waysrx7

I just bought an '85 gsl-se that wasn't running. The previous owner said the fuel pump quit but after getting it home and checking the electrical myself I found that the fuel cut switch he added went ka'put.
So I jumpered that and it started right up but had to turn it off because apparently the PO tried the ATF trick and the garage filled with smoke.

Just tried to restart it but something else must be wrong because only one idiot light comes on now, I have no tack signal, and it wont restart, blew the 20amp engine fuse.
I tried some simple things like replace the trailing igniter with a good one, and checked/replaced all the fuses and fusible links.

So, what happened to cause all the idiot lights to not work anymore, except one?
Any input on some common things to check would be appreciated.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Which light is the only one? add coolant?

Anyway, it is probably the alt or the choke&check relay. The alt triggers the choke & check relay when the alt isn't charging. This then turns on most of the idiot lights. The choke & check relay is located on the driver side of engine bay. Usually it will say 'choke & check' on it. Make sure that the connections are tight. Check the connector on the alt too.

waysrx7

The only light that comes on is the washer light.
I tried my spare choke & check relay with no luck, but i'm not 100% sure it was good.
I have a spare alt i'll throw on later but my problem is that the lights aren't coming on when you first turn the key to the start position.

I hope this is it but I feel like there are more serious problems. Better luck tomorrow I guess.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Has the alternator been checked? Idiot lights are a test for alternators. No sensors on the car should disable it from running. Make sure the gasoline is fresh. Make sure the OMP is working or that you have 1 ounce per gallon premix oil (TCW-3 2 stroke). Make sure you have your coolant filled to the proper level. Oil too. You want a good 5 quarts or so of 20-w50.

What color was the smoke? It could just be smoking due to old gasoline sitting inside the engine for awhile. When you go to start it up next... squirt a couple squirts of MOTOR OIL (not ATF) inside the spark plug holes and rotate the engine BY HAND a few times, frontwards and backwards. Replace with clean spark plugs and start it. It may smoke for a couple minutes, but as long as it doesn't overheat or anything you should be ok.

It could be that your oil control rings or coolant seals are going bad. If the smoke disappears after the thermostat opens it is your coolant seals. If it stays smokey no matter how warm it gets your oil rings are worn. If it is the coolant seals you can try this little trick...

(I claim no responsibility to any damage)

Pour a small container of brake fluid into your oil pan along with 5 quarts of 20w50 motor oil. Let the engine idle for about 20 minutes or so and go on a light drive (50 miles or so). Let it idle for another 20 minutes or so. Drain the oil and replace with strait 20w50. That should get your seals to swell up a bit and last you another year or so. Again, I have tried this myself with good results, but I don't want to take responsibility for something breaking...

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Also make sure your distributor is working properly. Time at top dead center.

Kentetsu

I don't know man.... The swelling you speak of also causes the seals to soften to a point of mushiness. They won't last long in that condition.

If you have a bad oil control ring, try Lucas.

If you have a bad coolant seal, then look up my thread in the Archives. $4.00 and 15 minutes and you'll be grinning again...

NCross

iTrader: (18)

It's just a quick fix if the motor is on its last leg. It will hold you over until you save for a new keg

Kentetsu

I have to disagree with that, at least until I see a failure in my case. Drove the car all year, with plenty of autocrossing, and still no sign of the issue returning.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Outside of the smoking issue (might just be flooded):

- the alt triggers the choke & check, this grounds one end of basically all of the idiot lghts directly. If the alt is bad, or if the connector on the alt (or on the choke & check) is unplugged, then the idiot lights will not turn on.

- on the SE, no tach signal = no signal to injectors = no fuel. You need to find why that engine fuse blew. With a blown engine fuse, it will not start (you won't have ignition or fuel). Start looking for shorts around the coil and ignitor areas, but the short could be in several different loactions as that circuit powers quite a few things.

For the idiot lights, I don't see any way that only the washer light would come on, but not the others unless there was a problem in the cluster itself. Does the washer light stay on constant and is bright, or does it kind of flicker (could be a grounding issue)?

NCross

iTrader: (18)

May sound stupid... but the simplest fix for the lights may be to make sure there are good bulbs in the cluster.

slow5oh

I had several wiring issues on my 84 gsl-se when i first got it, and one of them caused these exact symptoms. the injector connector for the rear rotor housing had cracked apart from heat over the years and eventually came unplugged and grounded out on the rotor housing. i seriously doubt this is a common problem, so its not likely the same problem you are having, but i thought i would throw that out there.

waysrx7

Well, I know it was ATF because of the bottle behind the seat and the fact that the plugs were soaked in it; I pulled the plugs to check/clean as soon as I got the car. That said, the ATF was probably in there for a while so who knows what that is to the oil control seals.

The good news is that my spare alt fixed the idiot lights, thanks kent. I can't figure why only the washer light stayed on, it was bright and looked normal with no flicker, unless it is the only light wired independent of the alt and choke & check relay.

Well it's flooded now so I'm throwing in the towel for today, too much studying to do.

1980REX

the injector clip braking on the rear rotor happened to mine(85) and my buddy's(84).

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Weird deal. According to the wiring diagrams, the washer light, and most of the others, are tied directly to the choke & check. They all have the same power source too, so they shold all work or not..hmmm. Others, like the coolant light, are controled by a separate box. This box is also triggered by the choke & check to turn the light on, but it isn't really a direct connection between the choke & check and the light as it is with most of the others. Oh, well. Glad it is working now.

Perhaps the alt developed an internal short and that is what blew the engine fuse? If your tach comes back to life, we at least know we are on the right track.

slow5oh

it was quite a downer when it first happened. i was in the throttle HARD and all the sudden it sputtered and started running on one rotor, and i just knew i had blown my motor. kept on driving (its 55 miles from work to home and i wasnt about to tow it for a blown motor) and all the sudden it started running right again. got out and started revving the motor and wiggling the wiring harness and sure enough, i could move it to a certain spot and it would rev up correctly, and another spot and it would not rev up. my first assumption was that i had a short in a wire. i removed the intake to find and repair it and thats when i found the injector clip broken.

waysrx7

I think the washer light stayed on because my washer level sender must be broken because the light stays on even with a full tank of washer fluid with the car running. Also it stays on even with the 20a engine fuse pulled.

The good news is it started tonight, although it smoked like crazy. By the time it warmed up the smoke was almost all gone; it smokes less than my '79 so i'm not too worried about it. I believe it also has either a stuck or bad side seal on the rear rotor; with my luck hopefully nothing a little seafoam wont fix.

I have a few bugs to work out ie. 2000rpm idle, heater doesnt work, need drivers headlight retractor, but overall I think I got lucky on this one.

slow5oh

the idle can be a bitch, especially if your induction system isnt in top notch shape. i got mine to idle correctly once its warm, but i still cant get it to idle when its cold. my heater is sub par as well, but in my case its because the car doesnt ever reach operating temp while driving. it gets just warm enough to get a little heat and thats as warm as it gets, lol.

waysrx7

I fixed the idle, the cruise control cable was too tight, and replaced the headlight motor. Apparently the retractor mounting brackets are different from an '82 gsl to an '85 gsl-se which I found rather odd.

Does anyone know if a '79 blower motor is different than the '85 se one?
I also just found out the fuel level sender is no good I havn't decided if I want to try and fix that yet.