Turn Signal Help

[tackleb0x]

Hello. New to Cadillac and the forums. Bought a 1996 Deville about a month ago. Been a Lincoln guy for a while having owned a 96 Mark VIII for many years. Loving the Deville. I’m in no way a mechanic but I can make a lot of repairs myself. Thank you all for your informative posts I’ve had the opportunity to read thru seemingly the entire forum that relates to the mid 90’s Deville. I do have a question (I’m sure I’ll have more).

I ran out of blinker fluid. I know, I know, but it describes the problem pretty well. When I first got the car the turn signal would occasionally make a slightly different noise, like its normal click but labored. For the last week the turn signals would work for about 20min (almost all my commute). Go to get off the freeway, hit the turn signal and nothing. Turn the car off and on and the signals would start working again. This morning the blinker “ran out of gas”. It would blink and click once or twice and stop for the first turn or 2. After that it like half clicked and nothing and now nothing. Emergency flashers work, indicators on dash lights up, clicks sound faint but might be normal, exterior signal lamps are lit/flashing.

I guess the first questions is what do I replace and where is it? The relay? The switch? Something else? Is there some other test I should run to determine what’s faulty? Second question what is it I’m specifically looking for. Blinker, turn signal, flasher, relay, switch: There’s a lot of different names to describe the correct part. Looking on advance auto what should be “exact fit” for my car for turn signal relay has very different pictures of the parts. Some look like an actual connector others look like the 3 prong square thing I’m familiar with.

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

[Logan]

The Cadillacs do not use a traditional silver turn signal can. They have a black box electronic turn signal control (not to be confused with the air bag black box).

The problem as described sounds like it is the actual box messing up. But the problem may be the actual turn signal switch assembly in the steering column.

On the Seville of that era and dashboard style the black box turn signal is behind the dash..left of the steering column. Kinda stuffed right up behind the dash. The '96 Deville dash is quite similar to the Seville.

[Logan]

I may be giving some bad info...

I looked up a '98 Deville....it is showing a more traditional looking flasher then the earlier cars like a '93. My electronic service info only goes back to '98.

'96-'97 is when a bunch of stuff changed for OBDII.

I attached a pic of a '98 Deville flasher unit. With the picture you at least know where you need to look.

[tackleb0x]

Thanks! That actually could not have been any easier. Was the relay/flasher. $12 from advance auto, pop the headlight switch cover off, replace relay, pop back in.