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left turn signal not working

nwag01

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August 14, 2008
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Year, Model & Trim Level
1995 Explorer Sport
i'm at a dead end on this right now;

problem started when i turned the left blinker on a buzzing noise came from the flasher; right turn signal works, hazard works on the right side, wipers, etc. all work just not the left blinker

i read the post on this site about the mf turn signal switch and this is what i've done so far:

1st checked all the bulbs for damage -- all looked ok but i guess i should try replacing them anyway

2nd tested the relay under the hood on the driver side by swapping it with the righ turn signal one -- same problem with left blinker

3rd checked the turn signal fuse on the driver side in the fuse box -- looked ok

4th replaced the flasher -- buzzing noise stopped when i did that on the left turn signal but i still get no lights or indication on the dash; also the flasher in the cab and relay under the hood click on and off when i turn the left blinker on just no lights

5th replaced the mf switch on the steering column same result as the previous step

is there anything else i need to check on or double check what i've done so far?

thanks in advanced
 



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just not use it?
lol nah actually i saw the post and immediately was thinkin !multi-function switch! then i read down - crap.
 






if it wasn't for people riding 2" from my bumper or the chance of getting a ticket i really would just forget about it but...................

the only other thing i thought of was if i had a damaged/bad wire somewhere or if the mf switch i bought was a defect
 






well i cant comment on the police one,.. but as far as tailgaters go, get yourself some nice 100w floods, or fogs and aim them off the back, - ithey're most effective for the noctornal tailgators :D :thumbsup:
 






If you hear the flasher and relay working it sounds like a wiring problem somewhere beyond that point. Where is anyones guess. Tracing the wiring down with a voltmeter is about all I can think of.
 






I just replaced the multifunction switch in mine last week. I was having the same problem. The left signal didn't work but everything else did. When I replaced the switch, the left signal worked and the right signal didn't. It turned out that the plug into the multifunction switch wasn't seated properly. Try to move the plug and wires around a little bit to see if you can get it to work.
 






thanks

i'll check the wires and see if that will get it working
 






The tab that holds the plug into place was broken on mine, so I ended up improvising with some black electrical tape. I gently seperated the wires in the center of the plug and wrapped the tape between the wires and around the entire switch. I used 3 or 4 wraps and everything is held securely. I might one day buy another plug and take the time to splice it, but I doubt it... it would take some force to get it loose now.
 






uhh...how about trying a new bulb?
 






I don't know if this is the case with Explorers because I've never had to replace a signal bulb, but on my other vehicles the flash indicator would flash a lot faster than normal when a bulb was blown.
 






i checked all the bulbs 1st but i can always check them again

i had one go bad before and the dash light flashed really fast when it was blown
 






I just had the exact same thing happen this weekend. The problem had been intermittant the last few weeks. The truck is not driven often. My wife and daughter both told me about it and the problem went away when I cycled the turn signal switch up and down a few times last week. So, now it is back as of this weekend and I replaced the flasher today with an OEM Ford unit and it did not fix the problem.
 






My truck's problem ended up being the same as X6StringerX. I used a zip tie instead of electrical tape and all is fine now.
 






Multi-switch connector

There is a trend here: PeterJ - X6StringerX - me

My symptoms:
- right blinker worked
- left blinker did not
- emergency flashers did not

Partly through investigating prowess and partly through luck, I discovered that when I changed the setting of my adjustable steering wheel, I could get all 3 systems to work or fail (worked when wheel in higher position - failed when wheel in lower position). I pulled the plastic casing that houses the ignition and steering column off.

This was pretty easy in my 98 explorer
- removed the 3 screws holding it on,
- removed the top piece
- did a very small cut away to the lower piece of plastic so I could get it off over the steering wheel adjustment lever (though removing the bottom half may not be necessary).

On the top of the steering column on the left side (as you sit in the drivers seat) is the plug that connects to the multifunction switch. Mine was cracked. I found that as I moved the steering wheel up and down, the wires leading into the connecter pushed and pulled slightly into and out of the connector - and that is what was causing the various configurations of flasher to work or fail.

I pushed the wires in manually, then stuffed a small piece of foam (a cut away piece of an earplug) into the back of the connector to hold the wires in place. I then used a little duct tape to ensure the foam would remain in place. All systems now remain working in any/all of the steering wheel positions. I hope this helps.

Best regards.
 






same problems

When i bought my ex not left nor right signals work and when i tried the hazards the right side would come one a hang on and wouldnt blink. so i drove it like this for a while and then my window was sprayer quit working too so i figured that the mf switch was going bad so i bought and new one and replaced it today. well i really hoped that this would fix my problems but all it did was make the right turn signal work and it works fine. but the hazards still hang on the right and the left still doesnt work at all. so i tried replaceing the flasher under the dash but still did the same thing. so i searched under the hood and i found a bunch of relays or something in a box beside the battery and i pulled all of them out but the right turn signal worked even with the all of the relays of flashers out that are beside the battery and all it does is stop the clicking noise when the signal is on. but other then that im pretty much at a loss for what else so check. also ive already checked all the bulbs and fuses and there all fine so i just idk:usa::salute:
 






Left turn signal doesn't work

The left and right turn signals each have their own 7.5 amp fuse. Check each fuse.
 






Multi-switch connector

There is a trend here: PeterJ - X6StringerX - me

My symptoms:
- right blinker worked
- left blinker did not
- emergency flashers did not

Partly through investigating prowess and partly through luck, I discovered that when I changed the setting of my adjustable steering wheel, I could get all 3 systems to work or fail (worked when wheel in higher position - failed when wheel in lower position). I pulled the plastic casing that houses the ignition and steering column off.

This was pretty easy in my 98 explorer
- removed the 3 screws holding it on,
- removed the top piece
- did a very small cut away to the lower piece of plastic so I could get it off over the steering wheel adjustment lever (though removing the bottom half may not be necessary).

On the top of the steering column on the left side (as you sit in the drivers seat) is the plug that connects to the multifunction switch. Mine was cracked. I found that as I moved the steering wheel up and down, the wires leading into the connecter pushed and pulled slightly into and out of the connector - and that is what was causing the various configurations of flasher to work or fail.

I pushed the wires in manually, then stuffed a small piece of foam (a cut away piece of an earplug) into the back of the connector to hold the wires in place. I then used a little duct tape to ensure the foam would remain in place. All systems now remain working in any/all of the steering wheel positions. I hope this helps.

Best regards.

10 years later and this post is still helpful!
 






We had a similar issue that we resolved at the hazard switch. There was so much gunk built up that it was making poor contact. I seem to recall being able to pull the button off for easier access and spraying DeOxit and cycling the switch to work it clean. No more problem.

Team TARDIS
 






i'm at a dead end on this right now;

problem started when i turned the left blinker on a buzzing noise came from the flasher; right turn signal works, hazard works on the right side, wipers, etc. all work just not the left blinker

i read the post on this site about the mf turn signal switch and this is what i've done so far:

1st checked all the bulbs for damage -- all looked ok but i guess i should try replacing them anyway

2nd tested the relay under the hood on the driver side by swapping it with the righ turn signal one -- same problem with left blinker

3rd checked the turn signal fuse on the driver side in the fuse box -- looked ok

4th replaced the flasher -- buzzing noise stopped when i did that on the left turn signal but i still get no lights or indication on the dash; also the flasher in the cab and relay under the hood click on and off when i turn the left blinker on just no lights

5th replaced the mf switch on the steering column same result as the previous step

is there anything else i need to check on or double check what i've done so far?

thanks in advanced
Check the turn signal switch connector wire (10 wires)
my case was two wire was pulled back it coudn't touched switch
you can get the connector from ebay
Good luck ~~~
 



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Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
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.





Multi-switch connector

There is a trend here: PeterJ - X6StringerX - me

My symptoms:
- right blinker worked
- left blinker did not
- emergency flashers did not

Partly through investigating prowess and partly through luck, I discovered that when I changed the setting of my adjustable steering wheel, I could get all 3 systems to work or fail (worked when wheel in higher position - failed when wheel in lower position). I pulled the plastic casing that houses the ignition and steering column off.

This was pretty easy in my 98 explorer
- removed the 3 screws holding it on,
- removed the top piece
- did a very small cut away to the lower piece of plastic so I could get it off over the steering wheel adjustment lever (though removing the bottom half may not be necessary).

On the top of the steering column on the left side (as you sit in the drivers seat) is the plug that connects to the multifunction switch. Mine was cracked. I found that as I moved the steering wheel up and down, the wires leading into the connecter pushed and pulled slightly into and out of the connector - and that is what was causing the various configurations of flasher to work or fail.

I pushed the wires in manually, then stuffed a small piece of foam (a cut away piece of an earplug) into the back of the connector to hold the wires in place. I then used a little duct tape to ensure the foam would remain in place. All systems now remain working in any/all of the steering wheel positions. I hope this helps.

Best regards.
Thanks for this post. Have 2001 Explorer sport trac. My driver side blinker and break light stop working. After scratching my head for months I read this post and found a broken multi switch plug in the steering column. With a little electrical tape took all of 10 minutes to fix.
 






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