MatthewBrown44

Hello I have a 02 Firebird that I purchased recently knowing the passenger side turn signals do not work, I can’t seem to figure out the problem so some assistance would be appreciated. So both my diver side blinkers (front and back) work no matter what, yet my passenger side blinkers (front and back) do not, they work if I turn on my hazards but if I try to use the right blinkers with the headlights set to off the lights will stay solid and the left blinkers will flash, and if I turn the headlights on or the dash lights the right blinkers will not work at all and the right blinker indicator on the dash will stay lit up solid green. I’ve cleaned the grounding wires that come off the bulbs and made sure they are properly connected and that all the bulbs are good, yet that did not fix my problem. Electrical problems are not really my specialty so I’m not sure what the problem is, if anyone has any suggestions as to what might be wrong or if you know what is wrong some help would be appreciated
- Matthew

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Keep in mind that the turn signal bulbs are all dual filament - they have a dim filament for the parking/running lights and a bright filament for DRL and turn signals (and brake lights in the back). One filament in a bulb can burn out without affecting the other so it can seem that the bulbs are fine when, in fact, you're seeing the working filament rather than the burned out one. For turn signals, the best way to check is to turn off the lights, turn on the hazard flashers and walk around the car looking for the bulb that isn't flashing. A burned out bulb is, by far, the most common cause of the symptoms you describe, followed by socket corrosion in the front lamps due to water getting in through cracked housings. When a bulb is burned out on one side there isn't enough current flow to make the flasher click on and off so the remaining lights on that side just stay on solid.

ghardester

While leaving all the lights turned off, turn the car on, be sure to disengage the parking brake. Your front DRLs should both activate and be lit like normal. Both filaments will be lit like double bright, ( like in my icon) both filaments are working. This is normal DRL operation. If one does not work replace the bulb.

If that is not the problem, these DRL bulbs get very hot and are notorious for burning out the sockets that they plug into. Look closely at the socket the bulbs plug into, they may be cooked. New pig-tails and sockets are easily available and farily cheap. Very common issue.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Simple. The turn signals and the hazards share the same circuitry up to the point where they have separate flashers and switches. You have a bad turn signal flasher. Everything else you describe is normal.

The OEM flasher is a thermal design. With different resistances on either side of the car, it's not uncommon for one side to bonk out first as the flasher starts to burn out.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Actually, no. The bulb is bright because it has a brighter filament (more wattage) connected to the DRL/turn signal circuit not because both filaments are on - they aren't. The only time both filaments are on at once is when using the turn signals or hazards while the headlights are on... when the front lamps are switching between parking/running and signals the system doesn't bother turning off the parking/running light filament.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

I would still do the simple first check to see if there's a burned out bulb. Then the flasher situation can be tested by swapping the turn signal and hazard flashers. It's possible that the single flasher for turn signals might affect one side but not the other, but it's not a common occurrence.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Right, but if the OP's hazards work as expected, there cannot be a burned out bulb since the turn signal filaments are the same that are powered when the hazards are on.

jetech

Maybe prior owner installed led bulbs in one or both sockets on the passenger side of the vehicle. The standard common flasher is a thermal actuating device. It only has 2 prongs and does not care which side turn signal is selected, meaning it doesn't have a driver's side and passenger side circuitry

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Agreed, but I have a hunch that the OP didn't really check the hazards as we usually recommend. Just a feeling, but based on the description of the problem, I'm guessing that when the instrument panel indicators flashed for both sides with hazards but not with the turn signals that that was all the diagnostics which was done. I could be wrong but I'm just recommending he go do the walk around to confirm.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I took from the first post that the test was done. I hope we get to hear how things turn out!

MatthewBrown44

I had checked hazards and everything everyone suggested in this thread prior to posting my problem, the previous owner had this problem but never cared about it to do much about it. I did end up fixing the problem, I had taken all the lights out of the right rear tail light multiple times and cleaned the sockets (as well as the front right blinker) and it didn’t work, so a few days later I tried it again and it fixed the problem the 3rd time around even though there was no corrosion to clean out the third time, so I’m not 100% what I truly did but I did it. Sincerely thank you all for the suggestions and helpful feedback.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

A failing thermal flasher can be transient. The problem will most likely come back. When it does, check the turn signals then check the hazards. If the turn signals are bad and the hazards are good - it's a flasher problem.