Turn Signal Problems...please Help!!!

can someone please help us???

we have a '89 chevy corsica and the left turn signal has gone out on us...the bulb at the back lights up but doesn't flash, and the front bulb appears that it lights up when the driving lights are on!

the turn signal lights come on in the dash for the right turn, but not at all for the left turn...I have checked the fuses, and tried changing the turn signal bulb at the front...but none of that has worked...I don't have the money to get a mechanic to take a look (just for a diagnosis! not at $65 an hour and no repairs or parts :) )

does anyone have any ideas...someone mentioned to me it may be the relay switch causing the problem...how to I check this out and determine if this is the prob?...if it is, is it an easy 'self' fix?

any other ideas would be greatly appreciated....otherwise the car runs pretty good...needs a new exhaust, but other than that...it's ok for what I paid for it!!

thanks

Julie :)

The relay has gone bad. On the lower part of the dash on the drivers side, theres that black shelf kinda thing. Take out the 4 screws that hold it in. Two on top which are plainly visible and two on the botom which you will have to turn upside down to see. Its kind of a pita to get the thing out but you will figure it out eventually. Behind that in the dash you will see a couple boxes with wires coming out of them. In front of all that, at the far right mounted to the steering column support, there is a small silver cylinder. Thats the relay you want to replace. Go to advance or autozone (or someplace like that) and get them to cross reference the number for you.

if the right side blinks, then it's not a flasher or relay, as both sides work off the same one. If you changed the front bulb, try the rear. These bulbs have two elements, one for the running lights and one for the stop/blinker. if the element is burnt, that side won't flash. If all the bulbs are good, then you have a bad socket on that side.

One side can still blink even if the flasher is bad. My dodge had the same problem, the right lights would stay on, but the left ones would blink. Replaced the flasher and never had a problem with it after that. And I believe it was the same flasher as the corsica uses too.

how can one side blink if the flasher is bad??? that is what it does. Many vehicles have a separate one for the hazards, but I've never heard of one side blinking and the other not being a flasher, it's usually either a bulb or socket.

actually if the flasher goes bad one side can still work fine (just happened to my car a little over a month ago) i don't want to say this is the case on ALL cars, but it was for me and could well be your problem as well.
btw my car has one flasher for the turn signals and one for the hazzards

actually if the flasher goes bad one side can still work fine (just happened to my car a little over a month ago) i don't want to say this is the case on ALL cars, but it was for me and could well be your problem as well.
Thank you

just to clarify, don't just change the flasher. go through the wiring and check to make sure everything is ok and that the sockets and grounds are all good. the flasher that i replaced mine with was an aftermarket electronic one (kooterskkar probably used one similar) and they can somtimes compensate for other small problems in the circuit. but it did "fix" the problem.

I have to agree with richtazz. At least with Corsica and any other GM I looked at the wiring diagram for. The same voltage goes into the flasher, through the flasher, to the turn signal switch. There is no difference up until the switch. The factory flasher is set up to work with the number of bulbs on that cars circuit. That is why when one light burns out that side will stay on. However there are replacement flashers that will work the turn signal regardless if one light is burnt out, or there is a ground fault, or whatever the case may be. I think the flasher is more or less a cover up for another problem that may not be important enough to take the time to look for. So as far as electrical goes richtazz is correct. But to save time on something that would take more time kooterskkar and rob's approach would be fine I guess. If you do get that type of replacement flasher make sure you check your lights every once in a while. One can be burnt out and you won't have that warning anymore.

I would look at the turn signal switch. they are a known problem in older corsicas/berettas, and would cause what you describe.