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 Jim Grant's Tech Tips '97 Chevrolet Venture, Dead Turn Signal
Q: My right front signal quit working and it's not the lamp on my ‘97 Chevrolet Venture. I have enough there to run a digital meter, but not the lamp load. The socket is OK. I even tried bypassing the socket, but no dice. I decided to take a shot at the flasher, but I can’t find it or see it. I can hear it and find the general location under the driver side dash, but I can’t quite find the exact location. Could you give me a clue or perhaps tell me if I’m heading in the right direction with this problem? A: If you want to try replacing the flasher you’ll find it on the right hand side of the instrument panel, just above the base of the steering column. But, I doubt that is going to be the fix. The flasher is the control for the left and right hand turn signals. So if one side works okay and the other doesn’t it is likely that there is a circuit problem and not a flasher problem. Testing with a digital meter has a draw back that can cause misdiagnosis. A digital meter does not load a circuit, the meter has too much internal resistance. The best way to test is with a load (the bulb) installed and then prove the circuits. What I think you’ll find for a problem is that the ground circuit has too much resistance. There is a broken wire, corrosion or a broken ground tab in the socket. Check that socket a little closer, it will likely save you from digging under the dash.
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