Chrysler Repair: Right turn signal normal; left turn signal rapid, signal relays, flasher relay

Question
My 1990 LeBaron convertble has recently started to flash the turn signal rapidly when making a left hand turn. A right hand turn results in a normal speed flashing. I have checked the bulbs (driver's side) and all the bulbs seem to have good filaments. I have bought a new flasher relay but cannot find where to put it. I have had work done on the headlamp covers. Thank you.


Answer
Hi John,
While the bulbs may have good filaments, one may have excessive resistance at a contact in the bulb socket, or the wire from the socket to a nearby ground attachment may have an excessive resistance where it it grounded. So I would be begin by checking that the bulbs and the sockets on the left side into which they fit have clean shiney contact surfaces and that the nearby black ground wires are tightly grounded and not corroded.
Then you might make sure that the problem is not with one of the turn signal relays on the left side. There are 4 relays (one for each corner of the car) and these are mounted in the relay center which is mounted on the cowl, under the dash to the left of the driver's left shin. Try switching the relays for the left side with those for the right side turn signal lamps and stop lamps and see if the problem has changed sides also. If not then the relays are o.k. If it has changed sides, then one of the two relays is bad, try switching them one at a time and see which one follows a relay transposition (all for relays are interchangeable).
The flasher unit is mounted either at the base of the steering column or on the A/C duct just to the right of the steering column. I am uncertain whether it can be responsible for your problem, but exchange it and see. Finally, if none of those locations bears fruit, then the turn signal/hazard flasher switch itself could be the problem. There is an internal contact for the left and a contact for the right turn signal, and the one for the left may have become pitted or corroded or comtaminated such that it is not grounding well which will increase the rate of flashing. The wire for the left turn is light green/white and so if you can locate that wire at the turn signal switch or at the base of the steering column and jumper it to ground (any shiney metal structural surface under the dash) you will be by-passing the left turn signal's grounding contact, and thus if that causes a correction in the rate of flashing on the left side would be proof that the contact in the turn signal switch needs to be cleaned and polished.
Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of possible reasons for the dichotomy of flash rates between left and right, but with this information you should be able to isolate which one it is.
Roland