When I was using my late model Chevy truck to haul this trailer I didnt have this problem, but when I hook the trailer up to my 92 D250 and use the turn signals they cycle so fast the lights hardly have time to light up. How can I fix this?

 

Sounds like the trailer has LED stop/turn/tail lights. If so, an electronic flasher should cure the issue.

 

A standard flasher consists of a simple bi-metal strip, just exactly like a self-resetting circuit-breaker.

The amperage heats the bi-metal strip, it curls up from the heat and breaks contact, it cools down and returns to make contact, and so forth and so on.

There are two sizes of these; standard-duty that works reasonably well with the few bulbs that are in an un-trailered circuit.

Add the extra bulbs of a trailer and the increased current makes the bi-metal strip heat really fast, thus the lights flash really fast.

A heavy-duty flasher will cure this, as it has a thicker bi-metal strip that requires more amperage to heat it to the point of curling.

A heavy-duty flasher will make the un-trailered circuit work somewhat slower.

A heavy-duty flasher is about twice the length of a standard-duty one.

If the truck has normal bulbs and the trailer has LEDs, then little if any difference will be seen in the speed of flashing.

As a general rule, LED lights draw quite a bit less current and will make a standard type flasher work really slow, or not at all, providing both truck and trailer have the LEDs.

If the truck itself has LED bulbs, then an electronic flasher is necessary; the LEDs will not draw enough amperage to heat the bi-metal strip of a regular flasher, thus will not flash.



Some years ago, I built a signal-flasher control-center that contains two sets of relays in tandem, plus fuses for each set of lights and terminal blocks for ease of maintenance.

Now, the factory system only works the original signals and all the many others on both truck and trailer receive their power through these relays.

It sounds really cool to be outside the running truck and hear these relays CLICKing above the sound of the engine; it sounds really heavy-duty.

 

As jimbo said, an electronic flasher should cure any flasher-speed problems, regardless of what type bulbs are in the circuit, as they do not rely on the heating of a bi-metal strip to make/break the circuit.

 

I used the term "should" loosely . I recently purchased a pair of LEDs to replace the front 1157 turn signal bulbs. To my knowledge, I do have an electronic flasher and they work as the running/turn light just as they should. However, the indicator light in the gauge cluster stays illuminated. I can't fathom why as I've read numerous times that an electronic flasher should cure this issue as well. I'm not exactly a fan of piggy-backing a resistor to the factory wiring but I suppose if that's my only other option, I'd do it. In fact, I won't piggy-back it, I'll wire it in-line.

 

The various manufacturers wire the dash-indicators such that a failed bulb somewhere else will either make the dash bulb either stay constantly lit or not light at all.

This is more annoying than helpful.


To cure your situation, re-wire the dash indicators such that they behave as the signal side of the front 1157s, receiving their HOT flash signal from the front signal wire and being GROUNDed normally; thus, they will behave as any other bulb in the system.


I went a bit farther and added LED indicators in my dash-top gauge-pod that flash with the signals; these are way more noticable than the factory ones.

 

A standard type bi-metal strip flasher will be a little round metal can with terminals poking out the bottom.

An electronic flasher usually is clear see-thru such that one can see the guts inside.

 

Can you elaborate and give details on how to do just that?

 

Although it takes more wire, it is easiest to splice into the front signal circuit right behind the front bulbs.

GROUND is pretty-much self-explanatory.

As best I remember, these trucks have a printed-circuit for the dash-indicators, so bit of circuit-cutting and soldering on the new wires is required.

You want to be certain to get your signal from the front part of the system, else the indicators will behave as brake-lights.

 

BK you hit the nail on the head. The guy at Advance told me it was probably a burnt out bulb so I checked and all bulbs were good. I checked the flasher (this one has a light blue plastic cover instead of the metal ones they used to use) and it said "2 lamps" and I said "Aha!" So I picked up a 12 lamp flasher at Autozone and it works great!
Thanks