Hey Guys,

About a week ago I took my car out for a joy ride at night and very ubruptly noticed that when I turned my left signal on it would stick and wouldn't blink. Later on in that trip it would sometimes blink if I turned the turn signal but sometimes it wouldn't. I filed this as something that needs to be fixed down the road (not a daily driver, it's just a joy ride car).

Tonight when I decided to take the car out to test out my new scanxl software/hardware bundle, I found out that the left turn signal was permanently on in the dash right as I turned the car on. Initially when I tested out the system, I turned the parking lights on and noticed my front left and front left marker lights were both out. I unscrewed the left marker and everything looked ok so then I moved to the front left turn signal. I started unscrewing the left screw and the light magically came on and then so did the front left marker.

I removed the bulb, inspected the contacts in the socket and the bulb and then re-assembled the bulb and retained the front left marker and front left turn signal to be on with the parking light on. The turn signal in the dash was still stuck solid. Turning the turn signal would light the rear turn signal but the front would stay on. One other thing I noticed is that when I have my parking lights on, the front left turn signal is VERY BRIGHT compared to the front right turn signal. When I turned the parking lights off the front left turn signal stopped being permanently lit, but the dash light still said it was. I turned the turn signal with the lights off, and the front left turn signal turned on but it was turned on in the "low mode" and was much weaker than the right one.

I've come to the conclusion that when it's in parking light mode, the light is shining like it's in blink mode. When I turn the parking lights off and try the turn signal, it lights up in parking light mode.

Would it be reasonable to assume that the socket in the front left turn signal is at fault? I looked at the two filaments in the bulb and they were both attached on both sides and showed no signs of overheating.

Thanks!

Either the bulb is in 180 degrees off (if it's not try a new correct bulb) or the socket is shorted, get a new socket.

Yes

The dash light will come on when the filament is burnt out or the bulb is not making a connection to the socket. Did you get the bulb to jam in there in a 180 deg out of where it is supposed to be? The bulb is designed to only fit one way. Also sometimes what happens is the vibrations of the bulb against the connector wears down the solder spots on the bulb to where they don't make a good connection anymore. btw, that gunk in the bulb socket is supposed to be there. It keeps water from getting into the socket. It's called dielectric grease. It works good to keep the sockets from corroding. Pick up a tube when you go to get the new bulb.

You have bad ground, likely on left front socket.
See cave, sneak path in general electrical section. Image is for back but give you an idea...

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

Well, I somehow managed to re-assemble the light 180* backwards . Thanks for the help guys! I'll leave it the way it is until it stops working again, but it's blinking just as good as the right blinker now.

Second the Ogre's diagnosis. you touching it is making and breaking the ground. Only one thing would cause the above symptoms and that's Park power and Turn signal power connecting. Either through a dual filament bulb that's ungrounded or through a shorted connection. The ungrounded bulb fits better because with park lights on Both side and front markers were out not lighting.

[This message has been edited by DIY_Stu (edited 02-08-2011).]

Someone didn't read the post right before theirs

If you're referring to me I read every post before mine. And I still stand at a breaking ground. Spinning the bulb will mainly only affect the flash speed and the side light but when the park lamps are on it will STILL LIGHT only Brighter than it should as it still would have a ground and the bright filament lead touching the park wire. With park lamps on only, yet that whole corner doesn't work, then the path would start from the switch travel to the left front Park wire which is tapped by the side lamp. The power would then travel through the side lamp and to the Turn Signal wire of the front light. At the same time power would flow from the park wire of the front lamp through the first filament then if NO GROUND is present it would then travel through the second filament then onto an OPEN switch since the turn signal was not on. Likely the old hardened dielectric grease had packed its way between the ground side contact holding it back from it's connection. I've got a nice set of headlamp sockets that can show you the effects of a poor connection due to hardened dielectric. They are burned up some kind of serious.

The way I read it is he put the bulb in 180 out the first time and that caused all the troubles. When he inserted it the right way that fixed all the troubles.

Nothing to fix if it is working right.

Think about it

Not much to think about if he said he had put the bulb in 180 out and now he has it in correctly and it works correctly. Yeah the bayonets are not supposed to let you put in in 180 out but if forced I would think you could over power a bulb socket.

Not much to think about if it's working right.

James is your light working 100% correctly or is there still something wrong with it?

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 02-09-2011).]

180 around and 2057 (or 1157) lamp?
Very hard to do with socket in good condition... Try it... The side pins and socket slots are offset to prevent this kind of error. You usually have to force bulb, likely break glass or separate metal from glass breaking thin wires.

180 around should not cause ground problem... Unless 180 error causes short but short there should blow fuse.

180 around just makes filament to light in wrong circuit, dim = turn and bright = park. Most people think 180 around, really just unplug/replug fix grounding bulb problem.... I seen that fixes problem most time, even more if socket spring is weak...

quote Originally posted by JamesCurtis: Tonight when I decided to take the car out to test out my new scanxl software/hardware bundle, I found out that the left turn signal was permanently on in the dash right as I turned the car on. Initially when I tested out the system, I turned the parking lights on and noticed my front left and front left marker lights were both out. I unscrewed the left marker and everything looked ok so then I moved to the front left turn signal. I started unscrewing the left screw and the light magically came on and then so did the front left marker.

Yes... bad/loose ground and/or contact on front park/turn bulb will cause it.... All it takes is a weak spring or rust. Unplug/replug park/turn bulb several times will "fix" it. A new bulb will help....

See my cave, LED marker in lighting section to see how markers work.
and see service manual etc park/turn lighting wiring diagram.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 02-09-2011).]

Wow, I can't believe this thread is still going!

Here's the timeline

1. Turn signal would stick randomly
2. Turn signal stuck all the time
3. I took the front left turn signal out, put it back in 180* off
4. Turn signal still stuck
5. Took turn signal bulb out, rotated it to the correct orientation.
6. Turn signal works.

If it breaks again I'll check the ground and then replace the bulb and then replace the socket. Thanks all for the help and +'s all around .