ok, my blinkers do not work, iv replaced the 2 of my parking lites in about 3 weeks, my right reverse light keeps burnin out.. i have no idea what is goin on, can ya help me out?... thanx all
-Joe

I would look at the fuses first, then I would check out your flasher if your signals dont work...

As for the right reverse light, as long as you are replacing with the correct bulb # for the fixture (a must), I bet you are just having bad luck with faulty bulbs... I've had similar experiences, so *dont buy dollar store bulbs*. Also check for corrosion in the bulb socket when you have it apart.

the fuses are fine, only problem is, im not all sure where my flasher's are... anyone know?
-Joe

Usually right on the same panel as your fuses. I looks like a big round module, that plugs into the fuse panel. Try a new one, they're really cheap. If it doesnt fix it, you'll need to dig deeper...

if u have been replacing the rear bulb with the correct type and its still buring out it sounds like there is 2 much voltage getting to the bulb if that is the case it might have a short to power with another circuit (for instance if u installed something and a screw is touching 2 different circuits) dont know if u have installed anything recently or not so who knows as for the blinkers mine stopped working one day the park lights would come on but the blinkers wouldnt work and my headlights would not turn on either there should be a little connector box on the firewall towards the driver side of the car near the master cylinder make sure the screw that goes in it is nice and tight if it is loose the blinkers wont work otherwise it could be something in ur flasher make sure all your terminals and connectors are tight and connected securely if they are check and make sure they are not corroded or anything like that hope some of that helps if not let me know ill c if i can get more info on it

You can't have "too much voltage" no matter how many wires you cross. 12 volts is 12 volts. Period. The only exception would be those farking computer microvoltages from the MAP and sensors...but then you'd only blow your computer or MAP or sensor. You could have a dead short if you cross power with ground...but then you'd be blowing fuses.

I'm betting on the flasher and correct bulbs. And check your socket grounds. A high resistance could blow the bulbs from the heat buildup.

C.J.

I agree. Given the age, I would almost consider replaceing the bulb sockets, unless the are pristine. Check all grounds, and replace the dang flasher. If it is blowing bulbs, there is a heat problem, if they just dont work, then you have an open in the circut. From the sound of it, it is ground related.

Andrew

i didnt mean to much voltage as in the volts persay i guess i should of been more clear sry i meant that for instance there is to much current going to the bulb for some reason or amps if u want to call it that and in some cases for lights ( not necesarily oldsmobile) resistance in the wires will lower current and voltage in some cases therefor bulbs may only handle a certain amount of volts like 7 or 8 volts if somethin is wrong with the wiring and more volts are going through then bulb can burn out but volts isnt wat burns it amps is also im not sure if it would be a ground related problem if the ground isnt grounded than it acts just like an open circuit if there is some kind of resistor after the load for instance corrosion on the ground wire then the bulb might work depending on the severity of the corrosion if it did work it wouldnt be brighter and burning out bulbs though it would be alot dimmer than it should be -Intimidator68

Intimidator,

When you are in a hole, the first rule is "quit digging".

C.J.
Car junky since 1973
Aircraft Avionics Maintenance 1978-1990
Medical Equipment Repair 1994-present

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make sure ur flasher is working right the typical wiring of most a-body's has the backup lights wired in series with the turn flasher that could very well be what is causing both problems it is rare for 2 problems in a wiring circuit not saying it isnt impossible though -Intimidator68

Agreed texas. Intimidator, you almost have it, but you are not quite there. First, that is one long ass run on sentence, but i think i know what you mean. Please try to seperate this stuff in the future... While resistance in wires will limit how much voltage and amprege gets to the other end of the wire, if the resistance is too high for the voltage and ampreage going through it, it will dissipate heat. Remember Ohm's law, E=I*R. A bad ground can do alot of things to a light bulb, like burn it out. The lack of ground will build up heat in the bulb, causing the filiment to burn out. Now, knowing these things, lets look at the problem. He is burining out both bulbs, not just the turn signals. Since the reverse lights are not hooked up to the flasher, and therefore dont flash, but still burn out, we can safely eliminate that from the equation for now. The turn signals and reverse lights draw power from 2 different sourses, since they dont come on at the same time all the time. The reverse lights get power from the reverse switch, and the signals form the signal switch. Both lights will share the same ground. SInce we have the same problem with both lights, we need to find what they have in common. Its the ground. This is the most likely thing to be wrong with the lights. Now if this doesnt fix it, we need to look further, to the next most likely thing. While it is possible that the signal flasher is out of it, that isnt the first thing to look at. Remember, always start simple, and work your way up. Hope this helps

Andrew

ya i guess i should use syables and sentences and read what i type before i post. sometimes i get to saying different things or get my words mixed up. I however just do what my mechanics say. they want u to basically work from the battery towards the problem. i guess u could go straight to the ground and see if thats the problem since its basically the end of the circuit. the thing i meant with the flasher and back up lights is that in the typical a-body lighting circuit power goes through the turn flasher to the transaxle range switch. when that switch is in reverse the backup lights come on ofcorse. so if it isnt a ground my guess is it is the flasher just from what i see. sry for all the confusion. i should of thought about what i was typing before i posted it and not make me sound like an idiot. -intimidator68

correct me if i am wrong, but if the back up light is powered through the flasher, then when the transaxle switch closes the circut, then the back up lights would flash?? That cant be right....

Oh and dont worry about confusion....confusion is better than idiocy...