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Need electrical help 1998 Caravan #2690820
08/23/19 11:43 PM
08/23/19 11:43 PM
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Nampa, ID
MadMatt Offline OP
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The left rear turn signal on my 1998 Grand Caravan quit working. It's not the bulb, I tried changing it. The fuse is also good. There is no voltage at the socket and the turn indicator on the dash is running at double speed.

Anyone have any suggestions where to look and what to check??


Some see the glass as half empty, some see the glass as half full. I just drink straight out of the bottle.
Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2690823
08/24/19 12:13 AM
08/24/19 12:13 AM
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AARCONV Offline
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Is it front and back not flashing?

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: AARCONV] #2690878
08/24/19 10:15 AM
08/24/19 10:15 AM
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moparx Offline
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are you getting any voltage at the plug where the light panel [for lack of a better word] plugs into the body harness ?
beer

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: moparx] #2690884
08/24/19 10:51 AM
08/24/19 10:51 AM
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So Near, Yet So Far
topside Offline
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Might be in that strip that the bulbs contact.
Had a tail lamp on the Breeze that got moisture inside of it and the contact area corroded. Same symptoms.
Might clean up, may need an A/M lamp for the contact strip.
Also check that PITA connector at the lamp.

luck

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: topside] #2690910
08/24/19 12:45 PM
08/24/19 12:45 PM
Joined: Jun 2003
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It's a dry heat
gtx6970 Online content
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It's a dry heat
Does the front one work?

Common problem is the printed circuit board on the back side of the lamp hsg.
Unplug the lamp and ck voltages at the plug for the hsg. not just inside the hsg where the bulb goes in

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691090
08/25/19 01:15 AM
08/25/19 01:15 AM
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Balt. Md
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383man Offline
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Originally Posted by MadMatt
The left rear turn signal on my 1998 Grand Caravan quit working. It's not the bulb, I tried changing it. The fuse is also good. There is no voltage at the socket and the turn indicator on the dash is running at double speed.

Anyone have any suggestions where to look and what to check??



That uses an IC style flasher so when a bulb is out it will flash faster and not slower like the old systems did. As asked does the front bulb flash ? Ron

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: 383man] #2691248
08/25/19 03:04 PM
08/25/19 03:04 PM
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Nampa, ID
MadMatt Offline OP
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Yes, the front bulb flashes. And there is no printed circuit back there. The 1998 is still just a wired socket and a bulb.


Some see the glass as half empty, some see the glass as half full. I just drink straight out of the bottle.
Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691326
08/25/19 07:10 PM
08/25/19 07:10 PM
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MadMatt Offline OP
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Well, I'm totally baffled. I was wrong, there is a circuit board back there. (I should know not to trust my memory anymore). But I checked the left side against the functioning right side, and all voltages and resistances are identical. There IS voltage on the left side and it is changing with the flasher pulses just like on the right side. The brake light on the left side still works so there is a ground. The flasher works on the right but not the left, which makes sense. I tried switching the right and left bulbs side to side, and no difference. I tried switching the twist in sockets that hold the bulbs side to side and no difference, so it's not the bulb holder/socket or the bulb. How can there be voltage and the bulb doesn't flash??


Some see the glass as half empty, some see the glass as half full. I just drink straight out of the bottle.
Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691400
08/25/19 11:01 PM
08/25/19 11:01 PM
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AARCONV Offline
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Check for ground to complete the circuit

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691402
08/25/19 11:05 PM
08/25/19 11:05 PM
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Southeast Pa.
SALEM1912 Offline
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If I remember you have the socket that twist into the housing. Socket has three contacts? The contact on the plastic housing side melt into the housing causing poor or no contact. Try bending the contact up a little. You may need a new taillight assy. I think?

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: SALEM1912] #2691406
08/25/19 11:15 PM
08/25/19 11:15 PM
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Balt. Md
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383man Offline
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Originally Posted by SALEM1912
If I remember you have the socket that twist into the housing. Socket has three contacts? The contact on the plastic housing side melt into the housing causing poor or no contact. Try bending the contact up a little. You may need a new taillight assy. I think?



I remember we had a lot of problems with the rear taillite and turn signal housings that hold the bulbs and the circuit boards on pickup trucks. Many bad connections inside the unit. But I cant remember if the Caravans had many problems but they may have. Can you unplug the complete right side housing and plug it into the left side ? I just remember many loss grounds in them housings and boards. I know we replaced many of them housings/board units on the pickup trucks. Ron

Last edited by 383man; 08/25/19 11:15 PM.
Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: 383man] #2691532
08/26/19 11:55 AM
08/26/19 11:55 AM
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north of coder
moparx Offline
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out of my mind's inner depths, i just remembered a problem i had with my 2000 caravan.
it was similar to the OP, but it involved all of the turnsignals.
sometimes they would work as they should, sometimes a random corner wouldn't work, and that side would blink fast [indicating a "bad" bulb], sometimes nothing at all, not even the interior indicator lights.
i chased that mess around for quite a while, but every time the issue occurred [in it's various forms] the 4 ways worked, indicating the wiring and bulbs were ok.
i even tried a new [known good-different] multi-function assembly.
turned out the cause all along was the flasher assembly, and of course, it was a dealer only item.
$48.00 later, all was well again, and lasted until i junked it years later. [the flasher now resides in the glovebox of my 99]
i don't know if this IS the OP's cure, but something maybe to look into.
if you could borrow one to try, i would do that first before buying one. they might be available on line now, dirt cheap, but when mine was acting up, it was dealer only.
your mileage may vary. just my experience.
beer

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691672
08/26/19 06:40 PM
08/26/19 06:40 PM
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Nampa, ID
MadMatt Offline OP
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I found the problem. I touched the leads of a test lamp to the housing and it blinked with the blinker on, and I ran test leads from a 12-volt source to the bulb and it lit. So, clearly the connection between the 2 is bad. I was able to order a new housing and a new twist in bulb housing from Amazon for under 30 bucks. They'll be here Wednesday and that should take care of it. up

Last edited by MadMatt; 08/26/19 06:41 PM.

Some see the glass as half empty, some see the glass as half full. I just drink straight out of the bottle.
Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: MadMatt] #2691684
08/26/19 07:57 PM
08/26/19 07:57 PM
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Southeast Pa.
SALEM1912 Offline
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Most times you can just bend the tab up for a better connection.

Re: Need electrical help 1998 Caravan [Re: SALEM1912] #2691941
08/27/19 01:30 PM
08/27/19 01:30 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,237
north of coder
moparx Offline
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Originally Posted by SALEM1912
Most times you can just bend the tab up for a better connection.


or get in there with a machinist pick [or similar] and clean up the connection.
glad the OP's problem was found, as it is VERY common for that connection to cause problems.
add a dab of di-electric grease to the connection when re-assembling to prevent any future corrosion.
beer







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