Can someone explain the process that happens for a cars turn signal to make that clicking noise?

Night Owl

Sort answer is a Thermal Flasher. It's a component that uses a spring to allow contacts to touch, and then not touch (heat makes it move). The sound is from the contacts and spring action. Check out the site below!

Paulus

It is a relay opening and closing and is purposely made so it emits a sound so you know your blinker is on.

Peter K

Older indicators were driven by a bi-metallic strip controller. This was a strip of metal that bends when heated.

When the lights were switched on the current through the strip heated it up. When hot enough it bends and pulls apart a relay contact. The lights go off. The strip cools down and soon it makes contact again. This cycle repeats two or three times a second to make the flashing.

Newer units are probably electronic but they still go through a relay which you can hear clicking,

stefano b

The flashing sound is made by the flasher relay it is an electrical component that allows the blinking to occur by doing this it cuts electrical power on and off (relaying the current)thus making the clicking noise.

bender_xr217

When the turn signal is activated, electricity pass through a fine wire wrapped around a very thin piece of metal, this causes heat, the heat makes the metal expand ever so slightly causing it to buckle a tad, this make the click-clack noise. When the piece of metal buckles, it makes a connection, sending the electricity to the light bulb and briefly stops the flow to the metal, which cools and UN-buckles, starting the process all over again until the signal is turned off, either by completing the turn or flipping it with your hand.

hungry man

When you complete your turn, the turn signal turns off, the clicking noise is a type of notch, like on a gear, that moves the turn signal handle back to the off position.

rolandrx7

Its the flasher relay that makes the clicking noise. Constantly on/off/on/off when you hit your turn signals.

wrenchbender

the flasher solenoid, which is usually mounted under the dash or near the fuses, causes the clicking sound. as elec. alternately closes the mechanical circuit. same style of flasher for emerg lights

UCANTCME

The Thermal Flasher

When you push the turn-signal stalk down, the thermal flasher connects to the turn-signal bulbs by way of the turn-signal switch. This completes the circuit, allowing current to flow. Initially, the spring steel does not touch the contact, so the only thing that draws power is the resistor. Current flows through the resistive wire, heating up the smaller piece of spring steel and then continuing on to the turn-signal lights. At this point, the current is so small that the lights won't even glow dimly.

After less than a second, the small piece of spring steel heats up enough that it expands and straightens out the larger, curved piece of spring steel. This forces the curved spring steel into the contact so that current flows to the signal lights unimpeded by the resistor. With almost no current passing through the resistor, the spring steel quickly cools, bending back away from the contact and breaking the circuit. The cycle then starts over. This happens at a rate of one to two times per second.

Kadee

I'm pretty sure when it starts clicking like that it means you have a tail light out, so she should probally check her lights. Hope that helped =)

Doug J

Yummmmm.....

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