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View Full Version : 1977 trans am wiring turnsignal nightmare!!!



Carter
03-19-2012, 07:51 PM
I have a 77 ta and we are in the final stages of completion I have run into some speed umps with wiring mostly. The left turn signal works as it should . The right turn signal causes all 4 ways to flash. The right is flashing brightly and the left is flashing dimly. I replaced one of my high beam headlights, on an unrelated note and now my headlight don't work either. Ok. Heres what I have done so far.
I changed out the headlight switch in the dash. I replaced the turn signal switch externally to see if it still caused the problem. It did so I didn't replace it. It looked like a lot of work for nothing. The hazard switch is integrated in the turn switch so it's not that either. I have been going through and reestablishing grounds. I got the two by the front and the ground to the motor I took loose and cleaned.made sure it was tight ect. I also ran an new ground from the neg. terniminal directly to the header and all. I removed paint from each of the ground sites. I am having a heck of a time with this.

mc84_zz4
03-20-2012, 07:22 PM
On the headlights: check the headlight plugs for corrosion, also wiggle the wires just behind the socket/plug, see if anything works when doing so. Often the wires are corroded internally where they meet the plug.
Also double-check the foot switch.

Double check all the turn bulbs being in correctly (I know it sounds dumb)
Double check all the dual filament bulbs to work in park and turn.
Often the filament will blow, and short onto the other filament's pole, causing a short, which ususally would cause the turn signals to light dimly, or the driving lights to appear too bright.

I have no idea what causes your right turn signal to act like the hazard flasher, but I'm suspicious about the hazard/turn unit.
Im not sure any of this helps, it even sounds dumb when I re-read it.
HTH

Carter
03-20-2012, 07:52 PM
Well, things are not getting better but they are changing. Yesterday all the wires on the headlamps seemed to be powered. All of them. But today they are all grounded. Strange I know. I heard there are normally ground problems, so I ran a ground from the batt straight to the head panel. I re ran the two on each side. I redid the ground in the trunk and under the rear bumper. Cleaned up all the connections I could find, they didn't look very dirty. I disconnected the connector that goes throught the firewall and cleaned it too. The headlight are not getting power today. I hate this car today!!!

Carter
03-20-2012, 07:58 PM
Well, things are not getting better but they are changing. Yesterday all the wires on the headlamps seemed to be powered. All of them. But today they are all grounded. Strange I know. I heard there are normally ground problems, so I ran a ground from the batt straight to the head panel. I re ran the two on each side. I redid the ground in the trunk and under the rear bumper. Cleaned up all the connections I could find, they didn't look very dirty. I disconnected the connector that goes throught the firewall and cleaned it too. The headlight are not getting power today. I hate this car today!!!

waynestock3982
04-22-2012, 06:29 PM
Hey Carter, like Dave said, I would make sure over and over that everything is grounded, and look for any GFS(green fuzzy stuff) on any connections and in any wires. double check that your connectors are not pushing the wires out of the back when you connect them. if you are losing power, do a voltage drop test before, and after the switch. also do a voltage drop test before and after all of your connections. this will dial you in to which wire is bad. As far as your blinker issues go, I would check your sterring wheel switch and your flasher(relay). if one works, swap it with the one that isnt working and see if the problem follows the flasher, or stays in the same circut. lastly check all the grounds again. 90 % of the time, i have found a bad ( or non-existant) ground to be the problem.