What makes the ticker sound for car turn signals?

Question

When you turn on the turn signal, a little ticking sound repeadetly clicks. What makes that sound?

Answer 1

A mechanical relay.

Answer 2

Your car has a turn signal flasher under the dash. It is usually in the fuse panel, although I have seen them in the console of a floor shift, behind the radio, and way up under the dash near the steering column. Inside most "mechanical" flashers is a little piece of metal with a lower resistance. When electricity is applied to it, the little piece of metal heats up and bends, breaking contact with the wiring. When it bends it makes a clicking sound. As the metal cools it goes back to it's original shape making another click when it bends back and reconnects and heats up and the process repeats over and over until the current is shut off. If your vehicle has an electric flasher then there is no metal piece, so the circuits inside the flasher makes a click sound when the timer in the board turns the current on and off.

Answer 3

that's the turn signal relay ...there are 2 on most cars...one for the turn signals and one for the emergency flashers. basically it's a set of points inside a small box which break momentarily to make the turn signals work. when this goes bad normally the turn signals won't work at all...or in some cases it will just make the turn signal light up but not flash...it's a simple relay switch...that's all

Answer 4

Flasher unit on the fuse box clicks However some modern cars have special flasher sound box.

Answer 5

It is a relay switching on and off. There's a lot of information here.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal.htm
If you have a question that this article doesn't answer, you can ask me.

Answer 6

a signal relay

Answer 7

This box is generally located under the dash on the drivers side and, if it is annoying you most can be unplugged.

Answer 8

A very small, trained monkey.

Answer 9

a fuse-big round one you cant miss it