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Topic: Left Blinker problem (Read 5080 times) previous topic - next topic

Left Blinker problem

Hey guys,

In my 86 the flashers and the right blinker work.  The left blinker does not for some reason.  The lights do come on though when I push down on the lever, so I can manually flash my left blinker.  I checked all the bulbs all seem to be ok.  Any ideas?  Somone told me today to pull the column apart and clean the switch assembly but that seems crazy if I get conctact enough to turn the lights on.  I was thinking maybe it was the relay but then I would have any blink.


Any ideas?

Thanks guys.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #1 –
dont the 4 eyed fox's have 1157 front turn signal bulbs?  if so,, perhaps one of the two elements are burnt out.

i use to own two 84's but i forgot what type the turn/marker lamps were.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #2 –
Yea, that's what I thought at first.  I checked and replaced that bulb.  The old was fine. When i push down on the lever all the lights come on.  it does work sparatically though, which is rather odd.  Like, last thursday night for example.  I took it out for a drive after replacing the t stat and belt trying to combat that  over heating issue.  It worked all night.  It sat the night and didn't work in the morning.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #3 –
if your making it work manipulating the lever, id guess its the switch also. i think that switch 83-84 is different form the 86-88 fox's,, cant remember for sure.

i think i remember the arrangement of levers changing.

so your saying that if you make a left turn and hold down the lever with some force, the left turn will blink?,,? 
if so, sounds switch related to me.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #4 –
Quote
It worked all night. It sat the night and didn't work in the morning.
The next time it doesn't work with the lever, pull the hazard switch instead, hop out, and have a look front and back. Everything should be flashing evenly side-to-side (same number of bulbs). Could be a bad bulb or corroded socket contact.
Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.

1988 5.0 Bird, mostly stock, partly not, now gone to T-Bird heaven.
1990 Volvo 740GL. 114 tire-shredding horsies, baby!

Left Blinker problem

Reply #5 –
jcassidy -- To make it blink on the left side i have to move the lever up and down.  Sorry I didn't clarify that earlier.  I've been exhuasted.  I'm suprised any of my posts make sence.

Masterblaster -- all of the bulbs flash at the same time with the flashers on.

it's a weird deal.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #6 –
humm,,
so put simply,, are the trun signals that big fat bulb or the tiny tiny bulb.

if its the big bulb,, here is a quick story,, if its not then ignore.

I had a light issue from hell once on the whole tail end of my car just cause i decided to pull out the tail lights and remove the covers on the rear so i could paint.

when i put everything back and installed bulbs,, all kinds of freaky shiznit started happening.  I turn left and my right and left blinked alternatly as well as a minor glimmer of a rear tail light strobing.. All kinds of freaky  happening then it was discovered,,,,,,,,

The sockets on the rear of these cars get soft over time and if your observation skills arent that good (bashing myself here,,lol) then they can be installed backwards.  Yeah i know the sockets are foolproof and thats what i thought.  anyway,long story short.....do you have that bulb in backwards? if its the big fat 1157 type.

im gonna look at the evtm and see if i missed something the other day on this.

are the headlights equally bright?
scott

ok,, im back,, you only have a fuse,, the turn flasher then the multi switch then the bulb and all wiring in between.
what you do know......
left turn bulb lights up
right turn works fine
left turn does not blink
turn signal flasher is dedicated to turn only
hazards work fine and all bulbs work
Hazard circuit has its own flasher
you have to flick on and off the lever to simulate a left turn
you do know its intermittant which indicates it could be something loose
you do have power input to the multi switch cause other  works


what you dont know
if any wiring is skinned up in the area around the headlamps / turn lamp
if the ground on the left (single wire with little lug on top) side is loose or fraid
if the switch in the column is bad
if the positive wiring from the fuse out has corrosion / damage
if something is overheating the flasher when you make a left turn (check this by hand and feel)
you have not done a wiggle test on various areas
if you have power with your neg meter lead to chassis ground and pos lead to hot wire of bulb socket


what all this has in common
multi switch continuity across wire colors Light Blue and Light Green/White with lever to left turn
Power feed to bulb via the Light Green Wire
continuity from the bulb connector Black wire to ground

Left Blinker problem

Reply #7 –
yea, they are 1157.  I'll have to check.  I thinking that the bulbs look ok and function ok but are causing a bad ground or something.

My bro's 94 cougar had all good bulbs but the cruise control wouldn't work and the electrical system was flaky.  We changed all of the rear bulbs and wouldn't you know it, the  cruise started working.  Weird stuff.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.

Left Blinker problem

Reply #8 –
bump
i posted pics and other stuff,pls read and get to work:shakeass:

Left Blinker problem

Reply #9 –
Sweet.  Thanks bud.  After today I'm starting to think it's a short of some kind possibly.  It rained all day here and the blinker would work for the first  min the car was running then quit.

The wiggle test is a good idea too.  I just remember that a month or two ago when I turned the head lamps on the front left marking/blinker light came on high and would stay on high.  The blue indicator for the highbeams was partially on and the left head lamp was dim.  I wiggled some wires on the drivers side engine compartment by accident checking the connections and it started working again. 

Realated, I bet it is.

I'll make some supper and try ti get out in the rain and check the specifics out on your post.


tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.

 

Left Blinker problem

Reply #10 –
SOLVED!!!!  Thanks jcassidy.  I went out and the  thing was working! Of course right?  So I drove into twon, 2 miles, and it quit working, like I thought it would, (really was hoping it would).  It was raining out so I got a pop and came back out to the house.  It wasn't working on the way home, and then it was, then it wasn't, then it was, then it wasnt, so on.  I first tried your turn the flashers on and check all the bulbs.  I've done this before with no resutl, and today by chance the back farthest left bulb was not looking right.  I turned the blinker back on and just touched the wires in the back of the plug and the blinker started working.  Apparently my trailer wiring harness that I installed 5 years ago had gotten a short in it where I spliced it into the car harness.  I fixed that and now it's working great.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.