Challenger Turn Signals

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
DougieJ
Posts: 115
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 16 11:20 am
Location: North of the Border up Glasgow way

Challenger Turn Signals

Post by DougieJ »

I had replaced the wiring at the front of the car putting in relays for the headlights and replacing most of the old wires and getting everything to be modern bulbs or LEDs. Everything fine (once I got the earths all sorted) and and I thought now for the rear.

Set about doing the same at the back and simpler as no relays needed. Got rid of the jumble of 50 year old crumbling wiring mixed in with the workarounds that were done to get it through the MOT here. Fitted nice new LEDs for the various functions and wired it so that it now has one wire for one function - back up, tail, stop left and right signals.

Everything works ok except the indicators – they work fine on the hazard circuit but not on the turn signal. On the turn signal only 6v coming through from the cabin side to feed the bulbs - obviously not enough for the LEDs and not enough to activate things.

Thinking it through I presume I’ve got something out with removing the tail light influence and the fact that the original system would have flashed on the 4 reds etc. For the life of me I can’t figure it out though!

Any advice on what I’ve missed, what I should be doing?

Cheers

Dougie

Forgot to add - did change the flasher unit to an LED version
User avatar
Dave999
Posts: 9427
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 05 10:31 am
Location: Twickenham,London, England

Re: Challenger Turn Signals

Post by Dave999 »

initially i would run 1 long wire out from the connector behind the kick board on the drivers side back to the rear light and see if it provides 12 volts using a meter. if you still have this connector

usually a connector in there sitting just in the inner wing pressing or just at the sill by the front door
and it has
left and right indicator wires
rear lights wire, that may include numberplate light
potentially a free connector for a light in the boot
potentially the petrol gauge wire
AND if your handbrake is by the drivers door a hand brake dash/idiot light wire

so bypassing half of this connector and the loom going back you can pick up output from the indicator switch here.
check it with a meter and take it to a light and press it to the base connector of the bulb in question (silver contact in the black tar like substance at the bottom) with the bulb metal base or one of its offset pins pressed to the bumper. if it flashes all good up the front

maybe its a an issue with the wring from that connector through the sill area into the boot and across to the lights?

with a 12 volt battery and 2 identical bulbs the only way to get 6 volts at one of them is to have them connected in series

i can't see how you can do that with standard lights, however, mine is a simple aussie A body and i base this on my set-up, yours is likely to be slightly more complex our cars could be the same age but mine will be based on tech that was 3-5 years behind the US.

So........UNLESS
your bulb holders have 2 or 3 wires to each, AND do not use the bulb holder/light unit as the earth or negative connection for all bulb filaments i can't see how you get 6 volts...however


I think the first thing to do here is to remove as many bulbs as possible. run it with nothing connected at the back you should get very quick or very slow front flashers only
Then
set up with 2 front indicator bulbs and only 2 in the rear
see if they flash at a more sensible rate

get to position with a single light at both ends that flashes for turning left or turning right or all together for hazzards
if it all works it is potentially the way you daisy chained any further bulbs at the rear, and we can work out what to do next


it could be as simple as 1 wire at each unit for the rear lights has been mis connected as part of the flasher circuit and you have both flasher anbd rear light filaments in the mix.

Or if you used new paint and new gaskets and what-have-you. a poor earth of the light unit is stealing half of your volts

light units are usually held on by Chrysler flange nuts wound onto studs in the ally casting of the light unit base (in the boot) i.e flange nuts with a strange scallop pattern to the flange which chews into the paint when done up to make a nice earth connection, and stops them coming undone

the unit usually floats on a foam gasket between it and the mounting panel, the only earth is the stud and these nuts, in theory new paint in the stud holes could negate any earthing there. and flat nuts and washers won't bite into the paint if its hard 2 pack


do you have a flasher unit specifically for LED bulbs? or do you have LED bulbs specifically built for use with the old thermal flasher units, these tend to be bulkier and have a ballast resistor built in which make them look like a normal bulb to the old thermal flasher. or they use very many LEDS to get the resistance up.

see if the mymopar site has the manual for your car and it will have a circuit diagram
a photo copy with everything irrelevant painted out with tippex and the circuit and all its junctions highlighted is often the only way
use different colour for left and right

ps is there any power to any of the contacts in any of the rear lights with the ignition on but the lights and indicators off..?
if there is is it an indicator contact? would indicate that the car is set up to switch the earth side of the light, which would be odd but never say never....

Dave
The Greater Knapweed near the Mugwort by the Buckthorn tree is dying
User avatar
DougieJ
Posts: 115
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 16 11:20 am
Location: North of the Border up Glasgow way

Re: Challenger Turn Signals

Post by DougieJ »

Thanks Dave

That's just what I was needing - good advice and a plan to work back until I find something good or the source of the issue.

First order though will be to get rid of the tangled mess that is attached to a radio that's never worked so that I can hopefully see where things are while upside down under the dash or more hopefully lying in from the side!

Will report back once I know more.

Cheers

Dougie
Post Reply