Another FJ40 Hazard/Turn Signal Issue (1 Viewer)

[turnerd]

Hey everyone, I recently purchased an FJ40 with a production date of 5/71. I got it running for the first time in years in about two hours. It seems to be mechanically sound so now I am going to fight the electrical gremlins. Yes, I realize there are 284258495839 threads on this forum about hazard an turn signal issues but none exactly like mine.

My parking lights, headlights lights, brake lights, and tail lights all work as they should. I do not have the side marker lights on the rear or a reverse light as the PO removed them.
When I turn the hazard switch on, the rear lights flash correctly and I can hear the "thing" clicking in under the dash. However, the front turn signal lights mounted on the fender do not flash. (the lights on the front fenders light up when the headlights or parking lights are turned on)

When I go to turn the turn signals on, I have nothing...yes, the key is in the on position.

Where should I start? I am thinking the hazard switch is the issue based on other threads I have read.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


...Also, my rear combination lights acted up due to bad grounds but I fixed that by removing them and cleaning the light bracket and frame with an abrasion wheel.

 

[Pighead]

Look at your front light bulbs, do they have one filament or two?

 

[turnerd]

Look at your front light bulbs, do they have one filament or two?

The lights mounted on each side of the fender both have two filaments. The longer (dimmer?) of the two filaments is lit with the taillights on.

 

[stoshzack]

@Coolerman is the one to ask

Are your dash indicators for turning/hazard coming on as well? If I recall correctly, they are all on the same circuit. Clean the ground connections to the turn signals and the corresponding dash indicators. Might want to clean your fuse block as well. Retest.

My guess is if you are hearing the clicking, your hazard is fine. Ground issues elsewhere.

Coolerman will know for sure

 

[turnerd]

@Coolerman is the one to ask

Are your dash indicators for turning/hazard coming on as well? If I recall correctly, they are all on the same circuit. Clean the ground connections to the turn signals and the corresponding dash indicators. Might want to clean your fuse block as well. Retest.

My guess is if you are hearing the clicking, your hazard is fine. Ground issues elsewhere.

Coolerman will know for sure

Only the right turn indicator is coming on when the hazards are on. How do the indicators ground? Do the front turn signals ground through the light bracket like the rear do, or how?

 

[stoshzack]

Only the right turn indicator is coming on when the hazards are on. How do the indicators ground? Do the front turn signals ground through the light bracket like the rear do, or how?

Yes, front turn signals ground through the bracket. Indicator grounds through the bulb holder to indicator housing to the metal dash. I took my bulb holder and indicator housing off and cleaned them up. Got both sides working. The circuit is very finicky. At least for me, I felt like I had to get everything working correctly for the whole system to work.

 

[turnerd]

Yes, front turn signals ground through the bracket. Indicator grounds through the bulb holder to indicator housing to the metal dash. I took my bulb holder and indicator housing off and cleaned them up. Got both sides working. The circuit is very finicky. At least for me, I felt like I had to get everything working correctly for the whole system to work.

I got the indicator bulbs cleaned up. However, when I tried to remove the front fender lights to clean them, the entire light spun as I attempted to turn the nut. I soaked it in penetrating oil before attempting it. I am concerned about breaking the light... Is there another place to hold with a wrench or something?

 

[stoshzack]

I got the indicator bulbs cleaned up. However, when I tried to remove the front fender lights to clean them, the entire light spun as I attempted to turn the nut. I soaked it in penetrating oil before attempting it. I am concerned about breaking the light... Is there another place to hold with a wrench or something?

While the penetrating oil soaks, you can run a ground wire(s) from the -ve battery terminal to the lights to at least see if grounding is an issue. Hopefully with correct ground, everything will work.

 

[Coolerman]

If these are the original OEM turn signals, the mounting post that goes through the light and through the fender looks like this:

You can try holding the round part that is inside the light housing with a pair of Vise grips or channel locks but it is so thin it's hard to get a grip on it.
This pic shows the really bad way that Toyota grounded the lights. That little silver bracket looking thing is supposed to ground to the light mount post which then is supposed to ground itself to the fender. However if the fender has been painted or has rusted at all, the post does not ground well. It gets worse... The next weak link in the light ground is this:

That silver thing now has to ground the light reflector through contact only. If the reflector or the silver thing gets rusted, no ground.
The fastest way to get a good ground to the light reflector is to run a separate ground wire to it like this:

Attach the other end to a bolt on the inner fender or straight to the negative battery terminal.
FYI you can still buy new lights...

 

[turnerd]

I finally got a chance to work on it again and these are my findings...

I got both of the parking lights working on the front fenders after improving the ground. However, when I turn the hazards on I have no flashing up front. The parking lights are coming on strong and getting 12v of power at the connection inside the fender. If I turn the hazards on I get 0v on its connection. I tried using a wire to ground the light separately and the hazards still did not work. I switched the parking light and hazard connections and the brighter filament lights up when I have the parking lights on so I know it’s not that one of the filaments is bad.

Where should I go next? I am thinking something is up with the output of the hazard control unit. ...Also the drivers side hazard will occasionally flash very very weakly but I haven’t been able to get a reading of more than 0.5v at the fender connection.

 

[turnerd]

Another note maybe worth mentioning...

I cleaned up the indicator lights. If I loosen one of the front turn signal lights so that it becomes “ungrounded” (and turn the parking lights on) then the respective indicator light will come on. Reminds me of how in newer cars your turn signal will flash faster with a bulb out on that side.

However, when the hazards are on, neither of the indicator lights flash.

 

[turnerd]

Anyone have any more suggestions? I am stumped and would like to legally drive at night lol

 

[Pighead]

Anyone have any more suggestions?

I might just throw in the towel on those old light bulbs, get an LED blinker and put LEDs in all your bulb sockets...