Ok, I try to explain this one w/o too much confusing detail.

I installed the Digi Tails LED tail lights the other night. Replaced both flashers with the elctronic ones in the kit. Everything in back works as expected (really awesome too!)

While doing full tests for lights on, turn signal, hazard, etc; I find that the front blinkers never blink. They will come on if I turn on the parking lights or headlights. But they never blink - whether from turn signal or hazard. If lights are off, they do nothing.

I don't think the changes in the back had anything to do with the front quitting. I even called the tech support at Digi Tails and Michael was very helpful.

Main question: Since the front blinkers (only) seem to be ignoring blinking requests, is there a particular wire off the turn signal/hazard circuit I should be looking at? Also, how do you make a single filament light blink that's already on?

Thanks, Ozzie

Anyone have any thoughts about what makes the front turn signals blink?

In your original post, you said you replaced both flashers. If you are referring to your flasher relays, I would start there. It could be that the incandescent parking light bulbs are not compatible with the led electronic flashers.

alan

This may be of no help, as I don't have those types of tail lights, but I recently had all sorts of issues when I was testing my wiring and I recalled that everything started when I connected my rear light harness (the connection for me was under the dash). When I disconnected it, everything in the front started working. I then realized that the problem was in the rear harness and it turned out to be the ground on the rear tail lights themselves. I had them just sitting in the trunk, and while I knew they had to have a ground to work, I did not think that it would prevent the fronts from working right. I had problems of getting correct blinking, real dim lights even if the lights were not on (ie a bleed through situation), no blinking when the lights were on, etc.. Once I grounded the tail lights, all problems went away.

Moral of the story: I learned to not test any wiring until every ground wire and light bulb is installed.

One other tip: you can't use a regular voltage tester on a blink circuit easily, but you can use a probe-style test light. Start at the column, find your wires, turn the blinker on a follow the current using the flashing of the test light and see if it stops somewhere along the way. But check the grounds first.

-Kevin

Ozzie, You asked about single filament bulb for front signal/parking light.That should be a dual filament bulb for a 68 rs. Is your front turn sig./parking light below the bumper in lower valence panel?

butternutz68: Yes, the front prking lights are in the lower valence. I will check to see if they are dual filament 1157s vs. single 1156s. I haven't touched those bulbs in years, tho - they never seem to go out.

I still think something else in the circuitry is keeping them from blinking. Years ago I bought a full wiring schematic for this car, but can't seem to find where I stashed it.

In reading over MissionCritical's comments, I'm wondering if something in the back harness is affecting the front. The digi Tail LEDs connect to the rear harness with 3 wires: brown = running lights, green = right turn, yellow = left turn. In an orignal setup, does the brown wire get grounded? Seems to me that the rear lights are a 2 circuit operation. Running lights are the first filament, blinkers and brakes light up the second filament. Unfortunately, w/o looking at the misplaced schematic, I'm just guessing.

There's a good set of 69 schematics posted in the electrical basics sticky. They will be close enough.

The 4 corner "blinker" lights come out of the turn signal switch as 4 separate wires.

With the dual filament bulbs, ground problems cause all sorts of wierd things, for example, if your new tail lights are not grounded, that could cause them to appear to work fine, but the front lights and possibly the dash lights to not work at all.

As Jim stated,check the ground wires, you should have a ground wire that is screwed into lower part of trunk latch support that comes out of rear light harness. With the original lights on a 68 the tail light sockets were grounded at the socket ,do the new led lights ground anywhere to the metal housing?

Well, we can call off the dogs! I found my wiring diagram, studied it for a half hour and then went after the front blinkers with a test light. I found one contact hot with the running lights on, and saw full blink action on the other contact with the turn signal on. Both sides the same. Obviously nothing wrong in the wiring.

It ended up being the same filament (the blinking one) in BOTH amber bulbs was bad. Talk about pure coincidence making you think the problem is bigger than it is!

I ran down and got 2 new bulbs (spent an extra $1 for the "long life" bulbs) and everything works perfectly now.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice. I wanted to post this conclusion so to not leave everyone hanging.

Ozzie