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Gremlins in the wiring....

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  81_64Caminoman 
#1 ·
I have an 81 Camino with factory guages. It originally had a computer controlled V6, but I dumped that for a 350 and eliminated the computer control. The wiring is still the same though. Here is what is going on. The check engine light is on all the time, but dim. The Alt gauge desn't work, oil and temp gauge aren't dependable. I've watched the temp gauge go all the way up and back down again with no problems under the hood.

I've tried looking for a bad ground, in fact I pulled the light for the check engine light and that made matters worse. Any ideas? Anbody ever have this problem when killing the computer?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
This isn't a computer removal issue. You either have a bad dash ground of a bad or dirty gauge panel circuit board.
 
#3 ·
Thanks. I'd hate to try and rip out all the wiring. What would be an easy way to narrow this down. Can I put a jumper wire on somewhere and connect it to a good ground, or is my best option to take apart the instrument panel?
 
#5 ·
Have you removed all the wires associated with the computer system, or are they still laying around inside the engine compartment?? If so, and they are still energized, you could be creating some problems by the connectors touching metallic grounding points occasionally. Robert's advice about cleaning the circuit panel behind the instrument cluster still sounds like the best first step and is also good preventive maintenance. To remove the excess computer wiring, see my recent post today.
 
#6 ·
Excellent info, thanks. I still have all the wires tucked up into the fender to keep them out of the way. When I can I'll get in there and get them out. The computer hasn't been hooked up for a long time. Are there any big difference in wiring from 1980 to 1981 other than the computer junk? I've thought of getting wires from an 80 and swapping, but just the thought of that is enough to send me off screaming.

Thanks!
Jody
 
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