I've been having a hard time locating a replacement turn signal indicator light socket on Baby Blue -- Mine is a 2-wire, and it seems all the sockets from the usual suspects are just one wire. I managed to cobble the old one back together over the winter, but something went very wrong today. Not only did the indicator stop working, but a short took out my tach, fuel gauge, turn signals, brake lights, heater fan and windshield wipers. Still have to go diving into the dash, but I think it is one of the inline fuses that blew.
I was on the DC Beltway going to pick up my daughter -- not exactly the place where you want to be when you lose turn signals and brake lights. I first noticed it when the fuel gauge was going down. At first, I thought I had ruptured a fuel line, but there was no smell of gas, and when the gauge dropped below "E", the engine was still purring away. When I glanced over at the tach and saw it at zero, I knew I had an electrical problem. I did the standard "reach under the dash and jiggle some wires", but to no avail. I still did have my headlights and radio. I was able to manually flip on the headlights so that the running lights would simulate brake lights, and used hand signals for the first time since Driver's Ed.
Once I picked up Jessica in Tyson's Corner, I took the back roads so I was just one exit away from crossing into Maryland. I got out on the highway long enough to cross into Maryland and then bailed out onto the back roads. Incredibly, on almost the entire trip home, I had no one running up close to me. The couple times I did, I would pass through an intersection and the light would change and the car behind me had to stop, clearing my rear. Someone was looking out for us this afternoon.
I was on the DC Beltway going to pick up my daughter -- not exactly the place where you want to be when you lose turn signals and brake lights. I first noticed it when the fuel gauge was going down. At first, I thought I had ruptured a fuel line, but there was no smell of gas, and when the gauge dropped below "E", the engine was still purring away. When I glanced over at the tach and saw it at zero, I knew I had an electrical problem. I did the standard "reach under the dash and jiggle some wires", but to no avail. I still did have my headlights and radio. I was able to manually flip on the headlights so that the running lights would simulate brake lights, and used hand signals for the first time since Driver's Ed.
Once I picked up Jessica in Tyson's Corner, I took the back roads so I was just one exit away from crossing into Maryland. I got out on the highway long enough to cross into Maryland and then bailed out onto the back roads. Incredibly, on almost the entire trip home, I had no one running up close to me. The couple times I did, I would pass through an intersection and the light would change and the car behind me had to stop, clearing my rear. Someone was looking out for us this afternoon.