Problem with front blinkers

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PuffyWiggles, Feb 14, 2022.

  1. PuffyWiggles

    PuffyWiggles Junior Member

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    So I bought a used Gen 2 Prius about 2 years back and all the Blinkers worked properly when I bought it. Recently one of the front Bulbs went out so I decided to replace both of them. Of course after I replaced them I noticed that neither front blinker worked. Also interestingly is when taking them to a mechanic he says the wiring was missing to the blinkers and had been completely removed.

    So a couple questions. For one are the front Bulbs and front Blinkers somehow connected? Why would changing the front bulb have any impact on the blinkers? It seems too odd that BOTH blinkers went out at the same exact moment I changed both front light bulbs.

    Secondly how in the hell would they have wired this to make it work so that I had blinkers without any connections to the side blinkers? The only thing I can think is if there is some kind of dual purpose bulb they were using that acted as both a Front Light and Front Blinkers, but I havent had any luck finding something like that.

    This seems to be a problem most mechanics throw their hands up to anytime ive asked anyone. I preferably want to fix this solo as a Toyota fix for something this odd, and being electrical would certainly be a hefty fee. I imagine it has to be simpler than it seems as these blinkers absolutely worked before I changed the front light bulb.
     
    #1 PuffyWiggles, Feb 14, 2022
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think you're going to need a schematic and do some electrical tracing and trouble shooting.

    the best thing to do would be to go back to the power source and redo all the wiring.
     
    #2 bisco, Feb 14, 2022
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe the new bulbs were duds. Try the original bulb that wasn't burnt out?

    I too can't see how your mechanic can conclude there's no wiring to the blinkers (aka turn signals?), if one bulb was working prior to your intervention.

    Word to the wise btw: just change bulbs as they die.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Feb 14, 2022
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    By "front bulbs" do you mean headlight bulbs? In the 2007 manual (I'm pretty sure the 2008 is the same), the parking light, turn signal, and headlight bulbs are all in the same housing in that order top to bottom.

    I'm not sure if a "Limited" has HID or halogen headlights since I think the models go by trim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I know the HID headlight bulbs are a PITA to replace and halogens are probably installed the same way. I can imagine it's possible when fighting the headlight bulb, to knock loose the connector to the adjacent turn signal bulb.

    Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 5.03.13 PM.png

    For reference, these are the bulbs listed in the 2007 owners manual.
    Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 5.03.13 PM.png Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 5.02.02 PM.png
     
    #4 jerrymildred, Feb 14, 2022
    SFO likes this.
  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Oops! I got that picture in there twice. I was sure it deleted the extra copy when I proofed it. Now it's too late. That's what happens when you're your own proofreader. LOL!
     
    #5 jerrymildred, Feb 15, 2022
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