All exterior lights work properly, but both the dash lights (left and right turn signal) go on when I use my turn signal. I am expecting the left arrow to flash for a left turn and the right arrow for a right turn, but both arrows flash all the time. the car is a 1970. I think I cleaned all the ground points.
Is this a common problem? What is the fix?
thanks
-Rob

I have the same issue on my '74. In a different thread, I remember somebody saying it's due to a bad relay - and that a VW Bus relay works well as a replacement.

That said, I haven't done anything about it yet. Group buy?

Make sure all the bulbs are the correct ones, if you use led bulbs this will happen.
What you are describing is a feature that if one of the bulbs are burn out or the wrong type of bulbs used both turn signal indicators will light, this is control by the flasher by measuring the current flow to the light bulbs. I had the same trouble when I installed the wiring harness in my kit car. I did not connect the side marker
light and this is what happen.

I have the same issue with mine. Someone here said bad ground. Groundloop through a bulb will cause this. I to have not done anything about it either.

Is it a good thing that I am not alone? Don't think so.
My inital thought was a burnt out bulb, but all 4 corners work. Am I correct to say that the side markers do not act as turn signals?
I've got extra relays so I'll try that first.
My car has been off of the road for 25+ years and this is my main electrical problem, so I think I'm doing ok.
If I get to it soon I'll post my results. I may get to it after I put the trash out tonight or else it's later in the week.

it sounds alot like a common issue on older chevy p/u's. the side marker socket looses the ground. the outside signals would operate normally, but would backfeed a ground thru the dash an flash them both in the cluster. 35 year old car thats sat for years i'd bet a ground issue. winter can add resistance to a weak ground too.

shit, I thought it was the "way it was"... both of mine did this.

Some 914s had but one light in the tach and some have two and some of the ones that have two lights have both flash when either right or left signals are activated. Make sure that the external signals are working correctly and worry about rust prevention, it is much more important.

Let us know if replacing the relay is a fix. Mine do this, but, mine are only intermittent. When doing a walk around, the lights function correctly. Its only annoying to have the "hazard" effect on my gauge.

What rust? Well I do have a very small amount in the gutter for the front trunk rubber. NO other rust.

I did not get to the relay last night. Maybe tonight, but I've got a lot going on for the next 4 days.

It sounds like I may be chasing a non-issue. I've been in a '73 for the last 15+ years and now I'm in a '70.

I have a 70 and mine has a similar issue. Turn on the right directional and just the right indicator blinks. Step on the break and both indicators blink. Turn on the left and both blink but all the exterior lights work properly. I have cleaned all the grounds, replaced the relay but it hasn't fixed it. I eventually gave up. Hopefully someone has the answer.

If I recall, this may be the way it operates; both turn signal lights in the tach flash no matter what, left or right. I think sometime it change either from both flashing (as someone with an early car stated above) to individual direction flashing or the other way around, individual direction to both flashing.

Here's the post that suggested changing the relay.

And since I like pictures, here are the two leads for the two separate turn signal indicator bulbs in the top of the tach (this is a '74).

Click to view attachment

hmm. I didn't care before, but now I must look to see if mine has 1 or 2 bulbs

FWIW - my 72 blinks similar to above - left flashes for left turn, and right for right turn. Only thing is after about 3-4 blinks then BOTH indicators blink. I plan on checking the bulbs for clean contacts and check all possible grounds.

Maybe related or not but my 911 exibits this behavior also. The cure for me is to clean the contact ponts for the fuses on the fuse panel. Maybe it will work also for 914's

Paul

I had the both indicators flashing thing for 15 years. I was sure it was just that way, until a VW guy put in a bus flasher and OMG, it works!

My car is a 73. with silver button instruments. Jay told me I had the wrong flasher unit anyway, b/c the parts places only make one flasher for all 914s. IDK how he knew to try the bus flasher- probably by appearance and familiarity with the alternatives....

I'll try to get a part number tonight or tomorrow.

Yes. Sort of. Early cars should have the indicator lights operate separately. Later cars only have one bulb. And then there's the cars in-between that still have both bulbs but they always flash together.

Confused? Welcome to the club ...


On a '70, they should work individually. Try this, when blinking, rev up the engine above 2k rpm or so and see if the lights blink individually then.
Andy

Mine do that. Everyone looks at you kinda funny with a 2k idle though.

I am glad Andy cleared that up... I thought it was a problem but since I live in California I thought it was a fairly low level problem... As my wife tells it, the only people in California who use their turn signals are people going around the world to the left or right (signal on all the time). To which I respond, "Yopu, you know this is called the fast lane and not the Asian lane?"

Mine, (late car) only seems to have a right turn signal and it only blinks like once or twice. I figured it was a relay or a ground problem but other priorities have kept me from it...

Mine both flash at once. Always thought it was the way it was designed. I'll have to look behind the dash.

Actually since my tach is upside down now, I don't mind it this way. I guess if I have 2 wires, I could just switch them around.

If you drive fast enough, you don't need turn signals...

Mine both flashed on my 71.

Problem was not ground but problem with the blinker center tap to the indicators.

So I cut the common wire from the flasher to the indicators; taped up the wire from the flasher and grounded the wire common to both indicators and swapped indicators L<>R.

Sure I lose the feature of not sensing a burnt light bulb, then again, it is my car and I'm a CSOB.

Amazing how many people have this problem!

.........I did too. I changed the relay and it fixed it, I also put in a new fuse box at the same time and this I would thoroughly recommend. I had various other electrical gremlins and changing the fusebox fixed all straight away

I went through all of this about a month ago...checked bulbs, grounds, etc. Replacing my flasher relay fixed every problem I had in the world...even hemorrhoids.

about when was the change? we should all state what year model we have and note the type of operation, inquiring minds what to know

i'll start...

early 73', left and right on dash operate seperately

mike

I see this in my car when the battery is low.

73, late. independant bulbs.

I've got a new optima battery and my charging system puts out 13.5+ volts.
I want to try changing the relay- maybe I'll get to it this afternoon.

I swaped out my trun signal relay and they light up independently.

The "new" relay I put in had 4 prongs to plug in, the one I pulled out had three. What is the difference?

One prong.

Both of mine flash ONLY when I am applying the brakes while the signal is on. If i release the brake, it goes back to flashing solo.

Who knows, Its a 914. As long as the outside ones work, it dont matter much to me.

Betting a new flasher relay would cure it...borrow one to see.

I have the same problem...

For the last few days the green left/right turn signal arrows on the tachometer would flash once or twice then dim when I was signalling a turn. The green right arrow would thus flash a couple of times at "normal" brightness, then kept blinking but dimmed to barely visible. I could hear the relay clicking. Same for left green arrow for left turns. Once the arrow had flashed a couple of times and then proceeded to dim, BOTH the left and right arrows then flashed dimly together! Outside the car, the front an rear turn signal lights worked as expected.

After reading through this forum, I thought I might need a relay from VW bus, but also noted that someone said to check the fuses. The fuses (original fuse box) looked OK, but I removed, checked for corrosion, and reinstalled them just to be thorough. Voila! Back to normal turn signal indicator light operation.

Unlike some of the other comments, the left/right green arrows at tach have always blinked only the left arrow for left signal and only the right for right. BTW a 1972 914.