Usually the problems with the blinkers can be found either with a burnt
out bulb (very apparent) or at the front socket on the side that is
acting funny (they get corroded).  I just had a wierd one that almost
made me give up without fixing the problem (I never did this before so
it was irking me).  The van came in with no blinkers working.  I found
that the fuse was blown so I replaced it.  Now all of the blinkers
worked except for the passenger side rear.  I thought, "oh just a bad
bulb".  I replaced the bulb, but still nothing.  Then I started testing
for power.  I couldn't get a good reading because the power was
fluctuating and every once and a while the fuse would burn out again.  I
swapped over a new relay, a new switch, checked front bulb sockets,
traced the wiring and tested all of the wiring one wire at a time for
continuity.  Everything tested good.  I was about to give up since I was
actually working on the van for another shop and just let them deal with
it when the other shop owner came by.  He asked if I had checked the
brake lights.  I hadn't had anyone around to look at them while I
pressed the pedal before.  So he watched while I pressed and they didn't
work either.  I checked the fuse and it was blown.  At that moment I
knew what was wrong.  Are you ready for the
"Scooby-Doo-there-was-no-way-you-could-have-figured-it-out-from-my-hints"
ending?
The van had a tow hitch on it and someone had spliced in a trailer
wiring plug into the rear tail light wiring with scotchlocs.  I removed
all of the wiring to this harness and everything worked.  It was this
"foreign" object all the time.  I would have removed it sooner but I
didn't want to mess up the customer's trailer wiring and I didn't think
it could be the problem.  It took me one whole minute to fix once I
found it.  I wish I would have thought of it four hours before that:-)
Hope this inspires someone not to give up!

Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
Dennis Haynes wrote:

>The flasher is designed to require a minimum load to work properly. The
>fast flashing is an indication that one of the bulbs is out. Turn on the
>emergency flashers. The front and rear bulbs should be equally bright.
>If the right front is dimmer than the left, that is the problem. Bad
>socket, ground connection, or the socket is connected wrong. Rear would
>be bad socket, ground, or wrong bulb. Should be 1156 for turn signal,
>reverse and brake lights. Front bulb is 1157, dual filament. The
>brighter filament is for the turn signal. Lower brightness is for the
>marker or parking lights.
>
>Dennis
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>Of - Melissa Puckett
>Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 6:03 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Turn signals Blinking Too fast???????
>
>Anyone ever failed inspection after putting all new light bulbs into all
>tail lights headlights and turn signals , in particular for a Right turn
>signal
>blinking too fast?
>Just took my 1982 Vanagon GL in thru inspection, everything passed
>except
>for the Right side turn signal.  Like i said We just replaced
>everysingle  light
>bulb there was to replace so im kinda scratching my head at this one
>Maybe
>some kind of wiring problem or somthing else??
>
>Thanks
>Melissa
>
>
>