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Thread: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

  1. #1
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor jeff1234's Avatar
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    Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    Hello All,
    For some time now I have been frustrated by a intermittent left turn signal indicator light on my 1985 Dodge Shelby. I've chased and traced and verified grounds to no avail until now. I finally decided to pull the gauge pod back out and inspect it closely. I found three loose pins for the circular socket on the the rally cluster p/c board. Pin "K" for left turn ind being one and the key buzzer pin being another. Upon thinking about it I realized that the key buzzer was also intermittent. When these p/c boards were manufactured the pins were inserted and tabs on the pin were compressed against the board to holding the pin against the copper trace on the other side. Vibration caused these mechanical connections to loosen over time. I checked all the pins on the board, there are six for the circular plug and ten on the left side of the board and the tachometer board has a row of the also. The repair is simple, the pins can be soldered to the trace. Be sure to use a small amount of flux on each pin at its base, heat the flux to make it flow and then solder the joint being careful to not bridge any traces together. Will this fix the indicator problem? Only time will tell but I'm betting on the repair because it is now working where as before it was not.
    The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic dollars, how fast can you afford to go?

  2. #2
    turbo addict
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    Re: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    Jeff, also clean the circuit board where the left turn signal bulb socket contacts the circuit board. I use some ultra fine steel wool. I would also try cleaning the two contacts on the bulb fixture too. This for some reason is a very common problem on L-bodies. The circuit board pins don't have to be loose for this to occur. Now would be a good time to switch over to 194 LED lights when you have the cluster out. There are 7 bulbs that control the back lighting for the cluster. You won't believe the difference. Something older eyes will really appreciate. One of the first mods I do to an l-body after purchasing it. Then you'll find that your heater control illumination need attention (lol). That is another single bulb. They sell them cheap on ebay.
    Todd

  3. #3
    Garrett booster
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    Re: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    Sounds like you got it fixed to me. I had to do that on my van. None of my pins were noticeably loose but, I was having intermittent problems with the lights. I soldered every pin and haven't had an issue since. This was about 2-3 years ago. I had to heat the pins up a lot to get the solder to flow. For people who want to try this don't be scared to get the pins nice and hot. You may not make a good repair if you don't.
    +1 on the LED conversion.
    I also put LEDs in mine and I love them. I used blue LEDs for the instrument panel, HVAC controls, and etc... It turned out pretty nice. Even the gauge needles are nice and bright. The LEDs must go in a certain way. Test before you put everything back together. If some don't light, flip them around in their sockets and try again. I think I paid about $15 and got enough for the instrument panel and every other small bulb in the whole van.

  4. #4
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor jeff1234's Avatar
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    Re: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    I used green scotch Brite to clean the traces and had switched over to the led bulbs a couple of years ago. Did some driving today, zero failures but it will take more miles before I get over waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lol.
    The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic dollars, how fast can you afford to go?

  5. #5

    Re: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    I remember doing that on my Omni when the tach went whacky.

  6. #6
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor jeff1234's Avatar
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    Re: Mysterious left turn signal indicator problem, good electrical tip.

    Update!! This indeed repaired the problem. It is very satisfying to finally have solved this annoying problem and it feels great to to no longer fear being out on the road unable to know if my signals are telling people what Im going to do. Definitely a safety issue.
    The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic dollars, how fast can you afford to go?

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