Light issues, probably electical

Sven3B_165743
Thu, 26 Mar 2020 15:32:51 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

I have an electrical issue with my 2004 Saturn Ion, and with everything shut down, I figured I’d try to fix it myself, if possible.

It started out with what appeared to be my front, left (driver-side) turn signal going out. Easy – I replaced the bulb. But that didn’t work. I checked the connector at the light and it seemed fine. So I just hand-signaled for a while.

Then, after a little while, the dashboard’s left turn-signal indicator started lighting up whenever I pressed the brake.

So I decided to do a full check of the lights, and they are all sorts of messed up (see below).

I’m guessing there is an electrical problem somewhere, with a switch or a relay or a wire. I check the fuses, and they all appeared good.

I understand I will probably have to check throughout the car to find the problem, but I was hoping I might get some guess on where to start based on the symptoms, which I will list below. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I do have a Haynes Repair Manual with the wiring diagrams, so I should be able to follow along with that.

Run-down of which bulbs function, when. (Apologies in advance, I don’t know for certain what each bulb is called and couldn’t find a clear explanation anywhere – so some of my terminology may be inaccurate). Also, it’s possible I wrote some of this down wrong.

Left (driver) Front

Inner bulb (main headlamp)
—Works under all circumstances (other than headlights turned off)

Outer bulb (turn signal [and parking light, I think])
—Works when headlights are on alone
—Turn signal – does not flash
—Hazards – does not flash

Right (passenger) Front
-Everything works fine

Left (driver) Rear

Top bulb
—Lights when headlights are on
—Does not get brighter when brake applies (not sure it is supposed to, though)
—Turn signal – flashes fast
—Hazards – works

Middle bulb
—Lights when headlights are on
—Gets brighter when brakes applied – if headlights are off, see note*

Bottom bulb (back-up light, I think)
—Doesn’t work (might just be burned out coincidently, I haven’t tried changing it)

*All – when headlights are on, all left rear lights go out when brake applied

Right (passenger) Rear

Top bulb
—Lights when headlights are on
—Does not get brighter when brakes applied
—Turn signal – works normally
—Hazards – works normally

Middle bulb
—Lights when headlights are on
—Gets brighter when brakes applied

Bottom
—Lights up when in Reverse

Thanks again in advance for any help!

Kevin

PS – If you think I’m going to need any electrical tool other than a multimeter, let me know.

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