Turn signal noise stuck on

March 7, 2005 4:54 AM

The turn signal "click" noise on my 97 Honda Civic is stuck on. This will shortly drive me crazy. How do I shut it off?

I was making a right turn and signally properly like a good citizen. After completing the turn, the click noise didn't go away. I thought, "Oh, I've accidentally turned the hazards on," but after checking, neither the hazards nor the turn signals were on. The speed of the clicking is slightly faster than a normal turn "click." I can live without the clicking. Is there some fuse I can unplug? Anything more complicated than that and I am guaranteed to blow up the car.

posted by Otis to Technology (21 answers total)

Response by poster: Today I learned that "signally" is a word meaning "To a conspicuous degree; notably." So let's just say I was "signally signaling."
posted by Otis at 5:01 AM on March 7, 2005

The clicking is actually a relay, which is the thing that makes your turn signals blink. You could pull this relay, but then you'd have no turn signals at all. In your case, the best advice I can give you is to take it to a mechanic or friend handyman person and see if they can figure out why the relay is stuck on... becuase without it, you're in trouble.
posted by fake at 5:15 AM on March 7, 2005

do your turn lights still work (the way you describe it, it's as if they still work, but keeps making the clicking sound when "centred" - that seems really odd)?
posted by andrew cooke at 5:28 AM on March 7, 2005

I've noticed that, on some cars, if the signal is clicking faster than usual, it means one of the bulbs is burnt out.

Although that's generally only when the signal is in use, not all the time.
I second the mechanic, you don't want to do anything that would eliminate your turn signals completely. In most states they check that during the annual inspection, and it could get you a ticket.
posted by Kellydamnit at 5:29 AM on March 7, 2005

Response by poster: The lights still work. When I turn the right/left turn signal on, the clicking slows down and the signal light blinks. When I move back to center, the clicking speeds up.

Oh, and I've ruled out banging on the steering column as a solution.
posted by Otis at 5:39 AM on March 7, 2005

There should be one fuse for your turn signals in the fuse box. Fuse box is down to the left between the steering column and the door sort of underneath the dashboard area. Open it up by pulling the little plastic covering down [it may come completely off, I can't remember, but that's okay - there may also be one under the hood but I don't think this deals with turn signals] and there will be a diagram on the fuse compartment door that tells you which fuse covers your turn signals. Alternately, check your manual for this information if you have one. Take this fuse out and look at it to see if it looks messed up. Reseat it. If the problem persists, replace it. Make sure you replace it with the exact same fuse as the one you took out. These cost next to nothing at auto parts places, buy a few extra while you're there and keep them in your glove compartment. If that doesn't do the trick you may have a faulty relay, or relay wiring which is also a not-super-tough problem to fix, but might require a mechanic if you don't feel super mechanicky.
posted by jessamyn at 6:47 AM on March 7, 2005

Even though this link refers to a Honda Element, the fuse information in it is more or less the same as your car.
posted by jessamyn at 6:54 AM on March 7, 2005

Check both the fuse and the relay. I recommend buying a Chilton's or Haynes manual for your model at the local auto parts store; it will tell you where to find the fuses and relays and may even have troubleshooting procedures. To buy the manual, new fuses & a new relay, you're talking about less than $30. (If the car is still under warranty, have them fix it.)

This is a pretty simple circuit and you should be able to fix it yourself, but on the other hand, it could be a short in the wiring would could be tricky. I would think that the best way to proceed would be to make sure all your bulbs are working, then remove each bulb one at a time to try to find out which branch of the circuit has the short.
posted by Doohickie at 7:36 AM on March 7, 2005

fake: The clicking is actually a relay, which is the thing that makes your turn signals blink
Actually these days I'm pretty sure the relays are solid-state, and the clicking sound is piped in electronically. (Not sure if it's the case with the 97 civic, but certainly so with the Ford Focus and Toyota Echo). When you center the signal, do the lights still blink?
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:06 AM on March 7, 2005

Response by poster: Popular Ethics, no the lights do not blink when centered. When I start the car, the fast clicking starts right away. I use the left/right signal and the turn lights come on (front and back) and the clicking sound slows to the "normal" speed. When I move back to center the turn lights go off and the clicking speeds up. I just spoke with a mechanic on the phone and he had never heard of such a thing. I'm beginning to suspect Gremlins.
posted by Otis at 8:13 AM on March 7, 2005

Actually these days I'm pretty sure the relays are solid-state, and the clicking sound is piped in electronically. (Not sure if it's the case with the 97 civic, but certainly so with the Ford Focus and Toyota Echo). When you center the signal, do the lights still blink?


In most cases, for most modern vehicles, you are correct. I'm not certain about his particular car, but I drive a 1997 KIA which still uses a relay for this purpose. I don't know if his Civic is a two or a four door, but here's a link to the relay in question.
posted by fake at 8:21 AM on March 7, 2005

Gar. That comment was poorly worded. The link is to a relay for Otis's car. It uses a relay and not electronically generated sound. I'm basing this conclusion on the availability of the part.

It may or may not be the relay, it might be wiring in the steering column as well.

I still think this is a problem that only a mechanic or someone with significant mechanical knowlegde can address. You can't stop the clicking because it's a relay- it clicks when it works. Why the relay isn't disengaging is a mystery to me and a potentially significant problem that should be addressed by someone with proper knowledge.
posted by fake at 8:25 AM on March 7, 2005

the relay itself is unlikely to be broken. it sounds more like the switch. the relay is supposed to click when it has power; the problem here is that it shouldn't be getting power unless the switch is to one side or the other. what surprises me is that the system can break in a way that gets power to the relay without also bringing a bulb into the circuit. i guess the relay must be connected on the "live" side of the switch, and the switch is now shorting to earth when in the central position (which makes sense, i guess the bulbs go to earth).
disclaimer - this is just guesswork from basic electronics and looking at standard circuits on the net; i know zip about cars.
posted by andrew cooke at 8:34 AM on March 7, 2005

fake: You can't stop the clicking because it's a relay- it clicks when it works

The way Otis describes, the sound is independant of the relay operating the lights (they don't blink when the signal is centered and clicking annoyingly). Either the clicking is coming from something else, or the relay is not operating the lights when it is 'clicking' fast.

Here's a lead: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal2.htm. Is the thermal flasher the same part as the signal relay? If not, perhaps you need a new thermal flasher (apparently less than $3.00)
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:43 AM on March 7, 2005

Of course, andrew cooke's theory works too.
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:44 AM on March 7, 2005

Do all your signal lights work? wonder if one is burnt out.
posted by thomcatspike at 8:57 AM on March 7, 2005

Here's a lead: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal2.htm. Is the thermal flasher the same part as the signal relay? If not, perhaps you need a new thermal flasher (apparently less than $3.00)

I think they're the same thing. The relay turns on and off by means of an element that heats up and cools, just like that weird bulb that makes Christmas lights blink.
posted by Doohickie at 9:57 AM on March 7, 2005

Have you checked the lights from the outside of the car? It could still be a burned out bulb.

Oh, and I've ruled out banging on the steering column as a solution.
My first thought was "baseball bat". :-P
posted by deborah at 10:21 AM on March 7, 2005

Response by poster: Checked out Chilton's over lunch. Not much to go on except the relay that controls the flashers is located in the fuse panel. Drawing on my not-so-vast mechanical knowledge, my first solution was to "jiggle" it in the socket. I wasn't brave enough to completely remove it. This, predictably, did nothing to solve the problem.

If the relay was broken, wouldn't it just stop working altogether? Looking at that howsuffworks link, my hunch is that the problem may lie in the steering wheel somewhere (as fake suggests). Now if I can just find some clicky electronic music for the stereo, I'm sure it will blend right in.

And, yeah, I've checked out all the lights and they are all in working order. Thanks for the answers so far everyone.
posted by Otis at 10:27 AM on March 7, 2005

The relay is cheap, and easily replaced. Replace it. If the clicking stops, that was it. If not, then it's something else. I'd put money on the relay being the source of the noise.

The relay IS the thing that makes the normal clicking noise. I have replaced several, and the noise made by a new one is often different from what the old one made when it worked.

Fuses do not have this failure mode. They are either intact and connected, in which case they pass current, or they are burnt out or disconnected, in which cases they do not pass current.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:31 AM on March 7, 2005

Response by poster: Well, it stopped today. Signals/Flashers/Clicking all working normally again. (I knew it was Gremlins).
posted by Otis at 10:15 AM on March 9, 2005