Does anyone know what this relay does?

[Greggory1]

I have a 1966 Lincoln convertible and I was wondering what does the relay on the right, the one with the black connection does? I know the the green one is for the top.
Thanks

[Dan Szwarc]

I'm working on it.

The way to figure it out yourself is to locate a four wire connector to a relay and then decode he colors to see if it matches in the diagram. Then analyze the diagram to see what it does.

Same with the other one.

[Dan Szwarc]

The green relay is the TOP CONTROL NEUTRAL RELAY. I have no idea where it should be mounted. I don't see it in my engine bay pics. It is shown in Fig.15 in the shop manual in the wiring diagram section.

[Dan Szwarc]

The relay with the black connector is labeled as TURN SIGNAL RELAY in the schematics, but it's actual function is to serve are a bulb-out indicator.

I call it the TURN SIGNAL BULB-OUT RELAY.

This relay is the cause of 99% of all interior TS lamp complaints (flickering, not flashing, etc.). It's too complicated to explain here, but to put it simply, it activates when enough current for the outside lamps passes through it activating the contacts inside that actually drive the interior lamps.

Again, I am not sure where it should be mounted. It's not on my fender in my pictures.

NONE of your turn signals will work without this relay. All current for the bulbs for either side passes through it. If you jumper the orange-yellow wire to the WHITE in the mate on the vehicle side, you can bypass this relay, but the inside indicators will not work without my TS fix.

It is shown below.

TURN SIGNAL BULB-OUT RELAY (TOP), BLK conn, 3-wires

[TonyC]

Are you sure, Dan? From my own experience, that 3-wire relay pictured above is the relay for the outside flashers, not the inside. I've deduced that the other relay labeled as T/S, the 4-wire one, is the dash-indicator/bulb-out relay. The turn signals will not work with the 3-wire disconnected, no; but they will work with it connected and the 4-wire disconnected, though the dash indicators will not. That is why I deduced the 4-wire job to be the dash relay.

They both have to be in your cluster in the engine bay. Mine are, always have been. Now, are they grouped together? I can't remember, as I did do a bit of shifting around of relay locations in Frankenstein's cluster but can't remember which ones got shifted where. My two relays are currently vertically-placed, sharing the same screw point together.

On a side note at risk of hijacking, it seems that I cured the left dash indicator's problem after spraying the cluster down. Both sides work now except at night, but even then they try to keep working.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

Are you sure, Dan? From my own experience, that 3-wire relay pictured above is the relay for the outside flashers, not the inside.

Read what I wrote, Tony.

None of your turn signals will work without this relay. All current for the bulbs for either side passes through it. If you jumper the orange-yellow wire to the WHITE in the mate on the vehicle side, you can bypass this relay, but the inside indicators will not work without my TS fix.

What I didn’t write is that the current for the outside bulbs going through this relay’s coil is what magnetically drives the contacts that power the inside lamps.

So it’s critical to both inside and outside indicators. It completes the path for the outside lamps and it controls the power to the inside lamps.

The turn signals will not work with the 3-wire disconnected, no; but they will work with it connected and the 4-wire disconnected, though the dash indicators will not. That is why I deduced the 4-wire job to be the dash relay.

The 4-wire relay is the internal dashboard indicator relay. It only selects which side is going to flash. Without it, neither side will work. Technically, you are right, it is for the inside indicators, it’s just that its function is to direct the current from the bulb-out relay to the appropriate side. Technically, we’re both right.

Remember, I am a EE. I live and breathe this stuff.

Here's the wiring for the turn signals, super simplified (clicken to embiggenen):

Basic 66 TS Circuit.png (49.09 KiB) Viewed 226 times

This diagram has a mistake in it. The select relay’s outputs should swapped. Normally closed should go to LT, and Normally open to RT. I will update it.

[TonyC]

No need to holler, you could just italicize your emphasis.

Okay, okay, point made. Jeez, was just asking.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

I thought Italics was for Italian.

[TonyC]

Maybe... God knows there's a lot of Italian cultural influence that many don't care to see. Anything with "Latin" in it, for instance, with or without an "o" or "a" tacked on at the end.

Anyway...

---Tony