well, it keeps getting better. Now that it is dark out i wanted to see how all the lights looked. Dims look ok, but need alignment. When I switched to bright, all the lights went out. If I fiddle with the indicator lever they will come one. I noticed that if I have the brights on and I turn either left or right indicator on, everything goes out. If I have the dims on and I turn on the right indicator, everything goes out, but if I turn on the left, things are fine.

So, my wiring harness is a friggin mess. This is going to cost...

 

Agree, not the greatest of news. Frustrating day for you. As a matter of interest. Is what you have observed in the dark with the "found" connector connected? If so, does it behave differently with it disconnected?
I'm just thinking that maybe someone had that pulled aprt for a reason and it might help in the diagnosis hereon.

 

I had the same thought. Unfortunately I had already buttoned it up and it is now dark. I will have to take it apart, disconnect that connection, and try again another day.

 

You are saying that if you wiggle the indicator stalk the lights come on?

Are you any good with a soldering iron? Because this sounds like an easy fix.....

 

Yes, there's often little or no cost to fixing electrical faults of this nature provided you do the work yourself. Just a matter of fixing them one by one. Clear info helps a lot in the diagnosis, especially when there's more than one fault to fix.
When you jiggle the indicator switch and the lights come on, does that include the three that were originally not working?
Another thing to look at: In your photo it looks like there is some relatively new electrical tape wrapped around the wires leading to the connector that wasn't plugged in. In general that's always a bit of a red flag to me.
Whenever I see tape that obviously wasn't done at the factory, I take it off and examine what's underneath and fix anything that might have been badly done in the past. I then replace the tape with a different color so that I know that I've been there and am happy with it.
This is just my experience. I've rectified a number of issues this way especially where I've found that someone has spliced in new wires for various aftermarket devices.
Let us know when you get another chance to look at it.

 

The first picture is on the front passenger side, and the other 2 are of the front driver's side. I took them all off to take a look, didn't have a chance to clean them though. Does anybody know which one is specifically for the right indicator?

I have a feeling cleaning isn't going to change much :\.

 

The stud on the passenger side looks pretty rusty in the photo. I'd clean them all up on both sides to bright metal (stud,nut and connectors). It may or may not be your problem but at least it will be one area eliminated.
I don't know which one is specifically the indicator without using a meter but it doesn't really matter once your confident that there's a good electrical ground connection.

 

Hey Ian,
I cleaned it up like you suggested and still not working. This is driving me crazy!!

 

OK, you've read about bakatono's experience. Have you checked the live side? Is it connected? Do you have a multimeter by the way?

 

I think it could be the indicator/lights stalk. It's a case of removing the steering wheel airbag, steering wheel and clockspring, then eyeballing the soldered joints on the selector switch, many times this can be a failure point - I've fixed auto lights/auto wipers issue this way on a high mileage car....

 

Just wanted to update everyone. I appreciate the help you provided and I don't want to leave it open-ended.

Ok, so I have to admit I gave up. There were too many oddities so I found a jag guy who does work on older jags and he got it fixed for me.

So, the left indicator bulb was burnt out. I pulled it out and looked at it and it looked ok, but i guess not. he also said he found 4 other burnt out bulbs. I guess not all of them blacken or have an obvious hanging element. Unfortunately, i was unable to swap the indicator light bulb since both sides were malfunctioning. Anyhow, there were numerous burnt out bulbs.

Next, he said he found a couple opens and a short to ground. That is obviously bad. As IanG had mentioned, there was new electrical tape. Whoever "fixed" it before (someone named Tonyz Auto Body shop) did a pretty poor job of it. Perhaps that is why they were auctioning it off.

While he was at it he found an open in the rear as well.

So, he soldered the opens back together and fixed the short and almost all is well. I still have that weird problem when I have the lights on and put on the turn signal and they go out. However, this ONLY happens when the lights are in the "auto" position. So, no auto, no problem. He said it could be something in the column but he didn't take it apart (more labor dollars there).

So, mostly fixed

 

Thanks for the update, I was wondering how you were getting on. Good to hear that you have gotten most of the issues fixed ,albeit with some labor dollars. The only material cost was a few bulbs.
Invest a few $s in some basic electrical equipment and you'll save plenty of labor $s in the future. A multimeter is essential in diagnosing electrical faults. It's the only sure way of telling if bulbs (and fuses) are good or bad, and will also track down open circuits and shorts. Lots of people are unsure of doing electrical work but it's not really a big deal and there are plenty of knowledgeable folks on the forum who are happy to help.
Your one remaining issue isn't urgent as you can happily run with the auto off. It's most likely a bit of bad wiring too, so should only cost a bit of time to fix.
I'll have a look at the circuit diagram.

 

I`ve currently got a similar problem in the UK.

The OSF indicator wasnt working, so as a temporary measure, I pulled back the OSF splash shield & ran a wire from the side repeater (which you dont have in the states) to the front indicator bulb holder. I also put WD40 on the earth by the washer filler.

Did it work? Yes & no...

With the lights off, the 3 indicators work, but seem to be a tad slower & the front isnt as bright as it should be.

The interior click is at the fast rate, like a bulbs out too.

Turn the lights on & now none of the indicators work (the rear & side were before).

Turn the front lower fog lamps on, the OS one doesnt work, but the side repeater turns on constantly...

Basically, if I need to turn the RH indicator on at night, I have to turn the lights off completely, turn the indicator on & turn the lights back on again..

Not ideal!

I also tried an LED bulb in the hope the lower current required would boost the light output, but no, that didnt work at all...

There seems to be an issue with the wiring in the front corner, maybe some kind of short with the fog lamp system...