Rear turn signals; electrical problems.

[ronilson]

Hi guys and gals!!! This is my first post so please forgive me if I do not get it right! So... I have some electrical problems with my 2000 Astro van. It started about a year ago and I have yet to find a fix. The first symptom was the rear right turn signal not working. Ok. replace the bulb! Still did not work. So, I replaced the socket. Worked for a bit and then not so tried banging on the lamp (outside and just with my hand) and this would start it blinking again for a while. Then even that would not work. OK! Now the left rear has the same problem. Again when I tap on the lamp it starts blinking for a very short( and shorter!) while. They continue to work (blink) in the front though rapidly of course. I was in Autozone last week and a very nice older gentleman suggested the ground wire(s). Could someone explain to me where the rear grounds are located? What color is the wire and where exactly do I find the connection? He suggested that all I have to do is clean the connection up. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? Thanks much!!! Susan

[97CargoCrawler]

I have not experienced this problem. Before digging too deep into the electrical system I would look inside the sockets for corrosion. Also check the bottoms of the bulbs for melted looking contacts. I removed my bulbs just the other day and the socket was packed full of this cruddy looking green crap that looked like some sort of dielectric grease. Presumably there to prevent ingress of moisture and to dissipate heat. If that is missing you could have intermittent contact issues.

[CaptSquid]

I think I'd start out by replacing the flasher relay and the bulbs in question. That's cheap insurance.

Turn on the 4-ways and the marker lights. Then, check out both rear lights. Your rear bulbs are 2057s. These still have the round body and two contacts on the bottom. The round body is the ground. If the lights still give you trouble, dig out the voltmeter and check for continuity. Somewhere lies the problem. I'd even go so far as to dig out the probe that you can ground and penetrate the wire insulation to see if the sockets are faulty.

[ronilson]

Thanks for the reply! I will go ahead and try what you have suggested and let you know my luck. Susan