Irritating MC7 emergency flasher electrical problem

[oldmansax]

I have an irritating electrical problem with the emergency flashers on my MC7. They keep burning out the flasher. FYI, all of the lights & switches are stock. Nothing has been changed EXCEPT the flasher itself is mounted in a clip under the stock dash right by my left knee. It appears to be connected to the original flasher terminals. I am using the best 24 volt solid state Signal Stat flasher I can buy. I can leave the turn signals (either side) flashing forever with no problems. If I flip the toggle switch for the emergency flashers, it will burn up the flasher in about 3 minutes. All of the bulbs are stock according to  "da book" and everything seems right to the casual inspection.

I already know how to trouble shoot the system, or even tear the whole thing out & build a new one. What I am wondering is has anyone else had a similar problem & fixed it? That would give me somewhere to look first, rather than starting at the front & working my way to the rear.

Thanks!

TOM

[Chopper Scott]

My 7 doesn't flash the right blinker when I turn on the emergency lights. I turn on the right turn signal at the same time and then it works.  Try a turn signal also while running the flashers and see if that makes a difference. Just a stab in the dark.

[oldmansax]

Actually I inadvertently did that about 4 months ago. I pulled to the shoulder to check something & left the right turn signal on. I flipped the flashers on & sure enough, about 3 minutes & the flashers quit

Maybe I should try the left one.......

TOM

[JackConrad]

Just a guess, but when your coach was built, the flashers were not solid state.  I wonder if the solid state flasher cannot handle the load of that many bulbs?  Can you try a non-solid state "old style" flasher?  Jack

[mikelutestanski]

Hello:
I solved that problem by using a heavy duty mechanical flasher as jack suggested.   However My problem was slightly different the flasher would not burn out immediately but the breaker would trip then reset,trip reset , trip  etc   Especially when I used them for more than a few minutes.
     You may want to check the breaker to see if it trips at all or is the circuit changed from original and a different breaker is in use.
    In a perfect would the breaker should trip before the flasher burns out however in reality much water has flowed over the dam since the bus was built...
       I found a mechanical heavy duty flasher (square metal can about 2"x 2"x 1" ) and mounted it inside the box since it did not fit the outside area.   Found it in another bus...
    FWIW 
    Regards and happy bussin   mike
   

[oldmansax]

Jack: The solid state flasher is supposedly good for up to 16 bulbs. It's flashing 9 including the indicator but an old style flasher is certainly worth a try. Thanks!

Mike: That is another good idea. I will check the breaker. What I haven't figured out is why it would be tripping the breaker in the first place. I was kind of hoping  somebody would say something like, "Check the #4 terminal for grounding to frame. I had that same problem & that fixed it." But I guess there is no such luck. What kind of bus did you get the flasher out of?

Thanks!  TOM

[JackConrad]

Another suggestion: put a jumper wire across the flasher terminals, so the lights stay on and see if the circuit breaker trips.  If it does so pretty quickly, you may have a wire shorted somewhere.  Jack

[mikelutestanski]

Hello:     The mechanical flasher came from another 7 which was in  revenue service before hitting the junkyard.
    For some reason I have had trouble with several breakers getting tired and tripping on lower settings or just tripping. One happened to be the headlight breaker located in the doghouse below your feet. That one took a bit of time to find and was scary . Before I found it I installed a 12 v wire right to the lights as an emergency fix.   Had to use it several times.
     FWIW.
    regards and happy bussin   mike

[oldmansax]

Thanks Jack.  I hadn't thought about jumping out the flasher. I guess I have another thing on my to do list this spring

Mike, I haven't had any other problems with the wiring on my 7 except some issues with the running lights at the sockets. Just the usual corrosion around the bulbs & grounding problems. Most of the wiring is in very good condition. Was that flasher the factory setup or aftermarket? I had thought about a mechanical flasher like a school bus uses but they are mostly 12 volt. If you have a manufacturer and model # on yours, maybe I could hunt one down new.

Thanks!

TOM

[Busted Knuckle]

"Check the #4 terminal for grounding to frame. I had that same problem & that fixed it."












there ya go you sxaid you were hoping someone would say it, so I did.
Didn't really happen that way though.
Try the above suggestions as the old style flasher has done the trick for  us before too!
  BK 

[Depewtee]

Tom,

I am in the process of "redoing" my driver's area and I am still not sure which way I will go with the turn signal switches.  The original configuration incorporated the switches mounted to the floor that you pressed with your foot.  You had to hold the switch down to keep the signal on.  At 5'5" with a 30" inseam this configuration created quite a challenge while sitting at a stop light for any length of time!  I would like to go to the more modern self-cancelling turn signal indicator switch mounted to the steering column.  I researched the column mounted indicators enough to know I am going to need to call someone to find which one would be the best for my application.  In the meantime....  I mounted two toggle switches to the "switch area" (the area where your left arm would normally rest while driving) to operate the turn signals.  The switches have longer toggles on them allowing me to quickly distinguish them from the other switches without having to look down.  I received the added benefit of being able to flip both switches up to have emergency flashers.  I still have my emergency flasher switch and it still works, but I have found that with my new turn signal switch setup I have not used it.

Brian S.

Notice the custom labeling. 

[Just Dallas]

Removed

[Tenor]

Another long shot, but related.  I also own a MCI 7.  I had no problems with my lights until I wired up a converter from 24V to 12V for my trailer harness.  My turn signals would pop the braker and burned up the flasher when I selected the left signal!  I naturally thought I had goofed up something in the engine control box in the engine compartment since that is where the wiring terminates.  As I went through the box, I found an extra wire that was attached to the post for the left signal.  I found the other end coming out of the conduit was blank, not taped off, and had grounded out against the chassis!  I disconnected the wire at the box and left it in the conduit for future potential use.  FWIW

Glenn

[oldmansax]

Well, at least I have learned something today........

BRICE HAS WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON HIS HANDS!!!




All of the other solutions require me to actually DO something, which was what I was trying to avoid in the first place..

I think I am going to be forced into doing some real mechanic work instead of just typing on the keyboard & wishing for solutions......



TOM