Problem is worse with rear lights but the front ones aren't working properly either. All exterior lights are will not turn off when the car is on. This includes head lights, tail lights, hazard lights/blinkers(steady - not flashing), and reverse lights. Using the blinker makes the now always on front hazard lights flash like they are supposed to. The rear hazard and tail lights however all begin to flash sporadically; the right and left ones. Also, when using the blinker, my car will "bog" back and forth in sync with the blinker if I'm using the gas. To describe "bog" better, my car almost seems to lose power, and then get it back with each click of the blinker. Giving me this back and forth shaking motion. My brake lights work, but just barely. I used to back up using my brake lights to see because my reverse lights never gave me much visibility, but now i only even notice my brake lights turning on at all when there is something reflective behind me. This began happening out of no where and I noticed my fog light indicator turned on at the same time with the fog lights off. This light now also blinks if I use my blinker. On the display above my radio it reads first "brake light failure" and then "rear light failure" when I clear the first message. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Wow !! Where to start ??
I think most if not all of the lights go thru the ignition switch. What I mean is the ignition switch must be on for the lights to work.
Most of the lights are on different circuits with different fuses and relays. They are connected to the battery and alternator but not directly. Most but not all are connected to the headlight switch.
One thing that does tie everything together is the grounding of the car. All voltage goes back to the battery by way of the steel frame of the car.
If a ground strap or cable is loose or dirty, electricity has problems getting back to the battery.
So the options are the headlight switch, the ignition switch, and the ground circuits.
I would start by checking the tail lights or headlights to see if they are getting 12 volts, then check and see if the lights are grounded back to the battery. I've even run a wire from front to rear to bypass the car ground connections to test.
SOURCE: 1987 Saab 900 blinker problem
I am a newby owner of an '88 and pretty mechanically inclined but am learning Saab's have certain electrical issues and on many of the forums I have read, call them Saab Electrical Gremlins. You know how some tail light bulbs have 2 filaments or one? Well, you need to go all around to your exterior lights and make sure the right bulb s there. In a fix someone may have placed a double filament bulb on one side where it should be one, like the tail lights/brake lights. For some reason the wrong bulb in wrong place (although bulb fits, wrong still) can even cause a non-starting situation. Also, while going around, take some steel wool and abraid the bottoms of bulbs and the metal it makes contact with...hope this helps.
Peace
SOURCE: 1996 saab 900s. -windows wont
First thing to check is the fuses located in the fuse box underneath the drivers side steering wheel. Flip the fuse box cover lid over and you will find a diagram. Pull the power window fuse, brake/stop lamp fuse, and turn signal fuse. Replace each blown out fuse with the same number amp fuse. Next thing to do is look at each light bulb. A fast blinking turn signal is a sign that one of your bulbs (could be the front or back) are burned out. Replace any burned out light bulbs you find, look on the bulb for the correct bulb number. After you complete these two tasks, hook up an on board diagnostics (OBD II) scan tool that is available to use for free at your local auto parts store. This electronic tool will read the trouble codes stored inside your vehicles computer and this will pinpoint the exact componant that has failed. You could have a simple short in your wiring harness or your computer may need to be replaced. After you obtain the error codes, look in the back of a Haynes repair manual (you can view it for free at auto parts store) and match the code up with code found in the book.
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