I havent done anything to them. Got the water pump starter and engine replaced at a shop. Replaced the alternator and battery cables myself. The alternator and then later the cables have both resulted in noticeable lasting improvements. Checking and possibly replacing the grounds is what I was thinking of as a next step before messing around with the wiring harness which Im sure will be a hassle.
HELP 88 Cutlass Wiring Woes
- Thread starter BenD
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Its definitely a power issue as what Ive replaced so far has had a big positive impact. I think something loose is possible but corrosion is probably a more likely culprit.
For sure, and now that you know it is a wiring issue, you have a good sense of where the diagnostics have to come into play, in this case wiring 👀👀👀👀
That would be one of the factory locations, but I am sure theres more than one also.
Ok. I located the firewall groundstrap but cant see or reach where it connects further down. Cleaning the dust off helped some and an oil change has helped the engine acceleration quite a bit though the oil is getting dirty again quickly.
As of now Ive started a second job and am doing 8 shifts a week, am behind on rent and utilities but should be caught up and have enough to put what I need to into the car within the next month.
Current plan is research and then doing speedometer, oil/transmission fluid change and ground straps in the same day. Speedometer and transmission fluid I'll ask about in another thread. As for ground straps what all do I need and can you offer more specifics on the exact locations of the connection points? I have steel wool and PB Blaster, will that be sufficient to clean the connection points or should I use something else? Have measurements on strap length or should I get in there with a tape measurer once I find them?
I don't know where your original grounds are located but that doesn't necessarily matter. Negative battery terminal to frame. Then frame to engine block. Or vice-versa. It doesn't matter.
Frame to body. That is minimum. I'll find link to straps for you.
You may need more than steel wool. I don't know how bad your corrosion is.
Also you can use cylinder head for grounds (and you probably should) along with block itself
Frame to body. That is minimum. I'll find link to straps for you.
You may need more than steel wool. I don't know how bad your corrosion is.
Also you can use cylinder head for grounds (and you probably should) along with block itself
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These are pretty decent and what I used, however, you may need longer ones.
Exactly. The motor, frame and body, all need to be grounded. Any location is fine, what has to be considered is connections and the gauge of cable used.
Any idea where the factory locations are? Was able to find where the firewall connected to the head finally. Replaced it and my power issues are fixed but still want to replace the rest just to be safe.
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