Turn signal indicators do not work.

[mrfatboy]

Hi everybody,

It's been a while since I have visited the forums.  I hope one of you guys can help me out.  I just noticed that my Left and Right turn signal indicators do not work. When I use the left or right turn signal the rear lights don't work as well as the instrument cluster lights indicating that they are being used.  However, when I use the Hazards lights, both the rear lights and instrument cluster lights work fine.  As far as I can tell all the other electrical is working.

I'm thinking maybe a relay has gone out?  Any guesses or troubleshooting tips?  Where can I find the relay, test, and buy?

thanks

[BABAK]

Try this for your relay problem.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-BLINKER-TURN-SIGNAL-FLASHER-RELAY-NEW-NOS-OEM-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cb443a2bcQQitemZ260722369212QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[66andBlue]

I had the same problem on the 280SL, emergency flasher would work but not the turn signals.
When I removed the rear (left or right) turn signal bulb and used a volt meter and on the socket I could see that current arrived when the switch on the column was turned on or off.  Also now the front light would flash! Putting the bulb back resulted in no flashing.  This indicated  that perhaps the relay was overloaded (?). It puts out 2W only whereas the flasher relay delivers 4W which may explain why it is not affected. Have you added higher voltage bulbs recently?
The turn signal and flasher relays are not interchangeable! I replaced it with a used one from a different car of the same period, e.g. Finntai.  This relay was made by three vendors, Bosch, Hella and SWF.  It is located under the dash on the left side of the steering column. The photo shows it on my 230SL, the attachment on the 280SL may be different.

[mrfatboy]

The bulbs are the same.  Can you test if the relay is bad with a volt/ohm meter?  How?

[Peter van Es]

Also check this: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Electrical/FlasherRelay

Have you had the headlights out for any reason, or had the need to rewire your headlight plugs? Swapping two wires in these plugs can cause the problems you describe.

Peter