Turn signal modification

[the_bard]

I've noticed something that seems rather peculiar to me... on my '92 Loyale, the turn signal lamps are buried within the bumper pretty deep. Where they are right now, it'd be pretty difficult for any car approaching from the side to see the turn signal... the bumper's in the way.

 

I had assumed that the lamp next to the headlight functioned as a turn signal, too... found out that it isn't the case. Here's a pic of the lamp in question, at least on the left side... it's the only yellow one in the pic.

 

The obvious answer to me is to rewire that lamp up so that it's used for signalling a turn, in addition to being part of the parking lights (its only discernable function right now). Considering that the white lamp just inside it also functions as a parking light, I wouldn't mind having that yellow lamp function strictly as a turn signal, if need be. How difficult would it be to wire it up in such a fashion?

 

The next question that needs to be asked: Why didn't Subaru wire it up this way to begin with? I've worked in a engineering/manufacturing facility before, and I realize the little things can be overlooked quite often, but it seems to me that somebody would've thought about this at one point or another in the design stage...

[GeneralDisorder]

If your in a position such that you cannot see the front turn signal, you will be able to see the rear one.... unless antother car is blocking it. They wrap around for exactly that reason I assume. I would leave it alone personally - mucking with the wireing unless you have a good reason can turn your car into what my Brat was when I got it. The ignition switch no longer ran the starter - there was a pushbutton instead, the right turn signal didn't work - but the clock flashed, the left front marker light didn't work at all, and the right marker light flashed with the right turn signal. Someone needs to have their head examined for what they did to the wiring on my poor Brat. It was all badly done to boot - wires twisted together by hand, and left completely bare just hanging there. No butt connectors or electrical tape or shrink tube - just nothing! BIG fire hazard.

 

GD

[subieman]

I rewired my parking light to flash with the turn signals on my first 87 GL10 I ever owned. There are two bulbs in the parking light lens. One that lights the white part and another on the side that lights the orange reflector. I spliced the wires with the turn signal in the bumper with the orange reflector bulb. It worked great! I recommend the mod cuz I was worried about people not seeing my blinker also.

 

The parking light housing also leaked and filled with water. So what better then to stick a rubber fish in it and watch it swim around. haha ahhh the good ol days.

[clantieri]

Don't forget to take into consideration that your turn signal flashers are designed to operate a certain number of bulbs. Adding additional load can make them operate differently, or, not at all! :boohoo:

 

Chris

[subieman]

Worked great for me! Lights were just as bright, never blew a fuse. Give it a try.

[subaru_styles]

I did the same thing on my car---using the wedge bulb in the corner light as a blinker..... if you want to you can also wire it up so the orange stays on with the parking lights, then knick nacks with the blinker.....

 

cut the 2 wires to the reflectors bulb

crimp the positive of the wedge socket to the positive of the turnsignal

 

crimp the negative of the wedge socket to the positive of the parking lamps.

[the_bard]

It's just an idea for right now, at least... I've got enough things more important to fix/tinker with on the car than improving the turn signals.

 

After all, the car's been around since '92... and nobody's hit it yet, right?

[Scoobydoo]

I just joined this message board, so this is a bit late, but I also had concerns about the turn signal visibility on my 91 loyale. The situation where it is a problem is when you are in bumper to bumper traffic and trying to merge into another lane. If a car is beside and slightly behind you, they will not see any signal on your car, and so won't let you merge in (being polite Canadians, we always let people merge if we know that's what they want, haha). I figured people were just being jerks until I realized how invisible the signals are from that position. I performed the modification described on this page http://www.kersur.net/~btillman/bob/garage/vw/side_marker/

and it worked great. I can't say for sure, but merging seems a lot easier now as people let me in more often than before.

 

Oh, and every new car sold in europe is required to have signals on the quarter panels (and many new cars here have them, but I don't think it's required) so there must be a good reason for them.

[Partsman]

Scoobydoo, thanks for the link! That's a well-written article on wiring the lamps to flash alternately. The best thing about doing it that way is that the flasher load stays the same as stock, and you don't have to worry about the flasher blinking at a different speed or a bulb burnout not causing the flasher to stop blinking.

 

Incidentally, if you see a car that has inordinately bright taillamps on one side that go out when they hit the brakes, their problem is what you are doing on purpose here - lifting the ground so the electrical flow runs incorrectly or not at all.