Blinkers Failing but Relay Okay Options

[HiroProtagonist]

Hey all,

My blinkers are slowly failing, and I can hear the relay slowly click when I try to turn them on, but they don't actually flash and the lights on the dash don't respond. Hazards DO cause the lights to flash, but still no dash lights. Tested out a new solid state relay and it didn't fix it. It's both sides of the blinkers, so I don't think it's a bad ground at any of the corners, but maybe I'm wrong.

Would love any thoughts on what to check!

[Spoke]

Hey all,

My blinkers are slowly failing, and I can hear the relay slowly click when I try to turn them on, but they don't actually flash and the lights on the dash don't respond. Hazards DO cause the lights to flash, but still no dash lights. Tested out a new solid state relay and it didn't fix it. It's both sides of the blinkers, so I don't think it's a bad ground at any of the corners, but maybe I'm wrong.

Would love any thoughts on what to check!

It sounds like your flasher relay is failing.

Have the turnsignals worked normally before?

Is this behavior new?

What year is your 914?

Does your tach have separate L and R turnsignal indicators?

[HiroProtagonist]

It sounds like your flasher relay is failing.

Have the turnsignals worked normally before?

Is this behavior new?

What year is your 914?

Does your tach have separate L and R turnsignal indicators?

Behavior is new, turn signals did work before. The car is 1970, and the L/R indicators are not separate.

I thought the relay was failing as well, but we swapped in a new one (solid state) and it didn't work either!

[Spoke]

Behavior is new, turn signals did work before. The car is 1970, and the L/R indicators are not separate.

I thought the relay was failing as well, but we swapped in a new one (solid state) and it didn't work either!

So the L/R indicators on a '70 flash together? That's a sign that the secondary coil in the flasher relay is weak.

Do you have a part number for the new solid state flasher relay? I wasn't aware of a solid state flasher relay. EP26 can be substituted for the 914 OEM flasher relay. EP26 is LED compatible if you go that way.

[HiroProtagonist]

Behavior is new, turn signals did work before. The car is 1970, and the L/R indicators are not separate.

I thought the relay was failing as well, but we swapped in a new one (solid state) and it didn't work either!

So the L/R indicators on a '70 flash together? That's a sign that the secondary coil in the flasher relay is weak.

Do you have a part number for the new solid state flasher relay? I wasn't aware of a solid state flasher relay. EP26 can be substituted for the 914 OEM flasher relay. EP26 is LED compatible if you go that way.

Awesome, I'll just order one of those! My mechanic had a relay he tested with that was new, but could be that something was awry with it. At this point I just need the blinkers to work and either way the relay seems like the first step to make sure it's good. Ordering one now!

[Spoke]

Behavior is new, turn signals did work before. The car is 1970, and the L/R indicators are not separate.

I thought the relay was failing as well, but we swapped in a new one (solid state) and it didn't work either!

So the L/R indicators on a '70 flash together? That's a sign that the secondary coil in the flasher relay is weak.

Do you have a part number for the new solid state flasher relay? I wasn't aware of a solid state flasher relay. EP26 can be substituted for the 914 OEM flasher relay. EP26 is LED compatible if you go that way.

Awesome, I'll just order one of those! My mechanic had a relay he tested with that was new, but could be that something was awry with it. At this point I just need the blinkers to work and either way the relay seems like the first step to make sure it's good. Ordering one now!

EP26 is manufactured w/o any connection to the C2 pin since it is used differently in some vehicles. It is easy to mod the C2 pin to allow it to work in your 914. I have instructions on my website on how to do the mod.

[HiroProtagonist]

Behavior is new, turn signals did work before. The car is 1970, and the L/R indicators are not separate.

I thought the relay was failing as well, but we swapped in a new one (solid state) and it didn't work either!

So the L/R indicators on a '70 flash together? That's a sign that the secondary coil in the flasher relay is weak.

Do you have a part number for the new solid state flasher relay? I wasn't aware of a solid state flasher relay. EP26 can be substituted for the 914 OEM flasher relay. EP26 is LED compatible if you go that way.

Awesome, I'll just order one of those! My mechanic had a relay he tested with that was new, but could be that something was awry with it. At this point I just need the blinkers to work and either way the relay seems like the first step to make sure it's good. Ordering one now!

EP26 is manufactured w/o any connection to the C2 pin since it is used differently in some vehicles. It is easy to mod the C2 pin to allow it to work in your 914. I have instructions on my website on how to do the mod.

Heroic!! What does the C2 pin do?

[Spoke]

The C2 pin (sometimes listed as K pin) was used by Porsche to alert the driver that an external turnsignal bulb was burned out. With normal bulbs, the C2/K pin would drive itself to VBAT when flashing.

If a light was burned out, C2/K pin would be open and both indicators would flash together alerting the driver to a burned bulb.

However over the years, the secondary relay would weaken and not close during normal operation. As soon as one adds LED turnsignals the entire alert system and operation Porsche designed falls apart. Thus EP26 is a good substitute. In EP26, C2/K is grounded internally so the L and R indicator never flash together.

EP26 can drive all incandescent bulbs if no LEDs are used for turnsignals.

[HiroProtagonist]

Awesome. I may actually have a turn signal bulb burned out as well, so I'll also swap to LEDs for those. Any idea what the bulb is for the signals, and if it needs to be a short one or something? I've ended up getting 1157 bulbs that are WAY too long before.

[chmillman]

Anyone know or have a reference to a Euro/ROW relay that is the equivalent of an EP 26? I only see them listed on US sites…

Something like this maybe?
https://www.amazon.de/Yizhet-0-02A-20A-Moto...WF0aWM&th=1

[Spoke]

Anyone know or have a reference to a Euro/ROW relay that is the equivalent of an EP 26? I only see them listed on US sites…

Something like this maybe?
https://www.amazon.de/Yizhet-0-02A-20A-Moto...WF0aWM&th=1

That flasher will work for vehicles with separate L and R indicators in the tach however the indicators need to be slightly rewired. Their common wire going back to the C2/K pin needs to be removed from each indicator and connected to the pigtail shown which is connected to the ground of the tach.

[DRPHIL914]

@Spoke

Hey Jerry, my gauge indicator is single, i have your side marker LED's in and i have LED bulb in the front signals so my dash indicator flashes once then stops, but the front and back indicators do flash , is the lack of dash flashing due to the relay not being a LED compatible?? if so do you sell the relays?

Phil

[Spoke]

@Spoke

Hey Jerry, my gauge indicator is single, i have your side marker LED's in and i have LED bulb in the front signals so my dash indicator flashes once then stops, but the front and back indicators do flash , is the lack of dash flashing due to the relay not being a LED compatible?? if so do you sell the relays?

Phil

@DRPHIL914

Yes the L/R indicator not flashing is a side effect of having LED turnsignals. I'm surprised it even flashes once. The OEM flasher relay senses the current in the turnsignal bulbs and if not 2 full incandescent bulbs as a load the L/R indicator will not flash alerting the driver that a bulb is burned out.

When LEDs are used for turnsignals, the OEM flasher relay does not drive the L/R indicator. EP26 modified can fix this. Yes I do resell modified EP26 for the later 914s with the L/R single indicator.

[DRPHIL914]

@Spoke

Hey Jerry, my gauge indicator is single, i have your side marker LED's in and i have LED bulb in the front signals so my dash indicator flashes once then stops, but the front and back indicators do flash , is the lack of dash flashing due to the relay not being a LED compatible?? if so do you sell the relays?

Phil

@DRPHIL914

Yes the L/R indicator not flashing is a side effect of having LED turnsignals. I'm surprised it even flashes once. The OEM flasher relay senses the current in the turnsignal bulbs and if not 2 full incandescent bulbs as a load the L/R indicator will not flash alerting the driver that a bulb is burned out.

When LEDs are used for turnsignals, the OEM flasher relay does not drive the L/R indicator. EP26 modified can fix this. Yes I do resell modified EP26 for the later 914s with the L/R single indicator.

awesome i will get one from you !!

[HiroProtagonist]

Hey! I've swapped out the relay with the EP26, but it's a slightly different arrangement of contact points, so I have not modified it yet. With the new relay, it is clicking when I turn the signal, but the lights themselves are not flashing. Is that expected without the mod or is something else awry?

Thank you!

[Spoke]

Hey! I've swapped out the relay with the EP26, but it's a slightly different arrangement of contact points, so I have not modified it yet. With the new relay, it is clicking when I turn the signal, but the lights themselves are not flashing. Is that expected without the mod or is something else awry?

Thank you!

When you say lights do you mean the external turnsignals or the indicators in the tach?

The external turnsignals should flash w/o modification. The only modification to EP26 out of the box is to pin C to power the tach indicators.

[HiroProtagonist]

Hey! I've swapped out the relay with the EP26, but it's a slightly different arrangement of contact points, so I have not modified it yet. With the new relay, it is clicking when I turn the signal, but the lights themselves are not flashing. Is that expected without the mod or is something else awry?

Thank you!

When you say lights do you mean the external turnsignals or the indicators in the tach?

The external turnsignals should flash w/o modification. The only modification to EP26 out of the box is to pin C to power the tach indicators.

External - so something else is awry. The hazards cause the external ones to flash, so I really don't understand what's up hahaha. And like I said it makes a clicking noise when I hit the blinkers, so it's tripping the relay, just not actually causing the lights to go.

[Spoke]

Hey! I've swapped out the relay with the EP26, but it's a slightly different arrangement of contact points, so I have not modified it yet. With the new relay, it is clicking when I turn the signal, but the lights themselves are not flashing. Is that expected without the mod or is something else awry?

Thank you!

When you say lights do you mean the external turnsignals or the indicators in the tach?

The external turnsignals should flash w/o modification. The only modification to EP26 out of the box is to pin C to power the tach indicators.

External - so something else is awry. The hazards cause the external ones to flash, so I really don't understand what's up hahaha. And like I said it makes a clicking noise when I hit the blinkers, so it's tripping the relay, just not actually causing the lights to go.

Sounds like either your turnsignal stalk or the wiring to it is suspect since the relay flashes with the hazard switch. Check the connectors to the steering wheel.

[HiroProtagonist]

Sounds good! I'll check all those connections tomorrow.

[HiroProtagonist]

The good news is that I found the cause - the interior of the signal switch was gummed up, causing the issue. The bad news is that in taking it apart some of the parts made a break for freedom.

Anybody have any idea where these pieces go? The two strike plates, 4 springs, and the plastic piece.

I'm guessing the other strike plate goes against the side to hold the ball bearing but maybe I'm wrong

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RX1TdaxByEC2eiyx6