AeroNautical Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Both the front driver and passenger side turn signal lights are very dim, with brand new bulbs in each. I tried cleaning the connectors as best I could, but where do these lights ground? The tail lights, marker lights, headlights and all work perfectly. Tired of gettin honked at when I use my turn signals, but the fronts are too dim to see, even at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Both the front driver and passenger side turn signal lights are very dim, with brand new bulbs in each. I tried cleaning the connectors as best I could, but where do these lights ground? The tail lights, marker lights, headlights and all work perfectly. Tired of gettin honked at when I use my turn signals, but the fronts are too dim to see, even at night. I'd make my own ground. Run a wire to the frame and fasten it good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 What do you think is actually causing the dim lights, though? Am I right to think it might be the ground, or are these notorious for dimming after awhile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Click on the link in my signature and find the "connector and relay refreshing" post. There's a critical 10 pin connector you need to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yea, the head light harness connector is notorious for high resistance due to corrosion. As cruiser has alluded to, a good first step is to get some electrical contact cleaner aerosol and spray both halves of the connector really good. That is probably a good part of it if not the entire problem. Looks like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yea, the head light harness connector is notorious for high resistance due to corrosion. As cruiser has alluded to, a good first step is to get some electrical contact cleaner aerosol and spray both halves of the connector really good. That is probably a good part of it if not the entire problem. Looks like this: I stole your photo!! Thanks. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yea, the head light harness connector is notorious for high resistance due to corrosion. As cruiser has alluded to, a good first step is to get some electrical contact cleaner aerosol and spray both halves of the connector really good. That is probably a good part of it if not the entire problem. Looks like this: I stole your photo!! Thanks. LOL. You're welcome but I found that on CherokeeForum... Not mine unfortunately. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Outstanding, thanks guys. I'll clean it all up and report back. I've read through those Renix tips several times, trying to do as much I could, now's the perfect time to thoroughly clean the connectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Well, it seemed to have brightened things up a bit, but I still have a problem with the driver side. The engine was running when I took this picture, so power isn't an issue. Did I just get a faulty bulb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Swap the bulbs side to side and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Swap the bulbs side to side and see what happens. Tried it, didn't make a difference. Both the bulb and socket contacts are clean, what else could it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Bad ground at the driver's side socket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Make a ground straight to the frame and connect it to the bulb socket ground wire. Should solve that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Swap the bulbs side to side and see what happens. Tried it, didn't make a difference. Both the bulb and socket contacts are clean, what else could it be? Swap the bulbs side to side and see what happens. Tried it, didn't make a difference. Both the bulb and socket contacts are clean, what else could it be? Bum socket. I've replaced a whole bunch of front turn signal sockets on XJs and MJs over the years, and I've seen a bunch more as used vehicles or in junk yards where some previous owner beat me to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Just redid the ground to no avail. A bum socket you say? Off to the JY... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Just redid the ground to no avail. A bum socket you say? Off to the JY... BAD idea. You're replacing one 20+ year old part with another 20+ year old part that's going to be just as bad. There's a replacement socket, with pigtails, that's in the HELP! aisle at most of the auto parts chains that's a perfect fit. It's not listed for Jeeps, it's listed for some Ford vehicle or other, but it works perfectly. Just take in your old socket and match up the tabs on the bayonet lock mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Just redid the ground to no avail. A bum socket you say? Off to the JY... BAD idea. You're replacing one 20+ year old part with another 20+ year old part that's going to be just as bad. There's a replacement socket, with pigtails, that's in the HELP! aisle at most of the auto parts chains that's a perfect fit. It's not listed for Jeeps, it's listed for some Ford vehicle or other, but it works perfectly. Just take in your old socket and match up the tabs on the bayonet lock mount. This^^. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Found it, for Dodge and GM vehicles. Worked like a charm, thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanchemodder Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 After successfully getting my signals working from following the points on this thread, I feel I need to add one more detail. After cleaning all contacts, installing dedicated grounds, refreshing existing grounds, I was able to diagnose why the passenger side was extremely dim vs the driver side on my truck: 2057 bulbs are asymmetric with one filament approx 5 ohms and the other filament approx 1.2 ohms. I had replaced my sockets with new sockets from Morris 4x4. They had two black leads and a white ground. Make sure the correct lead wire is matched up with the signal circuit. You have 50/50 chance to get it right and I got it wrong. The higher ohm filament on the 2057 bulb, when matched with the signal circuit will result in very dim blinker. If your blinker is really dim or non-existent (with lights on), switch the wires. It may just fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Swap the bulbs side to side and see what happens. Tried it, didn't make a difference. Both the bulb and socket contacts are clean, what else could it be? Bad socket. VERY common problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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