Turn signal issue.

[suomistyler]

ok, so i got a weird one that has got me stumped with my 1988 jetta td

my turn signal lights are flashing faster than they should, especially on the right side where they flash at least 2 times per second. If i put my hazards on, the flashing returns to the normal time interval.

kicker #1, if i put my headlights on, my left hand turn signals speed up while my right side stops working all together and displays a solid green LED. Again, if i put my hazards on while the lights are also on, all the turn signals will return to flash at a normal interval.
Kicker #2 is that sometimes when just putting the hazards on will result in the turn signal relay to buzz for a few seconds before the hazards will work normally.

i've done a cursory look at the grounds on my headlights and turn signals and haven't found anything significant. you would think that if it was a ground problem with the lights themselves, that they would not work normally when just using the hazards either.

Should i be replacing the turn signal relay even though it seems to work fine when the hazards are on? Can i rule out the turn signal switch considering that turning the front lights on makes the symptoms worse?

Not sure where to go from here, so any help or suggestions would be hugely appreciated!

Markus

[Possum79]

I would definitely say replace bulbs. A bulb can work but kinda be shorted and cause the flash cycle to be weird. Also if you doubt the relay replace it. I replaced mine with one I thought would work because it was 4 bucks where the right one was 10. Lets say I then spent a total of 14 bucks.

A loose bulb in its socket can cause weird issues like that some times.

[JASGTi]

My 84 did the same thing.

Grounds were loose at the bulb socket.