Hello,

I am helping a friend with an XJS whose turn signals have stopped working. The car is a 1990 U.S. model convertible. Could anyone help me with the following:

- Where is the flasher unit for the turn signals located

- Where is the flasher unit for the hazard lights located

- Can a burned out bulb, or a bulb not making good contact, cause both signals to not work?

- Can a bad "lamp out indicator" unit (three-prong thingy that sends a signal to the bulb failure light) cause the signals or flashers to not work? If so, where would I find it in the car?

The turn signals and hazards are dead, all the other lights work. No illumination of signal indicator on the dash when the turn signal is applied. There has been no bulb-out indicator lit.

Any help/suggestions/advice appreciated. I am no stranger to tracking down electrical issues on cars; this one is just new to me and I have no manual. They worked before, car sat for a while, now they don't. I don't mind systematically checking and cleaning every bulb, socket, and connection!

Thanks!

Tony K.

 

Flasher unit is the blue unit on your L/H main component panel under dash. Also check for power at fuses #2 and #5. Plug on back of hazard switch must be plugged into switch for lights to work, just in case it is unplugged for testing.
Bulb failure unit will not detect turn signal failure.
I would guess your problem is just bad contacts in bulb holders or flasher unit connections but I would start at the fuses then check bulbs.

 

Tony,

The most common problem with non-working turn signals is the Hazard switch. The switch gets corroded due to lack of use. Many times just exercising the switch a few dozen times is enough to clean the contacts and make the turn signals work again.

Any XJS that sits for a while will have electrical issues.

Disconnect the battery and then remove and clean every fuse and relay you can find. Clean all of the ground wire. Remove every connector you can find and reinstall. Just separating the connectors will create a clean contact and things will start working again.

It takes time but its worth doing. After that, driving the car on a regular basis will keep things working.

Mark

 

Baxtor and Safari --

Thank you both for your very helpful answers. Exactly the kind of useful suggestions I was hoping for. I pushed the hazard button in and out a couple dozen times just as a matter of course while I read your replies, and then went to the flasher unit: Pulled it out/pushed it in several times and that took care of it.

Thanks!

-Tony K.

 

Thank you Tony! Mine stopped working was gonna tear everything apart and I just slammed the hazard switch on and off 20x and boom. Success. Appreciate your time and input. Cheers.

 

I was hoping some kind soul might take and post a snapshot of exactly where the blinker is located. I don't see anything like under passenger side dash of my 1988 XJSC,
Many thanks!!!!

 

I believe it's under the drivers side. It is on RHD facelifts, so I think on a LHD US car it will be on LHS.

Paul