(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

there are any number of possible electrical faults that could cause such behavior – is it still doing it?

My guess would be the flasher unit is broken. There’s a little capacitor/relay type thing that makes the lights flash on and off.

diddly-squat said:

there are any number of possible electrical faults that could cause such behavior – is it still doing it?

I think it was doing it a couple of weeks ago, but I was deep in thought, thought I might have zoned out and not heard it or my ears needed cleaning. Today it was definitely stopped for a few seconds. it doesn’t happen all the time.

diddly-squat said:

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

there are any number of possible electrical faults that could cause such behavior – is it still doing it?

Usually if it is one blinker malfunctioning the light and clicking noises will be sped up. Sometimes the clicking noise also disappears but if the light was still blinking at the normal speed it shouldn’t be that the indicator bulb isn’t working.

party_pants said:

My guess would be the flasher unit is broken. There’s a little capacitor/relay type thing that makes the lights flash on and off.

That’s likely.

Divine Angel said:

diddly-squat said:

there are any number of possible electrical faults that could cause such behavior – is it still doing it?

I think it was doing it a couple of weeks ago, but I was deep in thought, thought I might have zoned out and not heard it or my ears needed cleaning. Today it was definitely stopped for a few seconds. it doesn’t happen all the time.

Next time, get out and look at each blinker in turn when switching between them.

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

warmer weather, might have run out

stumpy_seahorse said:

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

warmer weather, might have run out

I agree with stumpy, buy in it in bulk and gift it to friends.

Is that in the same aisle as the left handed screwdrivers?

stumpy_seahorse said:

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

warmer weather, might have run out

Mitsubishi recently had a recall campaign re the soldering in the blinker/headlight switch. This caused intermittent malfunction.

stumpy_seahorse said:

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

warmer weather, might have run out

Its a favourite beverage for ants, they may have gotten into the blinker casing and drunk it

Divine Angel said:

Is that in the same aisle as the left handed screwdrivers?

Yes

Divine Angel said:

Is that in the same aisle as the left handed screwdrivers?

and the muffler bearings.

Mechanic cat agrees…

Cymek said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Divine Angel said:

(Not Bubblecar, sorry)

I was sitting at lights today with my indicator on, and for a few seconds it stopped clicking. The arrow still lit up (no idea if the indicators on the car were still going) but the clicking noise the indicators make stopped.

What could be causing it? Is it likely that the outside indicators stopped working also?

warmer weather, might have run out

!http://www.geocities.ws/changeyourblinkerfluid/post-3-1035775595.jpg

Its a favourite beverage for ants, they may have gotten into the blinker casing and drunk it

That is closer to truth than you know.
A rat got under the bonnet of a rellies car & broke the power steering belt when she hit the starter.

I never trust what a cat says. Unless it’s Grumpy Cat. He’s always right.

Divine Angel said:

I never trust what a cat says. Unless it’s Grumpy Cat. He’s always right.

There was a spider…

But I think I got it…

I had a similar problem with the old falcon. Just needed a replacement flasher unit. Cost about $10 from memory, but that was a decade or more ago.

party_pants said:

I had a similar problem with the old falcon. Just needed a replacement flasher unit. Cost about $10 from memory, but that was a decade or more ago.

How much would it be for a girl? Mechanics always charge females more.

Divine Angel said:

party_pants said:

I had a similar problem with the old falcon. Just needed a replacement flasher unit. Cost about $10 from memory, but that was a decade or more ago.

How much would it be for a girl? Mechanics always charge females more.

not pregnant ones.

Divine Angel said:

party_pants said:

I had a similar problem with the old falcon. Just needed a replacement flasher unit. Cost about $10 from memory, but that was a decade or more ago.

How much would it be for a girl? Mechanics always charge females more.

Flasher units are generally a 2 pin plug type of thing. Unplug the old one & plug in the new one.

Divine Angel said:

party_pants said:

I had a similar problem with the old falcon. Just needed a replacement flasher unit. Cost about $10 from memory, but that was a decade or more ago.

How much would it be for a girl? Mechanics always charge females more.

depends on make/model of car and if it’s a flasher unit or a relay, but shouldn’t be more than $25, even at local servo prices

I’ll get future BIL to have a look at it when we get back from Bali. He’s the resident car guy around here.

Some vehicles the relay thing had a capacitor and not sure how it was arranged, but loss of a parallel bulb or two changed the RC time constant and altered the click rate, made it faster, which alerts operator to blown bulb. Can’t be sure, but have hunch it were not always done this way, and a separate ‘clicker’ electromagnet might have been in the line in some arrangements……… probably it is a requirement that blinkers be audible…..

So all I’m saying is that with the latter arrangement, should it exist other than in my imagination, that a clicker failure may not mean any blinker failure.

Dunno.

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

Dropbear said:

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

I got my licence in Sydney, remember.

Divine Angel said:

Dropbear said:

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

I got my licence in Sydney, remember.

Hmm ok fair point.. On the plus side your indicators are optional up here and indeed can confuse the locals

Divine Angel said:

Dropbear said:

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

I got my licence in Sydney, remember.

They generally don’t work in Sydney cos someone has rear-ended your car.
3 months after I bought a new car in Sydney it didn’t have a straight panel on it. None of the damage was caused by mz Tamb or myself.

A lot of things, such as doughnut fillings, confuse the locals.

Dropbear said:

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

it was the hazards…

diddly-squat said:

Dropbear said:

Sitting at lights with your indicators on, in Queensland,

I’m calling bullshit right there

it was the hazards…

No. Flashing the headlights to warn other motorists of radar.

Mine doesn’t click anyway.

Well it probably does, but I can’t hear it.

Skeptic Pete said:

Mine doesn’t click anyway.

Well it probably does, but I can’t hear it.

turn your radio down sometime..

party_pants said:

Skeptic Pete said:

Mine doesn’t click anyway.

Well it probably does, but I can’t hear it.

turn your radio down sometime..

imagines Skeppy driving a doof-doof mobile…

Older cars use a ‘flasher can’ that makes a mechanical noise as the relay clicks in and out. The ‘can’ runs the whole circuit, so if you dash was still flashing, so are your external indicators, and the clicks should still be heard. If the dash lights stick on, then so do your external indicators and is probably caused by a faulty relay in the can, and the click would not be heard.

If you have a newer car then the flashing is controlled by solid state circuitry, and makes no noise, so an additional circuit makes a psuedo clicking noise. If your dash light are still flashing then the problem is in the ‘clicky noise’ circuit. My ‘clicky noise’ cicuit is way to quiet, but apparently nissan are aware of this and can do a mod (to the ECU I guess) that increases the volume.

My car is 2006.

Divine Angel said:

My car is 2006.

Are you stuck in it?

There’s only two rules for blinkers:

1. Never trust a blinker.
2. Never trust the absence of a blinker.

I’m not saying you need a foil hat, but I’m not not saying it, either.

(Did you try turning the car off and back on again?)