CAN'T HEAR THAT THE FORD E-350/E-450 TURN SIGNALS ARE ON?
Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:17 am
Ford E-350/E-450 Turn Signal Aural Alerter
If your like me and getting hard of hearing - actually my wife calls it hard of listening - you may want to consider this relatively simple modification to your Ford E-350/E-450 Turn Signals so that you won't leave them turned on for miles down the road because you can't hear the turn signal relay clicking anymore. I borrowed this idea from someone else - I am just documenting it better complete with pictures. I have created a small website to show how to do it.
If you are forgetting to cancel your turn signals because you have difficulty hearing the clicking sound of the turn signal relay or because you have difficulty seeing the dim green turn signal indicator lights, then you may be interested in this modification. A Radio Shack Buzzer is installed in the Ford turn signal relay circuit to make it apparent by a louder sound that the turn signals were left on.
1) The turn signal relay is mounted on a metal tab near the base of the steering wheel shaft where is passes thru the firewall on the driver's side footwell area as shown in Turn Signal Photo's #1 and #4 below.
Photo of E450 Turn Signal Relay mounting location with relay removed & showing 3-pin cable connector is the 1st Turn Signal Photo attached below.
Photo of E-450 Turn Signal Relay Mounted with Radio Shack Buzzer attached is the Turn Signal Photo #2 attached below.
2) Remove the relay from the mounting tab by using a hand to hold onto the relay and pull it to the left to remove it from the metal mounting tab.
3) Then carefully unplug the relay from the plastic 3-pin cable connector shown in Turn Signal Photo #1
4) Shorten the two red and black leads on a Radio Shack P/N 2730794 Buzzer to a suitable length as shown in Turn Signal Photo #2. Then strip off approximately 1/4" of insulation from the ends of the red and black leads.
5) Using a 25-watt pencil type soldering iron, carefully solder the stripped ends of the red and black buzzer leads to the two Ford turn signal relay terminals as shown in Turn Signal Photo #2 below. Make sure to solder the leads to the relay terminals very close to the base of the relay so that the relay can be fully plugged back into the 3-pin connector properly.
6) Fasten the buzzer to the relay with clear RTV adhesive as shown in Turn Signal Photo #3 attached below.
7) Reconnect the relay & buzzer combination to the plastic 3-pin cable connector and then remount onto the metal tab as shown in Turn Signal Photo #4 attached below.
8] You should now experience a louder buzzing sound any time your turn signals are on.
NOTE: For those that are really hard of hearing, the location of the buzzer under the dash as shown in these instructions may prove to still be too difficult to hear. In that case you should extend each of the buzzer leads by approximately 2 feet and instead mount the buzzer on the driver's side of the dash.
For further information on this subject click on the following topic in our discussion forum:
https://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin ... 519#p35519
If your like me and getting hard of hearing - actually my wife calls it hard of listening - you may want to consider this relatively simple modification to your Ford E-350/E-450 Turn Signals so that you won't leave them turned on for miles down the road because you can't hear the turn signal relay clicking anymore. I borrowed this idea from someone else - I am just documenting it better complete with pictures. I have created a small website to show how to do it.
If you are forgetting to cancel your turn signals because you have difficulty hearing the clicking sound of the turn signal relay or because you have difficulty seeing the dim green turn signal indicator lights, then you may be interested in this modification. A Radio Shack Buzzer is installed in the Ford turn signal relay circuit to make it apparent by a louder sound that the turn signals were left on.
1) The turn signal relay is mounted on a metal tab near the base of the steering wheel shaft where is passes thru the firewall on the driver's side footwell area as shown in Turn Signal Photo's #1 and #4 below.
Photo of E450 Turn Signal Relay mounting location with relay removed & showing 3-pin cable connector is the 1st Turn Signal Photo attached below.
Photo of E-450 Turn Signal Relay Mounted with Radio Shack Buzzer attached is the Turn Signal Photo #2 attached below.
2) Remove the relay from the mounting tab by using a hand to hold onto the relay and pull it to the left to remove it from the metal mounting tab.
3) Then carefully unplug the relay from the plastic 3-pin cable connector shown in Turn Signal Photo #1
4) Shorten the two red and black leads on a Radio Shack P/N 2730794 Buzzer to a suitable length as shown in Turn Signal Photo #2. Then strip off approximately 1/4" of insulation from the ends of the red and black leads.
5) Using a 25-watt pencil type soldering iron, carefully solder the stripped ends of the red and black buzzer leads to the two Ford turn signal relay terminals as shown in Turn Signal Photo #2 below. Make sure to solder the leads to the relay terminals very close to the base of the relay so that the relay can be fully plugged back into the 3-pin connector properly.
6) Fasten the buzzer to the relay with clear RTV adhesive as shown in Turn Signal Photo #3 attached below.
7) Reconnect the relay & buzzer combination to the plastic 3-pin cable connector and then remount onto the metal tab as shown in Turn Signal Photo #4 attached below.
8] You should now experience a louder buzzing sound any time your turn signals are on.
NOTE: For those that are really hard of hearing, the location of the buzzer under the dash as shown in these instructions may prove to still be too difficult to hear. In that case you should extend each of the buzzer leads by approximately 2 feet and instead mount the buzzer on the driver's side of the dash.
For further information on this subject click on the following topic in our discussion forum:
https://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin ... 519#p35519