Couple questions for you G-body Cutlass gurus

[94gtfreak]

Hey everyone, I have a 1984 Calias with a 350 Olds engine in it. Now I'm having some issues that I just can't seem to track down. I'd have to have to rewire this whole damn car but if I can't get these problem figured out I'm not sure what else to do.

1. The car has a set of rallye gauges....the fuel, oil and volt gauges work (i'm used to them all giving up lol) My major issue is NONE of the lights work. When I bought the car the turn signal lights and brights indicator would work if they felt like it. After removing the dash to reinstall the heater box. When I reinstalled the dash the oil and volt gauges quit working. Also, none of the dash lights work. I'm wondering if maybe the car had non-rallye gauges before and if it did would the dash harness have to be modified for the rallye pac cluster?

2. Headlights....I've purchased a new switch, everything has a good and freshly cleaned grounds (that I could find) but for some reason the headlights will only turn on with the car running. The parking lights will intermittingly work with the key off on in the run position. I've check and replaced all fuses with new ones. Now, I did put in a new set of conversion headlights (after this issue started) in the car and when the headlights do turn on the high beams and low beams come on, but the highs are VERY dim. When the high beam are switched on the high beams will light up but the low beams will be on still and VERY dim. I really hate this issue cause I'd love to drive the car at night but I can't take the chance on getting out of the car and come back to it and have no lights.

Thanks for any help,
Chris

 

[Dragonist]

wow don't what the issue is directly...i say take it to a resto shop and get a estimate

 

[94gtfreak]

Eh...it'd be cheaper to buy a painless wiring kit. Lol. I just want everything to work!

 

[3XBrownCutty]

the printed circuit on the back of your rally pack might have corroded contacts causing the non working gauges. Also are your sending units correct? you can hardwire those gauges but its a pain in the *ss...

How about checking the connections where the wires go through the firewall? maybe there's something in there or maybe its just loose, there's a bolt you can try to tighten there. the grommet is under the wiper motor on the drivers side.

just throwing those ideas at you 8)

 

[Veltboy618]

Did you re-connect the grounding wires to the bolts at the bottom of the dash when you put them back in? I dont know what they go to but I remember taking about 2 or 3 of them off when i removed my dash from the car.

 

[94gtfreak]

Thanks 3x....I'll definitely check that out tomorrow thanks!!

Veltboy...yeah everything got reconnected. The previous owners cut a lot of wires so I'm figuring maybe they cut and hid a wire somewhere.

 

[Dragonist]

Reason. I recommend a estimate, this what I do when I don't what to do. Than take that info I get and do the work myself.

 

[Ecnes]

well if u switched to the h3 conversion bulb than u need to take the bulb conecter and switch a cupple wires around.thats what i had to do when i did mine. ill take and look in the morning before i go to the drags to see wat i did and take a pic for u.

 

[455rocket]

#1 definetly a printed circuit or plug issue. #2 is a ground. Always with dim lights it's a ground. Make sure no wires are pushed out of the plug on the h/switch plug. I just had my dash out and missed the one ground that works the dash lights. Don't know if ya got em both, there are two grounds on the left side. Body ground from battery?

 

[88hurstolds]

Theres a ground that clips, yes clips and not bolted, to the column support behind tbe gauge area. This is a MAJOR ground that goes to just about everything behind the dash. It leads to a large cluster of grounds all soldered together, about 10 or more I believe. These can also come loose and cause the dash light and gauge issues as well as others.
Not sure why GM decided to not bolt this ground and use a clip like that use see on the counsole wire harness ground.