Help! Turn signal and brake light problem.

I have a 2009 Fleetwood Pulse. The left turn signal started to flash super fast. Left rear turn signal and right rear brake light didn’t work. Put new bulbs in. Didn’t fix it. All lights worked w hazard lights turned on fine. RV repair place checked it and there is power to the housing but not when the bulb is in. He checked various places along the wiring and found intermittent power. We’re trying to find the problem. It would help to have the diagram that shows where the Fleetwood electrical system interfaces with Sprinter system for lights. Fleetwood only sent the Sprinter wiring diagram. Any help would be so appreciated so I can get back on the road. Note that I did take the rig to a Dodge dealer where the Sprinter technician said it was the Fleetwood manufacturer problem. Not Sprinter. Note too that he only looked at the lights, didn’t perform any diagnostics re:ECU or Flasher Module.

I’m in Bossier City, Louisiana. Bayou RV Supercenter repair folks are working hard to get me back on the road.

Any advice?

Thanks, Vicki Getz

Do you have a trailer hitch with trailer light wiring? Sometimes that added system can cause odd problems.

Any evidence of water intrusion in the electrical parts? That can result in corrosion.

vicgetz said:

... All lights worked w hazard lights turned on fine.

Click to expand...

The Sprinter uses the same flasher unit for turn signals and emergency flashers. Your emergency flashers working would indicate the flasher circuit is likely ok.

vicgetz said:

... RV repair place checked it and there is power to the housing but not when the bulb is in. ...

Click to expand...

Some lamp holder assemblies use spring contacts for wires and component electrical conduction. Installing a lamp may be stressing parts such that a connection somewhere in the assembly is losing contact. Stressing a negative aka ground connection can affect multiple lamp positions.

vicgetz said:

...He checked various places along the wiring and found intermittent power.

Click to expand...

vicgetz said:

...We’re trying to find the problem. It would help to have the diagram that shows where the Fleetwood electrical system interfaces with Sprinter system for lights. ...

Any advice?

Thanks, Vicki Getz

Click to expand...

Some information about added fuse locations is in this thread.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28217

vic

Thanks. No. No trailer. Should this be repaired by a a certified Sprinter tech or by the good people at this RV repair place? The Dodge Sprinter repair was no help. There’s a Mercedes place that works on Sprinters. I’m lost.

vicgetz said:

... Should this be repaired by a a certified Sprinter tech or by the good people at this RV repair place? ...

Click to expand...

It is highly likely that the MB dealership will check to the RV builder parts and then raise the "not OEM" flag to back away from further repairs.

The tail light wiring system isn't of itself complex.

Your emergency flashers work. That means the flasher system is likely not the problem.

"Left rear turn signal and right rear brake light didn’t work."
Turn signal and brakes are separate lamps in the Mercedes design.

Does your RV have a separate turn signal lamp (generally amber) with a separate brake lamp? If yes, the only difference from OEM Sprinter design will be the tail light assemblies proper and how they get the wire to them.

If your rear lights use the same red lamp for turn signal and brake lights, that would indicate that they may have used a control module to combine those functions. That control module (basically a trailer light module) would add a component(s) to change the design from OEM Mercedes.

Tracing the lighting system wiring/components should be within the scope of anyone experienced with vehicle electrics. There are wire/current tracer units which will help to follow wires back to their source.

Have they checked for fuses in the added panels that are mentioned in the link I posted above?

vic

Any resolution to the problems? That input might help other owners of your model RV.

vic

Hi. Nothing resolved yet. It’s at the Holmes Mercedes Sprinter place in Shreveport, LA. I’ll keep you posted.

Your problem may have something to do with the defective bulb warning, http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210-e-class/1515381-defective-bulb-warning.html. I never experienced this but it seems LED bulbs, poor connections or corroded sockets may cause symptoms like your reporting. This link, http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w164-m-class/1530579-brake-light-warning-message-bulb-good.html, suggests this kit as a fix, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FYL3MUA?tag=vs-auto-convert-amazon-20.

We are having a similar discussion on this topic over on the Unity section, https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62164&page=2.

I also came across a thread of a similar issue on a 2009 Fleetwood Pulse, https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32121&highlight=2009+fleetwood.

SSTraveler said:

... suggests this kit as a fix, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FYL3MUA?tag=vs-auto-convert-amazon-20.

Click to expand...

Interesting. The green wire used as an aux ground hints at a USA fix. MB or another Euro manufacturer would probably stick with brown wire for ground.

The lamp faults relate to either poor grounding somewhere, or possibly that the lamp monitor circuit negatively affects the intended ground path. (Pun intended.)

That unit is a simple pass through connector.



Added:
Assuming that the lamp socket is ok.

A cheap and easy copy of that fancy in-line connector would be to tap the brown socket ground wire and add your own aux ground. Saves time and money.

A Scotchlok tap would probably be perfect!


(Some people hate those taps.)

A simple test procedure would be to add a Scotchlok tap wire and ground lug. If the added ground doesn't correct the problem(s) remove it from the frame and isolate/tape it off until next problem.

Adding an aux ground may defeat the lamp monitor circuit if that is a concern. It depends upon what fails. (Losing the lamp monitor wouldn't be a concern for me. See below.)

vic

Off topic.
We had a 1991 Toyota Celica that we loved. Mostly very reliable. The brake lamp circuit failed. I traced the problem to a undersized burned connection within a brake lamp monitor module. The module was expensive so not worth the price for the older Toyota. I bypassed the module. Problem solved. It seemed ironic that the safety feature lamp monitor caused my no brake lamps.

It appears that we have another zombie thread.

What I have gleaned is to check lamp sockets, check for added RV specific fuse panels and to use an aux ground to test to see if the lamp monitor ground path/circuit is involved.

Was there any information on the other posts/threads as to resolution or additional troubleshooting tips?

vic

"Zombie thread." A term I recently learned. That's unfortunate and anti-climatic as I was anxious for a resolution.

Made extra beer money with this simple tool.

There must have been a resolution to this problem.

Feedback on the repairs may help others in the future.

vic

If you need any Fleetwood Coach Information on your Coach..i.e. build, wiring schematics , etc... FLEETWOOD RV Customer Service on the web will email the information to you.
Great Customer Service Folks.