Got A Problem
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Got A Problem
I have just had my brakes done on my 1988 C4... pads were changed... the people doing it had problems putting the new pads on and the handbrake cylinder was difficult as well... got an alignment done also plus wheels balanced...
Anyway after all that I was driving it home and noticed the turn signals weren't working.... never had that problem before...
I then looked at the fuse for the turn signals at it was blown... so I changed it for a new one and it worked again.
A couple of hours later I took the car out for a drive and the turn signals didn't work again so i drove home and checked the fuse... it was OK.
Baffled I fiddled around with the signal stick on the steering column... still didn't work... then turned on the hazzard lights and then things got real interesting... smoke started to come out of the steering column.
I don't know what to do now... it could be the signal and hazzard switch in the steering column gone bad or did the people working on the brakes stuff something up... maybe a ground loose or not connected.
I rang the people who fixed the brakes and they said the problems I now have with the turn singles and hazzard lights have nothing to do with the brakes being fixed... it seems strange that I have never had a problem like this before until I took the car to them.
Can anyone throw some light on what could be going on... no turn signals and when you activate the hazzard lights smoke appears out of the steering column... i would be very grateful for any input.
Anyway after all that I was driving it home and noticed the turn signals weren't working.... never had that problem before...
I then looked at the fuse for the turn signals at it was blown... so I changed it for a new one and it worked again.
A couple of hours later I took the car out for a drive and the turn signals didn't work again so i drove home and checked the fuse... it was OK.
Baffled I fiddled around with the signal stick on the steering column... still didn't work... then turned on the hazzard lights and then things got real interesting... smoke started to come out of the steering column.
I don't know what to do now... it could be the signal and hazzard switch in the steering column gone bad or did the people working on the brakes stuff something up... maybe a ground loose or not connected.
I rang the people who fixed the brakes and they said the problems I now have with the turn singles and hazzard lights have nothing to do with the brakes being fixed... it seems strange that I have never had a problem like this before until I took the car to them.
Can anyone throw some light on what could be going on... no turn signals and when you activate the hazzard lights smoke appears out of the steering column... i would be very grateful for any input.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 71
Likes: 2
From: Oregon
I have just had my brakes done on my 1988 C4... pads were changed... the people doing it had problems putting the new pads on and the handbrake cylinder was difficult as well... got an alignment done also plus wheels balanced...
Anyway after all that I was driving it home and noticed the turn signals weren't working.... never had that problem before...
I then looked at the fuse for the turn signals at it was blown... so I changed it for a new one and it worked again.
A couple of hours later I took the car out for a drive and the turn signals didn't work again so i drove home and checked the fuse... it was OK.
Baffled I fiddled around with the signal stick on the steering column... still didn't work... then turned on the hazzard lights and then things got real interesting... smoke started to come out of the steering column.
I don't know what to do now... it could be the signal and hazzard switch in the steering column gone bad or did the people working on the brakes stuff something up... maybe a ground loose or not connected.
I rang the people who fixed the brakes and they said the problems I now have with the turn singles and hazzard lights have nothing to do with the brakes being fixed... it seems strange that I have never had a problem like this before until I took the car to them.
Can anyone throw some light on what could be going on... no turn signals and when you activate the hazzard lights smoke appears out of the steering column... i would be very grateful for any input.
Anyway after all that I was driving it home and noticed the turn signals weren't working.... never had that problem before...
I then looked at the fuse for the turn signals at it was blown... so I changed it for a new one and it worked again.
A couple of hours later I took the car out for a drive and the turn signals didn't work again so i drove home and checked the fuse... it was OK.
Baffled I fiddled around with the signal stick on the steering column... still didn't work... then turned on the hazzard lights and then things got real interesting... smoke started to come out of the steering column.
I don't know what to do now... it could be the signal and hazzard switch in the steering column gone bad or did the people working on the brakes stuff something up... maybe a ground loose or not connected.
I rang the people who fixed the brakes and they said the problems I now have with the turn singles and hazzard lights have nothing to do with the brakes being fixed... it seems strange that I have never had a problem like this before until I took the car to them.
Can anyone throw some light on what could be going on... no turn signals and when you activate the hazzard lights smoke appears out of the steering column... i would be very grateful for any input.
What is most likely happened is the turn signal switch in the column was almost bad, and now failed while driving the car to the shop, then test driving and you driving it home.
The Hazard switch and the turn signal switch are two different switches that interface together to light the lights.
The hazard switch is probably causing a short when you activate it making the smoke.
You also have the Horn switch, which I have typically found then the turn signal switch has a catastrophic failure will be effected as well in some faction. The horn unlike other switches is actually Live all the time, when you press the Horn button you are actually grounding the circuit causing the horn to blow, unlike other circuits that are dead and activating the button sends a voltage.
I would start by replacing the turn signal switch and seeing if that takes care of your problem.
Also on another note, honestly at no point do you pay more attention to your car and its problems then right after you have someone else work on it. You will inherently pick up problems that have been lingering when you pick up the car because your senses are heightened.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
I have to agree that nothing with the brake system has anything to do with the turn signals. The car doesn't use the brake system or components to ground anything.
What is most likely happened is the turn signal switch in the column was almost bad, and now failed while driving the car to the shop, then test driving and you driving it home.
The Hazard switch and the turn signal switch are two different switches that interface together to light the lights.
The hazard switch is probably causing a short when you activate it making the smoke.
You also have the Horn switch, which I have typically found then the turn signal switch has a catastrophic failure will be effected as well in some faction. The horn unlike other switches is actually Live all the time, when you press the Horn button you are actually grounding the circuit causing the horn to blow, unlike other circuits that are dead and activating the button sends a voltage.
I would start by replacing the turn signal switch and seeing if that takes care of your problem.
Also on another note, honestly at no point do you pay more attention to your car and its problems then right after you have someone else work on it. You will inherently pick up problems that have been lingering when you pick up the car because your senses are heightened.
What is most likely happened is the turn signal switch in the column was almost bad, and now failed while driving the car to the shop, then test driving and you driving it home.
The Hazard switch and the turn signal switch are two different switches that interface together to light the lights.
The hazard switch is probably causing a short when you activate it making the smoke.
You also have the Horn switch, which I have typically found then the turn signal switch has a catastrophic failure will be effected as well in some faction. The horn unlike other switches is actually Live all the time, when you press the Horn button you are actually grounding the circuit causing the horn to blow, unlike other circuits that are dead and activating the button sends a voltage.
I would start by replacing the turn signal switch and seeing if that takes care of your problem.
Also on another note, honestly at no point do you pay more attention to your car and its problems then right after you have someone else work on it. You will inherently pick up problems that have been lingering when you pick up the car because your senses are heightened.
Yes, you would be right that it probably was going to go and just happened to do it when getting something else fixed.
What puzzled me is after I replaced the burnt out fuse it all worked until my stop light fuse then also melted and no more turning signals.
Isn't there some connection with the stop light and turning signals... like an interruption of the stop light setup to activation the turning signals.
Anyway I have ordered a new signal switch and when it arrives I have got someone to put it in... I do most of the work on my corvette but the pulling of the steering wheel seems a bit tricky and so I am getting someone who works on corvettes to fix it.
I just hope that once it is all done it doesn't short out again because there is something else amiss.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,038
Likes: 44
From: Pensacola Florida
My 89 just quit about 10 miles after an oil change, but it was the ICM.
The brake/hazard/turn signals are all wired together somehow, so the turn signal overrides the brake lights and the brake lights override the hazard lights.
Learned about this on an old F-150 so I'm no help on a Corvette.
Rick
The brake/hazard/turn signals are all wired together somehow, so the turn signal overrides the brake lights and the brake lights override the hazard lights.
Learned about this on an old F-150 so I'm no help on a Corvette.
Rick
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,931
Likes: 127
From: Ashland Alabama
The smoke out problem your having could be from the conversion when the car was imported. From what Ive read in various forums its not uncommon for wiring issues to arise from the conversions.
If something wasn't quit right the lifting alone to do the brakes could of set off a problem you already had from it.
There is no way to know for sure just throwing that out there as a possible problem.
If something wasn't quit right the lifting alone to do the brakes could of set off a problem you already had from it.
There is no way to know for sure just throwing that out there as a possible problem.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
The smoke out problem your having could be from the conversion when the car was imported. From what Ive read in various forums its not uncommon for wiring issues to arise from the conversions.
If something wasn't quit right the lifting alone to do the brakes could of set off a problem you already had from it.
There is no way to know for sure just throwing that out there as a possible problem.
If something wasn't quit right the lifting alone to do the brakes could of set off a problem you already had from it.
There is no way to know for sure just throwing that out there as a possible problem.
These cars need constant care and replacement of old or worn parts... but that's part of owning a C4 or older vehicle... most things I have fixed or replaced myself, but the steering wheel column is something I don't feel comfortable with pulling apart so I have someone who works on Corvettes to fix it
Fortunately the C4 is not my daily drive and I can just leave it sitting until parts arrive from the States... if it was my daily drive I would be pulling my hair out all the time.
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Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
I have to agree that nothing with the brake system has anything to do with the turn signals. The car doesn't use the brake system or components to ground anything.
What is most likely happened is the turn signal switch in the column was almost bad, and now failed while driving the car to the shop, then test driving and you driving it home.
The Hazard switch and the turn signal switch are two different switches that interface together to light the lights.
The hazard switch is probably causing a short when you activate it making the smoke.
You also have the Horn switch, which I have typically found then the turn signal switch has a catastrophic failure will be effected as well in some faction. The horn unlike other switches is actually Live all the time, when you press the Horn button you are actually grounding the circuit causing the horn to blow, unlike other circuits that are dead and activating the button sends a voltage.
I would start by replacing the turn signal switch and seeing if that takes care of your problem.
Also on another note, honestly at no point do you pay more attention to your car and its problems then right after you have someone else work on it. You will inherently pick up problems that have been lingering when you pick up the car because your senses are heightened.
What is most likely happened is the turn signal switch in the column was almost bad, and now failed while driving the car to the shop, then test driving and you driving it home.
The Hazard switch and the turn signal switch are two different switches that interface together to light the lights.
The hazard switch is probably causing a short when you activate it making the smoke.
You also have the Horn switch, which I have typically found then the turn signal switch has a catastrophic failure will be effected as well in some faction. The horn unlike other switches is actually Live all the time, when you press the Horn button you are actually grounding the circuit causing the horn to blow, unlike other circuits that are dead and activating the button sends a voltage.
I would start by replacing the turn signal switch and seeing if that takes care of your problem.
Also on another note, honestly at no point do you pay more attention to your car and its problems then right after you have someone else work on it. You will inherently pick up problems that have been lingering when you pick up the car because your senses are heightened.
