89 chevy pu steering column wobble

the steering column wobbles at the joint where the wheel tilts, is there a fix w/o replacing the whole shaft? Also the brake light flashes when the parking brake is off. The fluid level is about 1/2.any ideas? Thanks :confused:

I am not sure about the column mine has the same trouble and it's an 88 I am trying to fix now. The brake light is most likely tied to the abs system. When my speed sensor or wiring shorts I lose my speedo. The abs gets info off of the speed so this is telling you that something is not right. With the key off remove the fuse for the brake, that will reset the light.

The brake light is most likely tied to the abs system.
A 89 doesnt have ABS.

- Kevin

Acutally they do. My 88 does. It is not the type of ABS that you see today and it is the rear wheels only.

So what does it do? Last time i checked there wasnt a way you could turn real wheels on a 88.

- Kevin

I guess I am misunderstanding you. The wheels do not have to turn to have an ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM installed on them.

Hmm maybe I was thinking wrong; The ABS on your vehicle is it just to keep your vehicle going in a straight line when they lock up? I understand if you’re misunderstanding you but I have never heard of an older style ABS until now. I always thought it was just for steering control but then I thought about it and remembered that from somewhere.

- Kevin

ABS has nothing to do with steering control. ABS is just in a sense to keep the wheels from locking under braking. The newer systems are more apparent because of pulsating brake pedal. All it really does is detects wheel speed at each wheel when one slows or stops the abs will lessen the braking force to allow the wheel to spin again. But steering is no way controled by ABS.

One of the functions of ABS is when your tires lock up, the computer allows it where you are able to steer while the tires are locked up. Situation: Car pulls into street your doing 40 you slam your brakes without ABS you would not be able to steer but with ABS you are able to both brake and steer at the same time. Also what you have is Rear Anti-lock Brakes there is a difference between that and ABS.

- Kevin

You still can steer whether you tires are locked up or not. Steering doesn't do any good if tires are locked because all they are doing is sliding, but you can turn the wheel left to right. Like is said be for all the abs does is allow the brakes to back off to allow the wheel and tire to spin and not slide on road. It is no different than when on Ice you lock the wheels up and you just slide but when you release the brake the wheels began spinning again allowing for traction. ABS only controls the brakes.

As i said, ABS allows you to steer by unlocking the brakes.

- Kevin

As for the steering column i just found this on the net, http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/suspension/t_steering.html is basically says the four bolts that losen over time is the problem.

Yeah. Thats what I say.

Here is another site http://www.elcaminocentral.com/article95.html this one is based on a 87 elcamino but looks close. Nice thing is it has pictures!

When all else fails, read the pictures.

A picture is worth a thosand words.

- Kevin

Older style rear wheels ABS on pick ups is made primarily when the vehicle is driven with out a load since the rears have no real weight on them they tend to lock up easily so they put a rear ABS on them, for whatever reason. I had a truck like that, it's not true ABS in the sense of todays vehicles, But it was a early version with a simple function, to keep you from swapping ends when you dropped the anchor.