bdubz94

Hey guys,
So, I had swapped my 87 13b for an 88 13b, car starts up fine and runs as well as I can get it to for now. Usually the first time the car is started for the day, the tach will bounce as the starter cranks and will read after the motor starts. Yet, when I turn it off and come back to it about an hr later and start the car, the tach will bounce along with starter then die completely after the motor starts. I have been having issues with t2 of trailing pack with no spark.

Sometimes the warning lights and clock will come on with key to run but sometimes they won't yet the handbrake brake light works and sometimes the brake light will stay on after car is running with handbrake down.
Is there any chance I messed up some wiring with the emissions harness that goes over engine and under intake?
Please help I have gotten so far with this car but I am stumped and would love to rule some things out before I go ripping things apart.

satch

iTrader: (1)

The brake light serves two functions, one is the hand brake and the other is low brake fluid in the master cylinder.

Most of all the warning lights will turn on w/key to on but engine off. Once the car starts they should turn off unless you had the emergency brake engaged.

The warning cluster is know for cold solder failure and a resoldering may be in store. Also, sometimes it's just that the plug to the unit is loose or a wire(s) within the plug are pulled back.

In my car sometimes the emergency brake light works and sometimes it does not. If I press on the front of the cluster it will cause the light to work once again thus indicating a loose wire or a poor solder joint.

invinciblejets

Check your alternator..battery and stuff my tach and clock would go out when my alternator belt was loose from low voltage.... Worth a check atleast

jjwalker

It's probably cold solder joints as j9fd3s suggested.

I had to fix every solder spot on my idiot light panel at the connector as they where all cracked and broken.

First of all, if you do this repair, just heating up the original solder and reflowing it WILL NOT fix the issue as it will just crack again.

I fixed mine by heating the solder and contact pad to the right temperature and added new solder. You don't really need to remove the old solder if it is heated correctly and you apply a bit of new stuff. You also dont want to blob it up either

bdubz94

I have read up about the cold solder joints. And the only thing that throws me off is before the swap, I know for a fact all the warning lights and clock worked everytime, with key to run. I also had issues with the radio blinking with the turn signals, but now those work fine. Is the brake light itself on a separate wire or connector? This problem is a pain. One thing that I have noticed is that when all the lights are functioning, the brake light will stay off while driving, but when the lights stop functioning the brake light will stay on, regardless of handbrake position.