the driver's side.

nate

yeah, i heard it was a japanese company that deliberately fed the spy bad info. either way, it's destroyed the cheapo chinese cap industry and strengthened the japanese one no end - even 10 years down the road, people still won't buy chinese caps. serves them right - i wish a few of our corporations would get wise like that.

lamp bulbs. Only flash on passenger side. I checked the driver?s side an d the bulbs do light when the turn indicator handle is placed in the down p osition and it does cancel after a turn is initiated. Could the flasher uni t at the fuse box be bad and let one side flash and not the other?

Your rear bulbs are a single filament, but your fronts are duel filaments. Check your front bulbs.

Chas

or lamp bulbs. Only flash on passenger side. I checked the driver?s side and the bulbs do light when the turn indicator handle is placed in the down position and it does cancel after a turn is initiated. Could the flasher u nit at the fuse box be bad and let one side flash and not the other?

Also, turn on your lights and see if you have any other bulbs out. I've seen weird things happen when you have a bulb out.

Chas

lamp bulbs. Only flash on passenger side. I checked the driver?s side an d the bulbs do light when the turn indicator handle is placed in the down p osition and it does cancel after a turn is initiated. Could the flasher uni t at the fuse box be bad and let one side flash and not the other?

DJW wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

in a word, no. find your bad ground or bulb. KB

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Or a lamp socket went bad.

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Low on blinker fluid??

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Dude that's cool!

GW

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