Turn signal troubles?

Was the old bulb faulty, could you tell if bulb filament was broken in the bulb? With passenger side rear turn signal on, did you try pressing on the bulb, sometimes the bulb doesn't make good contact? Next, you would need to check voltage and ground for that turn signal. Go from there. I'll see if I can find wiring for that, wire colors.

This guide will help us

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/turn-signals-not-working-blinker

Please run down this guide and report back.

Note the diagram, yellow wire is voltage for right rear turn. If the right rear stop and tail lamp work, the ground isn't the problem. Does the right front turn, work?

At that yellow wire use a test lite to check for voltage, right rear turn on. The bcm supplies that voltage, I'm not saying the bcm is faulty. Have to test further.

Just to add to this one you cant check for power like that.Once the body control module senses a problem in the circuit like wiring bulb etc it will shut down the circuit for that bulb for that key cycle. Thats why if you have a bad bulb for instance if the key is on and you have that side turn signal on the new bulb wont work till the key is cycled again. It does that to protect the bcm makes it a little more challenging to diagnose the circuit when you have a problem. If you have the correct bulb you could have a terminal tightness issue on the bulb socket. I have seen a lot of those.Most of the time its a issue with the front turn signal bulbs.

That's good to know, good job.

Glad i could help.

When I changed the bulb it was a bit burnt/melted. I changed the bulb but still not working. On the dash the indicator blinked very fast.

Hi,

Turn signals blink fast because the resistance in the front and rear circuit is not the proper amount. This happens when the incorrect bulb is installed as well as when they are burned out.

Is the bulb you put in an LED bulb by any chance? If so, these do not have the proper amount of resistance in them in order to cause them to not blink fast.

If it was not, then we need to turn the signals on and measure voltage or use a test light to ensure the circuit is working. It is possible that the combination switch (turn signal switch) is faulty causing an issue.

https://youtu.be/Hlna_kUt7As

Let me know what you find with this and we can go from there. Thanks

Electrical problem
2004 Saturn Ion 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual

My front driverside blinker wont work, I changed the bulb and it worked for a day and now it no longer works. I changed out the bulb again and it still doesnt work what could it be?

Hello and thanks for donating


When a single bulb fails to operate yet the bulb itself is good, it is usually do to faulty wiring or a faulty bulb socket housing. Make sure the wiring is clean and connected without damage at that specific bulb housing. If it is, suspect faulty bulb socket housing (where bulb inserts).

The left turn signal that has burned out. I have changed the bulb but the signal still does not work. All the other signals work. The emergency flasher makes all but the left front light flash. I checked the interior driver side fuse panel "park" fuse for burn out but it was okay. The steering column switch might be worn out.
Or the flasher might be going out. Would the other signals work if the flasher was going out? Does the under-the-hood fuse block have a fuse that would be involved in a problem like this?

What should I do now?

So does the left side flash fast and only one bulb flash?

Yes. That is right. That is what first alerted me to the problem.

So is the front one out? Also, was the turn signal campaign ever performed on that car?

Yes. It is the left front signal that s out. I guess I did not make that clear at first. I do not know what a signal campaign is. As far as I know a signal campaign has never been performed on the car.

What was happening on those cars was the front bulbs were getting too hot the sockets and wiring to the socket as well. So what they did was come out with a campaign to have resistors add inline before the bulb socket free of charge. we replaced the bulbs and the sockets if needed. Pop the head light loose and see if there is a white resistor inline the socket bolted to the frame with a nut and bolt? Also, see if the wires to the socket or the socket itself is blackened?

We bought the car new in 2003 and have never had a problem with bulbs going out except for the rear turn signal lights going out occasionally. It was always just a matter of changing the bulb. To my knowledge I have never replaced a front turn signal bulb. We never have brought in the car in response to a recall of any kind. When I changed the bulb this time I did not notice an inline socket bolted to the frame like you describe. But I will look to see if it is there and get back to you.

My right front turn signal light does not flash. It turns on when the lights are on, but will not flash when the indicator signal is turned on the steering column.

I pulled out the headlight casing, and noted blackening on the indicator light base, charring on the connectors, and blackening down inside the bulb socket as well. I think in order to fix this, I need to replace both the socket and the bulb.

I ordered a replacement socket, but cannot figure out how to get the bulb socket disconnected from the wiring. There is a red lever on the right side that is removable. maybe it is a lack of hand strength, but I just cannot get them apart.

Any tips on how to do this?

Alright it is white and not a socket but a resistor. If its not there let me know and will get you the campaign number. I have performed a ton of those.

Hello,

Good find on the problem, a new unit should fix it, take a pair of pliers and grab the red tab and pull it out of there completely, don't worry about putting it back in you wont need it. The red piece is just a safety clip that makes it so the connector cannot be removed. The connector will be just fine without it.

Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

Cheers, Ken

Okay, I have checked the left front turn signal light socket for blackening and see none. The replacement bulb has not burned out. So it does not seem to be a short problem. I check for the resistor bolted on the frame like you describe. I think I may have found it. Please see the uploaded image. Maybe we bought the car after the campaigns were started.

Ken,
Thanks so much for the tips! Got it done and the indicator is once again working!
Kelli

The campaign did not start till December of 2004 so unless you bought it used it would not have been done when.you bought it. It was done though you found what I was talking about.Its most likely a bad harness going to the headlight I have seen a lot of bad ones. Do you have a multi-meter to do some testing?

Has the recall been done on that car for the front running lights?They added a resistor to lessen the current to those bulbs if that hasn't been done then it will happen again.

yes. I have a multi-meter. I was thinking the possibly it might be the socket because although it is not burned there does seem to be some looseness when I insert the bulb. This time the bulb kept falling out after I thought I had securely inserted it. Maybe the bulb is not making good contact. The socket is made mostly of plastic and after years of exposure contracting and expanding maybe it does not hold the bulb as securely as needed. So a multi-meter might determine if good contact is being made. I take it this harness you speak of is the main electrical connection to the main headlight assembly. Just to look at it, it looks almost new.

Nice work, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.

Cheers, Ken

Asking to Saturntech9 or anyone else who could help. Just bought this car a week ago, and the front signals did not work. I popped the headlight out and put new bulbs in from my buddies shop and just secured some loose tape with fresh on both sides and the right works, but the left still nothing. In the cab the right signal is a slower click than before but the left is still fast. Any fuses I could check to see if they are maybe burnt out? Or a possible electrical issue? If so how would I diagnose which wire?

The terminals on that could be loose it is pretty common on those cars for loose terminals. try bending the terminals towards each other then see if it works.

So does the left front does not work ?Also, are there white resistors installed by the headlights? There was s recall for the front turn signals and resistors were installed?They cut the power to the front turn signal bulbs down. They had trouble with the bulb sockets melting overheating. The only thing I have seen on those if it is not the bulb then it is the harness that goes into the headlight assembly. You can only test the harness in the headlights assembly with the multi-meter. The BCM will shut done the inop circuit each time you turn the key on if there is a fault in the circuit. You cannot just test for power etc.

SaturnTech9,
I took it to a GM/Saturn dealer and specifically referenced this, because I'd read about that recall. But they entered my VIN number and told me my car wasn't listed by the manufacturer as being eligible for it.
As of this evening, the right front indicator light has gone out again (GROAN), so my next step is to take it to a mechanic with more electrical skills than me, so they can trace the wiring from the headlight to the steering column and look for groundings, shorts, etc.

Kelli

Do the bulb sockets look blackened or melted?

I have seen the harnesses inside the headlight casplue fail on those aside from the sockets those are the two most common issues I have seen with those.Whats your full vin number?

Both sides orange lights come on, but only the right blinker blinks. The other one just stays lit. The sockets don't look black or melted at all, so probably problems with the wiring in the harness?

SaturnTech9,
I ran my VIN through the NHTSA site, and confirmed there are no *active* recalls.

But the indicator/running light recall absolutely comes up for my year, make, and model from the recall in 2004: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2003/SATURN/ION/4%252520DR#recalls

So I may print this out and go right back to that GM/Saturn Dealer and see if I can... motivate :)

Kelli

Sorry on the late response, ordered new wiper transmission with the metal on metal arm and linkage only to find out it was a half inch too big for my car. Fun stuff

Can you take some clear pictures where the headlight fits in and post it?So I can see if that resistor is there.

The resistors are there, there are two recall completion stickers so I am assuming it is up to date.

Did you buy the Dorman wiper transmission? That is the one I put in my niece's 2003 Saturn Ion fit perfect.

No it was the apdty wiper transmission. Once I get my refund I will get the Dorman

Get it from rock auto dot com. also, I have a five percent discount code for them if you need it. You can ohms test the wire harness in the headlight.

Thanks man I just checked it out and it is one of the cheapest I could find. A little less than the other one I bought. The code would be appreciated, I will have to go get a multi-meter, but thanks for the help!