Smoke at steering wheel column

[tomsbuick]

[retired mechanic74]

:cool: After driving about 10 miles and using my turn signals several times i returned home and saw a slight smoke coming out between the steering wheel and the column. I did a search and many comments suggested a bad wire in the column or a bad turning signal switch. It has happened before on many GM vehicles from the 1990's. The smoke was very small and stopped when i turned off the engine. Is taking off the cover on the steering column difficult?

 

...I believe your car has an airbag incorporated in the center of the steering wheel along with the horn, If it does be very careful when removing it ! It would be wise to remove the neg. batt. cable first. Once you remove the unit and the steering wheel you will find what is called a clock spring assm. check for brown spots on the wiring. (Note) The clock spring is wound up in a specific direction note how it is wound before you inspect it. This could be the cause of the smoke every time you turn the wheel this spring will unwind turning the wheel one direction and tighten in the other direction this action over time weakens the spring and can cause breaks in the wiring and or could cause smoke from overheating. Turnsignal switch could also cause this problem but in all my years I have never seen that happen. Hope this helps.

[tomsbuick]

Now i want to disable the airbag on my 1990. I looked at the fuse chart but can't find a airbag fuse. Any suggestions? :S

[Frogware]

Can you just leave it unplugged or will that give you CEL codes

[retired mechanic74]

Can you just leave it unplugged or will that give you CEL codes

 

I think unplugging it at the bag would be your best bet. The monitoring of the system by the BCM is done through continuity. Once the bag is disconnected reattach the neg. cable and run a code test if a code is set use a test light  ( clamp the test light to a known positive wire) to determine the ground wire on the plug for the bag, ground the wire and run the code test again to see if the BCM is tricked into the bag being hooked up. Note that bag will still be alive but inert tape up the connections just to play it safe.

[retired mechanic74]

 

I think unplugging it at the bag would be your best bet. The monitoring of the system by the BCM is done through continuity. Once the bag is disconnected reattach the neg. cable and run a code test if a code is set use a test light  ( clamp the test light to a known positive wire) to determine the ground wire on the plug for the bag, ground the wire and run the code test again to see if the BCM is tricked into the bag being hooked up. Note that bag will still be alive but inert tape up the connections just to play it safe.

 

Use the test light ( clamp the test light to a good ground) for the grounding of the wire just encase of a feedback to the BCM the resistance in the bulb should protect it. Just be careful.