when i have my headlights turned on, my left blinkers are stuck on but do not blink. when i have my headlights off, my left blinker works fine but the car's
digital clock blinks on and off.
has anyone else had a similar problem? is it something that is difficult to fix? thanks.
You have a rather interesting electrical problem that seems to trace back to the fuse block. Has this car been in a wreck or had any major work done lately, or did it just start happening? It sounds to me as if the panel light circuit is somehow shorted to the left turn signal circuit. It could be happening anywhere in the dash panel circuit as well, which sounds like the probable cause. If the dash TS indicator is somehow shorted to the panel light circuit, that'd do it for sure.
I'm curiously reminded of the home center commercials where the guy puts in a ceiling fan, throws the switch to show off to his old lady, and the sprinklers come on.
I'm not sure if this problem has been going on for awhile or if it just started- I bought the car used from a private owner last week. The carfax report didn't say that it had been in any accidents. It is possible that the former owner tried to fix it himself because the cover to the fuses is missing.
I take it that this problem is too difficult for a novice like myself to fix? Is it likely to be expensive to repair? Thanks.
There ya go! Bumbling owner tried to fix, couldn't, sold his troubles to someone else. Trouble could be in the fuse block, but could also be up in the dash. What seems to be happening is that the LH turn signal circuit is crossed with the dash light circuit...that's why your digital clock is probably flashing from dim to bright, rather than on and off. First clue: pull the instrument lamp fuse, and the turn sigs may start working.
will the instrument lamp fuse be labeled in some way?
I also noticed this posting online, in which a person seemed to have a similar problem. do you think (like the discussion below) a bulb could be a problem or because the clock is flashing there is likely a short.
thanks again
Turn Signal Lamp Stuck On All 9 messages in topic - view as tree
The left turn signal indicator in the dash is stuck ON only when the headlights are turned on. The left turn bulb on the front blinks when turning, but is off otherwise...unlike the right front turn bulb. Are you telling me that the steady left turn signal indicator is telling me to replace the front left turn bulb?
I think its telling you that you have a bulb burned out. Its not the turn signal bulb. Its in the turn signal housing but its a small bulb that can be seen from the side of the truck. Turn on your park lights and look at the right side of the truck. You have a parklight that is seen from the front and another (smaller) light that's seen from the side. If you turn on the right blinker, it blinks in front and on the side. Do the same on the left. The small bulb to the side of the truck is not working. This might all be for nothing, cause I've been wrong before. GM started this stuff in the 70's I think. On older trucks, it was a "clearance" light in the fender (separate from the turn signal, but it blinked with it.) .
Yes, on GM and Chryslers, I've seen it variously as "INST LPS" and "PNL LPS", and maybe a couple of others.
A "bulb" itself isn't the problem, but I've seen cases where the bases on bayonet style "twist in" panel lamps weren't installed properly and one of the contact would be rubbing another trace on a printed wiring board, although that's a stretch.
Trouble's somewhere in the dash lamp circuit, and I bet there's a cross between the instrument lamp circuit and the LH turn signal indicator circuit, probably in the instrument cluster itself. Obvously, some goof has been rummaging around in the fuse panel already. Hint: the cover to the fuse panel is most likely under the driver's seat, where I usually find them all.
Start by checking / replacing the bulbs on the left side. The turn signal bulbs have two filaments in them. It is possible for one filament to fail, break, and then fall on to the other filament. When this happens all sorts of weird things start happening with the lights.
First thing I would do would be to check those bulbs very carefully for a broken filament or replace them or swap them to the other side and see if the problem goes away (or moves to the other side if you swap them).
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