Ok everyone I just got this 84 about 2 weeks ago. Drove home, made it halfway. Lol. Old 305 I already anticipated this. So towed rest of way. Now what I didn't anticipate was the way the lights are wiggin out on me. I mean what was gm thinking? OK enough whining. When I turn the key on the hazards start goin berserk headlights won't turn on wipers won't work had to hold in the highbeam button to drive at night lol and no turn signals or cluster lights. Funny thing is sometimes everything works except the wipers. Also kick panel lights stay on. Any suggestions? And is it possible to somehow bypass the light module? Because let's face it I seriously doubt a 68 had a light module. Just hook up some old school wiring? Pros? Cons?

 

I will give you some advice that I never see on this board. Take it to a certified mechanic. Sink a couple hundred into your investment to make it right. You will be glad you did.

 

Good looking Berlinetta by the way!

 

Thanks don. I think I'm going to take it. This car is possessed by the gremlin god. I have never seen or heard of lights doin this. Except on Poltergeist.

 

Poltergeist

Mine needed an exorcism too when I got it last year. I chased bugs forever in the electrical system before dropping it off. It took the guy about 20 minutes to find the issue. A day and a half to get the parts he needed, and a full $70 and it was like new again...lol

Im really digging that Berlinetta. Nice find!

 

The Berlinetta is a very cool car and has a limited run in third gens. There is a member here that specializes in them and he's very helpful from some of his threads ive read. his username is John In RI ...you can contact him via PM for parts and questions. He also has his own web adress specifically for Berlinettas which can be found here:

http://www.berlinetta.info

Good luck and welcome to TGO!

 

The 'easiest' way to remove the Light Module from a digital Berlinetta is to convert the entire interior to a 'regular' Camaro. ( this conversion includes the complete dash housing, internal heater core box, Heater / ACharness, steering column, center console and several other parts that are Berlinetta specific. )

There's about 30 wires plugged into the Light Module,..... So it's about as easy to remove it from the car for 'something else' as it is to build a complete fusebox ( from scratch with no map/diagrams to follow.) Trying to build something to take the place of the Light Module is - IMO - a big waste of time. There's no need to pay anyone to figure out what's wrong with it - the Light Module I obviously fried - so just replace it and move onto the 383 swap !!!

 

 

didnt realize all of those parts were Berlinetta specific! wow...

 

Oh yea , to me it's interesting to see the different variants of third gen and to note the wiring differences among them . Can you imagine how different the harness must be between an 82 with an Iron Duke VS an 89 TTA ?

You'll find some folks tend to be interested in the different sub models like the beryl . John in RI is THE berlinetta source here and If I ever had any questions about it , he's the one guy I hope would answer !

 

Roger that. The Berlinetta was a completely different beast. I LOVE the look of an 82-84 sport coupe so Im drawn to the Berlinetta somewhat. In fact, I would trade my 83 Z in excellent condition for a nice t-top sport coupe. Just something about the simpler look, especially the front end that those cars had that I would love to have again. Had one in HS

 

Yea it sure in good shape dent/rust free interior looks amazing for the age. Restoring for shows so want to keep the dash and digital which actually work. Odd.



Back looks even better

2 fold purpose here. 1 I wanted another 3rd gen. 2 since I lost my boat anchor and I knew this car had a 305. Self explanatory really. Yes I know some 305 are pretty quick. But for me I would rather spend those dollars on something a bit more...........beast mode.

 

Engine will be
4 bolt 383 stroker block
Speed pro slugs and all bearings and freeze plugs new speed pro brand.
Arp rod bolts
Forged crank and rods
Mowtown 220 heads
Broomstick is a comp 294
850 road demon carb
1 3/4 hookers.
No power adders at all and defiantly no baby bottles.
Have all parts ready for assembly except intake. Not sure on that one.

 

That's going to be one fun car to drive!

 

Very nice Berlinetta.

IMO, you're better off with the dash still working vs. the pods.
My advice if you're going to restore it is to keep an eye out for more dash parts. You can never have enough.
Parts for these are becoming more scarce, ...probably won't find much on Ebay any more, but locally you may be able to pick up on a car being parted out. Very rare, but not impossible. You'll probably see most set at very high prices (hundreds for stuff that doesn't work), then others more reasonable. It's much nicer to have extra parts around to be worked on and/or as a back up. If you're looking at a cluster keep in mind some are for a V6 and may not be as useful to you.

I personally consider anything I buy as a core, even if it's advertised as working. Electronics this old are subject to cold solder joints and dried up electrolytic capacitors. The plastics are often brittle as well and sometimes a post for a screw will simply crumble away. Most all are in the same condition but generally still serviceable. More simple, component level, through hole electronics meant to be repaired, well except GM made that a little more difficult. I would not throw anything away.
The hard part would be replacing propitiatory circuit board chips which are most likely common chips with GM numbers over the top. I'm guessing a bit on this because I haven't taken the time to research specifically, but this is generally the case for this era. The buttons on the wiper/HVAC often become unusable but are easily repaired and there was also a guy on here fixing these a while back.

IMO,an SAE mech may not be of much use to you, however an older electronics repair guy and/or the will to learn how to solder should get you back up and running eventually. If not, there are places that still repair clusters, and may be willing to take on the pods as well. Look for places that repair old mid 80's Corvette clusters and see what they have to say. Berlinetta electronics were the forefather to modern conveniences (delayed interior lights/radio and auto shut off headlights iiirc) and imo the dash somewhat related to the Corvette in design. It's as close to one off as I think you might ever see in a production car.

With what you described (everything working and then suddenly not) I'm willing to bet that it could be a ground issue, or cold solder joint. Some of the wiper electronics are in the motor iirc, John may be able to fill us in on that. I do know that if you remove the wiper/HVAC pod the wipers will run constantly. So even a non working pod may come in handy if you want to work on your good one and still drive the car around. Anyway, I hope that helps somewhat, and good luck.

 

Thanx Guys !!!!

I was once a teenaged, 'know-0', first time Thirdgen owner and while most of what I know has been mapped thru the scars on my hands since then,.... this website has provided me with answers I needed ( usually in a pinch ! ) more times than I could ever count. I'm grateful for all the help I've gotten over the years and enjoy being able to pass along the same kind of assistance that I once needed myself.




You might get lucky and be able to "re-set" the Light Module by Cutting it's power for a little while. Some disconnect the battery and some pull the INS fuse. This doesn't always work - but in some cases it will allow the lighting to work again for VERY SHORT period of time. I've found the problem you describe on several old Light Modules and the problem is usually intermittent for awhile, then permanent. It's a circuit board problem,.... not related to the removable relays inside.

The Wiper issues aren't always easy to diagnose because - as Scorp pointed out - The circuit board inside the wiper motor cover is often (not always !) the cause of Wiper problems. The Wiper buttons also get more use than most others on the pod and as a result the foil contacts under those buttons take the most use/abuse. Foil contacts can be removed and replacements soldered in their place.

Looks like you've got a real solid car to work with here, the interior seems to be as well-kept as the exterior. Not bad for a 30+ Year Old ride !!!

 

Cool car...

 

I am having a similar issue with my 84 Berlinetta. Neither of the modules work. I'm not mechanically inclined and the mechanic I took it to said he wouldn't modify the car. I'm near Birmingham, AL and may have to just sell the car if I can't get it fixed...