Intermittent electrical quirk with turn signal

[montana_highboy]

This one has me baffled, it's happend maybe 3 or 4 times over the last few years and invariably returns to normal operation on its own after a period of time, what happens is when i turn my lights on (headlights and/or parking lights) my right turn signal indicator on the instrument panel remains illuminated (not flashing, just steady) yet my right parking light is not illuminated, when i turn on my right turn signal the indicator light on the instrument panel flashes as it's supposed to, as does the parking light (turn signal), so it still functions properly as a turn signal during this anomaly, it's the parking light which becomes inoperable during this quirk. Turn signal switch, headlight switch, flashers and bulbs are all new, sockets and grounds are clean and secure and all other lights function properly, it's the intermittent nature of this problem which has me puzzled, anyone have any ideas? thanks.

 

[Mil1ion]

Instrument cluster ?

you are obviously getting a power feed from the running lights circuit

 

[SuperCab]

I guess you're in Montana, right? Where in MT are you?

 

[chuck101st]

Do you know for sure that it is the turn signal bulb that is flashing? The reason I ask is because on my Kenworth I have lost the ground to the turn signal a couple of times and it will try to pick-up the ground through the marker light, causing the marker light to flash like a turn signal. And it will cause my signal indicator to light up steady.

 

[m78]

Do you know for sure that it is the turn signal bulb that is flashing? The reason I ask is because on my Kenworth I have lost the ground to the turn signal a couple of times and it will try to pick-up the ground through the marker light, causing the marker light to flash like a turn signal. And it will cause my signal indicator to light up steady.

I've seen vehicles with the marker lights blinking and wondered how that worked. Now I know

 

[Bob Ayers]

If a dual element bulb looses ground, it will try and power the other circuit through the two elements in series.

 

[montana_highboy]

I guess you're in Montana, right? Where in MT are you?

I'm up in Libby now, where are you? i've lived in Seeley Lake, Dillon, Missoula, Billings, Butte, Havre, Kalispell and Hamilton, just to name a few.

 

[montana_highboy]

Turns out it was a faulty socket that was shorting out the turn signal circuit, thanks for the replies.

 

[SuperCab]

I'm up in Libby now, where are you? i've lived in Seeley Lake, Dillon, Missoula, Billings, Butte, Havre, Kalispell and Hamilton, just to name a few.

I'm in Bozeman.