electrical problem with a 95, classifieds?

[joegibs]

a lady friend of mine has quite the electrical issue with her 95 lumina.

the main problem is with the brake lights, but also the left blinker and flashers. the center mount brake light works, but the brake lights in the tail lights dont. when the left blinker selectively wants to work, it sometimes works normal, sometimes doesnt work at all, and sometimes will go into an extremely fast blinking mode. the right blinker works fine. the flashers work on the rear, but not on the front.

in the tail light, there's a single bulb, there's two filiments, and between the running lights, turn signals, and emergency flashers, i can get both filiments to light up, so the bulbs arent to blame. i've also checked all the fuses, and replaced all the fuses that had any relation to the issues just to make sure that wasnt the cause.

i'm afraid that its a piece inside the steering wheel column. i forget the name of it. i'm trying to start out simple, and replacing the flasher relay under the dash. here's my problem... none of the parts stores around here carry it, and i've had a rather difficult time finding any online parts stores that carry it. i refuse to go to a dealership and pay the thirty dollars that they want.

anyone have a 96 that they're parting out, and can pull the three prong flasher relay from under the dash for me? paypal ok?

thanks for any help

EDIT: its a 95, not a 96

[cf1]

Originally Posted by joegibs

a lady friend of mine has quite the electrical issue with her 96 lumina.

the main problem is with the brake lights, but also the left blinker and flashers. the center mount brake light works, but the brake lights in the tail lights dont. when the left blinker selectively wants to work, it sometimes works normal, sometimes doesnt work at all, and sometimes will go into an extremely fast blinking mode. the right blinker works fine. the flashers work on the rear, but not on the front.

in the tail light, there's a single bulb, there's two filiments, and between the running lights, turn signals, and emergency flashers, i can get both filiments to light up, so the bulbs arent to blame. i've also checked all the fuses, and replaced all the fuses that had any relation to the issues just to make sure that wasnt the cause.

i'm afraid that its a piece inside the steering wheel column. i forget the name of it. i'm trying to start out simple, and replacing the flasher relay under the dash. here's my problem... none of the parts stores around here carry it, and i've had a rather difficult time finding any online parts stores that carry it. i refuse to go to a dealership and pay the thirty dollars that they want.

anyone have a 96 that they're parting out, and can pull the three prong flasher relay from under the dash for me? paypal ok?

thanks for any help

its not the flasher or bulbs.. theres a part in the steering wheel that needs replaced. i cant recall the name off hand.. and you allso need to replace the head light switch..because yor dash lights will soon go out..

[joegibs]

wonderful. how much fun is it to take apart the steering column

[maxwedge]

Air bag car here so this may not be a dyer type repair, check autozone.com/repairinfo for signal switch instructions.

[jeffcoslacker]

The multiswitch isn't cheap either, but it's one of those hurdles you gotta clear with the Lumina...no way around it. If you get tuned to seeing it, you'll see at least one a day driving around with no outboard brake lights...I do anyway.

I always tell them if I can catch them at a light or something...about half the time they tell me "You know, someone else told me that, and then when I checked they were fine..." so it does occur intermittant for a while before failing completely, it seems..

[463]

joe: does the car have a tilt colum in it?

[joegibs]

Originally Posted by 463

joe: does the car have a tilt colum in it?

i believe it does

how hard is it to take the steering wheel off or whatever else needs to be done? has anyone done a step by step tutorial for this?

[463]

not a 100% sure on this but it's worth a look. look at the under side of the colum and there should be a flat wire multy connector held to the colum by 2 metal tabs. the wire that is highest up should be a white wire in the connector. if this is the case that white wire will brake a part and leave 10% of the wire holding on. this will give you the problem you are haveing to a "T". if this is the case i have used a blue butt connector and spliced the two white wires together bypassing the gm connector to repair it. with the tilt colum tilting the white wire is the one that takes all the movement. gm high mount stop is powered from the brake switch. hope this is of help. 463

[richtazz]

your problem is in the multifunction/turn signal switch assembly. The contacts wear out and cause this issue. You may even occasionally see a small puff of smoke come out of the steering column. Removing the air bag and the lock plate are the biggest obstacles. It's more of a frustrating job (standing on your head, threading a harness down the column, etc...) than a technically difficult one, but it can be done DIY. IF you're nervous working around an air bag, as Max said, you may just want to take it somewhere. Also, there are 2 different switches, one for steering wheel accessory controls, one for without. Make sure you get the correct one.

[joegibs]

i'm comfortable with doing it myself, and the airbag isnt a problem, i can just disconnect the battery so it cant go off. next time i'm home from college, probably after the semesters over, i'll check it out again to see if this white wire is frayed or cut in any way. will it be visible from underneath without taking anything apart?

this seems to be a pretty common problem with the luminas, has anyone done a write up on how to do it? i've never attempted to take a steering wheel off, i wouldnt where to begin.

[jeffcoslacker]

Airbag WILL go off with battery disconnected...read up on safe handling procedures before attempting...


They can go off while sitting on the seat after removal if you get a static buildup...

[Blue Bowtie]

Removal of the steering wheel and SIR inflator may not be necessary if you are a bit crafty:



Nothing was forced, stretched, or broken in the process. All the necessary screws were removed and installed, although a ratcheting bit driver will be necessary for a couple of them if you do not remove the steering wheel.

Also, while the dealership asks for upwards of $330 for the switch assembly ($290 dealer net), and most aftermarket outlets will be in the $210-$240 range, on the last Blazer I did (photo) I found one place which has 100% OEM compatible switches for a lot less, like $100 less:

$120 Switch

They MAY have a switch for your application.

[joegibs]

Originally Posted by jeffcoslacker

Airbag WILL go off with battery disconnected...read up on safe handling procedures before attempting...


They can go off while sitting on the seat after removal if you get a static buildup...

lol that'd be pretty funny to see. i dont think i'd leave a part like that laying on the seat, i'd most likely take it out of the vehicle and set it on a table. i'll even wrap the electrical connections in electrical tape

my main focus with vehicles is audio related, so i've ripped out a lot of dash's and other random interior panels. if it can be done by removing everything around the steering wheel, i'll most likely go for that option, unless taking the steering wheel out really isnt as difficult as i'm assuming it is.

[northwichita]

Blue bowtie, thanks for the pic, my turn signal is starting to go out, only flashes when holding the turn signal 'halfway' against stop, and figure I'll have to get into someday when it gives out completely.