TICK TRICK
Why your car’s indicator makes that irritating ticking noise
The incessant clicking of the car indicator is enough to drive anybody mad, particularly in rush hour. So why is it there?
IF you've ever wondered why your car's indicator makes that incessant clicking noise, we have the answer for you.
Every motorist that's ever been stuck in a long turning queue has at least once experienced the sudden urge to rip out their eardrums in favour of listening to another minute of the mind-numbing sound.
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So why is it there? And where on earth does it come from?
The answer may surprise you as the clock-like tick is not necessarily a deliberate reminder for drivers to switch off the indicator.
While modern cars using more advanced systems may in fact simulate the sound to match what a driver expects to hear, the sound produced by earlier model indicators is actually a coincidental by-product of some very simple engineering.
One keen car enthusiast went to the trouble of searching through his Jeep Cherokee for the source of the clicking, and actually managed to find it.
According to our YouTube mechanic, "it's the most amazing thing (he's) ever seen."
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We wouldn't go that far, but like finally solving that brain teaser you've been stuck on all week, it is a bit of a relief to know exactly where the monotonous drone originates.
See his full discovery in the player below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bglcnRlnRj0&w=560&h=315]
Essentially, inside the dashboard electrics is a small box, or 'flasher', which contains a switch with two terminals for your indicator.
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The top terminal uses a spring to move it back and forth, bending the coil to make contact with the second terminal.
Each time both pieces of metal touch, a small spark forms as the circuit is completed and the indicator lights up.
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The noise you hear is simply the metal making contact, and then clicking as the spring straightens out once again.
If you were to stop the metal making contact, you would stop the noise.
However, you would also entirely disable your turn signals.
Therefore, unfortunately, if you want your indicator to continue working, you will have to get used to the ticking.
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