replaced bulbs,checked fuses,replaced turn signal flasher, but still either signal does not work! any ideas appriciated.

 

Have you checked the wiring? Look at all the grounds. Replace the sockets. Theres a number of things that could be wrong. Check the wiring and sockets first and get back to us.

Edit: Do you have ANY lights? Do the running lights come on and only the turn signals dont work? If that's so then it's isolated to the turn signal circuit only. Good place to start would be to get a test light and see if you have power going to the sockets themselves.

 

Do your hazard flashers work? DO you have a trailer hitch? If so, check where it is spliced in. Many times a hitch connector will mess up light circuits.


Were the fuses burned out when you changed them? Did your old flasher work in a diffferent truck if you have the luxory of trying it out to see if something is burning them out. ( In other words, you put in a new one but it burned up right away and is now also bad?)

Otherwise, like he said, check for power at turn signal switch, at flasher socket and keep working your way back.

Good Luck,

Lee

 

It might be the switch in the column these have been knowned to go bad, but check the easy stuff as mentioned first by the others, as a loose or bad ground, bad connections, bulbs can LOOK good but be broken down in the sockets, (loose bottom bulb brass connector on bulb) even a faulty flasher can make you think its something else....

 

I'm having the same problem as well, I have power going into the turn signal switch. All other lights work except back up, if I use the turn signal while the brakes are applied the brake light on that side will go out but nothing flashes.
Turn on the hazard flashers and the brake/signal lights come on but don't flash either.

If you get yours fixed post it here, so I can try it.

I will find a non-tilt column before I buy a $100 tilt wheel turn signal switch.

 

Brake light switches go bad also as well as flashers, remember that the 86 has TWO flashers under the dash, one is for the blinkers an the other is the emergency flasher......replace them at a cost of around 5.00 each an then you KNOW its not the flashers for sure.

 

the head lights work,parking lights work,if you take the fuse out that controls the hazzard/brakes the turn signals will flash.but when you turn the signals on left and right flash at the same time.when the fuse is replaced the brake lights come on,the hazzard lights wont flash.i havent found any bd grounds,when it started it melted the fuse but it didnt blow the fuse(brake/hazzard fuse).also it melted thebrake switch harness.ive wasted a weekend trying to locate the problem .flashers are good,replaced brake switch.also when i try to put the brake fuse back in it arks.

 

Someplace in the brake circuit, its going to ground when you connect the fuse to the circuit. Its there or it wouldn't blow the fuse. If it arks when you to the fuse in and then doesn't blow the fuse, then thats the normal way 12 dc does when the circuit is live and you put the connection together. its best to use a multimeter to determine which circuit is "hot" when it shouldn't be. I had seen in some autos back in the day of my younger years, when the flasher went to ground, even tho the flasher worked fine, replaceing the flasher will determine if this is true in your case...and it has been known the signal actuator in the steering column had a bare wire that broke off and was touching the column in another situation. Once again to go to that extreme, a multimeter is an important tool in locating your short.

 

If you have melted wires under the dash, its going to be a job anyway in cleaning up that brake circuit, in either case..if you don't find the connection that went to ground in the first place, when you replace the wires...its going to smoke those that you replaced too, so its important to be calm and do some research in locating the short...again a multimeter will tell you if the circuit is live and you have to decide if it should be by examine of a diagram of the circuit in question...i.e. the brake circuit. Remember it should be live always through the brake switch, as when you press on the brakes, it should light up. It should not be a live circuit pass the brake switch...unless you press on the brake petal thus making the brake switch live....

 

I have a strange problem with my lights as well. When I put the truck into reverse, the parking lights go on.

 

I'd agree...the problem lies in your brake light circuit. Check for broken wires near the switch, as it is under constant movement with brake application, and work back from there as well, mostly checking rub potential spots. Where the wires would run through a frame clip, or through a fire-wall grommet. These are your most likely culprits, as wear does occur over time.

Someone else posted their reverse lights were not working...check your neutral lock-ouot switch, which also controls your reverse lights.(transmission mounted usually)

 

The neutral lock-out switch only controls the two rear white lens on the back end, If you have the wrong set of lights wired into that circuit, then you'll get those parking lights come on when you do that....it also could cause a backfeed of 12dc power to the light switch, where it should be for that circuit....se if you one spiced in the wrong wires and put those wires back as they should be.