why is my Time Machine flashing amber and not green

See: Wi-Fi base station: Understanding and resolving a blinking amber status light - Apple Support

Do you mean "Time Machine" or "Time Capsule?" Time Machine doesn't have "lights." It is the software on your Mac that creates and manages backups. Time Capsule is an Apple hardware product that is a wireless access point and network storage; it has lights. Big difference.

Also, please tell us what Mac and what OS version it runs. This forum section is for Mac desktop computers other than iMacs that were made between 1998 and 2005 and gets very few views. If your model is not that old, we can get you moved to a more active and relevant forum section.