My 89 Chevy pickup just started doing something odd yesterday. The left turn signal blinks too fast, but the right turn signal is still OK. The left signal will start out blinking normal speed, then after about 10 seconds it starts blinking too fast. I checked the bulbs and all of them are working. Is there a separate blinker for left and right? I always thought there was just one. Thanks.
Replace the bulb. Sometimes the resistance of the bulb increases as it gets older. Might solve your problem cheap.
Or maybe you go shopping for the new pickup that we were talking about on tbn [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Hazmat
"Or maybe you go shopping for the new pickup that we were talking about on tbn". Good idea hazmat!
Maybe if I don't fix the turn signal and sabotage a few other things I can convince my wife I need a newer truck!
Maybee check the grounds also just a thought i owned an 89 gmc great trucks
EDT
Danny (AKA MOSEY), You could pull out all 4 turn signal bulbs and put the left ones in the right and the right ones in the left. If the problem stays the same, it wasn't a bulb problem. While you have the bulbs out, look at the solder blobs on the bottom where they make contact with the bulb holder and see if they are dirty, corroded, or worn away (in the old days I used to use a soldering gun and solder to build them back up when that was easier than a trip to the parts store. Clean the wholle metal base of the bulbs (if you have the kind with metal bases) and put them back in. If the problem changed sides, substitute bulbs on that side to find the bad one. You are successful when replacing a bulb fixes the problem.
If none of this helped then the problem is in something you didn't check yet: turn signal switch (hope not - expensive and harder to R&R), flasher (easier to swap), or wiring or conections (might be a bugger to find). If yo have separate flashers, left and right, swap them and see if the problem changes sides. If yes replace flasher.
If you are confident working with 'lectricity you could locate and temporarily switch the turn signal wires coming from the turn signal switch. Could use somethig like test leads with 'gator clips. if the problem is in the switch or associated wiring, the problem will swith sides when yo swap the wires. If it is a grounding problem, short, bad connection or whatever in wires associated with one side or the other the problem will stay on the same side when you are swaping sthings around. Hope that this is not the case as this is the more difficult problem to find.
Oh, by the way... Have you confirmed that all four bulbs flash? One may be out or be the source of the problem in another way and will look less bright or whatever in addition to flashing faster.
Hope this helps. If yoi need/want more detailed assistance, contact me privately so we don't bore everyone.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Pat - Thanks for the ideas. I did check the lights by just seeing if they all work and they do. I haven't pulled the lenses yet to check for corrosion or a bad connection, so I'll do that. As near as I can tell there's only 1 flasher, so I'm suspecting a bad bulb or something.
There is only 1 flasher controlling the turn signals. Something is causing too much resistance on that left side. I would guess that it's the bulb, contacts, or a poor ground.
It's a similar situation if you connect a trailer to a vehicle with a standard flasher - the signals would blink very rapidly due to the increased resistance through the stock flasher. That's why you would use a heavy duty flasher.
With that said, I think it's time for a new truck [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
Nick
Danny, Its hard to tell if the lights are at the same intensity, especially in daylight, but if you swap the bulbs left with right and the blink rate difference problem changes sides, it is a bulb on the odd working side. This should be a piece of cake compared to the toughest automotive electrical system trouble shooting I have ever seen which was a Cadilac that worked perfectly for the regular driver but not for the guys wife. He would drive to the airport to get a flight and the car would be perfect. On the way home she often had problems with it stalling and acting up. It turned out that since she was so heavy when she hit a bump she would bottom out the cushion of the driver's seat and the metal mesh spring assy would cut the insulation of the power seat wire, shorting it to ground and causing malfunctions. A friend of mine found the problem and rerouted the wire, never mentioning anything about it being a gross weight problem just an intermittent. He thought the husband caught on and like my bud, just kept quiet.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
OK everyone, the problem is solved. I put new bulbs in the front and that didn't help. I put a new bulb in the back and the problem went away. I'm guessing the 10 second delay was because the bulb heated up then started causing the problem. Thanks for all your help!
Mosey,
Glad it was a cheap fix. Too bad you'll have to wait for the new truck [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I'm sure the "accountant" approves.
Hazmat
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