My electrical mess... w/ pics

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

OK. So here's a long list of all my electrical problems that I don't know how to go about fixing, or what next steps to take. Any help or suggestions are appreciated. I just finished cleaning out my CE board, checked every fuse, cleaned every relay, but some gremlins still exist:

- Front wipers don't work (washer fluid does, however)
- Fuel gauge doesn't work (just started working intermittently)
- Oil pressure gauge is pinned at over 5 no matter what (whether the engine is running or not) all the time. If I disconnect the battery and let the car sit for a while it will go back down to 0.
- My windows have power to the switch at all times. Even without the key in the ignition. (Fixed)
- My sunroof has power to the switch at all times...just like the windows. (fixed)
- The doors won't lock...although when I hit the central locking button, i hear a motor running but just briefly and the doors never lock.
- Interior lights work if switch them "on" on the light itself... but not when the doors open.(fixed)

I've also got a few wires that lead to nowhere.... If any of these look familiar and you can tell me what they are or where they go, that would be wonderful...

These wires are on the driver's side. THere's a blue wire with a strange black end cap thingy. THere are 2 black wires, up top, and they both have fuse holders on them, and then there's the red and red/black wire with electrical tape at the end.

These wires are on the pass side. (forget the purple and blue wires on the right, the PO did that to run an amp in the back). But what are the black/yellow and black/blue wires with brown grounds that go nowhere?

And lastly, this whole collection is coming right above the CE panel (next to the DME). These, I'm hoping are just for an option that my car doesn't have. But I wanted to check and make sure.

Thanks again for any help,
John

stepson · 08:07 AM

In the second pic, the heavy brown wire is obviously a ground, and I believe it's the one for for the cigar lighter. I believe the black yellow and blackblue are power for the clock.

The third picture: the middle capped plug looks like the plug for where the factory alarm would plug in. and the bottom plug is the diagnostic port that can be used with an adapter for the Bosch Hammer. The top mishmash looks like the PO capped all the original wires for the factory amp? (just a guess there)

For your windows and sunroof, pull relay VI (third form the left on top) check the part number (928.615.126.00) My guess is that you have the wrong number relay in there. (or the relay points could be fused together)

For your fuel gauge and oil pressure, you will probably need to pull the pod to see whats going on back there.

stepson · 03-30-2010, 08:04 AM

In the first picture, I'm not sure what the blue wire is, but I seem to recall seeing a like ended wire under my pod also. I do see what looks like a red and white wire grounded under the steering column. That is obviously aftermarket. You might trace that wire and find out what goodies they have left for you up in there.
No ideas on what the red/black wires or the fuse holders are.

stepson · 03-30-2010, 08:06 AM

Those red black wires may be the power to your wipers. When you pull the pod and stalk, check to see if wires were cut off the stalk. That could be your problem.

harborman · harborman's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by stepson

Those red black wires may be the power to your wipers. When you pull the pod and stalk, check to see if wires were cut off the stalk. That could be your problem.

Clean all fuses and contacts. I did find a sticking relay in my car, but it was in the off position. Like he said, pull all associated relays and bench check!!!

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

Hi Stepson... thanks for the response.

i'll double check the relay for the windows/sunroof.

i also need to check the wires leading to the wiper motor and see if power is getting to the motor... i should have done that first.

my clock currently works, so if those yellow wire are for that, then i'm in real trouble.

same with the factory alarm. i learned the hard way that my factory alarm still works. i was messing with the key in the door, trying to lock the doors but they wouldn't lock. i must have left it so the car "thought" the doors were locks and armed the car. when i later tried to start the car, the horn started beeping and it wouldn't start. it took me like 15 minutes of beeping horns, while my kids were sleeping, to figure out that it was the factory alarm. i just went back to the door lock, turned the key to the left, and all was good again.

by looking at my option codes, i see the car came with option 494... an additional amplifier. maybe one of those wiring harnesses is for that amp (which i can't find anywhere).

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by harborman

Clean all fuses and contacts. I did find a sticking relay in my car, but it was in the off position. Like he said, pull all associated relays and bench check!!!

yup...that was my project last weekend... i took out the CE panel and wire brushed everything. i checked every fuse, cleaned or replaced them. i cleaned all the contacts on the relays. what i didn't do is bench check all the relays. i've got my volt meter, but I'm not sure how to bench check them. is there a link or a diagram you can point me to so i can learn how to do that?

lfausty · lfausty's Garage

the sec pic with the brown ground the blk/yellow is also to cig lighter brown plugged more to the side of cig cyl nearest to you and the black yel plugs in to back of it.

in back of the three whites plugs showing the fuse for radio should be? right there, black squarer holder (very top comes off with a card type pull out 10 red fuse.

third pic the box connection if and when the time comes to open hold your hand over it , they all can spring right out of there places.

stepson · 03-30-2010, 11:41 AM

Sorry, I couldn't remember if that black yellow and blue yellow was for the clock or for the ciagar lighter. My bad. I was just plugging mine back in the other day and remembered the colors being one or the other.

Since that's not where your alarm would have plugged in, I was gonna say it looked like where the lamp controller would plug in, but then that wouldn't make any sense, since you would have told us that none of your parking lights et al didn't work.

I know that there is one more thing that plugs in over there up in the glove box area, but I swear I must be having a "senior moment" because for the life of me I can't remember what it is. Lessee....Alarm controller.... lamp controller.....and ???? what else?

stepson · 03-30-2010, 11:42 AM

BTW, that amp would have been under the carpeted piece to the right side of the passenger seat. Should be a couple of thumbscrews holding it in.

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by stepson

For your windows and sunroof, pull relay VI (third form the left on top) check the part number (928.615.126.00) My guess is that you have the wrong number relay in there. (or the relay points could be fused together)

you were right. i pulled the relay (it was the right one) and took it apart. i did see 1 part that looked fused together, so i cleaned it all up carefully, put it back in, and now the windows only work with the key. Success. THanks. 1 down. 100 more things to go. lol.

Xlot · 03-30-2010, 02:33 PM

The last picture shows the coding plug (16 pin socket, with a plug in it that will have 5 pins in it) - it should attach to the frame that holds the ECU's, behind the LH. It tells the LH that your car is an Auto, and has cats, so the LH knows which fuel maps to use.

Also in the last picture, the empty 3-pin connector should remain unattached - its to connect to the potentiometer on non-cat cars, however your 88 will have an O2 sensor, so the connector should remain unattached. Its normally tucked behind the top edge of the CE panel.

MPDano · MPDano's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwiert

you were right. i pulled the relay (it was the right one) and took it apart. i did see 1 part that looked fused together, so i cleaned it all up carefully, put it back in, and now the windows only work with the key. Success. THanks. 1 down. 100 more things to go. lol.

Oh yeah! Welcome to our world

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xlot

The last picture shows the coding plug (16 pin socket, with a plug in it that will have 5 pins in it) - it should attach to the frame that holds the ECU's, behind the LH. It tells the LH that your car is an Auto, and has cats, so the LH knows which fuel maps to use.

Also in the last picture, the empty 3-pin connector should remain unattached - its to connect to the potentiometer on non-cat cars, however your 88 will have an O2 sensor, so the connector should remain unattached. Its normally tucked behind the top edge of the CE panel.

thank you for the info. but i have some more questions... i pulled apart the coding plug and found the 5 pins inside (just to make sure i knew which plug you were talking about). But i don't understand how attaching the plastic casing of that plug to the frame that holds the ECUs will do anything? Does it tell the LH that info wirelessly? i don't get it.

what about those 9 (13 really, some are double) wires that have the black plastic caps on them. Should they attach to anything?

stepson · 03-30-2010, 08:39 PM

those black pa stic capped wires are the remnants of where the original amp was removed.

cwiert · cwiert's Garage

took the car for a ride today to test the performance w/ new plugs (what an improvement... car actually has balls now!!!)... but i noticed a few new things that I have questions about.

1. i mentioned that the fuel gauge wasn't working. Well, on this trip it started working intermittently. Prior to today, it was pinned below the E. During my ride, it went up to 1/2 (where I think it really should be) and then bounced back and forth to 1/4 and back up to 1/2 a few times. Weird. Any ideas?

2. It was dusk, my headlights were on and I pulled up to a dead end, put the car in park and walked around to admire the car. I noticed the reverse lights were on. But I was in Park. I put it in D, R and back to Park and looked again. Reverse lights were still on. I drove home and checked one more time before I shut the car off and the reverse lights were off. Again, weird. Any ideas?

3. Lastly, I still have my CE board open and accessible. While I was driving, I constantly heard a relay clicking...every 5-10 seconds or so. 2 clicks every5-10 seconds. I was by myself so I don't know which relay it was. When I put the car in park, I didn't hear anymore clicking. It only seemed to happen when I was driving. Is this normal? Are there some relays that will click and do their thing while driving?