Hazard lights puzzle

[james124]

The signal lights on my 74 Spider work perfectly. Both sides blink as they should. However, only the left front and rear lights from the hazard blink. The right side front and rear lights do not work off the hazard electrical subsystem. These are the same bulbs as the signal system so the bulbs are good. I've checked the grounds and they seem to be OK. Any suggestions as to where I should look to remedy this problem? Thanks, JimmyG

[zachmac]

The signal lights on my 74 Spider work perfectly. Both sides blink as they should. However, only the left front and rear lights from the hazard blink. The right side front and rear lights do not work off the hazard electrical subsystem. These are the same bulbs as the signal system so the bulbs are good. I've checked the grounds and they seem to be OK. Any suggestions as to where I should look to remedy this problem? Thanks, JimmyG

From what you've described it almosthas to be bad conacts in the emergency flasher switch itself. When off it routes one power source to the switch. When ON it uses a different set of contacts that feed power directly to the lights, bypassing the turn signal switch. The feed is one wire to the left front and rear and one feed to the right front and rear. it sounds like you have a bad connection at the hazard switch of a bad contact at the wire there. I believe right sideon emergency is a light blue with no stripe. Blue with a balck stripe is the left side feed. Check that wire / contact at the switch.

[james124]

rom what you've described it almosthas to be bad conacts in the emergency flasher switch itself. When off it routes one power source to the switch. When ON it uses a different set of contacts that feed power directly to the lights, bypassing the turn signal switch. The feed is one wire to the left front and rear and one feed to the right front and rear. it sounds like you have a bad connection at the hazard switch of a bad contact at the wire there. I believe right sideon emergency is a light blue with no stripe. Blue with a balck stripe is the left side feed. Check that wire / contact at the switch.

Thanks Jeff. I removed the emergency switch, cleaned the contacts, applied some dielectric grease. No change. I wiggled the wires in the back and now none of the emergency lights work. However, the flasher relay works as does the red light on the dash. It would seem that we're are on the right track! Any thoughts, Jeff? I'm inclined to think that the emergency switch itself is the culprit. After 36 years, its a miracle that it lasted this long. Should I recheck the connections on the plastic wire harness? Thanks for your input. JimmyG

[ronz124]

hi guys...I also have a problem with the hazard lites on my 80 the signals work fine, #9 fuse is good, all the marker lite etc work, I tried changing the flasher unit, no joy looked at the grounds, also look ok...would it be possible another flasher just for the hazard lites? maybe a silly question, but do the hazards work when round button pushed in or when its out? very confusing...ron

[So Cal Mark]

the hazards should work with the button out. Often the little tabs that lock the button in will break off and the hazards stay on. Only the turn signals are routed through the hazard switch, not the marker or tail lights

[zachmac]

hi guys...I also have a problem with the hazard lites on my 80 the signals work fine, #9 fuse is good, all the marker lite etc work, I tried changing the flasher unit, no joy looked at the grounds, also look ok...would it be possible another flasher just for the hazard lites? maybe a silly question, but do the hazards work when round button pushed in or when its out? very confusing...ron

First, the 74 that started this thread and the 80 are VERY different. I have been trying to help trouble shoot the 74 but I cannot find any wiring diagrams for that year, which apparently was unique? Anyone know of a diagram for a 74, particularly that shows the internal contacts?

I would suggest for the 80 removing the sitch and testing continuity between the various posts in the off and on position. Bradley's wiring diagrams have an excellent picutre of the internals of that switch so you should be able to "see" which contacts are connected in each position. If you need help understanding exactly what to do, pm me and I'll walk you through it.

[zachmac]

BTW, definitely only ONE flasher unit. If they work when you use the turn signals that means all of the wiring from the flasher to the lights and through the turn signal switch are good! That's good news. That narrows things down to either the switch or the wires specific to it. Again, test the switch first with a multimeter as they are often the culprit.

Also, do you have battery volts at the red feed wire into the switch at all times (it should be a hot unswitched power supply). That is the feed when you use the emergency flashers.

[james124]

Thanks Jeff Klein and Carl Baker for your valuable insight. For the sake of closure and guidance for future reference, the 74 spider does indeed have a separate relay for the hazard lights. It is rectangular Sipea A72013 and not easy to find. You can see it here http://www.fiatplus.com/5-prong-4-way-h ... 85591.html It is accessible behind the instrument cluster directly above the steering wheel. Not difficult. I actually took the relay out of it's metal case and realized that there are two contacts one for each side of the signal lights of the car. The contacts appeared to be worn out and did not contact properly. I cleaned out he contacts, stretched them a bit and coated them with some dielectric grease and repackaged the relay back into its steel casing. Works perfectly now - for time being. May require a new really soon though. James

[Exit98]

Hi James,

Just want to thank you for taking the time to update the thread with your report on the final resolution of your flasher issue. It is frustrating sometimes to see interesting threads peeter out with no final conclusion. I wish everyone would try to close out technical threads one way or the other. There are more than a few very knowledgable Spider experts here that take the time to respond (on some issues, over and over). It isn't fair not to let them know the final outcome. We should treat our Guru's with great care.

[bwilson27]

First, the 74 that started this thread and the 80 are VERY different. I have been trying to help trouble shoot the 74 but I cannot find any wiring diagrams for that year, which apparently was unique? Anyone know of a diagram for a 74, particularly that shows the internal contacts?

I've also been looking for a wiring diagram for a '74... Still no luck.
In my case, I'm using the decent wiring harness from a cancerous '74 body for my '75 resto project. I've noticed that there are a few minor differences on the firewall and fenderwells on each car. I'm hoping and praying that the harness will fit and work correctly in the '75. If not, more fabrication.

[james124]

[quote="bwilson27"][quote="zachmac"]

I've also been looking for a wiring diagram for a '74... Still no luck.

I have, I believe, one of the most complete 74 spider wiring diagrams. I can only reproduce it in paper form. If you PM me an address or PO number, I can mail you a copy. James