Headlights come on...turn signal lights do too!

[Dale The Bold]

I have tried to chase this one down, but I'm stumped.  When I turn on the switch for my headlights (69 Charger), the hood turn signal lights come on and stay on, as do the dash signal lights.  I looked at the fog lights and the bulbs have a slight glow to them.  When I remove the bulb, the hood and dash lights go off, so the current is obviously being drawn through the bulb, and having it plugged in completes the circuit.  I don't know if I mixed up some bulbs in the dash (but I doubt that would do it), or if it's the bulbs themselves, but all the dash and engine wiring is new and just installed.

All the turn signal and emergency flashers work perfectly, and the fog lights flash like they should.  I swore it worked before I took the gauge cluster out, but then again, the fact that removing the bulb makes the lights go out tells me that it's something under the hood.

[Nacho-RT74]

sounds like a ground issue to me.

Once I had left hand side top of fender slightly tunred on, and then noticed the rest of left hand lights also glowing. Problem was a ground problem on front paking light bulb socket, left side that was feeding all the left side turning system.

just exposing my experience.

[myk]

On my '69, if the parking/turn light assembly isn't making proper contact with the body then it will stay "on."  I've been thinking about installing a ground wire, or something to keep those lights grounded, as the slightest bump in the road causes the lights to flicker on and off...

[Plumcrazy]

Bad ground.
Whenever you see lights come on that shouldn't, when other lights are turned on it's almost 100% that you have a bad ground.
If the electricity can't follow it's normal route to ground it will find another one.

[nh_mopar_fan]

I think it's a ground as well. Wacky stuff happens if you don't have a good ground. I had my wiper switch affecting my dash lights at one point....

[71_deputy]

agree- bulb sockets are not grounded good enough!!

[Dale The Bold]

Thanks guys, this HAS to be it.  The problem arose right after I installed a new bulb, and I had to jiggle it around quite a bit to get the plastic cover off and back on again, which I'm sure loosened the ground.  I probably will add a  ground wire, just to make it have a better connection and avoid this popping up again.

[Nacho-RT74]

bulb sockets loose pressure against parkings lights housings. you can easily locate that ground issue trying tu sping the socket on to housing. Probably that will solve the problem because socket will get back the pressure against housing

[Dale The Bold]

I spent some time tonight running a wire from the bulb housing to the top screw, just to reassure myself that I would not only fix the problem but prevent it.  Now they lights work like a charm.  I blew a fuse before I fixed it because I had the flasher on and it was probably sending a current to the headlight switch.  Now that problem is fixed and every exterior light works great.  Thanks to everyone who chimed in.  Now I can go for a test drive and not have to worry about turn signals not working.

[71_deputy]