So state inspection is due at the end of the month and naturally my front right turn signal decides to stop working! When I pulled the bulb out, I noticed the filaments actually looked ok. So I swapped the left and right side turn signal bulbs. It turns out my suspicion was correct! Nothing wrong with the bulb at all (“bad” bulb worked on the left side, “good” bulb did not work when plugged into right side). So I got my test light out and attached one side to the positive terminal on the battery and placed the probe into the socket and the light did flash one one side of the socket. So at this point should I be getting ready to crawl underneath and check the grounds under the van on that side?
I did check the fuse box, but it looks like the Odyssey doesn’t have an independent fuse for the turn signals like our old Town & Country minivan did (or if it does, the owners manual didn’t state this)
I’d say the ground is the likely problem on a '05 vehicle.
Confusing, though, is a flashing test light attached to the positive post on the battery. That would imply a switched ground. Not what I would expect and that itself would say the ground is NOT the problem, the B+ IS. Re-run your flashing light test with one side grounded and the other side probed to one terminal of the socket and see if that flashes. If it does, the other post in the socket should be ground and if the test light is applied, with the other to the B+, it should be a steady ON.
Test light clip on B+ probe placed in +side of socket (battery power on ACC, turn signal lever selected to right hand turn signal), light flashed. When placed in -side of socket, no flash.
Test light clip on B- probe placed in +side of socket, light flashed. When placed in -side of socket, no flash.
(Btw I’m assuming on socket side brown wire is + black is - )
So I had a thought and redid the test with the van off and the turn signal stalk at neutral. Clamp on B+ probe in + socket I got a steady light, no light on socket. Clamp on B- probe did not light up either in + or - socket. Does this change the hypothesis back to bad ground again?
If one side of test lamp is on battery and any of the lamp socket pins cause it to flash, then there is no ground problem. You also know that the control is accomplished by grounding so the issue is probably on the supply side.
If you put the test lamp between the two connector pins, does it now flash? Yes, bad connection to lamp, check condition of connector pins. No? check supply side wire for power. Test lamp to chassis ground and other wire to supply side of lamp socket. No light? Move to battery + to verify lamp illuminates and selected ground is good…
I think I agree with @TwinTurbo The results are a bit confusing. It does appear to be a switched ground system. I wish you had an ohm-meter to determine continuity to ground.
I do have a meter, it’s unfortunately an hour away since I forgot to take it out of the other car before my wife drove away this morning…I’ll post back later when I have the meter and get some more results.
@TwinTurbo I’ll do more of that later when I get my meter and I can do all of the testing at once
I actually saw this yesterday when I was doing some Google snooping…I’m going to use that wiring diagram if I need to find the grounds (I hope not…getting that stupid air/water dam on and off is a pain and some of those stupid clips broke so I used zip ties to hold them back on). As an update, with the snow rolling in, I had to finish getting the leaves off the drive way so they don’t clog the snowblower. And now that it’s snowing, I haven’t had a chance to do any testing yet, but I put the ohm meter in the van so I can get back on it as soon as the weather clears up
Snow not expected to start around here until later tonight. It’s too early for this, all my equipment is still buried in the back of the garage…good luck!
I don’t have diagrams for a Honda, but on my Fords the common point for the turn signals and E flashers is the MFS/multifunction switch and if the turn indicator on the dash was also not working i would test the MFS.
Speaking of E-flashers, a few days ago I drove past a car on the side of the road with the flashers ON, and the ones in the back were blinking back-up lights. Which I thought unusual. Later I saw one with yellow lights in the rear, instead of red.
Is there any standard on these, or can the manufacturers make any light blink?
I found the diagram & you need to check fuse 20 in the under hood fuse/relay box. It’s between the combo flasher & the bulb
Flip the lid over and there should be a diagram
From the looks of the circuit diagram this isn’t a switched ground design. One side of the right front turn signal socket is physically connected to chassis ground G201. If you have the common two-probe test light, the test I’d do first is connect one probe to battery ground, and the other probe to whatever connects to the brown wire of the right front turn signal socket. You may have to do this test w/the bulb installed to get a valid result, as the circuit may purposely not work if the expected bulb current isn’t correct. If the test light flashes on and off brightly when the turn signal is on, then the problem is the bulb or the connection of the bulb to the socket pins. If you measure a proper electrical signal between the socket pin and ground a working bulb properly installed and making clean contacts pretty much has to flash, so buy another bulb and see if that fixes the problem. If not check for corrosion on the socket and the socket pins. I had a bulb problem on my truck a couple months ago and had to file a little off the bulb pin-protrusions to get it to work.
Sometimes this sort of testing is easier to do by measuring voltage, with the type of volt meter that has a dial that physically sweeps to the voltage, rather than the digital read out type. That method helps prevent the measurement device from interfering with the circuit.
Turn indicator was working appropriately. Flashing quickly when flipped to right, flashing normal rate when using emergency flashers
Amen to that… I’m good, I’m staying at the hospital tonight because I’m scheduled back in at 0500 and snow is coming through our area again from 0300-0600
I think I did check it the other day (I checked a bunch of them), but I’ll double check it when I’m home tomorrow. There is a diagram, but I don’t think it specifically said turn signal (I think it was with something else)…again I’ll check tomorrow!
@George_San_Jose1 I’ll try to do more testing tomorrow if the weather cooperates when I get home. Unfortunately I don’t have a sweeping meter, it’s a digital one, but I’ll make it work
I’m good, I’m staying at the hospital tonight because I’m scheduled back in at 0500 and snow is coming through our area again from 0300-0600