Strange electrical gremlin, flasher relay runs constantly Options

[bbrock]

I like to think of myself as smarter than the average bear for chasing down electrical gremlins but this one has me stumped. My flasher relay suddenly started running whenever the key is on regardless of whether the turn signals or hazards are on. Weirdly, all of the lights work perfectly and as expected. Also weird is that I've done no work on anything remotely electrical so no clue what might have triggered this change. The flasher is the led compatible flasher modified per Spoke's instructions. As far as I can tell, all lights and everything electrical is working perfectly fine except for the constant annoying clicking of the relay. Luckily I can't hear it when the engine is running. Any ideas?

[bbrock]

Thanks all. I've narrowed it down to the MC circuit by unplugging the two wires that connect to the brake warning light on the combo gauge, and then further isolating to determine it is the MC leg and not the parking brake leg. Now to figure out the problem because the MC, switch, and practically the whole car are new or newly refurbished with only 250 miles on the fresh resto.

[Spoke]

Thanks all. I've narrowed it down to the MC circuit by unplugging the two wires that connect to the brake warning light on the combo gauge, and then further isolating to determine it is the MC leg and not the parking brake leg. Now to figure out the problem because the MC, switch, and practically the whole car are new or newly refurbished with only 250 miles on the fresh resto.

Try disconnecting the MC and ebrake wires at the unit. Sounds like you're zeroing in on the issue. It could be the wires and not the switches.

[914_teener]

Thanks all. I've narrowed it down to the MC circuit by unplugging the two wires that connect to the brake warning light on the combo gauge, and then further isolating to determine it is the MC leg and not the parking brake leg. Now to figure out the problem because the MC, switch, and practically the whole car are new or newly refurbished with only 250 miles on the fresh resto.

Try disconnecting the MC and ebrake wires at the unit. Sounds like you're zeroing in on the issue. It could be the wires and not the switches.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Are the two wires plugged to the correct terminals? The E brake is just a switched ground wire and a simple contact switch to the frame of the car. Make sure the contact surface is really clean

[bbrock]

Thanks all. I've narrowed it down to the MC circuit by unplugging the two wires that connect to the brake warning light on the combo gauge, and then further isolating to determine it is the MC leg and not the parking brake leg. Now to figure out the problem because the MC, switch, and practically the whole car are new or newly refurbished with only 250 miles on the fresh resto.

Try disconnecting the MC and ebrake wires at the unit. Sounds like you're zeroing in on the issue. It could be the wires and not the switches.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Are the two wires plugged to the correct terminals? The E brake is just a switched ground wire and a simple contact switch to the frame of the car. Make sure the contact surface is really clean

Yep, they are connected correctly. Just as background, everything was working perfectly until it wasn't, nothing was done to the wiring in between working and not. Also, the complete wiring harness was refurbished, cleaning all terminals and ground connections and replacing any terminals that looked suspect. Can't rule out and internal issue in a wire, but at least I now know which wire to look at. It seems like I'm looking more for a leak to ground more than than a bad connection but will continue to do both.

For trouble shooting: First thing I did was disconnect the e-brake wire at the contact switch. No change. Then I pulled the combo gauge and pulled the pigtailed wire that connects both the e-brake wire and MC wire to the same terminal for the flashing brake light in the gauge. Relay stopped clicking. Next, I reconnected ONLY the MC wire to isolate if maybe the diode on the e-brake wire had failed, or there was some other issue in that leg and the clicking resumed without the e-brake wire connected. Can't remember if I connected the e-brake without the MC connected but it see,s pretty clear the "leak" is in the MC wire leg. I'm waiting for a belmetric order to arrive with a new lock nut for the pedal end of the accelerator cable and will do more investigation of the MC wiring while I have the pedal board out for that. This weekend I'll have the car on jack stands to change oil, readjust valves, address some small oil leaks, and hopefully hook up a new heater cable if it arrives in time. That will be a good time to pull the steering rack pan and look at the MC switch itself if needed.

Thanks for all the tips. It helped me quickly zoom in on the problem. I don't think it will be too hard to figure out from this point. It's more a matter of planning for "while I'm in there."