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96 Legacy Turn Signal Problem?


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alrighty...got a 96' legacy L sedan 2.2 with a 5 spd manual.......i started having this problem a while ago but it suddenly got worse today.......first let me say that my entire combo swith is working fine.....(high beams/low beams/parking lights/interior light dimmer/and right and left turn signal) however when ever i put on ONLY the right turn signal the first 2 blinks i can barely notice the indicator on the instrument cluster and in sync with the turn signal the speedo needle flicks and the coolant needle flics and the ABS light dims (another problem i will hopefully eventually fix) after the first two clicks it goes away and is completely fine.......this doesnt happen at all with the left turn signal......and as i said all other controls on the combo switch works well....i went around the outside of the car when the problem occurs and the lights are alittle dim BUT than after that 2 or 3 clicks they get bright again and the idicator comes back on on the instrument cluster and the needle flicking goes away......the hazard light switch works fine......

 

the only thing i can think of is that somehow the wire for the right turn signal to the combo switch has a loose connection or is shorted to the power for the instrument cluster......

 

i also tried it with the car off with the key in the on position and i threw on the right turn signal and all the service lights on the dash dimmed/got bright/dimmed/got bright.....than it went away......so this is why im thinking like a short to power........

 

any help at all would be appreciated.....im going to try and dig into this tomarrow...im just hoping i can pull the instrument cluster with out having to take off the steering wheel or disable the airbag system

 

obviously i will disconnect the battery thought...douh

 

again if anyone has anything that can help...thank you in advance

 

 

i tried kind of hitting various places around the switch and the cluster and i have gone over numerous bumps and potholes and nothing happens with the turn signal or anything so i dont really think it is a loose connection.....

 

is it possible that the connection is just a little dirty or not plugged in all the way......

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Im thinking its an issue with the relay (maybe drawing too much power untill its heated up after the first couple blinks).

 

The first thing i'd try would be swapping in a new one of thems.

 

When the problem occurs - does everything electrical in the car get affected or just the dummy lights on the dash?

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Suggest pulling the bulbs out of right side turn signal both front and rear. Check wiring at the bulb sockets for any kind of chafing. Also, look at the bottom of each bulb and the inside of the socket for any corrosion. You may want to check ground wires too. You may have some current bleeding onto other circuits to cause the unusual spedo instrument slightly lighting.

 

I had something like this happening when I bought my 99 used. I finally replaced one of the bulbs because of corrosion/dirt on one of the bulb contact points. That fixed the problem.

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A few possibilities come to mind, but there's a simple one to consider. There are some poorly-manufactured automotive bulbs out there, and they're not all from China. They have various problems, including that some of them draw excessive current, sometimes only until warmed by use. I'd suggest replacing all turn signal bulbs on the affected side with new ones of a different brand than you have. Be sure to get the specified bulb type numbers (don't just match the ones already installed, since there may be a wrong one). That might be all that's necessary, but if not, you can always do further electrical troubleshooting.

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thanks for your ideas fellas......yeah before i start tearing into the dash i would like to get the simple possibilites out of the way.......keltik- only the idiot lights on the instrument cluster and the gauge needles dim/flick....the radio/climate control and everything is fine.......i think i will go ahead and replace those bulbs today and see were that leaves me.......

 

OB99W-could i find the correct bulb numbers in a haynes manual?

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thanks for your ideas fellas......yeah before i start tearing into the dash i would like to get the simple possibilites out of the way.......keltik- only the idiot lights on the instrument cluster and the gauge needles dim/flick....the radio/climate control and everything is fine.......i think i will go ahead and replace those bulbs today and see were that leaves me.......

 

OB99W-could i find the correct bulb numbers in a haynes manual?

 

 

Yes, they may be in the Haynes manual, or with the Subie manual that came with the car. Otherwise, pull the bulb, it should have a number printed on the side of the bulb.

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ok now this is kind of weird......i drove all day today prob in excess of 120 miles and it didnt happen once........ill wait a few more days before i do anything.......hopefully it was just one of those old car "glitches".....

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Just for giggles, since the car is old enough do two things

 

1st run a new ground from the battery to the car body and or engine.

 

2nd have the altenator tested with an analog tester, the digital ones are useless.

 

 

nipper

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its a brand new alternator.....i just put it on a few months ago....though i do have a massive 14 speaker sound system running off of it....:lol: i will run another ground tommarow i have been meaning to enhance it anyway.....thanks nipper.....:)

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Blu went through three altenators in one year.

 

Yes one was from NAPA.

 

What was happening is that i was getting imprezza altenators. To have them both side by side they look the same. But for some reason the imprezza altenaotr is three times more money (if your lucky) and doesnt have as high an output.

 

Electronic alt testors kept passing the Altenators. The good old fashioned toaster type analog failed the last "brand new 250.00 Altenator". I said screw this and called 1st subaru. THey said the same thing happens in thier shop. A customer will come in with a slightly under charging altenator that was replaced with a afertmarket alt, and usually three or four times. They finally get a sooby one as an act of desperation.

 

The nice shock was that the replacement was like 80.00 plus shipping for a subaru factory rebuilt alt. The problem was solved.

 

Mine was showing up in the aftermarket compass mirror. It kept cutting out and resetting and i couldnt figure out why. It was the wrong altenator. So yours might be showing up in the turn signal.

 

nipper

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wow i never thought of that i just cant believe that your NAPA would make that mistake more than once....i accidently ruined the first one so i bought another one from NAPA for 140.00 and than about 6 months after i put that one on the battery and brake light came on so i went back and they gave me another one for free (where i work does alot of business with them)and it has lasted me so far.......like i said i think i need to pick up a capacitor or something becuause of my sound system......

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wow i never thought of that i just cant believe that your NAPA would make that mistake more than once....i accidently ruined the first one so i bought another one from NAPA for 140.00 and than about 6 months after i put that one on the battery and brake light came on so i went back and they gave me another one for free (where i work does alot of business with them)and it has lasted me so far.......like i said i think i need to pick up a capacitor or something becuause of my sound system......

 

Well only one was from Napa. The 2nd was from my mechanic, as well as the third (this was when my back was really bad). He blamed the battery, then my wiring of my accessories (which i knew was BS being an engineer). He also used a digital ALT tester, which i knew from previous expierience, is a useless tool for older cars.

 

Thats when i reached out to subaru and was pleasantly surprised.

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