My right front turn signal doesn't work when I turn the switch, but the back one (and the indicator light) blink rapidly. I switched the front turn signal bulbs, no effect. I recently went under the guages to try and fix a instrument lights + tail light short. Taped the wires in that circuit I could see but don't think I found it, but moving the wires around had the effect that the instrument lights/tail light work now. I probably created the current problem then.
I'm not very experienced with wiring diagrams; the wire from the R side of the turn signal runs to a black rectangle. Is that a connector, or a junction block, or???
Anyway, it seems to run straight through that then to the turn signal. Two more wires of the same color leave the black rectangle, one to the indicator and one to the rear turn signal.
Any idea how I should go about diagnosing this? I seem to remember from high school auto mechanics eons ago that a device heats up from current and opens the circuit, then cools and closes it, causing the blinking. If the blinking is too fast, there is too much current. Too much current plus no current to the front bulb together sounds like a short between that black rectangle and the turn signal. Am I on track or hopelessly lost?
Thanks most sincerely,
Jim
(re: No front turn signal, back one too fast)

 

Jim, yes, the mechanical style turn signal flashers are bi-metallic thermally activated devices. The current drawn by the bulbs causes the internal flasher element to heat up and open, then cool down and close, then heat up... This is what makes the bulbs flash. The size of the heater element is based on the total number of bulbs to be flashed, and the units are designed to flash fast if a bulb burns out as a way of letting the driver know there is a problem.

What does that mean? It means your flasher thinks a bulb is burned out on the right side. Since the front bulb does not flash you know which one it is, but you changed the bulb and did not fix the problem, so the trouble is not the bulb itself but must be either the socket or the wiring. If you have a test light see if voltage is getting to the socket. There are two pins inside of the socket, one for the turn signal the other for the parking light. If there is no voltage on the turn signal pin then start probing the wire from the socket back toward the turn signal switch until you find the problem. If there is voltage at the pin then the ground for the socket is bad and needs to be fixed. Maybe it is rusted or corroded.

The black rectangle you saw sounds like a molded rubber boot covering a factory splice. It's just a junction point.

Hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by Hawkeye (edited 06-14-2000).]