I bought this 1989 Pontiac Firebird today and headlights don't come on. They don't pop up automatically but right now I just want them to work. Another thing, dash lights do not work nor do any of the gauges. However, the idiot light cluster does work. This car is a wiring nightmare where someone has cluster****ed up wiring to the fuel pump, destroyed interior and cut radio wires, a/c gauge doohickey is laying on floor with about fifty gagillion wires going to nonexistent subs and amps. The most important thing to me right now is getting my head lights working, and then dash lights.

Oh, and left turn signal works but right does not. The rear turns on but does not blink.

5.0/5Speed

 

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wiring issues arent all that easy to diagnose over the web. from the sounds of it the wiring is all screwed up. id make friends with someone who knows wiring and get to work. its not gonna be something thats fixed over night....

 

Either learn to rear wiring diagrams, learn yourself how to use a multimeter and ohms law, and get a Haynes manual, or just take it to an electrical shop and tell them the circuits you want fixed.

 

Or press the easy button and get a replacement from a JY that isnt torn to pieces

 

if its the dash hnaress thats all chopped up would that require pulling the dash to get it swapped?

 

I got a friend who is good at electrical, were going to go through it but I'm more of a mechanical everything type guy. My Chiltons is in the mail, invaluable books!

 

Yes, pretty involved swap too

Im good at electrical and wouldnt dive into a dash harness unless I absolutely have to. Chiltons/haynes isnt enough, you need a helms or GM service manual for your particular year at minimum. Even then alot of the dash wiring ISNT in any of the diagrams so tracing unknowns becomes especially tedious

 

Well here's a question, is there any possible way I can just get my headlights to work temporarily at the very least?

 

If anyone cares, I rewired it, headlights pop up at a flick of the switch, turn on and every single light works. My speedo and odometer do not work but I imagine it has something to do with the disconnected plug near my trans. VSS?

 

a unplugged vss would cause the spedo not to work

 

I have a five speed, so no converter lock up... The VSS does plug in at trans right?

 

VSS plugs into the tailshaft, reverse lights are higher up on the trans IIRC.