Rear light puzzler

I've been reconnecting my rear lights. They all worked fine previous to the resto work. I had labelled the wires so I'm sure it's all wired properly. All the offside lights work as they should. The near side brake and tail light work but the indicator doesn't. When I operate the left indicator or the hazards the brake/tail light flashes. Ive tried a new bulb and checked the fuses but no luck. The earth connections on n/s and o/s are cleaNed up and solid. Any pointers as to how to solve this?
Many thanks,
Umbongo 'Tsetse Fly' Chokanocka in sunny Lumbago

 

Earth.

Get a different spanner.


In that you need to replace the spanner who clearly hasn't got a clue what he's doing but keeps fecking about with your bus

 

Bad earth might be the terminal its self or Are they new lights some are poorly made
Best get the meter out and check

 

Disconnect the battery leads and attach them directly to the mains.

This should deal with any corrosion issues.

 

make another earth by drilling and putting a self tapper innit..

 

So an earth problem then. The light units are the originals which worked fine before.

 

i had similar few per months back was earth , id give all conns a clean up n check as per meter ^^^

 

The earth, man...it's dying...

 

Almost 99.9% an issue with the earth. Even the slightest issue with a loose wire or broken wire, but of dirt will cause it. Take a look at the leads going into the back of your indicators too as these may be loose of broken

 

Check the voltage between the "earth" on the light cluster and (for instance) battery negative. Almost certainly there will be a voltage there. Then connect the earth on the cluster to battery negative and watch the lights work properly.
As everybody says there is an earth problem.

Or use one of those nice but expensive Sealey automotive testers (as recommended/sold at T2D bootcamp http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuild...&requiredresults=16&grouplevelonly=&fulltext=) that tell you the voltage on a terminal on an LED bargraph then let you connect the terminal you are testing to battery + or battery - ( via a circuit breaker ) at the flick of a switch without moving the end of the probe.

 

So in numpty terms, I set my meter to volts, put one probe on the light cluster earth and the other probe on battery negative, and I'll more tHan likely see a voltage displayed signifying an earth problem. Then connect cluster earth and batt neg with a wire an lights should work?

 

Yep. The resistance of any bad earth connection should cause a small voltage to appear battery -ve to light fitting earth. If the connection was clean, there'd be no resistance in the path, and no voltage.

 

that you can buy for half the price on ebay! or use a multimeter

 

Or save whatever they cost because it's always an earth or connection problem if the bulb hasn't blown.
If it's one, the others will follow so the sensible thing to do is take a minute and clean up the corrosion on all the terminals and bulb sockets and be done with it.

 

I shall try to save the earth next time I'm allowed out then

 

Stick head into engine bay, turn side light indicator on, wiggle earth wire until light operate as you would like, if you would have had the forward thinking ness to have been home Sunday I would have shown ya a thing or two in that engine bay :x

 

the last thing I want to see in my engine bay is your dangles caught in the fan belt

 

No you would want to pop my dangles in there with your fairy soft hands

 

Don't want blisters.

 

and the remaining 0.1% is probably an issue with the earth