Four Way Flashers -- How To with Pics

[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!!!

[lippy]

I went ahead and finished this last night. Thanks Patrick. But I did do a few things differently. I didn't wire the dash lights to flash. I don't want any of those hard to reach small bulbs to fail more quickly. I used AWG 10 wire and soldered most of the connections under the dash. I also mounted a rocker switch hidden under the dash on a small aluminum bracket I made.

I actually think this is a fairly important thing to have. My car hasn't broken down in my first 1500 miles driven, but I did put it together myself and realize it won't be as reliable as a modern car. I carry safety triangles, but many of the roads I use don't have shoulders and this just strikes me as a good idea.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by lippy

I went ahead and finished this last night. Thanks Patrick. But I did do a few things differently. I didn't wire the dash lights to flash. I don't want any of those hard to reach small bulbs to fail more quickly. I used AWG 10 wire and soldered most of the connections under the dash. I also mounted a rocker switch hidden under the dash on a small aluminum bracket I made.

Nice. Are you running the super bright LED rear lights? (see: LED Upgrade to Rear Rectangular Lights ) The total amperage draw on my four way flasher circuit with normal 1157 bulbs up front, the LED lights in the rear, the dash light wired in to the circuit, and an electronic flasher, is just a hair under five amps (and that includes my third LED brake light as well).

[lippy]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Nice. Are you running the super bright LED rear lights? (see: LED Upgrade to Rear Rectangular Lights ) The total amperage draw on my four way flasher circuit with normal 1157 bulbs up front, the LED lights in the rear, the dash light wired in to the circuit, and an electronic flasher, is just a hair under five amps (and that includes my third LED brake light as well).

Nope. Just the brighter standard bulbs from ERA. No LEDs.