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My turn signals are not working at all, front or rear. My '85 has on the driver's side, a light bIue ,a brown, and a black wire. Passenger side is the same except the one wire is dark blue. Running lights are good and 4 ways work. the system must have some sort of wiring issue because I can take a safety pin and put it into the light blue wire, turn the key on and set the switch for left side operation. Nothing happens until I take a test light hook it to a ground, the touch the safety pin and the turn signal work perfectly, and the test light blinks right along with them. The same goes for the other side. I do not understand electrical so please give an answer an idiot can understand
When you give the signal a ground with three test light it turns on. This means that everything is working up to the point it returns to ground. You could have a broken or I'm broken or disconnected ground wire. Get a copy of the FSM if you don't have one, the electrical supplement in the back is excellent and will help.
You know you're getting voltage up to the point your testing, now you just need to see if that point is before or after any switching mechanisms that could be bad. If before, I'd suspect the switches, if after it MUST be a bad ground return
i so have the fsm and the wiring is just what it was from the factory. I have jumpered in a good solid ground and I can test at the switch in the column, in the big conduit the wires are in, and at the bulb socket and the results are the same in all 3 places. The signals work perfectly as soon as I touch the test light to the wire but I get nothing without the test light. I have a new switch coming, I will have it Tuesday morning. The switch is the only thing I can think of.
Thanks for the response.
If you replace the switch with no improvement I'd follow everything back to their common ground and check that. This can be a pain since a wire can look fine but be broken inside
Yep, I have had more than my fair share of broken/bared wires in the 21 years I have had the car. The thing is I have checked all the wires associated with the turn/park lights. The brown wires are good, the black wires are also good and the light and dark blue wires are also showing good continuity so I can't see any indications of broken wires. The new switch will be here tomorrow so I hope I can report good news tomorrow night.
I had turn signal problems that turned out to be a loose pin in the harness connections right at the base of the steering column. No problems since that was fixed.
Connector pin issues can definitely be at play. I always try to hit anything I disconnect with some contact cleaner at least just to help scare the gremlins away
I have had that connector apart so much in the past 3 days and I have attached alligator clips to the contacts testing things so much it is completely cleaned up so no, the problem is not there
OK, the light blue is the turn signal wire, the brown is the marker lights and the black is the ground. If you're putting your test light on the lt blu wire, then you're adding a ground on that part of the circuit. Current flows through the turn signal filament and then flows through the filament for the marker lights and then to the ground through your test light. That's why it blinks with the signal.
You have a dead ground, either at the bulb, or at the ground connection to the frame, or somewhere between. You might try cutting the black wire outside of the light socket and adding a new ground wire to a grounding point. If that doesn't help, then the problem is in the socket, which will need to be replaced.
Attached is a pic of the relevant circuits.
Enjoy!
OK, the light blue is the turn signal wire, the brown is the marker lights and the black is the ground. If you're putting your test light on the lt blu wire, then you're adding a ground on that part of the circuit. Current flows through the turn signal filament and then flows through the filament for the marker lights and then to the ground through your test light. That's why it blinks with the signal.
You have a dead ground, either at the bulb, or at the ground connection to the frame, or somewhere between. You might try cutting the black wire outside of the light socket and adding a new ground wire to a grounding point. If that doesn't help, then the problem is in the socket, which will need to be replaced.
Attached is a pic of the relevant circuits.
Enjoy!
Thank You!! I was just sitting here trying to decide whether or not to try new sockets. I hate throwing parts at it, that can add up fast with no results but the sockets are not that much so I will try that.
I put both new sockets in today and it did no good. But what I found is something I can't explain. This all started with the right front turn signal being out, that was 6 days ago When I went for new bulbs I decided to get leds, that was a big mistake. I was ready to quit and have somebody else fix it when for some unknown reason I decided to try to put the one old bulb I had left in and try it then. Everything came around all together and was working perfectly
Sounds good! After 35 years, old contacts corrode a bit with age, and just the act of removal and insertion into the sockets can remove a bit of that corrosion and make a good contact. I would go at the bulbs with a sharp blade and remove oxidization, and then go at the sockets with a pencil eraser or something a bit more abrasive. Keep trying the LEDs. I'm sure you'll get them working with a bit of attention to the sockets. Cheers!
You need an electronic flasher with the leds. There wasn’t enough current draw to operate the flasher.
i think the hazards use a different flasher.
Exactly, you are correct. And I have an electronic flasher but I have had this thing apart now over a week, everything is working as it should, the led bulbs and the flasher I will save for a cold winter day when I have nothing better to do.
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Turn signals problem need an electrical whiz
