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turn signals ?? wierd

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Ok, this is on my '68 Coronet. New turn signal switch with column harness, all new rear bulbs. Noticed this the other day when I was following my wife driving the car. Both brake lamps work, both turn signals work, all parking lamps work ... now ... with the left turn signal on and brake pedal pushed all is good, but with the right turn signal on and brake pedal pushed the left lamp goes inop .. right turn signal will flash but the left brake lamp will not work until the turn signal is cancelled .. any thoughts ?
 
Got a wiring diagram for the car? The way all that stuff is wired, and interacts with the rest of it, makes it a complicated mess. One wire wrong, besides a bad switch, could cause that. Probably need to chase each wire, for correct location in the connectors, and for possible grounding.
 
Problem is most likely in the signal switch or its wiring. Could be something simple, like a harness pin not connecting (pushed pin) or something in the switch itself. Do the rear signals work normally without the brake applied and do the brake lights work normally without the signals? Maybe try moving the signal lever back and forth a bunch of times. Also verify the connectors are snug and tight.
 
Start simple, check all the grounds. We had a similar issue and we were going crazy trying to figure it out. Turned out that the bulb socket wasn't grounding to the housing.
 
Grounds - grounds - grounds....................more often the problem than not.

I once was working on a 57 Eldo and it was driving me nuts until I just stopped and thought about grounds.

Of all things.............the firkin taillight housing was not getting good ground.
 
Have you replaced your flashers yet? both - turn and emergency?
 
Replace your flasher and double check grounds. Unlikely it's the switch. Bad ground is usually the problem. Make sure bulb socket is good and clean, terminals inside of socket are clean, good bulb and good flasher it should work.
 
Probably have a bad switch. If the lights are working then the grounds are probably find. Just because the switch is new doesn't mean that it is not bad. I've got a couple new switches that were bad and had the same problems.
 
Probably have a bad switch. If the lights are working then the grounds are probably find. Just because the switch is new doesn't mean that it is not bad. I've got a couple new switches that were bad and had the same problems.

Like I said, unlikely a bad switch. If it was just replaced with a new one I'd look at bad ground. Not saying new parts can't be bad, just not looking like the switch from my experience.
 
If the brake lights work then why would it be a ground? Turns and brake lights have the same rear wiring and grounds.
 
I've seen the switch cause the same thing, everything works by itself but not in combination with brake lites. IMO I would check the contact pins on the new switch to make sure that they aren't melted into the plastic. Or recessed too low for the contact wire to touch. Good luck with your problem, as electrical issues are the worst to deal with.
 
Has the turnsignal switch wireing been checked? May have stripped some insulation while installing the new switch.
 
Ok whatever..... check the switch. While you're at it I'd check the grounds.

- - - Updated - - -

If the brake lights work then why would it be a ground? Turns and brake lights have the same rear wiring and grounds.

I've seen it before on more than one occasion.
 
Just asking.
I was a Master Electrician for over 25 years and automotive wiring is no mystery to me. I spend a lot of time trouble shooting electrical problems on my customer's cars. Yes check the grounds which is the light housing to the body but if the brakes lights are working then I doubt that is the problem.
 
Had simular problems with my new switch and found that the 4 corner wires on the Hazzard block where the knob pushes in and out were connected backwards from original switch. Not just on on the 1st switch I bought but on the replacement they sent me also. Drilled out the rivets swapped wires side to side and all good ! Might be worth a look .
 
Just because a part is 'new', doesn't mean it was put together 'right'...especially these days.
 
This issue was happening to us, brake lights worked. turn on the left turn signal and the left light would go out on the front running light and the rear brake light. The dash turn signal light would stay on to indicate the light wasn't flashing. Everything was connected. Did a ground test on the front turn signal light for "chit's and giggles" and found out that was what was causing the problem. It was actually the front housing, not the socket that wasn't grounding. Sorry for the misinformation on my first response. Anywho, we had to reground the front turn signal housing to the bumper with a thin wahser between the housing and the bumper and it worked fine after that.
 
yep when a turn signal light on the dash stays on that is a good indication that there is a bad ground on one of the turn signal lights
 
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