ScoobyDoo82 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) Well I just did this mod in my Grand Prix today. Its significant if the slow blinking of mechanical flasher bother you, or if you just want to modernize your car a bit. You only need 4 things... head to the junkyard and find the flasher relay along with the wiring harness out of a U-body van** (Venture, Trans Sport, Montana, Silhouette), two male crimp connectors, and one eyelet connector. First, take your flasher relay and crimp (or solder if you have connectors that accept it) the two male end connectors to the blue and purple wire. Do the same with the black wire, only with the eyelet. Second, locate the mechanical flasher in your car (near the steering column almost at the fire wall on 88-93 w's) and remove it. Then take the harness and plug in the male end connectors, the wires are the same color so just match them up. Third, find a suitable ground to bolt the black wire up to. I used a small ground just above the ALDL connector. Last but not least, find somewhere to tuck the flasher (the original location works if you have enough length on your ground wire) Enjoy your faster blinking, more modern sounding turn signals! **The flasher relay of the u-body vans is located to the left (sitting in the drivers seat) of the steering column. Remove the knee panel and lower carpeted panel and look up. You'll see a block with blue connectors in it, look just past that and you'll see the flasher. Also, not ever U-body has the flasher in the same spot, so if you don't see it there, you're not going nuts. Unfortunately, if its not in that location, I don't know where else they like to hide them, so I'd just move on to another van. keywords for google search: how to install electronic flasher relay 1988 88 1989 89 1990 90 1991 91 1992 92 1993 93 Pontiac Oldsmobile Buick Chevy Chevrolet Grand Prix Cutlass Cutless Supreme Lumina Edited May 25, 2012 by ScoobyDoo82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks for the write-up. This should be made a sticky. And also, this will completely eliminate the need for any resistors soldered in series with any type of LED turn signal bulb swap. (I can't believe people are still going that route instead of using an electronic flasher). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManicMechanic Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Hmmmmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 i'm kind of surprised there are no electronic versions that will readily adapt to the ones W-bodies use... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyDoo82 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Well this kind of does... it doesnt hack up the wiring harness if you use the male connectors, easily reversible if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManicMechanic Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Note to self: One for Indy and one for Blazer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyDoo82 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Super easy install... I got home at 7:45 from the junkyard, had to leave by 8:00 to make it to the movies on time, and did. It probably helps that none of the trim panels were bolted on, I just had to yank them off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white4d96 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 My GPSE had a plug-and-play electronic flasher in it when I got it... Also, random tidbit on the thermal flashers, if they're slow, they're old. Toss and replace. I got a new one for my hazards (same one) for $3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtuetovice Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Sweet post! Sticky?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1988PhantomFE3 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 What improvement does this occomplish friend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyDoo82 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Its not a huge improvement but they're more reliable than mechanical flashers (or so I've heard, this is the first time ive put one in my car). I like to add modern touches to my car and since I got the flasher for free I figured why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Even easier and better. Use a hazard flasher relay. Fixes slow blinker syndrome. Only problem I forsee is that it doesn't tell you when a bulb is out. It's plug and play, no wiring required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Oh yeah, the other good thing about the hazard flasher relay is that it flashes the same speed even with LEDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
base93lumina Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 So these first gen Lumina's dont use the traditional 552 style flasher? I thought they did? If it was the case just go buy an EL-12 electronic flasher and have a ball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 They use a traditional flasher, but I don't know what number it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
base93lumina Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 At Napa, the part number is a 552 thermal flasher. The electronic replacements are an EL-12. I would rather do plug and play than try to wire something else in from another car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 I didn't care as much for the 2-wire EL-12 flasher because its timing is based on capacitor discharge which can change over time as the capacitor ages. I installed the 3-wire IC controlled one of the same brand, but don't remember the model #. The original 2-wire connector plugs right in, and you just have to run a single wire to ground. Really easy, just take an ~18ga wire, crimp a female spade lug on one end and a ring terminal on the other and ground the ring terminal end on an existing screw nearby. I think the flashers I got were square, but they still fit in the OEM clip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) i'm kind of surprised there are no electronic versions that will readily adapt to the ones W-bodies use... Of course there are. Drive to any auto parts store--NAPA, for instance. http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=NF_EL12H_0325425806 Remove original flasher, plug in new flasher. $15, no junkyard trip needed. As said previously, the EL12 is a regular-duty electronic flasher in a round case, and a couple of dollars cheaper than this one. LED turn signals? No problem. http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=NF_EL12L1_0325425807 In addition, there are electronic "LOUD" flashers available too. Useful for Grandpa who keeps forgetting his hearing aids. Edited May 31, 2012 by Schurkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madbrad Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 On my 98 Lumina, I swapped in a flasher from Canadian Tire that was meant for the added load of trailer lights. Even though the flasher is proprietary, they had it. This trailer flasher stops the fast flashing that LEDs give you. But on your 1st gem W, I can see the flasher socket is not the same. That looks like a universal one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel87 Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 What are the components of a mechanical flasher? I wouldn't mind having a slow flasher in my truck. I like slow blinkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penglii Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 I would like an adjustable blinker... some days i am feeling like I want a fast blink, others I feel like the usual slower blink is just fine. I think a faster blink would just piss me off sometimes... I wonder how hard it would be to make an electronic flasher adjustable somehow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManicMechanic Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 I think a Lumina should have sequential turn signals... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 I would like an adjustable blinker... some days i am feeling like I want a fast blink, others I feel like the usual slower blink is just fine. I think a faster blink would just piss me off sometimes... I wonder how hard it would be to make an electronic flasher adjustable somehow... replace turn signal flasher with 555 circuit with a pot to adjust flasher speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.