DRL/Turn Signals Not Working - 1998 LS1 Trans AM Convertible
11-12-2020, 04:18 PM
#21
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Greetings
Yesterday I completed my troubleshooting and discovered that when I re-inserted the 3 wires, Blue(DRL/Turn Signal Power), Brown(Courtesy Lights} and Black(Ground) on the passenger side I had inadvertently switched the placement of the Brown and Black wires in the replacement socket which was causing Fuse # 9 (Gauges) to blow.
After replacing the 10-amp fuse, I re-wired the socket correctly and now both the Driver Side and Passenger side DRL's, Turn Signals and Courtesy Lights are all working properly. In the end, it just ended up being that both sockets had corroded enough to prevent the DRL's/Turn Signals from working but the courtesy lights to work.
In the end with a lot of crawling on the ground a sore back and stiff neck the entire repair cost me less than $20. Much thanks to wssix99 and WhiteBird00 for all their help/information. Could not have done it without you. Undoubtedly saved hundreds of dollars vs. taking to a shop for repair.
A few words of advice for those looking to complete a similar repair.
Again, thanks for all your help.
Big Ed
eca1987
Yesterday I completed my troubleshooting and discovered that when I re-inserted the 3 wires, Blue(DRL/Turn Signal Power), Brown(Courtesy Lights} and Black(Ground) on the passenger side I had inadvertently switched the placement of the Brown and Black wires in the replacement socket which was causing Fuse # 9 (Gauges) to blow.
After replacing the 10-amp fuse, I re-wired the socket correctly and now both the Driver Side and Passenger side DRL's, Turn Signals and Courtesy Lights are all working properly. In the end, it just ended up being that both sockets had corroded enough to prevent the DRL's/Turn Signals from working but the courtesy lights to work.
In the end with a lot of crawling on the ground a sore back and stiff neck the entire repair cost me less than $20. Much thanks to wssix99 and WhiteBird00 for all their help/information. Could not have done it without you. Undoubtedly saved hundreds of dollars vs. taking to a shop for repair.
A few words of advice for those looking to complete a similar repair.
- Be sure to have ample light. That is what got me in trouble with miss-connecting the Brown/Black wire into the replacement connector. The 2 wires Brown/Black are tough to distinguish in the dark.
- A blown Fuse # 9 (Gauges) will disable the vehicle..
- Be sure to probe with a Multimeter or Test Light to be sure that power is getting to the Blue Wire(DRL/Turn Signals) and Brown Wire (Courtesy Lights).
- The replacement connector, Part # 85881 at AutoZone/O’Reilly’s, is Marked "A", which is where I placed the Blue Wire, "B" the Brown Wire and "G" the Black wire.
- I would encourage everyone to follow the directions in the link sent by wssix99 in the post above on how to re-use the existing wire connections in lieu of trying to cut and splice. Way cleaner and a lot less prone to future issues. No splicing.
- I would suggest that when you pop out the core from the new connector in order to pull out the 3 supplied wires and then put back the 3 metal contacts into the core that you test fit the core back into the connector without pushing all the way in.
If you feel resistance while pushing in, one of the pronged connectors may not be properly aligned. Bend the pronged connector slightly until you don't feel any resistance just shy of the core snapping into place. If you do push it in too far and hear it "Click", you will have to take it apart again. The three-pronged connectors must line up perfectly with the 3 small openings of the connector.
The first time i tried pushing it the core into the replacement connector after inserting the 3 wires, one of the contacts was not aligned properly and bent over, not finding one of the small openings. As a result, I did not have a complete connection. and the light did not work. I had to take it all apart and start again. What a pain
If others have a similar issue and it ends up not being the connector just about everything else you need to know about what to do next is in this post thanks to wssix99 and WhiteBird00.Again, thanks for all your help.
Big Ed
eca1987
Last edited by eca1987; 11-13-2020 at 09:59 AM.
11-12-2020, 09:03 PM
#22
Congratulations! I'm glad that you got it sorted out. If its any conciliation, if the sockets didn't crumble to dust in your hand, it's not the worst we've ever heard about.
I feel your pain. So much so, I got one of these:
^ This job is a breeze with the the car in the air. Even without a lift, this job is a lot better with the car on ramps. The long front bumper, out in front of the wheels, helps get the door up in the air when the wheels are on ramps.
^ This job is a breeze with the the car in the air. Even without a lift, this job is a lot better with the car on ramps. The long front bumper, out in front of the wheels, helps get the door up in the air when the wheels are on ramps.