Making Turn Signals Louder
Dave and Helen Damouth www/damouth.com
Revised 2 June 2006
Problem: Many RVers have reported that
they often forget to cancel their turn signal because the
audible signal is not loud enough. This can be because of
impaired hearing, high ambient noise, or a flasher module that
is mounted far away from the driving position.
Solution: This topic has been discussed in several RV Internet forums, including RV-Talk and Diesel-RVs. Several solutions have emerged.
- Both my 2002 Winnebago Motorhome and my 1996 Dodge RAM
have a 2-prong signal flasher. I unplugged the flasher and
soldered about six inches of insulated wire to each prong,
with the connections up against the base of the case, where
they wouldn't interfere with plugging the flasher back into
its socket. (Use the minimum heat needed to solder, so as to
avoid damaging the internal parts of the flasher.)
Radio Shack has several kinds of 12-volt electronic noisemakers (beeper). I bought the smallest and cheapest, for about $3.00, and soldered the wires from the flasher to the two contact pins on the beeper. (Note that the 12v. positive wire from the flasher (as measured with your multimeter) must be connected to the noisemaker pin marked "+"). After wrapping the connections of the noisemaker with electrical tape (heat-shrink tubing would be neater), I plugged the turn signal flasher back in, letting the noisemaker dangle by the wires. After verifying that it works satisfactorily, the beeper can be supported by taping or tiewrapping it to the flasher or some other nearby object. If the flasher is remote from the driving position, simply run longer wires and put the beeper in any convenient location where it's easy to hear.
This works fine - a loud beep synchronized with the turn signals. It's too loud for me - I put a piece of tape on the vent hole of the noisemaker to quiet it down. I found that if the vent hole is entirely covered, the beeper is almost silent - it takes a little experimentation to get just the right loudness.
This solution will also work with 3-prong flashers, but you will need to use a voltmeter to determine which two of the three pins to connect to the beeper
Newer Dodge trucks (2000 and later) apparently have a 5-prong flasher. I suspect the same solution may work, with the additional complication of figuring out which two pins should be connected to the noisemaker. A voltmeter should show that voltage between two of the pins is alternating between zero and 12 v. when the turn signals are operating. (Or better yet, look at the wiring diagram in the service manual for this model.) It may turn out that the left and right signals are connected to different contacts of the flasher, in which case a pair of diodes would be needed connecting two flasher contacts to the single noisemaker input (noting the proper polarity for the diodes). Small diodes are also available at Radio Shack. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has successfully used a beeper with this 5-prong flasher.
- Buy the Radio Shack beeper and a couple of diodes (also
from Radio Shack - any small diode rated for at least 15
volts). Find the wires going to your left and right front
turn signals and tap a wire from each light. Run each of the
two wires back through its own diode to the beeper in the
cab. The diodes must be oriented with the positive end toward
the light wire, and are needed to isolate the lights from
each other; otherwise, both bulbs will flash when you signal
a turn. My beeper only draws 7 ma., so any small diode rated
for at least 15 volts would be adequate. The negative side of
both diodes go to the plus side of the beeper. The negative
side of the beeper must be connected to chassis
ground.
- If you have a motorhome built on a Freightliner chassis
newer than 2004, with the new MMDC (Multi-module Data
Computer) wiring, you'll find that there is no turn signal
flasher, and in some brands, the turn signals are completely
silent. Solution #2, above, will work fine. Here's a nice
article with photos that will help you find the turn signal
wires, behind the dashboard.
www.freightlinerchassisownersclub.org/silent_blinkers.htm.
- I recently noticed that Checker Auto Parts stocks an
inexpensive 2-pin turn signal flasher labeled something like
"extra loud".
- Buy a product called "Turn-Alarm," which replaces
standard 2- or 3-terminal turn signal flashers. It has an
integrated sound generator which beeps when the turn signal
is on. Height 1.5" - diameter 1.3" Cost $19.95 or $31.95,
depending on how many light bulbs you have, including $2.95
S&H. CA residents add sales tax.. Indicate vehicle year/
type when ordering. DAECO, PO Box 148, Valley Springs, CA
95252-0148. Email
turnalarm@caltel.com.
Details on website: <www.turnalarm.com>.
Note that this won't work in a vehicle that has a
non-standard flasher (such at the newer Dodge RAM, or
vehicles where the flasher function is integrated into the
vehicle control computer). This is a proven product that's
been around for several years.
- The above company also has a "universal" solution which
is manually turned on by a new switch attached to the turn
signal lever. See <http://www.turnalarm.com/tspecb.htm>.
I can't imagine remembering to turn the switch on and off
manually when I activate the turn signals with the lever, so
I don't understand why anyone would find this useful.
- Here is an "extra loud" turn signal beeper designed for motorcycle
use, costing $31.99 plus shipping. It should work just fine for RV's too:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-
Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2002171/p-2002171/N-111+10211+
600014768/c-10111
- Use a mechanical amplifier. Epoxy a small (empty
<g>) catfood can to the top of the original flasher
housing. Some vehicles may not have enough space around the
flasher to allow this solution.
- For relatively new vehicles, contact the dealer and explain the problem. Chrysler Corporation, and probably other major manufacturers as well, assist their dealers in providing vehicle modifications (often at no cost) to help those with physical disabilities such as a hearing loss. Another example is that Chrysler provides free seat belt extenders for unusually large people.