1996 Odyssey flasher relay problem?

I've recently had both my daytime running lights (Canadian vehicle)
and low-beam headlights repaired in quick succession at my local Honda
dealership (both were wiring/relay issues). The lights were all
working and now our family was ready to take the van on a trip to New
York State! When we got about as far from home as we were going
(Ithaca, New York), the turn signals and hazard lights decided to quit
working. I was able to get on the Internet at our hotel that evening
and figure out where the flasher relay was located. The next morning,
I found that by pushing up hard with my fingers on the middle of the
flasher relay, I could get the hazards and turn signals to work. My
question is, is this for sure a problem with the relay itself, or
might it be a problem with the connector or ground wire, etc.? I'm
very suspicious that all of the problems mentioned might be related
(i.e., there is some other underlying electrical problem). Anyone have
an answer for this one?

 

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BJ, there are two identical-sized relays behind your dash. The one with
about 13 wires in it's plug is the DRL relay. With your head resting on
the brake pedal, look straight up and you'll see them side by side.
(skip this for now, doesn't add up to what the schematis shows..)

If you're from Eastern Canada, grounding problems would be a good place
to start, but the DRL problems you've had are pretty typical of '95,
'96, '97 Ody. Have you removed that relay , popped it open to see if the
solder joints are melted / pitted? The diagram I have for the turn
signals / hazard lights is soooo simple, but you may find corrosion or a
bad solder joint where the 'boys' were playing around with your signal
lever / relay. They may have had the flasher in and out so many times
the lugs are spread apart and won't connect unless you push in hard.
Don't bend the lugs sideways . .squeeze the female lugs shut, the way
they came from the factory.

Let us know when you get back from your holiday...

'Curly'

 

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Curly, thanks for your quick reply.

I've already paid over $300 (Canadian) for a new DRL relay +
labour...they fixed the low-beam problem at no EXTRA charge a week
later as part of the job. It's pretty suspicious that this flasher
relay problem has now occurred, so I'm going to make it clear that I
don't plan on paying more money to get it fixed unless they can prove
that it's unrelated to their previous work.

I tried to remove the flasher relay myself to take a look at it but
it's not something I've done before, and it didn't seem to want to
come out easily. I didn't want to break off any clips, etc., that hold
it in place. How do I remove the flasher relay?

I made it home without any turn signals, mainly by avoiding surface
streets, getting way in front of other expressway traffic before
changing lanes, and occasionally sticking my arm out the window. I
don't recommend this method to others.

BJ