Turn signals and Hazards

[YoukaiMori]

Here's the problem:
When using left signal, rear indicator works, dash indicator lights, relay clicks. Front-side indicator doesn't flash but does come on when lights are turned on. (Pretty sure that's supposed to flash and isn't JUST a marker light, or am I stupid and it's only a solid light?)

Right turn signal, I get no dash light, no relay click, and no indicators working. I get the same if I flip the hazard switch, nothing lights, nothing clicks.

I have gone through and I've cleaned EVERY connector I can find related to lights, even took off the headlights and cleaned those connectors though they were spotless. With the lights on and engine running I have the following lights working.

Left headlight on high and low beams, FL and FR side markers, RL and RR side markers, brake lights and parking lights. RR turn light has not come on at all, bulb looks good so might be a bad connection or bad bulb connection, I have bought a new passenger tail light assembly that has been tested to work so I'll be replacing it regardless. Right headlight also does not seem to work at all, can't really see the bulb so I can't tell if it's bad or if a connection is bad.

Where should I be starting here? I feel like it's fairly narrowed down to either a problem with the indicator switch, the relay, or the hazard switch. Anybody have any suggestions for the next step? I'm just getting frustrated because I'm so close to getting it back to full functionality...

[18Fiatsandcounting]

A few quick questions:

Do you have a voltmeter or DVM or the like?

How are the fuses? All good? There are 4 separate fuses for the headlights, 2 for low beams (L and R) and 2 for high beams (L and R).

-Bryan

[YoukaiMori]

I have a cheap walmart multimeter, doesn't have a continuity setting on it as far as I can tell but it works for everything else.

The fuses all looked good and tested fine, I think previous owner had put new fuses in because I found a couple empty packs of them while cleaning. I might give them another test though now that I've got everything cleaned up better.

Edit: Nope I'm an idiot it DOES let me test continuity I just clicked it to the wrong setting last time I tried and when I got nothing I was like "Well it was only $5 so shrug".

[spider2081]

I would use the multi meter in the volt meter functions. Continuity tests ( ohms) can be very miseading when troubleshooting.

I believe a 1978 car has one flasher that is used for Hazard lights. Its a large rectangular gold colored device mounted under the glove box. It has a separate turn signal flasher.

The turn signal flasher is usually mounted on the right side of the pedal bracket above and behind the ignition switch but I think on a 78 it mounted under the glove box also

The 4 lights on the sides of the car do not flash they are running/parking lights only.
For testing purposes the bulbs in the tail light assembly are interchangeable. They are all single filament the front bulbs are dual filament. The bulb in the rear parking light position is often lower wattage then the other bulbs.

[YoukaiMori]

Oh very helpful, thanks, I was under the assumption the front ones would flash as well because the signals in the bumper aren't very noticeable from the sides.

I have the flasher relay uncovered , and the panel under the glove box is out so and is easily accessible but I hadn't gotten around to testing the hazards relay yet.

How can I test the flasher relay since I have access to it? When it comes to electronics and wiring I'm more of a circuit boards and soldering irons kinda guy, old tech like this is turning out to be quite a bit different to work with.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

How can I test the flasher relay since I have access to it?

Since your left turn signals work in the rear, the flasher is probably fine. My guess at this point is that you just have a bunch of burned out bulbs or bad connections (including the grounds).

Another possibility is some bad contacts in the stalk switches on the steering column, but let's try some of the more common fixes first.

-Bryan

[YoukaiMori]

Well here's what I'm looking at. Traced all wires/grounds that would be connected to the right turn signal, which brought me to the hazard relay (And hazards also not working, kinda makes sense). The connectors here all look spotless, so I tried to trace the ground, it seems to go into the big jumble of wires in the middle but the matching colored wire feels thicker than the one attached to the relay, but it's the only matching wire I could find. On the other hand, even if it's not for the relay this black+white marked wire was shoved way in the back of the mess of wires and is loose. Should this be connected some where? (Also if this is the ground from the hazard relay this could possibly solve the problem?) There's only I think two things it could be judging by the wiring diagrams I'm using, it's either the turn signal indicator and high beam indicator ground, or it's the hazard relay ground. Unless I'm completely wrong. I'm having trouble tracing it further than the dash.





I can't find anywhere that this would... connect to though, is the problem. If it's a ground especially.

I've been using this http://www.corujoxx.com/MIWEB3/clubfiat ... g_1978.pdf for checking wires. It seems to be accurate.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

That wire could be the missing ground, or it could be an optional ground for something like an aftermarket radio. I kinda doubt that possibility, as it wouldn't be good to have a bare spade connector hanging loose behind the dash, even if it's a ground.

Measure the voltage on it, with the ignition turned on. If no voltage, turn off the ignition and measure the resistance between that wire and the car body. If it's close to zero resistance, then that wire connects to ground and you just need to figure out which component it goes to. If the resistance is infinite between the end of that wire and the car body, then it's likely you need to find its attachment point to the car body ground. Could be the underside of the dash support rail, something on the steering column, or...?

-Bryan

[YoukaiMori]

I did find a ground under the steering column, I missed it because it's way up there. Tested 0 on voltage with the car running, grounding it didn't seem to change anything at least in terms of signals and hazards. Honestly, I'm not really sure what it goes to, it's a thicker wire than most of the other wires and as far as I can tell the only things not working are the right headlight and the right turn signals so I'm really at a loss as to what it goes to? Gonna just spend tomorrow morning looking over all of the wires that are disconnected and hanging loose there because I have a feeling that something got disconnected when the previous owner was trying to install a stereo and one of those wires might be what I need.

[spider2081]

My guess at this point is that you just have a bunch of burned out bulbs or bad connections (including the grounds).

A missing ground at the hazard flasher would only keep the hazards from working. They would not work either side nor woould the dash hazard indicator work.

If the car is a 77/78 they are fairly unique years as far a wiring goes.
I'm having trouble following exactly what is working. I think you are saying the left side turn signals work both as turn signals and as hazard flashers Is that correct?
I think you are saying the right side turn signals and hazards do not work. Is that correct ?
I believe the 78 front light assemblies are mounted in the front bumper. The light assembly has a single dual filament bulb one filament is for the parking lights and one is for the flashing turn/hazard functions. So the light bulb can work for parking lights but be defective for the flash functions. When trouble shooting light circuits the first step is to know all the bulbs are good, all the bulb sockets are good and all the socket grounds are good.
There is very little common to your symptoms other that the bubs their sockets and the socket grounds. I think the front wire pass through the inner fender well near the grounding pods. the bulb power are single bullet connectors and the ground is a push on spade connector.

[YoukaiMori]

Left turn signal works only as a turn signal, hazards do literally nothing. Right signal works as neither.

[spider2081]

For the Hazard flasher to work it needs battery voltage on the red wire and ground on the black wire. If you have both present the hazard flasher could be defective. Its fairly common for the Hazard flashers to fail.

If the left turn signal operates both front and rear then its safe to eliminate the flasher and the fuse.

If you like you can email directly: flyme194@gmail.com

[YoukaiMori]

Got signals working both front and back, it seems like it was a bad relay or ground on the back signal and a bad bulb? or something on the front signal. The fix was to replace the entire rear tail light assembly and drill out the rusted screws on the front signal and put a non-corroded bulb in it. Turns out I spent all that time looking at wiring for (almost) no reason! Hazards still don't work though.

[spider2081]

Hazards still don't work though.

Turn signals are powered when the ignition switch is "on" If all 4 turn signal lights function correctly then the lights can be eliminated as a cause for the hazards not to work.
Hazards can work when the ignition switch is "off" A different power source.
I like to check for the 2 powers at the Hazard switch. There should be a pin on the hazard switch connector that has power whenever the cars battery is connected. When that switch is in the Hazards position the red wire at the hazard flasher should have battery voltage on it.

[YoukaiMori]

The hazards work! and I have absolutely no idea why because I have changed nothing.

Also, my right headlight suddenly works on low beams (Doesn't on high, previous owner said that was a known problem). Again, I've changed nothing.

I have no idea what's going on with this car, it's gremlins I swear.