strange problem with indicators

[s.o.f]

hi i have just bought a 1.7i ford puma today and everything seems fine apart from one thing i discovered tonight. well i was driving on a dark road and decided to put my full beams on, not knowing that i had to push the lever forwards i tried pulling backwards. i didnt use loads of force just a gentle pull. right after that my indicators stopped working, when i tried to indicate i could hear a sort of crackling/electric sound and they didnt flash. ive just been to try it now and they seem to work again, but pulling back on the lever stops them working again. the wierd thing is when i put the hazard lights on they work again.
now i know what youre going to say, dont pull back on the indicator stalk! but there is obviously a problem and i need to fix it incase it happens again for some reason. does anybody have any ideas what might be wrong? could be a loose wire perhaps but i wont know til tomorow i dont fancy tinkering with it tonight.

thanks for any replies

 

[Dal]

Welcome to our little corner of the internet..

Could be that you've broken the stalk. Normally some on ebay and not that expensive:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-PUMA-INDICAT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 18Q2el1247

Maybe try working a little WD40 into it as well.

 

[s.o.f]

are these easy to fit/wire? im not a tech savvy but i know my way around a tool box. im going to check it tomorow when its light incase it is something simple like a loose wire. any idea why switching the hazards on and off fixes it?

 

[Dal]

The hazards don't use the same switching circuitry as normal indicators : It's a relay elsewhere.

Fairly simple to fit - take off the cowling top and bottom and you'll see it

 

[BOK]

Quite sure it's a stalk problem...replacement is the only answer.
The same stalk set appears in many cars- our old co. Escort Van had the same problem but we scrapped it before we repaired it.

Acccess is similar to getting to the indicator relay, have a look at this thread for some guidance with pics:
http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.ph" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 1&start=25

 

[jacko]

dont bother trying to fix the 'loose wire' in the stalk......its mad in there with connectors & copper tracks everywhere!

to replace take off upper & lower cowls, theres 2 multiplugs which need pulling and unhooking....to remove the unit its simply 1 screw on top near the hazard light- be careful not to break this!!!

dont go to ford there about £120!!!!!!!!!!

£30 from a scrapyard & try ur luck on ebay

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the site
I sold mine to a member - try the for sale section - I sold mine for £15 notes - so you may be able to get one quite cheap cheap

 

[bucky]

Had loads of these go on fiestas over the years. Picked up second hand ones of ebay between £10 - £20. Not hard to fit remove, few screws to take the covers off and then unplug the stalk, plug the new one in and screw into place. 10 mins fix.

And Hi.

 

[BOK]

Don't forget to disconnect the battery negative whilst doing this or your horn will go off!

 

[s.o.f]

cheers for the replies guys. definately gonna get a new stalk dont think its a loose wire of anything like that switching the engine on and off seems to fix it too :?
also whats the best thing to clean the four pins/connectors on the boot door? theyre quite dirty and stopping the de misters from working. would wire wool do the trick?
cheers

 

[Dal]

Wire wool would work just fine - then smear with some vasaline to keep them shiny.