leahchris Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 The turn signals on my son's 81 Brat GL went out just after we replaced the fuse for the tail lights. I've read that the horn and turn signals are on one fuse, but there was no fuse in the horn spot when we got the car, and the turn signals worked then. When I put a 30A fuse in the horn spot, smoke rolls out of the steering column. Are these two seperate issues, or is there one thing causing both? What can I do to fix it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 There are NO 30A fuses of any sort on ANY '80s Subarus, you are lucky you did not toast the car, or more of the wiring harness. You have found out that you have a problem in the steering column, what may have happened is someone jerry-rigged the electrical system to bypass a problem sometime earlier in the car's life, and it is coming back to haunt you now. At the very least you will have to pull the steering column apart (not a hard job). After that, follow the wiring diagram for the car. There is a complete wiring diagram for the Haynes manual for Subaru 1600 & 1800 1980-1989 (you will have to get it used, because they removed the wiring diagram from the later versions) the isbn is 1 85010 527 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leahchris Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 The Haynes manual wiring, fuel, and exhaust diagrams are absolutely worthless for the 81 Brat as far as we can tell. It definitely did not match our headlight circuit. And the carburetor diagram for the Hitachi carburetor is nothing like reality on that car. One other thing, the Haynes manual was where we got the 30A fuses. Anyway, if you know how to fix the turn signals, let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 The Haynes manual wiring, fuel, and exhaust diagrams are absolutely worthless for the 81 Brat as far as we can tell. It definitely did not match our headlight circuit. And the carburetor diagram for the Hitachi carburetor is nothing like reality on that car. One other thing, the Haynes manual was where we got the 30A fuses. Anyway, if you know how to fix the turn signals, let us know. OK, the best suggestion I have is to get a Factory Service Manual for the car. They are hard to find (keep an eye on Ebay), but they are an EXCELLENT resource to have. (I recently got one for my car and could not be happier with it.) I am willing to bet that you have a bad turn signal switch, which can be verified with a multimeter, and removing the steering column covers. I would also double-check the turn signal flasher unit and make sure that EVERYTHING is grounded as it should be. Are you sure you have the 1980-1989 Haynes manual? It has been acurate on all the early soobs I have seen (1980-1984). The 1980-1994 does not cover your car well at all, but it covers the 1985-1994 ones well! It is obvious to me that some previous owner has tampered with your electrical system regardless of what you have done because circuits are operating when the fuse that is supposed to be protecting them is removed. At this point, it may be a good idea to get a professional automotive electrician in to look at the changes made, and restore everything to original specs. I have a great deal of expierence working on automotive electrical systems, and I have seen many instances on older cars where some previous owner screwed around with the system, and now it is really messed-up. I am sincerely sorry you are having this problem and hope you can get it fixed easily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I've read that the horn and turn signals are on one fuse, but there was no fuse in the horn spot when we got the car, and the turn signals worked then. When I put a 30A fuse in the horn spot, smoke rolls out of the steering column. Well, when you put in a 30amp fuse and saw smoke come from the steering column, I would say you located the problem. Theres obviously a short in there and you might need to replace the horn or at least find out why its shorted. There should be a connector plug for the horn, disconnect it and then try another fuse (the right amperage). You can always install a different horn button. No FSM needed here, just common sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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