Turn signal/flashers do not blink. Is there a blinker relay and if so, where is it located?
I had the same problem twice before. Solved it the same way both times. In my case it was the Hazard switch at the top of the steering column. It was stuck. I knew it was that because the signal lights had been functioning perfectly until I parked my car alongside the road with the hazard lights on to do some nighttime fishing and sip a little white lightnin'. (just kiddin' about the white lightnin')
When I got back in my car to go, I turned off the hazard lights but I had no turn signal lights! So I kept pushing that hazard button up and down for about 30 times with my left turn signal arm down until it started working again. So after having this happen to me twice, I learned a valuable lesson: Don't ever use hazard signals in this car.
SOURCE: No turn signals or emergency blinkers
Sounds like a multifunction switch, work the emergency flasher button up and down a few times, then attempt to work the turn signals if the signals work then you will need a multifunction switch.
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Background:
A good number of modern production passenger vehicles use some sort of computer to control the headlights, parking lights, turn signals, dome lights and other illumination. 1995 and later ford crown victorias are no exception, the only exterior lighting that is not computer controlled is the brake lights and spotlight (if so equipped). The factory service manual calls the computer in question a "Lighting Control Module" (LCM) but many mechanics refer to it as a GEM (Generic Electronic Module). The module has some nice features, like if you accidentally leave the headlights on when you shut off the ignition, the car will shut them off automatically after 10 minutes. The same is true if you leave the door ajar, the computer will automatically turn the domelight off after a predetermined interval so as not to drain the battery. Opening a door is only an input to the computer, the computer then decides how to act on the output. In the case of police interceptors with "Dark Car" mode enabled, the response is to ignore the open door signal and not turn on the domelight. Turning on the switch to your headlights or parking lamps is likewise just a input to the computer.
Note that 1995 and later crown vics & grand marquis do not use a conventional standalone turn signal flasher module. But this does not deter numerous aftermarket parts stores and backyard mechanics from insisting that they do. I find it humorous everytime I hear of an uninformed backyard mechanic purchasing a can flasher for $5.99 and then tearing apart half their vehicle's dashboard looking for the old one, but the vehicle owner is typically very frustrated and mutters many curse words in the process of looking for the nonexistent part. Some have also observed that the fuseblock on 95'-00' crownvics has a properly shaped place where a can flasher will fit, but there are no electrical contacts in the socket. This is because the ATC fuseblock is a common part shared among numerous vehicles and ford saw no need to redesign it until the crown vic went with mini-fuses in the 2001 model year.
Below are a couple pictures of the circuit boards inside the lighting control module case. The smaller relay is for the turn signals, the other larger ones are for the low beam headlights, high beam headlights, parking lamps and demand lighting output. The round device labelled "TMX-06 95'G" is the seatbelt/headlight/airbag audible warning buzzer. Besides the controlling the lighting, the LCM also controls rear window defroster, but the relay for defroster is located in the engine bay and not on the LCM circuit boards like the rest of the relays.
Physically Locating the LCM:
It should be noted that the pictures above show the lighting control module with it's black metal case removed. The lcm may appear smaller than the pictures above portray because the the white ribbon cable between the two circuit boards is flexible and the two circuit boards lay one on top of each other inside the case, not side by side like pictured above.
Also note that the lcm circuit boards have a "conformal coating" applied to them to inhibit corrosion of the metal parts underneath. This makes the circuit boards feel somewhat "gooey" if you touch them with your fingers and also creates a "white out" effect when taking a picture of them with a camera.
The lcm is mounted in the same location in all 1995 and later crown vics. It's under the dash, above the gas pedal in between the climate controls and steering column. If you're having trouble locating it, engage the hazard flashers and listen to where the source of the clicking sound is coming from. You can also place your keys in the ignition and open the drivers door and track down the module by listening to where the warning buzzer tone is coming from.
Year to Year compatibility:
Some have asked about LCM compatibility between model years, below is a chart listing the lighting control processors used in crown victorias and grand marquis.
Part Number
Callout
From
To
Description
Suggested Retail
F5AZ-13C788-A
13C788
1995
1995
Discontinued, order part #F6AZ-13C788-AE
"Obsolete"
F6AZ-13C788-AE
13C788
1996
1997
$270.49
F8AZ-13C788-BA
13C788
1998
1999
ID# XW7T-13C788-AA, XW7T-13C788-BA
$270.49
YW7Z-13C788-BA
13C788
2000
2000
ID# YW7T-13C788-AA
$342.42
YW7Z-13C788-BB
13C788
2000
2000
$353.38
1W7Z-13C788-BB
13C788
2001
2002
$417.22
3W7Z-13C788-AA
13C788
2003
2003
$417.22
no turn or 4 way
Where is relay located
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