Help Me Please Before I set my K5 on Fire!

[cliles]

I seriously need some advice. I am trying to get my 1990 k5 inspected, but for some reason when the left turn signal is activated, all the turn indicators/tail lights flash. When I turn the head lights on (hi beam or low beam) the left side turn indicators do not work (no blinking). All of the other lights appear to operate fine (whether the headlights are on or not).

I have checked the wiring (under the hood and dash) for anything that looked supsicious (PO special wiring, damaged wires/grounds), but have found nothing obvious.

I got my wiring diagram out, and trired to follow everything in the light blue wire circuit (left turn signal), and found nothing out of kelter. I have tried changing bulbs from right side to left side, and the right side still works and left side does (bulbs are not the issue (all bulbs light and flash, so I do not think the bulbs are the problem).

I am not an electrical engineer, but I am also not incompetent. I have spent a couple of hours on this, and have simply hit a brick wall.

If you have any advice, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[bronc3buster842001]

Check the blinker switch inside the column

 

[kgblazerfive]

sounds like you have a ground issue with you left turn. Check the bulbs agian make sure they are the right kind and in the right way, left side first

Are the turn lighs all coming on or is it the running lights. If its the turn then its in the switch only place they are remotely connected besides the relay. If its the running lights then check the bulbs on the left side first. Seems to me like a bulb is put in backwards or a plug is in wrong.

What happens when you turn on your hazzards

What about right side turn

check the ground on the left might be useing the running lights as a ground which would light them up.

Good luck and take pictures if you burn it down

 

[diesel4me]

I've had similar issues before anbd 99% of the time its a bad ground or a socket--also I have learned to look right away at any TRAILER wiring,often some butcher chopped the original harness and used scotchlocks or other crude methods of splicing the wires and didn't tape them up well and water got in and corroded the wires--or the trailer connector plugs themselves ,I have seen some turn gooey and melt ,allowing the wires to touch inside..

Electrical problems suck,especially those related to lighting,which HAS to be perfect in order to pass inspection,and be driven in daily street driving safely...I spent 3 weeks tracking down a brake light problem in an old '70 Ford F350 ramp truck a friend owned--only sometimes would the left rear brake light work--we replaced ALL the wires from the cab,light switch and to the rear lamps to no avail,and changed the sockets and doubled up on grounds--every "fix" seemed to have cured it,but a day later,NO frigging left brake light again!....finally,by accident I found the problem--when I was trying the directionals I noticed the brake light worked every time when I pulled back slightly on the turn signal switch lever--pulled off the steering wheel and yup--contact in the directional switch was loose--put in a new switch and they were finally fixed for good!..(after about a dozen "verbal warnings" from cops and a few "fix it" tickets!)..

 

[texas4x4rebel]

I have been having some issues with my front turn signals that sound similar do you have a good wire diagram I need one.

 

[cliles]

I can scan my chilton on in. All that work and the po had a single filament bulb in rear tail light.

 

[bigred81]

I had a similiar problem it was a bad turn signal flasher.

 

[cliles]

Problem solved, truck passed inspection, let the modification begin.

 

[diesel4me]

"All that work,and the PO had a single filament bulb in one rear tailight!".....I hate it when that happens!..many times I've found a 2057 bulb where an 1157 should be,and the filaments are "reversed" on them,the 2057 bulb has the brighter one on the "feed" that an 1157 socket uses for the parking lights--so you'll have a bright parking light ,but a DIM brake light!...

I've also found many bulbs that blew one filament and it touched the other filament inside the bulb,that can cause lots of troubles--feedback that causes the dash indicators for the turn signals to stay lit,blown fuses,etc...

I'm not looking forward to hooking up a set of plow lights to my Suburban..usually takes a day of fidlly-fartin around with a battery to find out which wire runs hi and lo beams,directionals,etc...its almost as bad as installing the rest of the plow setup is...you would think I'd have it down pat,I've done so many,but its been 7 years since the last time I put one on and wired lights up..and my BACK is letting me know in no uncertain terms I'm getting too old for this kind of work..

 

[Stomis]

Just for future reference my electrical woe plan of attack with old chevies is:

Replace the headlight switch.

If it still does it GET ANOTHER cause theyre often times garbage out of the box.

If that doesnt fix it return it and pull the cluster. Replace all little bulbs.

Any further lighting problems I have found to be a bad bulb that crossed filaments or bad socket.

 

[diesel4me]

Strange,I've never had a headlight switch go bad on my trucks,and I've kept many used ones from trucks I junked for "spares" but never needed one yet!..

My dad's '68 Chevelle wagon had a bad one though,that nearly got me killed one dark night on a back road that had no street lights--went into a bad corner just as the switch decided to start tripping the curcuit breaker,and I quickly jiggled the switch knob and got the lights back on just in time to see a telephone pole about 10 feet from the hood--good thing I slammed on the brakes and knew that road blindfolded I'd driven it so many times....I sold a TON of Ford headlamp switches though,mostly for Crown Vic police cars,they ate them up rapidly,didn't like the additional load from all the other lights they pile on the cruisers!..