Electrical Problems

Hey, I'm new to this forum, and I browsed back abit and couldn't find much. I own a 1998 (V6, so it has the 'quad light' look). It seems that every time I put new bulbs in the turn signals (A pain in the butt in the first place), they burn out within 24 hours.
Originally I thought it happened every time it rained, but this proved to be coincidence. The bulb connecters (slots?) appear slightly burned/melted...but I have not been able to track down replacement parts without paying dealer prices (ugh).

Any suggestions, and has anyone else experienced this problem?

Also...(Dang I sound so helpless...)

The vehicle in question has been sitting inactive for 120 days (been on deployment). Any suggestions for preventive maintenence before I start driving it again?

check the voltage at the bulbs if it is more than 14-15 volts there is a problem try it with the car off first then try it wile running if voltage is to high wile running suspect bad voltage regulator