TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat May 22, 2004 7:48 pm

Yes, I did search the forums for the answer, but to no avail.
This is the car: 70 vert
This is the problem:
When I turn the turn signals on to the left (driver's side) the indicator light (in the spedometer) flashes once then goes off. Meanwhile, the blinker lights ouside work fine (continue to flash at the correct speed). It's only the indicator on the dash that does not work.

Everything works when I turn on the right blinkers or the emergency flashers (all four).

So, I know that it's not the switches since the blinkers on the outside work. I know that it's not the indicator bulb since it works in all other positions and blinks once even when I turn them on on the left. It's not the wiring either for the same reason. So what in the world is it? I'm guessing that its a small connection within the relay.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Sat May 22, 2004 10:12 pm

I would guess it is the flasher relay.

Sun May 23, 2004 3:57 am

Yup. Relay. I just had this conversation with an old VW mechanic. He said that was always the first sign your 9 pin relay was going bad-- you would lose the indicator light at the speedometer.

I don't know if a 70 still had the 9 pin, but I'm sure it's the same concept.

The good news is the rest of the relay might be fine and keep working for years.

Mon May 24, 2004 7:04 pm

OK it was the relay!
I opened the Relay (it has 4 terminals). I figured that I might be able to fix it for free instead of buying a new one. Inside there are two relays. One has a thick wire coil the other one is wound with thinner wire. The one with the thick wire moved a little but did not make contact. What I did was to so slightly bend the lever arm a little so it nearly made contact when the relay was off. After that the whole thing worked like a charm. Blikers and indicator light work as they should. I glued the relay casing back together with urethane glue and reinstalled it. Fixed for now! :wink:
Thanks for the help.