Mystery Flasher?

[Whoaaanelly]

Hey all,

Moving onto the wiring, which I think I have most of it figured out. The only mystery to me is whether this is the flasher for both the Emergency and turn signals. I can find no round flashers like the 67 wiring diagram shows (one for each the emergency and turn signal). The 67 is supposed to have the turn signal flasher on the back of the instrument cluster. This flasher, though, is mounted just to the right of the steering column and tracing the wires it does go to the emergency flasher switch, but I haven't traced the turn signal wires yet. The cab is stripped at the moment so, I don't think there's any flasher still hiding in there.

Please advise if you know. I'm thinking to do a conversion to regular flashers since I'm sure this thing can't be replaced.

Oh, and by the way, the part number on this is:
C7TB-13350-A

[mk]

That would be the original turn signal flasher box. You can replace it with the round flasher.

mike

[Whoaaanelly]

But is it a dual duty thing for both the emergency and turn signals? Typically, these are separate. The wiring diagram for the 67 shows two flashers as well. That's the real mystery.

[qman]

There should be two flashers. It's been a while since I've looked but I know they're both under the dash.

[FORDification]

Correct, there should still be two. The bigger one you have is the heavy-duty unit used on Camper Specials, since these trucks tend to have additional camper lights to operate. I don't think the non/CS trucks ever had that larger one, at least not that I've run across.

[68F250]

The big square box flasher is a '67 only item and not available anymore. You can replace it with a round one like mike said.

[Whoaaanelly]

OK then.. I'll have to trace out the wires and see where he stashed it. As I said, the wiring is all out of the cab, so I should maybe change the thread to "the mystery of the missing flasher"

Oddly, when I got the truck the turn signals worked with the key off, but I never stuck my head up there to see what was making the click-click, click-click sound.

[Whoaaanelly]

I traced the wires and both the Emergency flasher and turn signal wires join to this flasher. So there doesn't seem to be anything I can find to document this type of system in the diagrams I've found. If you look at the picture you'll see the blue wire (turn signal) and red w/white (emergency). And that's a factory terminal.

So, does anyone have this type of flasher and another flasher?

I'll probably rewire it to match the diagrams anyway, but am curious why this is wired different. I also found some other "factory" wiring oddities, but that'll be another thread at some point maybe.

[68F250]

Wow, going by the wire colors in your pic, it looks like the flasher is used for both the turn signals AND the emergency flashers.

Don't know what to say. Why not buy a regular flasher, hook it up and see what happens?

[FORDification]

My '67 has this type of flasher unit, I'll check when I'm at the shop this weekend to see if there's a second unit. I don't specifically recall seeing one, but still...

As a side note, I was browsing E-bay a while back and saw a listing for an NOS version of this gold-box flasher unit, and got it for next to nothing as a backup. (Figured I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.)

[Whoaaanelly]

Thanks Keith for looking into this. The diagrams (on your site) say I should have a flasher mounted to the back of the instrument panel -- but not only is it not there, there are no wires in the harness for these.

Two other oddities I've found so far are:

1) This truck has 4 gauges instead 2 gauges and 2 warning lights and the diagrams don't show this until 68 with the 65 amp alternator.

2) On the connectors above the heater box that exit to the engine compartment (3 of them as I recall), they have added new "jumper" connector sets. In other words, the harness is close to the diagrams until they get here, then Ford added a set of short harnesses to the end of the main harness and then the connectors from the engine compartment plug into these. What's odd is the color codes change in these to a color that no longer matches all the colors of the main. I'll post some pictures tonight or tomorrow.

[71 LONG BED]

Oh-boy! I thought I had problems with just my gauges. I hope you get everything worked out.
I don't like electrical work at all!! It is to confusing for me to try and trace everything. I feel like a fool but I don't have the concentration for it.

[mk]

I've seen harnesses with those adaptor segments. It's another 67-only thing and I think it's serial number related. (ie-earlier or later trucks) Maybe you 67 guys can check your dash harnesses at the RH end and see if you have these extra intermediate wires? Maybe we can pin this down

mike

[Whoaaanelly]

FWIW, I'm not at all intimidated by wiring. In fact I drafted my own wiring diagram for my 56 F-100 and made my own wiring harness from it. So, I'm sure I'll figure it out. It's just these odd unknown items that have to be figured out. I'm fortunate that most of the wiring is still intact and unmolested -- apart from the wiring that's been replaced with all speaker wire, which I hope the section of harness (this is under the hood on the drivers side and heads toward the rear taillights) I snagged from wrecker will splice right it. Fingers crossed. The guy I bought this truck from said the harness got wrapped up into the steering coupler and all he had was speaker wire to fix it.

As for the flasher... because it's obsolete, I'll probably break it out of the harness and replace it with two flashers.

[ron b]

I recently acquired a 67 F100 Ranger. I noticed after I got it that the turn signals would operate when the key was off. This was not the norm for other Fords I have owned, so I started to check it out, thinking there may be a problem with the wiring that could cause a fire or breakdown. First of all, the wiring under the dash seemed to be original, unmolested after 40 years, which was a blessing. All of the wiring appeared to be uncut and and all connections were of the factory styles, no wire nuts or the twisted together/taped variety and all harnesses labeled with C7--- part numbers. My first move was to get a wiring diagram to compare with what I had behind the instrument panel. That only added to the confusion as the diagram I ordered and received did not jive with what I had underdash. I looked at other diagrams and could not find one that had any wiring/flasher arrangement like my truck.
> I recently found your "mystery flasher" post on FORDification. My truck is as you described yours- only one large rectangular flasher mounted behind the dash on the structure beside the steeering column and no flasher or wiring for one on the back of a four gauge instrument panel.
> The single flasher operates for both the directional indicators and the emergency flashers.
> Finding and reading your post was a relief to me as it made me first think my truck was "normal" but I can't imagine that these trucks would be wired with the turn signals operable with no key. (seems I bump the turn signal switch getting in and out and have to turn it off a lot.)
> Have you since found a diagram for our trucks and where did you get it?
> I don't know if it has any relation to this quiz, but my truck does not have a color code stamped on the door data plate (I read that this indicated the truck originally had a non-standard special order paint color) and has the roof mounted amber clearance lights (but there are only three, not five) and the wires have factory-looking part labels and connections.
> As of now, I have the instrument panel pulled loose and am looking for info to "fix" this, or find out that this is just the way it is and just put it back together. I worked in a Ford wiring manufacturing plant for seven years in the early seventies and am knowledgable of the wiring in Fords and Mercurys of this era, but like the old repairman said, "I haven't ever seen one quite like this."
> Any information or diagram on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
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