Left Blinker Constantly Going Out
 

Hi all:
I have a rather maddening problem with my 1989 240 DL Wagon. My left turn signal is constantly going out. I'll change the bulb, it will work for maybe a week, and then it will go out again. I wind up driving for days at a time with no left turn signal, which I know is both dangerous and illegal, but I'm at my wits end. I've tried changing the fuse, but that didn't seem to help.


Any thoughts?

Are the bulbs really burning out or is it just removing and re-inserting the bulb causing it to work again. Also, is it the front or rear bulb you are replacing.

Many times there is corrosion in the bulb socket that causes a bad connection. Take the bulb out, clean up any corrosion and make sure the connections are all good. Then put it back to together using dielectric grease to seal out the moisture.

Good luck

Since you have a wagon, there's always the possibility it is the hinge wires breaking. That will cause a short though and blow the left side fuse and nothing on the left should blink. By all means, tell us front or rear signal, element burned out or glass bulb broker, indicator light on dash cluster blinking when they fail, what color shirt were you wearing...any details you can think of....

I could be wrong but I don't think the brake lights go through the wagon hatch. Their are only four circuits that I know of that go through the hinges. Wiper, third brake light, license plate light, rear window defogger.

Ron J

Ron, you're right as far as hatch equipment is what is fed by the wiring that goes through the hinges. The issue is, for instance, the license light gets it's power from the right side parking lights. If the hinge harness fails, you get no parking lights on the right side of the car. I realize nothing in the hatch is/should be tied into the turn signals but weird stuff happens...especially after 20 years. I'm still waiting to hear if it's both bulbs, or the same location again and again. If the glass is broken it's usually a water leak, filament burned out usually over voltage. Bad grounds are really common with age too. If both bulbs are failing then there could conceivably be something going on with either the signal stalk or the connections at the base of the steering column. A failing flasher relay can have some strange actions too.

OK, so to clarify...it is only the rear left turn signal. The front signal works fine. When the blinker stops working, the indicator light on the instrumental panel flashes very quickly when I put the turn signal on--as it normally would for a burnout.

However, based on the advice today, I did not change the bulb...I took a look at it...looked fine, clearly not "burnt out." I simply took it out, put it back in, and presto...it was working. So clearly, the bulb is getting loose or something as a drive.

OK...that shed light on things. One of two things come to mind. To temporarily fix the issue, bending the contact tabs outward on the bulb holder may increase the contact pressure with the circuit board. If you look at the lens assembly right under the circuit board, you may spot that the plastic has softened and as a result of pressure from the bulb socket pulled away, allowing the contact to break. This is very common with these cars but lusually only w/ the brake lights. Probably, bending the tabs slightly will resolve it. Because all the lamps on that side share a common ground and the other lights work correctly, it's safe to assume the ground is fine. I had enough issues with my 245 that I resolved it for good. I purchased a new set of lights and installed low heat LED bulbs. Then, rather than trust the socket, circuit board set up, I hard wired the lamps by attaching the appropriate wires directly to the backside of each bulb socket. Problem solved for good!