1993 blinker problem Also I hear a noise in the right side of the car when I turn any direction.

Tiny
NAVADAMIAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1993 FORD THUNDERBIRD
  • 1.5L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 1,600 MILES
So I took off my steering clam off and I was thinking it was a fuse or switch but I have no idea if it is or not how do I find out if that the problem? And if that's not the problem what could be the Other problem if its not a switch or a fuse? And also I hear a noise when I turn my steering wheel in the right side of the car by the wheel and have no idea what it could be. Its my first car and I have to get it all fix please help.
Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 AT 11:26 AM

4 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,916 POSTS
You have to be a lot more specific. What do you mean by "clam"? What are the signals doing or not doing? Does just one side act up or both sides? Have you checked the bulbs?

There's a lot of different things that will make noises, and we can often narrow the cause down by knowing what type of noise it is and when it occurs. Fords have way more steering and suspension parts problems than all other manufacturers combined. Ball joints and tie rod ends will separate leading to loss of control and crashes. Inspecting those parts and identifying those in need of replacement can get rather involved so you'll want to have that done at a tire and alignment shops. It's not unheard of for a part to break in as little as 700 miles after the noise is first heard.

The first thing they'll look at is those ball joints and tie rod ends because failure of those is so common, but experienced mechanics know to not stop looking when they find the obvious problems. They will continue the inspection with struts and shock absorbers, control arm bushings, and anti-sway bar links and bushings. They will measure the front and rear ride height. Ford has a real lot of trouble with tire wear issues, and since they didn't care to build in some key adjustments, correcting sagged ride height is the best that can be done to get the best life out of the tires.
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Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 AT 11:40 AM
Tiny
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So I know that the blinkers have new bulbs. Just the blinkers don't turn on when I try to go left or right. But the hazards work and so do the head and tale lights. Everything works electrical other then the blinkers and I took of the collum and I don't know what to look for if it's the switch or fuse. And if it's not that what else could it be for the blinkers to not work?
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Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 AT 11:56 AM
Tiny
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Also yes it is only one side that the noise is coming from and it's the right side when I turn left or right. It's like a clink noise and it happends when ever I turn the wheel.
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Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 AT 12:00 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,916 POSTS
The first thing to check is the signal flasher. There are two different ones, one for the signals that include all the lights on just one side of the car, and one for the flashers which includes twice as many bulbs. It isn't really practical to test the older, reliable, mechanical flashers. Just pop in a used one from a salvage yard. You can also switch the signal and hazard flashers as a test, but the flashing speed will likely be wrong. At least it will tell you if the flasher is suspect.

If you have the newer, expensive and very unreliable electronic flasher, those are used for both the signals and hazards, so if only one function doesn't work, it's usually due to a defective switch. If the flasher is bad, typically the signals on one side will still work.

If you do suspect the switch, they can get rather expensive so you might want to start with a used one from the salvage yard. There's no quick way to test them either except by substituting a different one.

Clunks can be caused by a worn strut which is not a serious safety concern, but it will affect tire wear and handling on corners. It can be caused by ball joints too, and those ARE a safety issue. Tie rod ends don't usually make a clunking noise.
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Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 AT 12:59 PM

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