Four Way Flashers -- How To with Pics

[lippy]

Nice write up Patrick. I think I'm going to try that, at some point.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by lippy

Nice write up Patrick. I think I'm going to try that, at some point.

Total, this was about a two hour job with a cost under $50. The majority of your time is spent sitting at the table soldering in the diodes to wires, soldering the wires to the switch, and soldering the fuse to the wires and flasher. Once you do that, especially if you're using Posi-Taps, it's about twenty minutes or so.

You know, I looked on the Internet to see if you could just order "pre-wired diodes," kind of like fusible-links, but you can't. Soldering in five diodes, then shrink tubing them, is half the total task. Once you do your "at the kitchen table" work, and armed with three Posi-Taps, you can knock this out in about a half hour. I had been planning on doing this for years, but when I ran across the 1966 Mustang Flasher Switch, I couldn't really put it off any longer.

[davids2toys]

Quite a write up. NICE
Unfortunately, I am more of a wrench turner, I hate electronic work and admittedly limited! I love the idea, but I will need help with this one, but will do it in the future. Too much other pressing stuff before this can happen.

For your next trick...any chance you have a fix so the brake lights work with the key off ...like a normal car? I have always thought was a safety hazard. there is nothing much I don't love about the ERA car, but this is one of them.
My last Cobra worked like a normal production car, brakes lights worked all the time, key on or off

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by davids2toys

For your next trick...any chance you have a fix so the brake lights work with the key off ...like a normal car? I have always thought was a safety hazard. there is nothing much I don't love about the ERA car, but this is one of them.
My last Cobra worked like a normal production car, brakes lights worked all the time, key on or off

If you have a mechanical fuel pump, just jumper across the left (meaning passenger) sides of fuses one and five. Those are the two top fuses on the right and left hand side of the fuse block. Then disconnect and just tape off the feed to fuse five. If you have an electric fuel pump then you'll need to place it on a switch.

EDIT -- Easy Test: Just remove fuse five and use a fused jumper wire with alligator clips to go from the passenger side of fuse one to the driver side of the empty fuse holder five. Leave that fuse out. That's an easy test to see if changing the feed will do what you want.

[davids2toys]

Originally Posted by patrickt

If you have a mechanical fuel pump, just jumper across the left (meaning passenger) sides of fuses one and five. Those are the two top fuses on the right and left hand side of the fuse block. Then disconnect and just tape off the feed to fuse five. If you have an electric fuel pump then you'll need to place it on a switch.

EDIT -- Easy Test: Just remove fuse five and use a fused jumper wire with alligator clips to go from the passenger side of fuse one to the driver side of the empty fuse holder five. Leave that fuse out. That's an easy test to see if changing the feed will do what you want.

Wow Patrick...IMPRESSIVE!
I do have a mechanical fuel pump, so it sounds pretty easy.
What does this mean so I don't make a stupid assumption:
"Then disconnect and just tape off the feed to fuse five."

Also, what do you think of those 3m wire splicers to do the permanent jumping once you have tested it to see if it will work?

Thanks...Dave

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by davids2toys

Wow Patrick...IMPRESSIVE!
I do have a mechanical fuel pump, so it sounds pretty easy.
What does this mean so I don't make a stupid assumption:
"Then disconnect and just tape off the feed to fuse five."

Also, what do you think of those 3m wire splicers to do the permanent jumping once you have tested it to see if it will work?

Thanks...Dave

The left side of fuse number five is the feed. It becomes "hot" with 12 volts when you turn the key on. If you just jumper over to the left side of fuse five with a constant 12 volts, your brake lights will work with the key off, but that jumper will "back feed" through the original feed that runs to fuse five and your ignition light will be on, etc. You don't want that. So, you must simply disconnect the feed by removing the existing wire that goes to the screw that is immediately to the left of fuse five and just wrap electric tape around it. Then you can jumper an "always on" 12 volt source to that screw on the left side of fuse five. Your brake lights do not use a lot of current, so a simple 14 gauge wire running from the left side of fuse one would be fine -- just crimp and solder little ring connectors on the end. The left side of fuse one is always hot.

[davids2toys]

Originally Posted by patrickt

The left side of fuse number five is the feed. It becomes "hot" with 12 volts when you turn the key on. If you just jumper over to the left side of fuse five with a constant 12 volts, your brake lights will work with the key off, but that jumper will "back feed" through the original feed that runs to fuse five and your ignition light will be on, etc. You don't want that. So, you must simply disconnect the feed by removing the existing wire that goes to the screw that is immediately to the left of fuse five and just wrap electric tape around it. Then you can jumper an "always on" 12 volt source to that screw on the left side of fuse five. Your brake lights do not use a lot of current, so a simple 14 gauge wire running from the left side of fuse one would be fine -- just crimp and solder little ring connectors on the end. The left side of fuse one is always hot.

Great, thanks!!!