Greetings everyone,
I'm a newbie one here. I am thankful for such a vast source of info for us 3rd gen owners.
Prior to posting this question, I read other posts to see if I could troubleshoot, and although they were helpful to educate myself, my issue I think is more of a cluster F!.
I hope I can be steered on the right path to get my electronics issues fixed...there are a few issue, I think are concentrated in one area (steering column/gauge cluster).
I have a 1988 Iroc Z, 305 TPI, 5 speed manual. So the first issue i have is starting my vehicle with the key. When I turn the key, it won't crank. But, can hear the fuel pump turn on. Therefore, my dad lend me a hand at hotwiring it directly from the starter. So he took one wire, made contact with the starter and the other end directly to the battery, and she started immediately, with the car on neutral and without the need to step on the clutch. I took her for a drive around the block, and when I arrived and parked, she turned off normal by the turning off the key. The ignition key has no chip for the VATS. Also, when I got her, I had no issues for about 5 years, up until now out of nowhere. When I bought my her, she came with a viper alarm, and have no clue if its stock or aftermarket. Before starting her up, I'd have to press the unlock button. After a few times, I stopped using the alarm, left her unlocked so I would be able to start her, and just locked the doors by hand. I was able to start her up with no issues for awhile like this, up until like I mentioned, now.

2nd issue...When I took her for a drive around the block. The left turn signal works fine, but when I turn the right turn signal the tach, oil, battery, fuel, and temp gauges go cuckoo and start moving on their own. The gauge lights won't turn on. Then the hazard turned on their own inside the gauge cluster and outside. Also the aftermarket cd player has no power.

Those darn electric gremlins did a number on my vehicle.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance

 

The VERY FIRST THING to do when you get a car with an aftermarket alarm/immobilizer, is to GET RID OF IT. About 99.999% of all problems like yours stem DIRECTLY from that crap.

Get it out of there. Repair whatever sodomy was wreaked upon the wiring during installation, PROPERLY. (solder with rosin-core solder, and heat-shrink) Don't even bother "troubleshooting" anything. GET RID OF IT. Then, if it still doesn't work right, maybe start digging into "why is it doing this".

The dash problem sounds like it lost its ground.

The CD player probably is an installation problem... the fact that it happens to be inside a 3rd gen doesn't allow us to guess how it's installed wrong, that one you'll just have to pull out and inspect.

 

Ok, will do that.
I’m guessing the alarm wires are going to be obvious?
I have a wiring diagram to go off when I search for the alarm wires
The CD player I’ll leave till the very end.
Thanks for the advice 👍

I’ll get started on that this weekend.

 

Generally the alarm wires aren't hard to find... find the alarm, the wires usually are connected to it... additionally, aftermarket alarm wiring usually looks aftermarket (bright colored vinyl), not like the factory wires which are duller colored and made of sterner stuff than the kids' toy pool material that race-to-the-bottom economics drives the junk peddlers toward. Look also for abuncha Schotchloks, twisted-together and taped lazy installer crap, bare conductors (see lazy installer), and so forth.

 

Thank you for the advice. My Iroc no longer has a cheap poorly installed alarm system. You were right about the cheap wires and very bad wiring. But alas, I was able to remove it all completely and reconnect, soder and fix the few cut wires. The neutral safety switch was cut and connected to a relay, and as soon as that was fixed the car immediately cranked. But, now it wont start, I think it's not getting spark. So now going to check the ignition module and change the old coil.