left blinker light on

[craigslist1340]

My left turn signal light on dash started staying on all the time. The turn signal itself doesnt stay on. Both turn signals work correctly . Anyone have any ideas on what could be wrong, and what to look at?
John

[aviationfred]

You say that the signals are working properly, but the instrument panel light stays on. I would say that you have a problem in the Handle Bar switch assy, or a bad Main Relay Unit.

If it was a bad wire in the wire harness, then the signals would not work.

Fred

[Earl Svorks]

This can be caused by feedback into the signal circuit from the running light. Look at socket sub-harness ,terminals in the socket base. Remove the bulb from the front socket
and see what happens, this could point you in the right direction,  (pun not intended.!)

[craigslist1340]

I took the bulb out, very clean inside the turn signal. Check the wires back to the harness, looked good. I took the 2 screws off the handle bar switch, but could not  pull the switch apart. The choke lever/ring keeps it from coming apart. What's the easiest way to  get it apart?

[Earl Svorks]

 Do you mean that the dash indicator stayed on with the 1157 signal light bulb out of the front socket with signal switched off ?

[craigslist1340]

Yes, with the bulb out, the indicator light was stil on.

[Earl Svorks]

 The next thing I would do is remove the fuse from the running light circuit, or whichever fuse it shares, to see if that shuts off the dash light. You could check the two terminals in the running light socket to see if they both show 12v. There should be power at one terminal only, ie the running light. If you find power at the signal terminal (I bet you will),
you can start moving back up the wiring to find where it's coming from. This is where a wiring diagram and the ability to understand it will help.

  Stay with it!

[craigslist1340]

Ill check that next. Wont be able to till Thursday night.

[craigslist1340]

On my 85 there are no running lights, and the turn signal doesn't stay on like the indicator. There is no power down at light until the turn signal is on. I'll look for a fuse on Sat.

[Earl Svorks]

  I never noticed that running lights hadn't made it to the FJ in 84/85. Go figure. It's hard to say just where your indicator light could be getting power from. A good place to look is any area where the main harness, or a handlebar switch or sub-harness has been damaged, repaired or modified.
Looking at the wiring diagram, there are just not that many spots that seem like a cross feed might occur. It's significant that the indicator lights up, but the actual blinker does not.
It can mean that the indicator is grounding through one or both of the signal light filaments. They don't light up because the indicator uses very little current. The indicator is in parallel with the two blinkers, as they are with each other.
Here's one more suggestion,,, remove both front and rear signal bulbs and see if that puts the indicator out. It should, If you now use a test light on either signal bulb socket center terminal, do you see power? Did that make the indicator light up ,at all?
  Keep with it, I'm game if you are !

[Earl Svorks]

And,,,, to open the left switch , you must remove the choke cable from the control. Then the ring can be rotated enough to unlock it from the switch housing.

[craigslist1340]

Disconnected front turn signals, and rear turn signals/running lights. Indicator light still on.

[Dogsbestfriend]

It could be power feeding back up through the bulb from a poor earth somewhere. It will probably be worth cleaning up the frame earthing points anyway as the years are starting to add up for all Fj's. Corrosion will be creeping in and building resistance even if the effects are not obvious yet.

[Earl Svorks]

 DBF newbie has a good point about something else looking for ground and getting it through the indicator. Cleaning up grounds is a good idea. Getting at the back of the instrument cluster is not so easy but you may need to have a look there.  Gang plugs at that end of the main harness would be worth a shot. Open them up, hit them with a shot of air and or contact cleaner. Assembling with dielectric grease is good, keeps water out, all but eliminates corrosion.

[Baycruzer]

Does the indicator light blink with the turn signals? Has someone replaced bulbs in the instrument panel recently? If the harness tape on the back of the cluster is in bad shape you could have one of the back ground bulbs in the turn indicator hole.