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Intermittent blinker relay

Started by raueda1, 04 August 2021, 10:16 AM

raueda1

Blinkers flash a few times and then just stay on, no flashing.  If they're turned off and back on the same thing repeats.  I assume the flasher relay is bad.  But the relay seems to be a scarce item, and expensive.  Can't find it at the usual parts sources and on ebay they tend to be from Greece, Turkey, etc.  Do I have to just bite the bullet with those guy or am I missing something?  Comments and advice welcome.  Thanks as always and cheers,
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0

daantjie

#1
Hmmm, this rings a bell somewhere in my mind.  I think I had this too, and what I did was pull the hazard lights button and strip it and gave it a good clean with contact spray, duster spray and such.  Just be careful if you still have the printing on the button as the contact spray will eat that off and damage the finish as I'm sure you know, so I only use that stuff on the internals. From memory you can split the unit carefully and the whole thing comes apart.  You will also see a bulb in there of course.They get super gunky over the years. This will be a cheap (free ;D) fix if it works.  Other than that yes the relay is likely the culprit.

Oh, and also remember to top up your blinker fluid, heeee ;D ;D ;D!
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

revilla

There are 2 types of hazard switches, the pure contactor type and the fat one with the relay and switch integrated in the same bezel. Most likely you have the 1st type. The failure mode you described is not due to dirty contacts but rather the relay (under the dash to the left of the steering column) which has developed the typical things: micro cracks on soldering points, bad capacitor, bad resistors. I would replace them all and resolder to solve your problem.

raueda1

Thank you, fellow enthusiasts!  I'll take a closer look at what's there and proceed accordingly.  Cheers,
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0