Turn signal/Parking light mix-up

[bwawuz02]

so when I turn on my parking lights, the rear turn signals light up and the green arrows on the dash get about half lit; if the parking lights are on, neither the turn signals nor hazards will flash.

With the parking lights off, the turn signals and hazards will work. BUT, the rear parking lights flash in sync with the rear turn signals.

Can someone please tell me where the lines might be crossed? my brain hurts...

[Gadea]

I´m assuming your lights weren´t always malfunctioning like that. In order to pinpoint what´s going on, it would be helpful to know when it started, as well as your car´s year and model since the wiring might vary slightly. Most likely you have one or more short-circuits, from what you describe. I´m pretty sure this happened right after you were performing some adjusting, modification, repair, etc. Don´t worry, it´s happened to just about everybody...(not really..) so you´re not to blame....well, kind of.
The shortcircuit may have its cause on several reasons: bad ground somewhere, wiring losing insulation, stuff wrongly connected. I´d start by getting ahold of the schematics for your car, then identifying the wires for their corresponding functions, and disconnecting what appears to malfunction, one at a time if it´s more than one. A multimeter will prove of invaluable help here, to test not only voltages but more importantly conductivity. Be mindful the short can be located anywhere along the wiring (fuse box, instrument cluster, wire itself, connections. There´s a free accesible .pdf covering late style E30´s electricals somewhere, if I´m not mistaken. You will need that, or at least it will help you greatly. That´s where I´d start.

[bwawuz02]

@Gadea,

I'm a troller. Unlike most people, I do use the search. As you can see I've been a member for 6 years and this is my 5th post. You shouldn't assume anything, ever. This is my 3rd E30, the lights have been this way since I bought it. Thanks tho ;)

seems my research methods are better than i gave them credit for...

http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8471

[dashboardmonkey]

i had a similar problem on my old 84

check that the front turn signal/parking light bulbs are installed correctly, if the front bulbs are not installed correctly (180 degrees off) what you are describing will happen

hope this helps

good luck!