Turn SIgnal Questions

The wiring on my Jeep is a mess. Wires to nowhere, a cracked wire here, cut wire there. I am contemplating ripping it all out and putting in a new harness over the winter (we have three more perfect Jeep riding months, so it is on hold until at least January)

but I have a few problems and questions as I am working on the turn signals

1. Drivers side side markers and turn signals work but pass. side does not. I can hear the flasher (just replaced)..clicking when I turn on drivers side but no clicking when passenger side is on....In searching the forum...this sounds like a new turn signal switch is needed??

2. Hazards all work (both pass side and drivers side) blink with one exception the front turn signal under the head lamp does not flash just stays lit (the side marker on that side blinks)..Any ideas why? Ground problem?


Thanks
Michael

 

Thanks Mike..with my schedule a complete re-wire will take a month as I get an hour here and an hour there to work on it. And since its taken about a year to get it to the point of driving it i am going to drive it until it gets too cold to do so here (January mebbe) and then rip out all the wiring.

If its not a loose connection, new turn signal switch?

 

I know that many here have had good results with the harness kits, but I would caution not to start ripping out wires until you have checked all the possible sources of trouble.

Also, if it's a problem in the column, a new wiring kit won't include any of that. It's a standard GM column, and should be easy to find parts for.

First thing I would do is to check all the bulb sockets, bulbs, and grounds. Note that the light circuits ground to the body, so you have to check all the grounds - socket to body, body to chassis, chassis to battery. I'd also pull apart the harness connectors where they branch off to the lights and back half of the chassis - any connector that might be in the circuit. Treat them with contact cleaner, inspect the contacts carefully, and reseat several times.

Then, you need the wiring diagram from the factory manual specific to your year (1980). I know these are online somewhere for the Wagoneer, but I don't know if the diagram for the CJs is. You could buy a reprint of the factory manual - that will have all the circuit diagrams. It's a very worthwhile purchase if you don't have it already.

Then it's just a matter of being thorough and systematic. If your left blinker works and the right doesn't, start at the switch or lamp and test what you should have at every point in between the two ends for the working circuit. Then compare your results to the side that doesn't work.

Helps to have lots of photocopies of the wiring diagram. In advance, mark out the circuit you are going to check with colored pens. Then as you test each point, write your results on the diagram. This will help keep you on track and help you to retrace your steps if you get lost or confused.

Remember that all these circuits, taken individually, are really simple. If you can resist the urge to look at the forest, and focus on one tree at a time, you can sort it out.

Good luck!

 

My problem with most wiring diagrams in the manuals is that they are too small. (Old eyes). Getting them blown-up to a readable size (and Color Coded as well) should help, too.R):hurrican:

 

Tim:

I have the wiring diagram for my year and I am learning how to work my way through the grounding and circuit issues and rewiring the jeep is not something I want to do. I was more trying to head off the "you should rewire your jeep" responses

As I thought about the problem a bit.... my question is more why would all the side markers and turn signals work when I put the hazards on

but the pass side side markers and turn signals not work when I just have the right turn signal on? Drivers side works fine.

I thought about not worrying about it and just making only left turns wherever I go...but it seems more practical to fix the problem.....

Michael

 

It could be a problem with the turn signal switch. If you reverse the wires from the switch (ie connect the left side to the right, and vice-versa) at the chassis connector and now the passenger side works and the drivers side not, this would point to something 'above' your jumpers, such as the switch. You could possibly bypass the switch at the column plug too. You understand what I'm suggesting?

There are two blinker relays, one for the hazards and one for the turn indicators. These relays are affected by the load they see - if you've every connected a trailer and the indicators blink fast, that's because the trailer lights in parallel form a lower resistance (higher current) load. If there the resistance is high (bad ground or?) on the passenger side, the relay may not cycle at all. I had this problem with my truck (although it affected both sides) after it sat for a while... I tightened the grounds, plugged and replugged all the circuits and it worked again.

 

Tim:

I understand what you are saying...I'll give that a shot and see if it changes things and also run through the grounds on the pass side...

Are the front markers and signals seperate from the rear? Or in other words can a bad ground in back effect the front lights on that side? Sorry for the basic questions...

Michael

 

At some point in the wiring, the fronts will separate from the rears, but they both run off the same relay. If the fronts act differently from the rear, that would indicate the problem is downstream from the switch and/or relay.

The hazard lights are wired so that all the blinking lights are the load. The turn indicators split left from right and only operate one side at a time. Lets say that each corner is 1/4 of the total load. If one corner is out, that's half the load gone for the TIs but only 1/4 gone for the hazards. The hazards might work, running 3 corners, while the TIs wouldn't. Also, the condition of the relay matters. The hazards are used less often, so the relay might be in better shape and more likely to blink under less than ideal conditions (ie 3/4 load).