Side markers flash with turn signals.

[71fj40newbe]

I am doing a ground up 71 fj40 and I am wiring it. I used an aftermarket harness (keep it clean). When I activate my turn signals, all the side markers and tail lights flash. I think it might have something to do with the wiring in the rear of the flashers??? Do you connect side markers and turn signals together in the rear?? Ive read a ton of electrical posts, but have not found my answer.

The four ways work, my headlights, tail lights parking lights work, brake lights work. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rocky_LC]

It's a grounding problem. The turn signal lights don't have a good path to ground, so the voltage is finding another way to return - through your side marker lamps, to their ground.

Good Luck -

Rocky

 

[Poser]

Do you connect side markers and turn signals together in the rear??

No. They are separate, and wired to the the running lamps....

 

[71fj40newbe]

I had the light housings powder coated, so maybe it is the ground. Poser, you said they are seperate, but in the rear they are connected together. I have the turn signal wire spliced with parking lights. Thats what it looked like on the 1971 schematic. Please let me know what you guys think.

 

[DSRTRDR]

IIRC, the Painless aftermarket harness does not provide a separate wire to the front side marker lights - I don't know whether they are missing from other aftermarket harnesses, too

I actually made the front side markers into blinkers, because the front turn signals cannot be seen by a driver running by your side - where they seem to like to inevitably linger (ever heard of a blind spot ) - I don't recall how I handled the problem in the rear, but my rear marker lights are just that

the side marker bulbs are not rated as flashing bulbs, but I have had only one bulb blow in 5 years (no idea how old they are to begin with) - this is not my daily driver, though

 

[71fj40newbe]

Thanks for the input. I have one wire running to the front for side markers and one running to the rear for side markers. I had no wire to power the tail lights so I tied them in with the side markers. (It looks like thats how they are wired on schematic.

 

[71fj40newbe]

Ok, update. I disconnected the side markers from the tail light wire (green wire). Everything works except tail lights. I have a green wire with white stripe and a green wire coming from rear light. Should the turnsignal be one wire and the brake/ tail be the other?? Im so close

 

[Pighead]

Actually, blinking sidemarkers sounds kinda cool, wish I could make mine do that.

 

[DSRTRDR]

Actually, blinking sidemarkers sounds kinda cool, wish I could make mine do that.

just split the power-to-blinker wire before the blinker and run it to the side markers properly ground the side markers

 

[DSRTRDR]

Ok, update. I disconnected the side markers from the tail light wire (green wire). Everything works except tail lights. I have a green wire with white stripe and a green wire coming from rear light. Should the turnsignal be one wire and the brake/ tail be the other?? Im so close

I believe the original light was both: running light and blinker (I have aftermarket lights) - OEM there are several wires to the rear: the green-white is blinker, the green is power to taillight (the black-white is ground)

IIRC, the blinker wire is green-orange on the other side

if you have a different blinker light than tail-light, you'll have to lay a separate ground

to match OEM lights to aftermarket harness, connect the blinker wire from fuse block to green-white, and the taillight wire to green, connect the black-white from the light to a grounding wire that you have to lay yourself to somewhere in the chassis (frame would work, rear bumper might)

hope this helps

 

[71fj40newbe]

DSRTRDR, thanks for info. If I wire as you stated above, where does the brake light wire connect that runs to the rear? Thanks