Looking for help with potentially bad groud
 

Hi All,


My right front blinker and cornering light are driving me nutz.. I have replaced the wiring harness, trimmed the plug and don't seat it in the keeper slot any more... and it worked for a while.... Sometimes no issue, other times, no right blinker and no cornering light.. which means I get the warning light in the dash and beeps telling me it's broken..


This type of stuff drives me nutz...


I suspect a bad ground.. Where/how to I track this down.. Pix if you have em please..


Also Secondary air pumps, I replaced them but now throing P0491 and P0492 codes... Has anyone coded this out so they can be ignored... They are pretty useless and I would just like to bypass or have the OBD ignore them...


Thoughts? Help?

Car/model/year/trim will help in the subject line for helpers as well as future searchers.

2004 CTT


Sorry

Dumb question but have you replaced both bulbs? A bad bulb(s) can also create issues such as these.

The bulbs work Sometimes.. Figured a bad bulb would never work...

If it were me, I would double check the bulb sockets first. Make sure they are clean and tight. Spray them with some deoxit.

Broken filaments within a bulb can re-fuse with vibration and make the light-bulb intermittently operable. For the low price of fresh bulbs, it's worth the risk.

Interesting... Never thought of it that way... I'm game ...

I agree with replacing the bulbs and you should also examine the condition of the bulb sockets carefully... specifically the "center" electrical contact for the bulb. Also, when you open the lamps to replace the bulbs, consider applying a contact preserver to the socket and the new bulb. Caig Labs DeoxiT Red is the best I've encountered in 45 years of working on electronic and electrical systems. It is non-conductive so you can spray it on stuff without worrying about causing a short circuit. It contains deoxidizing cleaning agents as well as contact preservers that last for decades. It essentially seals air out of mechanical electrical connections (bulb sockets, pin/socket connectors, circuit board connectors, fuse blades, any type of mechanical electrical connection. DeoxiT sells for $17.50 or so for a 5 oz spray can, the easiest way to apply to things on cars. Our 2000 BMW has problems with pitting of electrical connectors in liight bulb sockets that causes light bulbs to become intermittent while they are still good bulbs. Using DeoxiT usually overcomes problems with pitting... though I had one socket I eventually had to replace because the brass-looling electrical contact in the center of the socket was too pitted to maintain reliable electrical contact with the bulb. The DeoxiT trick will work if the pitting isn't too severe. The pitting typically happens right where the soft center electrical contact of the bulb gets "sponge-y" with little pits in it from arcing against the contact in the bulb socket instead of being relatively smooth as when new. You will also see pitting in the spring-y connector in the bulb socket but it does not necessarily appear black or carbon-y at the contact point.

Good Ideas! I'm in...


I have also read about the potential for the bracket that the headlight rides in being loose... I'll take it all apart, snug up everything, change bulbs, clean contact points and cross my fingers.


I will post the results!


thanks all!

Update: Been away from forum for a while.. busy...


I have replaced all the bulbs, cleaned the contacts, and it worked for a day. Right blinker just doesn't want to work?


Is there a ballast or controller for this somewhere? Do I need a new headlight assembly?


Thoughts

No mention in your post whether the sockets in question were examined to determine the condition of the center contact inside the socket. I have seen "erosion" problems in sockets before (BMW) that causes light bulbs to work intermittently and to throw bulb failure errors when the bulb was fine. If the center contact is pitted and rough looking, there's no permament fix. If you have a rotary tool (like a Dremel Moto Tool) you may be able to "polish" that rough center contact that sends 12-volts to the filament). If that solves the problem for some period of time, you should probably replace that socket with a new one with "fresh" center contact(s). Alternatively, you can clean the center contact as well as possible and use a tiny amount of conductive greast on the center contact (s) and on the tip of the bulb (remember the grease conducts electricity so if you put it in the wrong place, you can short the electrical circuit for the bulb) to improve contact between the bulb and socket. If that doesn't solve the issue, I'd go looking for the ground wire for the light assembly but I have NO IDEA how/where they provide the ground for the headlights. There may be 1 or several wires in the harness for the headlights that splits-off from the headlight harness and is screwed to the body/chassis somewhere. Could be close to the headlight or almost anywhere underhood that's relatively close to the headlight harness. The other issue wiith the older headlight harnesses is that there have been reports of the insulation on the wires cracking and even having pieces of it fall off the wires. Something about the underhood heat getting to the "eco-friendly) plastic wire insulation before they knew it was an issue. If the exposed wires of the headlight harness appear to have cracks or missing pieces, that could certainly cause intermittent or permanent failures. Though a "hard" short to ground would blow the fust for the turn signals. Ground problems would be more of an issue if your vehicle is driven in cold climate where salt is used on roads. If you live somewhere more "salt-free"... loose grounds tend to be much less frequent.

Is the cornering light working correctly now?

It is possible you had/have issues with both the contacts at the headlight and the rear turn signal connection.

I forgot to mention that I cleaned the light socket with a q-tip and electrical cleaner... Clean as a whistle. Not even a hint of corrosion. Also replaced bulb.


Yes, replacing the cornering light DID fit that part.


Note: the right rear blinker does work fin, the front right is the misbehaving one.


thanks all and keep the thoughts coming!

What is the condition of the insulation on the wires going to each headlight? Some seem to develop cracks and pieces of insulation may even fall off... the earlier models sometimes have this issue.

Was the contact in the bulb socket circular and flat or was it a flat "spring" type contact? When you put in the new bulb, did it feel like you were pushing the bulb against a "spring" while getting it locked into the socket? If not, you may need to improve the contact in the socket by "streching" the flat "spring" type contact surface.

Also, you may need some contact cleaner in/on the the connector for the headlight... the conenctions on the headlight and the connections on the wires that plug-in to the headlight. DeoxiT Red (made by Caig Labs) is the best contact preserver-cleaner I've ever used. Would not hurt to put it in the bulb socket too. This is non-conductive so no rish of short circuit. The spray can works best for this job. Sells for $17.50 plus/minus depending on source.