My rear turn signals are completely out, but my front blinkers turn on (static driving lights) yet won't blink when I move the stem to activate them when trying to make a turn. I don't even hear the clicking coming from the dash or see the dash signals blinking either.

When i last checked the fuses, they all looked ok.

 

fog lights are dead too.

 

Have you checked the rear bulbs? If one of the front or rear turn signal bulbs burns out it will not flash when the turns signals are activated.

 

Would the dash not make the clicking sound either if a bulb were out...and would all 4 lights not work on the account of 1 bulb being out???

I'll check them tomorrow morning.

 

the clicking sound is made by the turn signal relay thats usually somewhere under that dash on a conventional automobile. if one of the bulbs is blown, the signal is open and the circuit wont function, meaning that the clicking relay thingy wont either.

my bulbs are all fine, but my rear sockets are corroded beyond function, so if i was you, i would be checking these first.

 

The "clicking thingy" is not a relay. It works on heat. When the circuit is loaded as designed the current flow causes a bi-metal strip to get hot and it opens and once open there is no current flow, it cools off and then the bi-metal strip makes contact again. There is a spring inside and that is the clicking you hear. These are the old mechanical style. There are silent electronic versions available now. Your front and rear signals are wired in parallel not series. If one bulb is out only that bulb will not work.

When one bulb is out the flasher does not get hot enough to cause the metal strip to open the circuit. This is why it does not flash.

Here is some reading...... HowStuffWorks "How Turn Signals Work"

 

so if its not a relay then its a "works on heat"?

bottom line is it doesnt work when your bulb is burnt out.

 

It will not flash if only one bulb is out.

 

well...interestingly enough the turn signals stopped working when I pulled the instrument cluster out to replace bulbs. When I put not back in...they didn't work anymore. The turning bulbs were fine before this. I didn't get a chance to check the bulbs today since it was 87 degrees here in LA today. For Angelenos that is Africa hot.

 

Do the bulbs in the cluster light up but not blink?

 

the blinker bulbs do not light up in the cluster either....all other bulbs work fine. What do you think? I was about to go to the store to buy new bulbs for the turn signals, but I'll wait to hear your response. thanks.

 

I will look a the wiring diagram later tonight and post some things for you to check.

 

I just tried to remove the front signal light lens and I couldn't. 3 of the 4 screws came out. 1 screw came half way then stopped. Its getting stripped and doesn't budge. Already sprayed with wd40. no help. Regardless, I still get the actual lens off the signal light has already been pooped out. I don't want to crack the lens or break it. Is there a certain shimmy or ninja chop that I should employ??

 

I just got home. I will have to look at the wiring diagram tomorrow. It is 10 PM here and I need to relax some.

 

Rule of thumb: If something goes wrong, check the last thing you worked on first. The fact that you have recently been working on the cluster is telling. There is a lot of weird gremlin electronics having to do with the cluster in these cars. I'd start there first.

If it were my car, I'd take out the cluster again, and meticulously clean all the connections on both ends. Also, adding a redundant ground behind the instrument cluster can solve a variety of problems. Doug can expound on this procedure.

Grounds cause all sorts of problems Search the forum for "Getting Even" by Blackjack. Great example. I'd put money that your problem is related to the instrument cluster.

 

Ok, so I just changed all 4 turn signal bulbs and now they light up when I hit the hazards button on the dash...the dash also does the clicking sound when you're normally turning. However, when i move the stem to signal as usual the lights don't blink and I don't hear the clicking sound. Interestingly enough now my fog lights work too. They previously weren't working.

This car gets weirder and weirder. On a separate, but related electrical note...my passenger map light works normally and my driver side doesn't light up at all, ever. When I use the light buttons on the dash (next to the trip computer) the passenger map light turns on when i use the button closest to the driver, but not when the right button is pushed.

 

I totally agree, I've just been hoping I wouldn't have to pull it out again for fear of ruining something else.

So here comes a real rookie question..are you ready...here it comes. How do "clean all the connections on both ends" and add a redundant ground? I've read on various posts that adding a redundant ground fixes a lot of issues...but how do I do that. Give me the "electrical for dummies" version!

Thanks guys.

 

Well the gauge cluster has those two rectangular connectors on the back. (You know, the ones that are just too short to be able to maneuver the cluster in any easy way to disconnect or reconnect them?) :-)

By cleaning, I mean using some sort of electronics cleaner such as "DeoxIT" to ensure that each connection has a good, well, connection. lol... I took a small flat blade screwdriver and *gently* scraped any oxidation off each trace in those two rectangular jacks/receptacles on that printed flexible circuit board, then did the same to the actual plugs. Then gave everything a nice coating of DeoxIT very OCD i know!

Also the clips that hold the connectors to the cluster get worn out so I cut some custom pieces of foam and stuck them between the clip and the plug to ensure that they clicked securely in place and didn't fall out while driving.

Then came the redundant ground. I fashioned 2, 6-8 inch long pieces of wire. On one side of each wire, I crimped a spade connector. On the other side, one wire got a male connector, the other a female (as shown). One wire got bolted to a solid ground point on the car, while the other, a solid ground on the cluster. Then i reinstalled the two factory plugs, plus my additional ground wire.

With all that done, the lights on the dash were brighter, and the gauges seemingly smoother and more responsive. Plus it brought back to life all the notification lights at the top. The peace of mind that I actually know what is going on with my car while driving made it worth while!

Hope this helped a little. I am challenged when it comes to explaining things clearly and concisely.

 

Merely "light up" or do they actually flash?






Power for the regular turn signals comes from the emergency flasher switch. The contacts in the emergency flasher switch can get dirty/corroded. I've "fixed" some dead turn signals on Jags by rather vigorously operating the emergency flasher switch a couple dozen times. this clears the contacts and restores power to the regular turn signal circuit.

No promises, but worth a try :-)

I worked on an XJS where, despite normal efforts, I couldn't find the reason for lack of voltage to the turn signal circuit. I simply ran a redundant power supply wire.

I'm not suggesting you try the same thing, at least not at the moment.




Pretty weird. This is beginning to sound like a ground fault/feedback issue.



The interior light circuit is a little tricky. I'm a bit foggy on this but as I recall.....

Opening the door should turn on all the lights, as should one of the dashboard buttons. The other dashboard button turns on all the lights except the driver's side, so the driver isn't blinded.

Something like that.

A new bulb might fix the driver's side light in your case....or there might be some other problem.

I think you're at the point where you need to put the schematics in front of you and start tracing out circuits and grounds one-by-one.

As for the redundant cluster ground, EcbJag has a good write-up

Cheers
DD

 

@Doug -
They actually light up and flash when I hit the hazards button. Otherwise they turn on and are static when I turn on my lights.

My hazards also megan working after vigorously using the hazards button. They weren't functioning when I got the car. I actually broke the hazards button so now its pretty wonky, but I bought a replacement one and plan to put it in once I figure out how to remove the current hazards button.

Door light issue - based on your description of how they should work...that means none of my lights are working as they should...lol. When either door opens only the passenger side map light turns on. Press the left side button, only the passenger side turns on. Press the right side button, nothing happens. The courtesy lights just behind the front seats don't on anymore. They were turning on every now and then, but now they don't.