Title: Turn Signal Lever suddenly Limp like a wet noodle, only windshield wipers work

Everything was going right with my turn signal lever ON MY 1993 V-6, 3.4 LITER, until recently took a bunch of energy tablets and Testosterone replacement therapy and i guess I didn't know my own strength

listened to some rockabilly rock n roll and probably slammed the turn signal because when I attempted to use it again, it was all the way down and there was no traction, no clicking, no resistance whatver other synoynm u want to use to describe it--- it's dead

turning the sucker clcokwise will activeate the wipeers and the cleaning fluid

I ordered a

Dorman 49277 Turn Signal Lever

seems like I don't need a

Standard Motor Products TW20T Turn Signal Switch

the turn signal lever due to my overdoing a turn with my left and just might have broke under heavy pressure

the info. on the web is to pull out the old one and stick the new turn lever in--as u probably know one one of its end is like a stick or a cone that gets bevelled into the hole or housing?

Does this sound right to you all?

I mean, it's obviously not a fuse or other electrical problem, it just fell over like a broken neck as I mentioned when I was driving Saturday night....

as u can see in one pic, where I hold it up with my Knee it's horizontal 180 degrees, the other pic attached hereto it is south / like a broken neck or some other organ lol






thanks in advance for any help

 

There is the turn signal rod (the lever) and there is the switch inside the column. Normally when the lever breaks it will be hanging there pointing at the floor with only wires holding it. The switch itself is more likely to break. Either way the column needs disassembled down to the turn signal switch. Even if it is the lever the cruise control wire needs fished out and back in. You can just pull the lever out to check it but it will still be connected by wire to the column.




I have found it is easier to pull the wheel then trying to fish the wire around the corners. This is the best video I found on the levers.

 

Looks like Gorn has it covered so here's some more rockabilly driving music. I have this CD in my car in fact. lol

 

Thanks Gorn so I should probably by the Switch also?

 

good one, what u showed...it was Johnny Burnette that did it to me...lol...Cinn. Fireball

 

I ordered the Switch part also because if the lever broke like you wrote
"Normally when the lever breaks it will be hanging there pointing at the floor with only wires holding it. "

(it did not hang with the wires holding it--it just drooped, not exposing the wires and it goes up and down without any slack or resistance, nor any green arrow turn lights being on)

and I just now purchased the switch also because you wrote

"The switch itself is more likely to break. "

(this is the part that most likely or more often breaks)

worse case scenario if I really didn't need the 2nd I will try to sell it on Ebay, Thanks so much Gorn

 

Once i had my ignition key stuck into the steering column

This was a nightmare--so was the poor lock smith who later on I found my hazzard button that's usually on the right side of a 4th gen. on the floor mat

He took a long time

Opening the steering column after disabling the air bags-- is this an easy fix-- i mean, this locksmith dude looked like he was struggling when he did this repair of freeing up the ignition key from my ignition and getting me new keys--

should i entrust a Mobile Mechanic that is ASE certified?

this seems like well, i had a bad experience, maybe i shouldn't have watched this lock smith do work on my car 2 years ago, he was a ex-military and i totally respect that, since there are a lot of ex-military people here in san diego ca doing side jobs, but it just seems

very labor intensive to open the steering column--but inevitable given the scenario of the problem i described.....

the mobile mechanics claim this is $140 worth of labor-- i already purchased the 2 parts at $40; now assuming Standard Shop Rate at $80 to $90-- that should be JUST 1 HOUR AND LESS THAN A HALF OF WORK, BUT VERY LABOR INTENSIVE / UGLY WORK, HUH? A DUDE REALLY WORKS IN THAT 1.5 HOURS, HUH?

Anyone would Farm this out to someone else?

I'm definitely not going to do this D.I.Y....i am disabled--- but how about a mobile mechanic....would u entrust someone like a ASE certified mobile mechanic to take the plunge of opening the steering column and replacing a harmless looking Turn Signal Lever and Turn Signal Switch?

thanks, just wanted to make sure you knew how labor intensive the opening of the steering column and how awkward it could get....

 

IMO the above video did not show some of the difficulties in the process. Without the right tools that "wire clip" is a huge pain. You could talk to your tech see how he feels about it.

ASE certification does not mean as much as you may think. A mechanic can be certified in brakes and suspension and know nothing about an engine and still be ASE certified. Back when I took my tests I took 5 in one night and I remember thinking I could have written those tests on the day I graduated from mechanic school. So the tests like ASE are about theory where turn signal switch replacement is more about practical or knowledge won by doing. I know the GM columns pretty well and I know what tools I need, if you brought me a ford or an import I have no idea how much my GM tools and knowledge would help me.

 

Thanks, Gorn.

 

*Update: Thin Bracket Broke, what part is this? Wire Clip big problem yup.
Hi, my freelance mechanic looked at the car yesterday 1/22/20,

Aside from not being able to push down the wire clip or that circlular piece of metal that looks like a wedding ring, which somehow causes the horn to either be on continuously or what new problem I have now--a car horn not working. This wire clip has to be pushed in with a lot of force and with a picker pushed in so that it falls into 1 of many many grooves holding it in place.

The bracket that is sort of what holds the turn signal broke in 2 pieces, it is very thin and probably can't be welded together

On a '93 Camaro V-6, 3.4 Liter, my freelance mechanic said it's too thin to be welded together and probably I'd need to find another car like a F body Pontiac Firebird or maybe a Chevy Monte Carlo 1990s series like the 1 shown in the instructional vid at a junkyard and take that out from there only because this part probably might be Discontinued by GM? or..maybe the entire arm needs to be purchased a well over a $100 purchase?

So the 2 parts: 1) turn signal lever 2) turn signal switch did not need replacing-- actually the turn signals once the steering column was opened can be manually turned both on left arrow and right arrow inside the cabin and outside of the car.

I'd think this is called a turn signal bracket, it's like a metal piece with a hole and a screw and a bolt at the other end that holds the turn signal lever in place.

***This is such an Important Part, that It would make No sense for this part to be Discontinued by GM....I'm sure I am not the only one who applied to much force on the turn signal lever on a 4th Gen. Camaro, like maybe during a nervous tic or during a near motor vehicle accident (or an epileptic seizure) and the absence of this part will cause the turn signal never to work and cause "Fix It / Equipment Violations," /traffic tickets, for sure. I will have to take it to a repair shop with someone who has worked on hot rods and American sports cars in 1 week and he will hopefully order it directly from the GM / Chevy dealer...or order the entire arm body if this piece isn't sold separately.

So Gorn, or anyone else: know what this part is? or would I require its entire column / body of which this part belongs to?

In the pic, this part is found near the freelance mechanic's left index finger.

Here's a photo of the "broken turn signal bracket" anyone know what part this is? Part #_____