The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 4-way flashers

Hey all,
I have looked at numerous wiring diagrams but I cant seem to find one for adding flashers. This is on a 57 GMC. It looks pretty straightforward judging by the switch I plan on using. Its a signal-stat. It looks to me that the wires to the taillights and turn signals run through the switch. When the switch is activated, it isolates the lights by breaking the connection in the switch and they are then fed from a seperate source with its own flasher. Is this correct?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks, Jeff

I hooked up a signal stat #105 on my 1965 recently. There were four red wires coming from the signal stat that had to be hooked up to the four wires from the turn signal switch that went to the turn signal element of the lights. The signal stat then had one wire with an in line fuse that had to be hooked up to the fuse box for a continuous 12V supply. Finally, the signal stat had to be grounded to a suitable ground. My switch also had two yellow wires that could be hooked into the brake light switch. These two yellow wires were optional and I chose not to splice them into the brake light switch. If you do so, it keeps the brake lights from coming on when the signal stat is on.

The way the switch works is that it supplies 12V through a flasher to the four wires to the turn signal lights when the signal stat is on. I would describe the arrangement as wiring in parallel. It does not break the connection in the regular turn signal switch. If you turned the turn signal on while the signal stat was on, both would be supplying 12V to the turn signal lights at the same time.

Hope this helps.
Regards,
Steve
New Orleans

yes you are some what correct. The tail lights do not go thru the signal-stat.You should have 6 wires, left front,right front,left rear,right rear,stop.(goes to stop light switch)and power(from power thru flasher) Your tail lights should be a two element bulb,one for tail lights and one for stop and turn.

Can you explain the way the tail/stop/turn signal wire and work? I've got four wires to the rear but just cant get it figured out.

VFT,

I'm not sure why you have four wires going to the back unless you have backup lights or else the extra wire is for the fuel gauge. Normally, there is one wire going to the back which splits and goes to each taillight filament and one wire each for the turn/brakelight filaments. Use a multimeter set to volts and operate the turn signal switch to determine which is the turn/brakelight wire for each side. Turn the parking lights on to determine which is/are the taillight wire(s). The fourth wire, if it is not for a taillight, will either be a fuel gauge wire or a backup light wire. The way the correct turn signal switch works is that the brake light switch is wired to the turn signal and the turn signal interrupts the brake light signal on the side to which you are turning and flashes the light on that side and allows the brake light to work normally on the other side.

Thanks. I can't firgure it out but it has to be simple. There isn't much to the entire system. BTW: I have a toggle switch I got from Jim Carter Parts but lost the directions...that hasn't helped either.

Anyway, I've got a green wire that goes to the right turn and a yellow wire that goes to the left turn. I thoght the other two went to brake lights and the other to parking lights. I'm lost. I'll have to look at it again but I get two bright lights but when I put on a turn signal, I get flashing lights in each tail light(looks like four way flashers). It gets worse when I turn on the parking lights...

That sounds like a poor ground to the taillight assemblies.

I agree with Baldy.

I don't think it is the ground as I've read many posts on the Stovebolt, Its "always the ground." So the first thing I did before I started the wiring was remove all paint for a metal to metal contact on the tail light to body attachment points. I'm reading lots of old stovebolt posts trying to figure this thing out...

I have two very bright 1176 bulbs lighting when I turn on the parking light switch. I'm guessing those should be brake lights and not parking lights. And I guess, I've got it wired wrong because there are four wires to the rear instead of three. Thanks for the help and I'll keep working on it as I'm almost done restoring the truck.

Ok... After searching and rerunning the wires, I now have brake lights and taillights. But now no turn signals in the rear....

Question: Does the wire from the brake switch(on the firewall under the brake pedal) go to the turn signal switch under the dash? Mine seems to go to the rear of the truck(it is the extra fourth wire) but is not connected to anything. The turnsignal switch is a six post toggle switch from JC Carter parts. The switch has power and does operate the front and rear turn signals but when I hook up the brake light wire, I get constant brake lights. Just not getting this... So simple qustion: Where does the out bound power wire from the brake light firewall switch go? Sorry but you all are the only source I have on this one... Thanks and sorry to be a pain.

not sure on your exact setup what's happening, but the usual hookup is that the brake light power goes from the brake switch to the turn signals - if it's just a stop, the power goes right thru to the taillights, but if the turn indicator is on, the brake signal is interrupted, or if the brakes aren't on, the signal mechanism puts the power to the brake wire ... in the light, the same element is brake and turn, if you originally had no signals, maybe when they were added, the turn indicator lights were seperate, either a 2nd light assembly or a 2nd bulb in the same housing - might be why you have 4 wires back there?

Bill

Unless this is a fire engine only deal, the brake lights ARE the turn signals. Your toggle switch should route power to each rear light when no turn is indicated...maybe switch in center position. When a left turn is indicated, uninterrupted power goes through the toggle switch to the right brake light but power to the left is now routed through the flasher to blink the left brake light. The same thing happens, in reverse, when you signal a right hand turn.

One wire comes into the toggle switch from the brake switch (pedal)...when the switch is centered, that power splits and goes to each rear brake light..no detours or flashers. Switch the toggle to either side and that side now goes through the flasher while the other side stays constant.

Still confused!

Stuart

Thanks for the help. I think the wire from the brake peddle switch should go to the middle terminal on the trun signal switch. That way it feeds across the switch when it is in the middle(off) position to feed both left and right wires. When the turn signal is moved to the left, the brake switch feeds power to the right wire and the flasher provides power/interupts power to flash the left wire. Vice versa if the`switch is moved to the right position. Does that seem correct?

Virginiafiretruck,

That sure seems right to me. It sometimes help if you sit down with a cup of coffee and draw a little cartoon that shows wires, destinations and switch contacts...you'll be working at NASA yet!

Stuart

thank you all. I know have lights!! Thanks again!