Left turn signal not working

Tiny
JEFFLEWIS980
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 KIA SPORTAGE
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 216,438 MILES
Hi my name is Jeffery Lewis. I am reaching out for help to try and figure out what my car’s problem is so I can take it for an inspection. My left turn signal doesn’t work most of the time. Then occasionally it does but not very often. When I hit the left turn signal I can hear the flashers clicking but no green arrow on the instrument clusters also neither the front or the back light blinks. Bulbs are good I put brand new ones in there also to double check. I also don’t know where the flasher relay is on my listed above 4 gear automatic Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone that can help.
Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 AT 7:20 AM

7 Replies

Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,793 POSTS
Hello, so the body control module controls all the blinkers among other lights. There is a power loss or bad ground wire on the circuit, the proper way to diagnose this is to check that power is coming from the BCM while that side blinker is on. This can be tricky because a knowledge of wiring diagrams and is essential. A test light can be used to do this by back probing the BCM at different connectors and checking for power on the specific pins on the BCM. It's a bit technical if you don't have any experience doing this. For a visual inspection, look for any broken or frayed wires under the dashboard or possibly under the seats in the car. A lot of times there are circuits grounded under the front seats.
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Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 AT 8:15 AM
Tiny
JEFFLEWIS980
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How do I get the diagram for that. BCM I am more mechanical most all outside the car. Most under the hood savvy. Some electrical. But more better on older cars less computerized equipment. Less wires and sensors if u know what I mean. If you can lead me towards the diagram for the wiring and to the BCM. That would be greatly appreciated. So one more thing. So I don’t need to worry about changing the flasher. When I hit the switch to turn the left signal on. I hear the flasher clicking. It just doesn’t light the lights or show the green arrow on the instrument cluster. Sometimes it will work if I switch the lever on off on off several times. And my blinkers all work. But not very often. That 's why I am thrown off a bit. Would that mean I need to change the signal lever by taking my steering column apart. If so what would be the best diagram to do that because I don’t want to accidentally pop off the airbag. I have had that happen before. I was changing a steering wheel for a friend and I got hit in the face. Broke my nose, 2 black eyes and almost got a screwdriver to the face. I even had the battery disconnected because I was worried that would happen. But so far you have been a great help. I would like to thank you.
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Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 AT 7:59 PM
Tiny
AL514
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It's no problem, that's what we're here for. So tomorrow I will get you all the diagrams for the BCM and the ignition switch circuit, and I'll direct you to each wire you need to test. Do you have a test light and multimeter?
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Thursday, December 5th, 2019 AT 4:20 PM
Tiny
AL514
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FYI, you should always disconnect the battery negative and wait at least 30 min before disconnecting airbags. The system needs time to shut down after the battery's unhooked. For future notice.
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Thursday, December 5th, 2019 AT 4:22 PM
Tiny
JEFFLEWIS980
  • MEMBER
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Yes I do have a tester. And yes I found out about the 30 minutes later. When I bought a new airbag that was higher then I thought and they told me it could be anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes after I disconnected the battery. Joke was on me for a while with friends, lol.
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Thursday, December 5th, 2019 AT 6:11 PM
Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
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I was reading back at a couple of your earlier posts and if you're able to wiggle the turn signal lever then most likely the connections inside there are bad and the lever will have to be replaced. And sorry to hear about the broken nose.
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Saturday, December 7th, 2019 AT 9:28 AM
Tiny
AL514
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So here is a wiring diagram, and as you can see highlighted in yellow is the left hand turn signal circuit. And it does feed the instrument cluster as well on the same circuit. Seems like the combination turn switch may be at fault. When its not working you can check for power at the bulbs and the Red/Yellow wire coming from the switch to verify the switch is faulty. Let me know what you find.
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Saturday, December 7th, 2019 AT 11:45 AM

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