What does STEADY test light on left turn signal mean?

[kayakrguy]

Hi folks,

I took Snuggle Inn out last weekend. One problem with lights. Left turn signal did not work.

When we got home I got out my test light and used the trusty tutorial to re-test my CAR'S wiring harness. Running lights and right turn signal tested fine.

The left turn signal did NOT blink--the test light was steady, like it is with the runing lights. I took the alli clip and put it on the car chassis, no change, right turn signal lamp still steady. Now, the bulb in the car left turn signal works fine.

So, my question is: what does that test result mean diagnosis-wise?

Any help appreciated!

Hope all is well with everyone....

Jim

[Joe G]

Let me make sure I am understanding you correctly here...

If you're saying that the left turn signal on the tow vehicle blinks, but the one on the trailer only glows steady, I would suspect you have a bad turn signal converter module (I'm not sure what the proper name is for that gizmo).

If you're saying that the left turn signal is not blinking on the tow vehicle or the trailer, then your left FRONT turn signal lamp is probably burnt out.

Joe

[madjack]

I would suspect it is a bad trailer light converter module.

Jim, if you have a converter module for your lights, it would be a suspect here...unfortunately, these modules are not know for their longevity...
madjack

[kayakrguy]

Joe and Jack,

Thanks for the replies. My test of the wire that I wrote about was a test of the Car's connector. When I tested that, I got a steady light on my test light when plugged into the left turn hole (with alligator connected to male ground) When I switched alligator to car frame, nothing changed--still a steady light, no blink. The car's turn signal lamp is blinking but the test light is steady.

And yes, when the trailer is hooked up, there is no turn signal on the left side.

Where do i find the 'converter module'? If I have one...??

Thanks again,

Jim

[madjack]

Jim, a converter module is usually used when you have separate blinker and brake lights on the tow vehicle, converting them for use on single bulb trailer systems...these are usually installed by the owner or they are part of a "tow package" from the manufacturer........
madjack

p.s. didja check the bulb on the trailer.......J

[Hinermad]

The car's turn signal lamp is blinking but the test light is steady.

Jim,

Does the test light go off if you turn off the turn signal?

The fact that the trailer lamp stays off while there's voltage on the connector contact (as the test lamp indicates) does imply the lamp is bad.

I'm not familiar with how converter modules are made, but if you have one and it's got transistors inside it's possible that a trailer bulb burning out zapped it. (I had a touch-controlled lamp that did that. The bulb blew, and it fried the switch electronics.)

Dave

[kayakrguy]

Once again, fellas, thanks for the replies.

I swapped out the brake/turn signal bulbs from left and right trailer lights.

The long and short of it is that both bulbs are GOOD--both work correctly in the right light, neither will show a turn signal in the left light--that is the one that the test light stays ON STEADY on the CAR connector when the left turn signal is on.

However, another problem cropped up....when I turn all the car lights OFF, the trailer lights stay ON! That tells me that I got a short circuit somewhere....?

Im wondering if the left trailer light is shorted in the turn signal circuit...???

Jim

[TENNJIM]

Some installations put that converter module down inside or behind one of the rear tail light assemblies as it has to be splice-wired into the taillight wiring. It also requires a tow vehicle battery line to it as either a direct wire from your battery or a splice off an existing battery line going to your trailer. That is how they did it on my TV.

Jim B / Utah

[Dale M.]

Start tracing back from TV/TRAILER connector along wiring harness in TV... if you come across a "black box" with 5-6 wires going into it, and 4-5 wires coming out, this is converter, and its probably bad...

Dale

[kayakrguy]

Hi folks,

Tonight I tested just the trailer lights with leads off of my battery.

The running lights tested ok everywhere but on the LEFT rear light. On the left rear light the bulb turned on BRIGHT when the running lights were tested. It also turned on BRIGHT when the left turn circuit was tested.

The right rear light tested ok with both the running light (low level bright) and the right turn (Bright) test.

I switched bulbs between the two lights and got the same results with both bulbs.

Any ideas about what this means?

Jim

[madjack]

Jim, if the light is always bright regardless off what you have hooked up, then it sounds like a short in the light fixture itself, allowing the current to bleed thru from the brake/blinker side to the taillight side(or vice-versa)...depending on the type of light fixture, you might be able to replace the guts in the fixture or you may havvta replace the entire fixture...might be a good time to investigate some LED type tail/brake/blinkers......
madjack

[kayakrguy]

Jack, Jim, Dale, Hiner--

Many thanks! I think that I will try Jack's suggestion that the light on the left side has a short....which I wondered about in my next to last post--when the trailer lights stayed on after the car lights were turned off! I'll replace that one--and the right one--with LED, done with bulbs.

Now, I gotta face the fact that the converter--if I have one--is screwed up, too. Since this is a Hyundai, I suspect I do have a converter, as I understand that most Asian cars (?) require those for towing connections....

So, I know what I am doing tomorrow <G>

Much obliged,

Jim

[BrwBier]

One more thing I would do since you are planning on replacing both lights anyway. Take the light fixture from the good side and plug it in on the bad side to make sure it is not something in the wiring before the fixture.
Brwbier

[madjack]

Jim, specifically, what is your tow vehicle...year/make/model...............................

[kayakrguy]

Bier--

Thanks for the suggestion--will do. I HOPE the problem isn't before the light, I rewired my lights this winter--!! <g>

Jack--its an 08 Hyundai Sonata....

I think the problem arose as follows...

I took the car to local shop for hitch and wiring.

When I got home, and attached trailer everything screwed up. Got tester out, tested car....no brakes/one turn signal. Back to shop....

Well, what the had done was use a 6 wire connector....instead of 4 wire on their first install!...Now, I think what happened is that the light got fried when I used the 6 wire connector....short circuited....

Then, when I got the car home the second time, the light, now shorted out from the 6 wire connector, fried the converter on the 4 wire install....

Now, that is all just a conjecture....trying to understand how all this crap came down....

Thanks, guys,

Jim