Left turn signal blinks fast (as if a bulb were out)..

[audiquattrot]

but I checked both front bumper and rear corner...and both blink fine. I even swapped bulbs from right to left....thinking it was the bulbs but no dice.

Are there any bulbs aside from these 2 that the car 'thinks' is blown or not functioning?

I recently replaced the turn signal stalk & relay (since my turn signals & highbeams weren't working). Not sure what else it could be....

[Danny]

Mine did that for a while.

Then stopped.

No idea what it is.

[audiquattrot]

sounds like an electrical gremlin

btw i do notice the left turn signal in the front bumper is really dim. I wonder if that has anything to do w/ it.

[BMWDriver]

im having the same problem with my front right, fast blink and all bulbs are working but front right blinker is dim. then today the left started doing the same. i also noticed that at night with the lights on the turn signal indicator was dimly lit all the time.. i checked the wiring and it looks like the PO had done the side marker mod so they are running off the running lights.. ive tried replacing bulbs and this didnt change anything..

[AndrewBird]

Check your grounds.

[DaveSmed]

Check your grounds.

+1

Little more detail- Your turn signal is using your parking lights as a ground. The current is traveling from the turn signal switch, through the turn signal filament in the bulb, then through the parking light filament of the bulb, and through the rest of the parking lights in the car to ground. The reason the parking light filament is the one lighting up is because it is the highest resistance point in that circuit.

To show it another way, put your parking lights on and hit the hazards. What will happen is the light will go dark every time the turn signal is supposed to be on because there is +12v at the parking light side of the bulb instead of the path to ground provided by all of the other bulbs from earlier. +12v on both sides of the bulb results in a net difference of 0v, thus no light.

What is broken on your car is the ground, which is supposed to be connected between those filaments.


Too many people have problems with turn signal issues.... That and if your rear turn signal bulb were to blow, your car would do some stranger stuff, like having the green arrow on the dash light up with the parking lights.

[twistednut]

Fixed this very problem today. Pulled the bumper, pulled the connector, shot it with some electrical cleaner, plugged it back in and life is good.

[Aerton]

Thank you Dave I'm on my second e30 and second fast right blinker three mechanics and no happy ending, if this is the fix and you seem very knowledgeable you sir are the man. Make this a sticky!

[DaveSmed]

Thats really about the only other thing it can be, aside from a blown bulb or broken wire.

Since your car has had some bumper trauma in the past, it's particularly suspect.


Oh, and wait till you see my cab at the next meet..... ;)

[Aerton]

Hey Dave did we meet at the Trenton Meet? 96 Deville rear view mirror?

[dark_islight]

Mine was a bad ground stud on the inside drivers side fender well behind the headlight.

Love those gremlins.

[DaveSmed]

Hey Dave did we meet at the Trenton Meet? 96 Deville rear view mirror?

Yup, that was me.

[Aerton]

Funny how I came across this old thread again, I ended up finding my gremlin, it was the right turn signal cable, the plug broke and my mechanic plugged one of the three wires directly to the connectors it light up but was brighter than the left side and blinked very fast. I removed the bumper replaced the plug and presto. Now the reason I came across this is I'm having the same issue with my son's car. The left blinks too fast and the front or rear parking lights wont go on?!? So I guess it's time to hunt for a ground problem.

[DaveSmed]

Front and rear parking lights? Check your fuses. There is a left and a right parking light fuse.

Hit the hazards and see if the brightness of the front flashers looks about the same, and they are blinking in sync. Try it again with the parking lights on.


And in an unrelated note, despite an overwhelming desire to dri.... well, push my car into the nearby quarry at the moment, it should be resembling a functioning vehicle by the meet.

[Aerton]

I will check the hazard lights for brightness, I know fuse #22 keeps blowing and the relay buzzes like a bee. I swapped relay with my cars and same buzz.

Should I replace all bulbs? I can't recall changing anything that would have prompted the difference.