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Directional signals gone south.
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2ROCKETS73



Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 38
Location: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:32 pm    Post subject: Directional signals gone south.  

Hi everyone,

'73 Cutlass.
This morning the directional signals (both sides) on the Cutlass stopped working. Nothing outside, nothing inside on the dash.
The parking lights, tail lights, stop lights and flashers all work.
I swapped the fuse with a known good one, still nothing.
Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks
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andrewk



Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 1263
Location: Ames, IA

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

IIRC, your car has two flasher units, one for the hazards, one for the turn signals. the flasher units are located in the fuse box, and they are bigger than the fuses.

You may have a bad flasher- To test, try switching the two flasher units out for each other, and see if the signals work, but not the hazards. If that happens, replace the bad flasher.
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2ROCKETS73



Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 38
Location: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

Thanks Andrew, I'll give that a try tonight.
I should have investigated further.
I had assumed that since the hazards were working, the flasher
unit had to be good (not knowing there are two).
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Brando



Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 3069
Location: Michigan, USA

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

Yep, according to my sources, the emergency warning flasher is "mounted in fuse panel block", and the turn signal flasher is "located in clip on back of instrument panel"....

And more research shows that they are the exact same part, so they are interchangeable.

TOC Admin
Brando
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2ROCKETS73



Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 38
Location: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:15 am    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

Thanks Brando,

I found my manual last night and you are right about the locations
of the two flashers. I can't find the directional signal flasher that is
supposed to be "in a clip behind the instrument panel". I will keep
looking.

My manual gives two different part numbers, are they in fact
interchangeable?

Numbers in manual are:
Directional signal flasher, GM part number 383638 or 383639
Hazard warning flasher, GM part number 3904868

I don't want to make matters worse by plugging in a wrong part.

Thanks again.
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88 Coupe



Joined: 15 Feb 2004
Posts: 2985
Location: Southern California

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:34 am    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

4 way flasher switches two sets of turn signals, at the same time, at the same cadence.

If the flashers are reversed, the turn signals should cycle slower and the 4 ways, faster.

2ROCKETS73 wrote: ........ I don't want to make matters worse by plugging in a wrong part.
Not possible.

Norm
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2ROCKETS73



Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 38
Location: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:02 am    Post subject: Re: Directional signals gone south.  

Thanks Norm,

I am all set now.
In case it helps anyone else out, Autozone sells the exact same
part for both applications.

Dean
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