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Turn signals stay on
Hi, the turn signal lever doesn't turn off after I make left or right turn. I don't have idea what's wrong. Any help?
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there is a cancelling cam on the steering shaft that pushes the turn signal switch (generally now part of a multifunction switch that includes hazard flashers, and sometimes landing lights and other things to boost the cost) back out of "click me to keep flashing" mode. there is a small possibility the cam has broken. there is a seriously much larger chance you have a problem in the turn signal switch so the cam won't activate it.
depends on the car, because that's an engineer's choice type of design difference.
if you have a recent enough car where all this stuff bolts outside the steering column and is covered by a very large cowling, the cowl halves can be taken apart and the switch replaced moderately easily. less easily if the signal cable pulls through the steering column. and a darn sight more evil if the switch is contained within the steering column itself.
it could be really nasty if the switch is OK but the cam or pin on the steering shaft is fouled up. steering columns are very cranky and full of interlocking plastic dinguses due to federal safety stuff.
you have to determine which case you have, which depends on make, model, year, and options (tilt wheel, slide wheel, etc.) of your particular car, and then you know if you can get a part at the dealer, or if you have to have somebody do some serious work to fix it.
don't suppose you could just pull the flasher can while sorting this out, so the turn signals aren't going to flash no matter what?? if you're not used to puzzling out mechanical things, that might be the thing to do for right now. otherwise......
the bodies of these switches are plastic, a nylon or something, there is a return spring to move the switch actuator to the center again, and one or another mechanical knuckle, pin, or (I would bet) an oval-ish cam ring on the steering shaft that is designed to push the switch back to center at something like 30 to 60 degrees away from being "straight ahead" on both left and right.
almost certainly something is messed up with the center part of that switch, either the plastic has broken and the spring is not allowed to do its job, the spring has flown away, or it's knocked/broken off its pivot, probably a rivet.
if you can at least get it cleared up enough to be able to push back to center manually, that buys a lot of time. you might get lucky and just have a popped spring which can be pushed back into place (I'd bet it's an arch spring like a little leaf spring made out of a snappy wire.)