Left blinker help..advice...anything
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 956
Likes: 86
From: McDonough Georgia
Left blinker help..advice...anything
I know there are tons of posts on blinker issues.
I'm adding another and hoping beyond hope someone can point me in a direction I haven't explored.
With the lights off, the blinkers work fine, except the left dash light doesn't work.
Turn on the park or headlights, and the left blinker doesn't blink. Goes a little dim, but doesn't blink.
I have checked the obvious grounds, new flasher, new bulbs, rechecked new bulbs, new circuit board behind the speedometer gauges, new gauge lamps and now bought new sockets.
Everything else works fine except when I depress the brake, it appears the left brake lite is a bit dimmer than the right.
I'm adding another and hoping beyond hope someone can point me in a direction I haven't explored.
With the lights off, the blinkers work fine, except the left dash light doesn't work.
Turn on the park or headlights, and the left blinker doesn't blink. Goes a little dim, but doesn't blink.
I have checked the obvious grounds, new flasher, new bulbs, rechecked new bulbs, new circuit board behind the speedometer gauges, new gauge lamps and now bought new sockets.
Everything else works fine except when I depress the brake, it appears the left brake lite is a bit dimmer than the right.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,889
Likes: 23
From: Kansas
Yes Sir; Have you checked the ground strap between the Frame & the Bird Cage, Under the left hand door at the front of it underneath?? Both ends need to be removed , cleaned & re-installed, sometimes even replaced. Have a great one. Gene
Racer
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 327
Likes: 3
I had something similer happen and it took me while to find it and I'll be quite honest I'm not sure how it affected the entire system, but it did.
Only when I had my lights on would my right turn signals act up, front and rear plus the little arrow in the instrument cluster would stay on all the time. Turn the lights off and everything would work fine. Well after pulling on every ground cable I could find I found that the front running light socket was sometimes grounding out. I was going to buy a new one but I manged too separate the positive terminal from the housing well enough that it never happened again. Hope that helps.
Only when I had my lights on would my right turn signals act up, front and rear plus the little arrow in the instrument cluster would stay on all the time. Turn the lights off and everything would work fine. Well after pulling on every ground cable I could find I found that the front running light socket was sometimes grounding out. I was going to buy a new one but I manged too separate the positive terminal from the housing well enough that it never happened again. Hope that helps.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 956
Likes: 86
From: McDonough Georgia
This is really driving me crazy. 
I tracked down the ground under the car near the front pillar on the left, and it struck me as quite strange.
There was a large black ground wire attached to the side of car that ran up into the harness for the lights. A ground strap attached that wire, and another that wasn't attached to anything, to the frame.
The large black wire ran to the front of car, and into the harness for all the grounds of the lights.
Now here is where it gets interesting. Two black ground wires run along the harness.....one goes to the ground discribed above, and the other goes to the ground on the alternator.
The above picture makes no sense as it renders the wire going to the frame useless. There are two ground points for all thouse grounds in the second picture.....the frame and the alternator.
Either way, those are not the problem. I still have the problem. I have checked and wiggled all the sockets.
There was a ground point at the back of the car where the antenna and a black wire that goes into the harness. I disconnected it to clean, and the lights still work. So I have know idea what this other ground wire is for.
All suggestions and advice greatfully appreciated at this point.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 672
Likes: 0
From: Chesapeake Virginia
I know you said you checked all the bulbs but did you check to see if you had the correct bulbs in the sockets, last time a saw that issue, the owner replaced one of the dual element bulbs with a single element, caused all kinds of wierd issues and took a while to track down.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 956
Likes: 86
From: McDonough Georgia
Well, I've spent a large part of my Saturday on this blinker issue.
I have replaced all the sockets in the front. I have a new flasher, new light switch, new bulbs, new circuit board behind the tach and speedo, new lights in the dash, and a new blinker switch.
I've traced all the grounds I can find and undid the harnesses in front in an attempt to find a short.
No go. Still have the problem.
BUT, I just discovered something that is causing me to re check my wiring diagrams.
For some reason, on the left rear, when I turn on the left blinker, the tall filiment blinks. On the two filiment 1157 bulbs, there is a tall filiment, and a short filiment.
On every other bulb, the small filiment lights up bright and blinks.
For some reason it is the large filiment on mine.
AND, when the headlights are turned on.......the large filiment lights for the running lights, but when you flip the left blinker, the small filiment DOES not blink. but the other lights on the left side go a little dim.
So this is clearly the root of my problem. I am thinking of replacing the two rear sockets and see what happens.
Any suggestions to check this left rear reversed blinker problem is appreciated.
I have replaced all the sockets in the front. I have a new flasher, new light switch, new bulbs, new circuit board behind the tach and speedo, new lights in the dash, and a new blinker switch.
I've traced all the grounds I can find and undid the harnesses in front in an attempt to find a short.
No go. Still have the problem.
BUT, I just discovered something that is causing me to re check my wiring diagrams.
For some reason, on the left rear, when I turn on the left blinker, the tall filiment blinks. On the two filiment 1157 bulbs, there is a tall filiment, and a short filiment.
On every other bulb, the small filiment lights up bright and blinks.
For some reason it is the large filiment on mine.
AND, when the headlights are turned on.......the large filiment lights for the running lights, but when you flip the left blinker, the small filiment DOES not blink. but the other lights on the left side go a little dim.
So this is clearly the root of my problem. I am thinking of replacing the two rear sockets and see what happens.
Any suggestions to check this left rear reversed blinker problem is appreciated.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 956
Likes: 86
From: McDonough Georgia
I finally found the problem. And what a Bee otch it was.
left rear socket. The ground terminal was broken inside.
I had replaced all the front sockets as they were so grimey and worn and messed up.
The rear one looked like new. All clean and such. But I guess after 30 years of vibration, the terminal for the ground just broke. Not enough that it didn't get some contact, but enough that it messed everything else up.
Got a new socket at Auto Zone. Dorman. 4.95.
left rear socket. The ground terminal was broken inside.
I had replaced all the front sockets as they were so grimey and worn and messed up.
The rear one looked like new. All clean and such. But I guess after 30 years of vibration, the terminal for the ground just broke. Not enough that it didn't get some contact, but enough that it messed everything else up.
Got a new socket at Auto Zone. Dorman. 4.95.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 956
Likes: 86
From: McDonough Georgia
But isn't that the job of a seasoned car nut?
Tool along at 40mph in the slow lane with a 450 hp Vette and the left blinker on for 20 miles?
