MTFCA Forum

In the interest of Touring safety, I installed turn signals on a 6 volt Model T with a mag. With the engine off, they work great. With the engine running, they work erratically. I'm using a 6 volt neg ground mechanical flasher and 6 volt lens.
Is it the mag causing inference or the generator?
My first attempt installing turn signals was using the "E Lights". The idea is fine but they are not reliable with no sales support.

You say you have a mechanical flasher. Are you sure it's the traditional type with a hot wire?
They are usually unaffected by anything.

I once went to great trouble to fit LED bulbs to my flashers, and bought a solid state flasher to suit.
It worked great....until I started the engine!
I don't know if it was RF off the coils or dirty DC off the generator. I never thought of the magneto.

I swapped two bulbs back to tungsten and the hot-wire flasher and it's been fine ever since.

If you do have a hot wire flasher, I suggest you check, or add earthing (grounding) arrangements.
A big capacitor from the 6v flasher supply to ground might help.
You could check the system with a separate 6v supply, if you have one. That might narrow the possible causes

Well done for not going 12v!

We need to know if you are using LED or tungsten/standard bulbs.
I have standard/tungsten bulbs in my turn signals and LED tail/brake lights. With the headlights off, the turn signals work fine. With the headlights on the turn signals work fine but the tail lights blink. This with or without the engine running. As long as they flash and tail/brake lights do their thing not going to spend too much time worrying about it.

I went through the whole wireing thing three times, wire, tear out, rewire, tear out, with all the experts instructions and suggestions as to how to do it but it did not work properly no matter what I did. Then I called a friend of mine that told me that every LED bulb has to have it’s own resister between the switch and the bulb. WOW, everything all of a sudden worked perfectly. Now why can’t any of the wendors and experts tell you something as simple as that is in the first place. I spent over thirty hours doing it wrong and then spent three hours doing it right, not to mention all the wires and stuff that I threw in the garbage after each tear out. Live and learn??? Frank

Update....
The vendor that supplied the leds informed me that I need to install load resistors for each led bulb, just like was what was mentioned above.
Thanks.

I would suggest getting the proper flasher made for the LED system and ditch the mechanical type, then you should not need the resistors or extra bulbs in the system. https://www.ledlight.com/flasher-cf13-6 ... -watt.aspx

I just fought this battle. I installed led blinkers and with the T off they worked great but with it running they were possessed. I tried using various different tap points for the power from the main switch, from the terminal block, to straight to the battery. Nothing made much difference. In the end I made a Torrid Coil and used the main switch for the power tap. The Torrid Coil resists the sudden changes in the voltage caused by the spark coils and magneto. I made the Torrid Coil myself. I used 10 feet of magnet wire, 3 of my 5/8" washers and made insulators out of a ritz cracker box. I installed it on the main power line going to the blinker system. This solved my problem.

Steve I used to understand things like this but this one stumped me. Without an oscilloscope I couldn't even begin to figure it out. The coil was a hail Mary and I'm glad it worked. My guess is the coils throwing electrical noise all the way to the battery. But it's just a guess.

Yup, the Model T electrical system is a VERY hostile environment for modern electronic devices. That's why magneto measurements are made using an analog meter. The electric noise produced by the coils causes digital meters to vary widely.

Steve, think back to your Radio days, how did your skit make it to the audiance? Model T coils are small transmitters which broadcast a broad frequency range of energy (nonsense/noise) that can upset modern electronics. Try tuning into your Model T using an AM radio sometime and listen to the "hash" they create over the entire band.

Never understood how one obtains a sense of security and safety by installing directional signals on a Model T. I always use turn signals in my modern vehicles but never ever rely on them for safety nor do they make me feel secure.

I might have to break down and install front and rear turn signals. Last Saturday I was coming home on a rural sparsely traveled gravel road in the centerdoor and signaled a left turn with my left arm straight out. Well, the idiot behind me thought I motioned him to pass me. So we nearly swapped paint jobs. Folks nowadays just don’t comprehend the left, right and stop arm signals

Had the same scenario happen in our Centerdoor a couple summers ago George !

I am somewhat dyslexic on a good day. You definitely don't want to be following me if I have to rely on hand signals! Hence I have turn signals and stop lights.

Have a read of: https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... nal#p42478

Cheers

Tim Rogers wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:13 am

Never understood how one obtains a sense of security and safety by installing directional signals on a Model T. I always use turn signals in my modern vehicles but never ever rely on them for safety nor do they make me feel secure.

I agree. Signals are a great safety device, but you shouldn't assume the other drivers see it, or really care.

I call them passing signals. You use them to relay to the driver behind you which side to quickly pass on.

I opened this can of worms, and I think I’m close to having working system. With the engine off my turn signals and brake lights work as they should. My bump in the road came with the engine running. Turn signals just flashed erratically. In talking with the Led vendor, he told me I needed “load equalizers” on each lamp. My system is very simple using a Ron Francis toggle switch, dual output leds and a led flasher. The only complication is being 6 volt. 12 systems can use the 3 to 2 conversion box.
As soon as my “ load equalizers arrive”, I’ll post the results.

This is the set up on My 26 touring. Dual color HF trailer lights amber front. red to the rear. mount to top tie down saddle posts can be removed with quick disconnects and stowed out of sight in five minutes. color washed out in photo. Your butt! Your choice! small stock tail light on a black car or something that can be easily seen. They can still hit You while distracted or texting but they can't say You were invisible.

I worked on this too in the summer. I fixed the problem by finding vintage US made flasher units. The ones made in Taiwan were really bad and the more modern type for LED didn’t work for traditional tungsten bulbs. I have recently come upon some NOS flashers if anyone needs one. $10 plus post.

I used the cowl lights for the front turn signals. Used amber beehive marker lights in the rear.