Problem with low beams and right turn signal

[Norcalrallyist]

Im still troublshooting this 1990 tsi.. The right turn signal makes a buzzing sound when you turn it on and no lights flash or turn on either front or back. The Low beams do not turn on but the highs do... The lights relay is good and the lights fuse is good. The left side turn signal works fine. I replaced the control unit behind the steering wheel and get the same results.. Need help!

 

[luv2rallye]

Try replacing the taillight bulbs that don't work and make sure you have the correct type. Sometimes these 2 filament bulbs short to the other filament instead of burning out and then strange things can happen. Also clean up any corrosion on the bulb sockets and connectors which can produce similiar problems. Could someone have rewired something incorrectly or tapped into the light circuit recently? Is the switch in the steering column the culprit? Where is this buzzing sound coming from - the column switch, the turn signal/hazard flasher unit, taillight relay? When you say you replaced the unit behind the steering wheel, do you mean the column switch or the turn signal/hazard flasher unit?

 

[Gigaah]

I have the same hi-beam problem. I don't know what the guy did to it before me but I suspect something.

 

[luv2rallye]

I have the same hi-beam problem. I don't know what the guy did to it before me but I suspect something.

Read my amended post #2 about bulbs, sockets, connectors.

 

[Norcalrallyist]

I think its called a combo switch and I replaced it. My manual doesnt mention any other relays inside the car for hazards/lights. The LIGHTS relay under the hood is good. When I turn the hazards on both lights blink on the dash but the rears dont blink and the front right doesnt blink. I had thought of checking the conenctoins and the bulbs at the corners. I think the buzzing sound is coming from an area by the pedals. I dont see any relays in the fusebox. Yay chiltons

Try replacing the taillight bulbs that don't work and make sure you have the correct type. Sometimes these 2 filament bulbs short to the other filament instead of burning out and then strange things can happen. Also clean up any corrosion on the bulb sockets and connectors which can produce similiar problems. Could someone have rewired something incorrectly or tapped into the light circuit recently? Is the switch in the steering column the culprit? Where is this buzzing sound coming from - the column switch, the turn signal/hazard flasher unit, taillight relay? When you say you replaced the unit behind the steering wheel, do you mean the column switch or the turn signal/hazard flasher unit?

 

[luv2rallye]

Yep. Check/clean the bulbs, sockets, connectors on all front and rear corner lights first. They are notorious for corroding and shorting out (which would do strange things including the buzzing sound in your signal/flasher unit). This is most likely the problem. Another thing you can do is remove corner bulbs one at a time until the buzzing stops to help isolate problem. The last thing would be to replace the turn signal/flasher unit under the dash (your buzzing sound by the pedals).

 

[l3LacK Tsi]

i have a somewhat similar problem with my headlights. all my turnsignals work but when i turn on the head lights the highbeam indicator is always on. i checked to see if i was getting power in the lowbeam wire at the connecter at the bulb (red and white wire). well i got nothing on either side right or left. when i checked the highbeam wire (red) it gets power constantly. although when i turn the highbeams off the headlights remain on but are much dimmer. i replaced the relay with a "new" one and got the same result. also replaced the combo switch at the steering colum. any ideas on why im not getting power o the lowbeam side of my connecters?

 

[luv2rallye]

...when i turn on the head lights the highbeam indicator is always on. i checked to see if i was getting power in the lowbeam wire at the connecter at the bulb (red and white wire). well i got nothing on either side right or left. when i checked the highbeam wire (red) it gets power constantly. although when i turn the highbeams off the headlights remain on but are much dimmer.

I think you have both your wires (look closer) and your thinking wrong. The red with blue stripe (R/L) wire has +12V (from the headlight relay) which is always there as long as the headlight relay is activated (by light switch). It connects to both high and low filaments in each bulb. The high and low beams are then turned on by grounding their wires: red (R) for high beam and red with white stripe (R/W) for low. The high beam indicator is in parallel with the high beam lights. So if the high beams go out, so must the high beam indicator. Sounds like it is wired wrong.

 

[Norcalrallyist]

I swaped the headlights out of my parts car and the lows and highs worked fine. I swapped the turnsignal housing off of my parts car and it worked fine I did swap out all the relays, the combo switch and the turn signal relay first though.. hope this helps someone else

 

[GTM]

I swaped the headlights out of my parts car and the lows and highs worked fine. I swapped the turnsignal housing off of my parts car and it worked fine I did swap out all the relays, the combo switch and the turn signal relay first though.. hope this helps someone else

I think we may have 2 different problems here, 1 is a turnsignal flasher issue and the other is the bulb check unit is / has failed or been violated.

It is not uncommon for people to install / repair some radio equipment and cut and splice into this group of wires for either power or a ground because the unit and it's harness is located in the immediate area (upper left?) once the radio is removed. It may be the unit has failed or a simple case of dirty contacts at the plugs, unfortunately there is little if no tests for the test unit (bulb check) to verify it's integrity. As I've always maintained next to the ECU it's the most sophisticated circuit on DSM and any other vehicle which uses this design.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[Norcalrallyist]

I think we may have 2 different problems here

I have 0 problems here

 

[GTM]

I think we may have 2 different problems here

I have 0 problems here

I guess you are trying to say the shotgun approach worked but not everyone has a parts car thus throwing the kitchen sink at a job isn't an option. Once you found you fixed the problem did you re-test what you took out to see what if anything failed save for a dirty connection?

Cheers,
GTM

 

[Norcalrallyist]

Well I didnt throw everything in at once so im sure it was the corner light that was causing the problem. The only other test i did besides swap something and see if something changed was to find voltage at the turn signal harness. Im not sure what and where the bulb check unit is though. I think this might only be useful for someone who has come into a new car that they no little about. I bought this talon with no engine and no battery to test these things with so when they didnt work I had no idea why really. Hope this helps someone cause it was really frustrating

 

[GTM]

...
The only other test i did besides swap something and see if something changed was to find voltage at the turn signal harness. Im not sure what and where the bulb check unit is though.
...
I think this might only be useful for someone who has come into a new car that they no little about. I bought this talon with no engine and no battery to test these things with so when they didnt work I had no idea why really. Hope this helps someone cause it was really frustrating

I'm tired and having something like a flu so I'm not going to think too hard. Like the headlights it's my guess the turnsignal circuit is energized when the key is turned on, it then shunts the ground through the bulb check unit and into the T/S flasher. However with a bad connection or bulb it of course cannot complete the circuit, the b/c unit should recognize it had an open circuit, turned on a dash light telling you there was a problem.

Actually if you were to do a search you would find dozens of instances where other members have mistakenly tapped into the b/c circuits and you can't believe the grief it's caused. So if I understand you, a side marker or parking light was replaced and it solved the problem but you dismiss the b/c unit. ok.

Cheers,
GTM