Good afternoon,

I've had my '77 Olds Cutlass Supreme for a little over a year now. In that time the turn signals have never made the "clicking sound" (electromechanical flasher relay), although they do work. I thought for sure it was the flasher but after having replaced it today, that is not the case. I looked for burned out bulbs but the only ones I found were the two front side markers. Since the rear markers do not blink when the turn signal is engaged, I would assume the front ones do not as well. Anyway, before I start checking grounds and sockets maybe someone has delt with this before and can help me out.
Thanks

 

I'm having a difficult time following. Firstly, you stated the turn signals work, but they do not make a "clicking sound". They likely sell two variations of a flasher module for the car - an electromechanical & an electronic version. Are you sure you don't have an electronic flasher module - which would not make the "clicking sound" since it is an electronic flasher & not an electromechanical flasher?

 

I don't know...it had not occurred to me. I simply went to O'Reilly and asked for the part. I will look into it further though, thanks!

 

So, the lights work, but the flashers don't? There are several possibilities.
Bad flasher module, like you replaced already.
Bad bulbs, but the chances of all four corners going out at the same time reaches lottery odds. Do the brake lights work? If so, the bulbs are working. On the rear at least.
Could be the emergency flasher switch stuck in the wrong position. Turn the E flashers on and off making sure the switch "clicks" on and off.
Just a couple thoughts.

 

I'll say it yet again: Get a factory Chassis Service Manual and study the wiring diagram. In there you will note that the front side marker lights DO, in fact, flash with the turn signals, although this is not your problem. The 1157 bulbs used in the front and rear park/turn/brake circuits have two filaments, one for park/tail and one for turn/brake. The two filaments have a common ground point in the bulb, so a bad ground will cause the two circuits to back feed each other, and hilarity ensues. In addition, the brake lights and rear turn signals use the same wiring and are switched in the turn signal switch, so a problem there can cause issues in the rear lights.

First thing to check, do the brake lights work correctly, with both headlights on and headlights off? Same question for the turn signals. If so, the wiring from the turn signal switch to the back of the car is good. If not, especially if behavior changes with lights on vs. off, find the bad ground.
If brake lights work but turn signals do not, check the turn signal switch.

 

So the turn signals work with the headlights on and off. The two parking lights and turn signals work upfront and rear. Brake lights work, with lights on and off. Everything works as it should, it just doesn't click. Although, I activated the hazard lights and I can hear the clicking. Just not the turn signals operated one at a time...weird. I'm checking/replacing the front side markers today.

 

So ... everything works great, it just doesn't click?

 

That was basically my takeaway, but I had a difficult time following along.

 

Yes

 

I guess I should add - in my initial post #2, I likely should have stated a bi-metallic thermal flasher instead of electromechanical flasher? I meant for an electromechanical flasher to represent a bi-metallic thermal flasher (as originally used on the vehicle).

 

Pull the signal stat from the fuse block, go to the parts store and get another just like it and replace the one for the turn signals with it.

 

The clicking noise comes from the flasher module. The hazard flashers and the turn signals use different flasher modules, thus the different sound. The turn signal flasher is on a pigtail behind the dashboard. It is supposed to be held in a clip screwed to the metal dash to use the dash as an "amplifier", but it frequently comes loose. The OEM flasher is electro-mechanical, so it makes a very distinct clicking sound. Replacement flasher modules will have different (or no) sound, so who knows whether that's the problem or not. Modern electronic flasher modules may or may not make a noise. Ironically, the electronic flasher module I have in my 69 wagon makes a very loud sound, which I imagine is generated through a small speaker since it doesn't have the electromechanical relay.

 

Joe brings up two important considerations: (1) There are two flasher modules, ensure you recognize which flasher module your are changing; and, (2) owning/reading the CSM would have identified these flasher modules. If you don’t own the Chassis Sevice Manual (CSM), buy an original used paperback edition (best) - it’s the Bible for your car. Check eBay for listings.