Flashing Hazard Light issues

[BarnieTrk]

Hi Fellas,

When I acquired this '89 FORD 1720, the orange, flashing hazard lights on either side of the ROPS were busted off. I bought two new (not OEM, rather off of Ebay) orange hazard lights and installed them. They were two wire units, one hot and a ground wire. I re-connected the hot wire and ran a new ground wire for each light. I turn the lights on at the dash switch, and they work as designed...... HOWEVER, they don't seem to flash very brightly and they flash faster than I think they would/should.

Questions:
a) Does this tractor have a flasher fuse - like my old truck does - or is there a flasher device built into the light fixtures?

b) If there is a fuse, do the symptoms I mentioned above sound like it could be bad and need replacing?

c) If so, where is the flasher fuse located on this tractor?

Thanks in Advance for any & all help and guidance, Guys!

BarnieTrk

 

[Soundguy]

a fuse is a 1 shot deal. works till it opens, then nada.

this don't sound like a fuse.

dim lamps usually mean more load than the conductor can handle, and that includes all the old and rusty connections between battery and lamp.

fast flashers usually mean more load than the flasher module was designed originally for, if it is a thermal unit.

 

[George2615]

Are the lights you bought strictly hazard flashing lights or are they combination turn signal / brake lights.
If they are combination turn /stop lights and have 2 wires they get ground through the mounting bolts.
Could be the cause of your dim flashing. Look at the bulbs, if the have dual filaments they are combo lights. Flashing lights only would have single filament bulbs.

Yes, there should be a fuse and a flasher. Can't help tell you where though. Since you have lights its not the fuse.

 

[Soundguy]

it's not a fuse issue, if the lamp lights at all.

 

[Dave M7040]

The two wires are not to be used the way you have wired things. The bulb has two filaments and is intended to be a tail light and a brighter signal/hazard light.
Wiring things the way you did makes both filaments light and the bulb will be dim.
The lamp needs to be grounded to the metal part of the tractor when you bolt it unto the tractor.
You then need to experiment hooking up one wire at a time until you find the one with the bright filament.
Just tape up the end of the wire you dont want to use.
Dave M7040

 

[BarnieTrk]

Did I mention that wiring is NOT my favorite passtime? :ashamed:

No, these lights are yellow on both sides. They are not a combo tail light / hazard light; I have a separate tail light fixture that works with the headlights. The hazards only work when I turn on the hazard lights.

But with that being said, I don't know if these fixtures have two-filament bulbs or not. They do have a red and a black wire though. I was thinking the black wire was a ground wire, but I may be wrong...I suppose if these fixtures contain two filament bulbs...and I've grounded out one of the wires...it would not be a happy light.

I mounted the lights on a slab of rubber, figuring it would function as a vibration insulator, and rather than rely on the fixture being grounded via the securing nut on the bottom of the mount (which is assuming the mounting perch is adequately grounded - which, by the way, is on each side of my ROPS, which is bolted to the top of my rusty fenders) I figured the black wire was there for me to ground the fixture in case I was mounting the fixture on a non-conductive surface..... :ashamed:

I will pull at least one of the light fixtures apart tomorrow to see if they contain a single or dual filament bulb....could a dual filament bulb be used just to be brighter? IDK...... I'll report back with my findings.

Geezzzzz,,,,, Say, did I mention I'm not a wiring whizzz?

Thanks again for everyone's helping hand here, Guys!

BarnieTrk

 

[Threepoint]

BarnieTrk, seems like you should be able to use a volt meter, or even just a 12v test light, to determine whether your tractor's hazard light circuit already has a resident flasher. With the hot wire disconnected from the new flashers, and the switch on, do you read a steady voltage, or an intermittent pulse? If a pulse, then you have a resident flasher. If instead the voltage is steady, there is no flasher or it is defective. Whether steady or intermittent, the voltage should be a nominal 12v with a good ground on that tractor. Next, check your new hazard lights independently by grounding them and applying a steady 12v from a known source to them. If the lights flash on a steady 12v, then they have their own flashing circuitry. If both the tractor and the hazard lights have separate flashers, seems like that in itself would be a problem, but I don't know how it would present. :confused3:

 

[skyhook]

Usually the bolt and nut that hold the light to the tractor is your ground.
My guess would be you have a two filament bulb in there, one wire for each and your connected to the
dimmer side(park) of the bulb.
Or, the twelve volt supply to the bulb is weak due to corrosion.

 

[BarnieTrk]

No, these lights are yellow on both sides. They are not a combo tail light / hazard light; I have a separate tail light fixture that works with the headlights. I will pull at least one of the light fixtures apart tomorrow to see if they contain a single or dual filament bulb....could a dual filament bulb be used just to be brighter? IDK...... I'll report back with my findings.

Well, I just inspected the bulbs. Yep, sure enough, two fliaments in the single bulbs.

Are the lights you bought strictly hazard flashing lights or are they combination turn signal / brake lights. If they are combination turn /stop lights and have 2 wires they get ground through the mounting bolts. Could be the cause of your dim flashing. Look at the bulbs, if the have dual filaments they are combo lights. Flashing lights only would have single filament bulbs.

Well George, the bulbs in these flashing (only) lights have two filament bulbs. Chalk this up to my luck to have odd ball light fixtures.

So Fellas, I guess I'll tear the wiring apart and attach both fixture wires to the single hot feed wire, ay?

BarnieTrk

 

[ecbaatz]

Does the tractor have rear yellow lights? I have turn signals on my tractor and with the ROPS off (can't get under the irrigation pipes with it up and since I have to put it down it is easier and less obstruction to take it all off) I don't have the forward turn signals. With out the forward turn signals it flashes faster. A lot of cars will flash faster when one turn signal is out letting you know there is a light out. Of course it doesn't tell you which is out but does let you know there is a problem.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Hi ecbaatz,

Thank you for your reply & interest.

No, it does not have any blinker lights. It only has two headlights, one tail light (facing to the rear) and the two yellow hazard lights that are yellow on both sides (facing toward the front and rear).

BarnieTrk

 

[George2615]

So Fellas, I guess I'll tear the wiring apart and attach both fixture wires to the single hot feed wire, ay?

BarnieTrk

Since bulb has 2 filaments, the hot to one wire will give a dim light, hot to other wire will give a brighter light. Ground is through the mount. If you mounted the lights on a non metal fender you'll have to run a ground wire from frame to light mounts.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Since bulb has 2 filaments, the hot to one wire will give a dim light, hot to other wire will give a brighter light. Ground is through the mount. If you mounted the lights on a non metal fender you'll have to run a ground wire from frame to light mounts.

Ok George. I will tie both of the wires coming out of the light fixture to a single hot wire and run a ground wire to ring fastener at the fixture's bottom fastening nut.

BarnieTrk

 

[TerryR]

Barnie,

If your fixture is not grounded, connecting the two wires to hot and ground means they are operating in series. So both filaments are lighted, but with half voltage. No wonder they are dim.

Terry

 

[Threepoint]

Barnie,

If your fixture is not grounded, connecting the two wires to hot and ground means they are operating in series. So both filaments are lighted, but with half voltage. No wonder they are dim.

Terry

Yep, sounds like with your set-up the hot from your tractor should go only to one of the light leads, and that you should tape off the other lead (do not connect it to ground) as an earlier poster advised.

Try connecting first to the black lead, and next to the red lead to see which gives you the brighter light (if there is even a difference). The fixture evidently grounds through its mounting hardware. I'm guessing that when you originally connected your hot wire to one of the leads, then grounded the other lead, it caused a fault that presented as the too-rapid flash.

 

[ecbaatz]

One other option would be to change the flasher module. They have modules for towing and not towing due to the different current draw.

 

[Soundguy]

make sure the feed wire is of sufficient gauge for the load, fused, and the switch or module providing power is rated for the load... then just match what needs hot, nad what needs ground.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Ok George. I will tie both of the wires coming out of the light fixture to a single hot wire and run a ground wire to ring fastener at the fixture's bottom fastening nut. -- BarnieTrk

Well, I tied both wires coming out of the light fixture together and attached them to the single hot wire what had fed the old hazard lights. I also ran a ground wire to the base of the light fixture.

Now when I turn on the hazard switch, both lights light up & are MUCH brighter than they were with only one filament lite; but they do not flash.....so now maybe I need to change out the flasher unit?

I looked in my Owner's Manual, and of course they do not have any illustrations/photos of which relays/flasher unit is which.

I see what looks like a round flasher unit mounted under the hood, on the "driver's side" of the firewall...but I'm not sure that is it. There also is a square relay mounted next to it. On the 'passenger's side' of the firewall is a fuse block containing 3 blade fuses and another relay box next to it.

Anyone have any clues as to which would be the flasher unit?

Thanks in advance for any & all assistance, Guys!

BarnieTrk