no turn signals

i just bought a 1985 E-150 conversion van and i swear the signals worked on the way home. when i left a few hours later they didn't. when i turn the hazards on only the rear lights flash, i'm not sure how, but i think this is related. also- i ordered a haynes manual on ebay but it will be a few days till it arrives: which fuse controls this?? i removed all of them, cleaned them, and cleaned the fusebox, and replaced them. and where is the signal flasher? i see the hazard flasher. that didn't help at all. still no signals, nor any dash lights. all my fuses are glass, although i have a smaller fuse box mounted to the firewall which has 4 plastic flat fuses, anyone know what those are for?? thanks for any help.

I would start with new bulb's and a new signal flasher. The flasher is probly located by the steering collum or the fuse box once you locate it i would swap it with the other flasher to see if it work's.

The flasher can be the same as the hazzard. Some are square and some are round.

thanks, the bulbs are fine, there is a silver round flasher, which i can feel click when the hazards are on. does someone know which circuit they are on?? which fuse is it?? any idea about the 4 plalstic fuses?? and i just discovered that my engine won't start. i have spark, and there is fuel in the tank... could there be an electrical thing keeping it from starting?? do these 4bbl carbs have a fuel cut-off solenoid? i wish it weren't 100F out here so i could really work on the thing!!!

As for the flashers that are flashing you want to know wich circuit there on ? I dont know but you can pull fuses until it stop's fashing this will tell wich circuit there on. As for the 4 plastic like fuses i would say scince it is a conversion van that it may not be ford. As for the van not starting is it possible that you have blown a fuse or knocked a wire loose when you were trying to fix some of the other electrical problems?

again, i can't read what most of the fuses are labled, but i connected both ends w/o a fuse in each and every fuse simultaneously and still no turn signals. with the hazards on only the rears flash. apparently the hazards have a dedicated fuse. there is a black wire, kinda thick, that goes from under the dash to the engine cover, and then down along the bottom, it meets with a similar wire in the middle of the vehicle and continues farther back. it's not connected to anything though... it probably should be, when i attach it to a +12V contact something in the engine clicks, and the brake and seatbelt lights on the dash illuminate. the engine still won't catch... but should this be connected to the 'run' fuse, labled 'engine', maybe?? is this part of the duel-fuel tank system??? the engine catches with starter fluid then dies after several seconds. and where is the fuel filter on this thing??? the walmart fram/autolite book doesn't list one, although the pepboys repair guide does. should there be an electric fuel pump or is this all mechanical, since it's carbureted?? i know, lotsa questions, but i'd like my van to run sometime before i actually need to be somewhere, lol. thanks in advance!

Ok for the fuel problem if you spray carb cleaner in the intake and it run's you have a fuel pump prolblem. If you say it is carbaurated the pump should be located on the engine (Mecanical)lower front.Follow the line from the carb disconnect it at the carb and crank the engine for a few seconds. No fuel ? It is the fuel pump. Fuel filters just dont go bad.

and fuel pumps do??? without using them?? lol, well,i managed to get it running, although i'm not sure i did anything. later that day it died again. i bought a filter, now i need to find out where the thing is hiding. i'll start with replacing that. and i've thought about the fuel pump as well. i'm still not convinced there isn't some sort of electrical component to this, maybe regarding the 2 tanks. pep boys printed me out a diagramme of the fuse box, and and position 4 is the aux fuel tank solenoid, that's the one that makes something in the engine click when i wiggle it. position 3 is a throttle solenoid, and finall the turn signals are in location 10, along with the back up lights, and windshield washer. i've neither tested nor confirmed that those things work.... although i have bypassed all the fuses, even all at once, and nothing more has worked. i'll hike over to where the van is and check for the filter, pump, and hopefully get the thing back here! thanks again for the advice!!


Thumbnail Image



Thumbnail Image

i got the van to start running again yesterday morning, after working on it all night, i attempted to drive it do the next city and it died about 1 km from my house... a friend drove me the rest of the day. i cannot find where the fuel filter is on it, but that's not the problem, the problem is an intermittant contact on the motor solenoid fuse, so now the engine runs. well, until a fuse blew because i had inserted the incorrect wattage, then i killed the battery before figuring this out. but on the plus side the turn signals started working for no particular reason. i'm going to replace the entire fuse box, as this seems to be where all the problems are. there are more than i have even mentioned on here. thanks for all your input!!!

I have looked up the fuel filter for your van to get a picture so i can rember what it look's like . There are two type's the one type attach's to the carb at the fuel line input. The other is one that look's like an oil filter.I would say it is allong the frame by the drivers side.If you still cant find it I would follow the fuel line.

I have just read your other post on the 351 engine swap and did not realize you had a holley 4barrel so the first filter i spoke about will not work that one is for the stock carb.

yeah, thanks, i plan on replacing it at some point in the future, although right now i just want it to drive for more than 1 mi., lol. the pepboys guy said it would be along the frame, but these filters attach directly to the carb. if i have the filter insert, where is that?? there are so many hoses and tubs that i cannot find anything.. there is a tube that appears to go along the trans to the rear, maybe when i get the van back here i will drive it up the ramps so i fit under it. not that i'm fat.. but the running boards are about 1cm lower than my chest will allow, lol.

If im correct the filter insert's go behind where the fuel line goes into the carb.There would be a larger (Nut) adaptor I think it is 1 inch.

is this on the front of the carb?? behind the distributor? there seems to be something there, a metal pipe, with a smaller nut, and a larger nut-shape. seems you grab with one wrench, turn with the other. it's badly mangled... difficult to get at, i expect, so people can't get a good grip on it. so i guess that's where the little $1.99 insert goes, cool, i'll do that!!

That's it at the fuel line to carb.Hold the 1 inch turn the smaller one to get the line off.Then take the larger one off.Then remove the old and replace with the new one.

this is definately the first time that my vehicle needed the $2 part instead of the $7 part, lol. thanks for the help.. that nut is really rounded off though... i wonder how difficult it'll be to remove. don't want to strip it more.

If it was allready rounded off you might need a set of vise grips. You are on the fuel line at the carb right. Rember righty tighty Lefty loosey

hey there, thanks for all your advice so far. i made some amazing discoveries in the past week, lol. while bleeding the front brakes i found the fuel pump, underneath. next to it someone had installed a plastic 90 degree fuel filter. the hose had a kink in it. so last night i replaced it with a straight one.. not sure if that helps anything yet. finally replaced 4 of the offending fuses with a new fuse box from pepboys. that works, turn signals are not working due to a loose contact going to the new box.. i goofed on that single aspect of wiring it. so maybe the small kink in the fuel line was causing the carb to run out of fuel at higher rpm, maybe the filter was clogged.