Scenario... I am not finding the exact same things in searching recent threads , maybe these were addressed a long time ago... I have a rust free 88 Gl10 I dragged home from california. I have most of the major issues addressed, The air ride was being rebuilt until I found lots of scoring on the cylinder walls of compressor. I am going to look at a wagon to take normal struts off of. NEXT problem... The door lock light won't go off. Is there a sensor in the driver door or something? NEXT...the blower - motor GOOD, fuses GOOD, resistor pack GOOD, switch , seems good but does not have power going to it -Relay??? I thought it was possibly the vaccum switch behind it not enabling it ( had bad leak ) but I replaced it ( thanks Greg Pilot! ) , that's a big one - the only other problem is the gas gauge readsa empty with lo fuel light on. I checked and cleaned resistor in tank - readings change resistance - A search mentioned bad wire connects, I think it's ok. I tried jumping wires from sender to back of instrument cluster ( white/yellow - blac/yellow ) no diff... Any help with these 3 probs much appreciated!!!

I know newer subarus have a Relay in the blower motor circuit. Even with a bad resistor pack you should have high. This may have a relay too.

 

Door lock light I think is on the mechanisim.

 

Gas gauge, the low fuel light is a thermistor. It sounds like there may not be enough power getting to the sending unit.

Thanks for the tips. I will pull the door apart and see if the mechanism is dirty or corroded. Anyone have an idea where to look for a relay or schematic for the blower switch? I stayed up late searching a chilton's manual and the board. no success. Sure wish a fsm would pop up on ebay:). The sender has 3 wires and a gnd lug. The blk/yel and wh/yel seem to go all the way to the gauge. The black must end somewhere in the unibody. Which one supplies power ? is it 12V or knocked down to 5 somewhere? thanks in advance!

http://www.finleyweb.net/JonsStuff/SubaruDocumentation.aspx

If you need a set of struts, I have a set of four in good shape. They are complete with springs and tops, ready to install.

 

Let me know

the door lock light will remain on whenever ANY door is unlocked. all the doors have to be locked for the light to go away. this is normal operation

I may have to get with you on those struts - I will know more on wed night. All the doors lock with the switch - the light flickers but does not go out. Maybe over time - it had seven years to sit and corrode. when I get the suspension working I'll run it down a sandy wash at speed - that should shake it loose!

I would bet anything that your door switches are going bad. I have those too. Which door is giving you the problem? I can pul that switch for you or I can get you all four if you want them.

 

Mike

The blower has a relay. It comes on with the ignition. It is up above the fuse box, with a whole bunch more relays, 3 or 4. It is very unpleasant to get to.

 

Just because the gas gauge reads empty, doesn't mean it is. I have at least 2 US gallons left when my Loyale hits E. I don't have a light. The light is to wake you up and tell you to do something about it. The gauge is your first indicator (low level), the light is the second (low-low level, FIX IT!). It is working fine.

I believe his problem is that the gas guage reads empty all the time even when he has gas in the tank.

 

 

The blower has a relay. It comes on with the ignition. It is up above the fuse box, with a whole bunch more relays, 3 or 4. It is very unpleasant to get to.

 

Just because the gas gauge reads empty, doesn't mean it is. I have at least 2 US gallons left when my Loyale hits E. I don't have a light. The light is to wake you up and tell you to do something about it. The gauge is your first indicator (low level), the light is the second (low-low level, FIX IT!). It is working fine.

"the only other problem is the gas gauge readsa empty with lo fuel light on."

 

Is that what he meant? It is not what he said...

yes , that's it. The tank is almost completely full - digital gauge still reads empty - low fuel light on. I have the sender out and you can see the tank is full , float works , resistor seems to work , checked w/ ohm meter, tried bypassing factory wiring. Anyone know which wire is energized to the sender? blk, blk/yel,wh/yel? Is it a full 12V?

That helps.

 

Often, there is a voltage regulator that sends a lower voltage, ( like 8 V or so) to the sender. This way, there is no fluctuation with battery and alternator voltage. It is steady no matter what the charging system does.

 

I would look for voltage on all of them. It shouldn't be too hard. If there is no voltage, start looking for the regulator. Might be in the dash (ouch!).

great info! I had just enough time on lunch to check the door lock light. Turns out the back doors (especially) are not locking all the way. I will pull the panels and clean/lube the solenoids. Probably full of dust and cobwebs like the rest of the car was.

I used to have a couple of the exact same models at one time. They were good cars and I think you will like yours also. One had a head and headgasket problem and some other things but we dealt with it.

 

There is a blower relay up near the middle of the dash area. Look for a set of four relays in a row. I think the blower relay is on the left side. The middle two relays are for the headlights and the fourth one is for the defroster.

 

For the fuel gauge trouble you need to check for power coming from the gauge to the sender. The blk/yel wire provides a regulated voltage to the sender. The wht/yel wire provides return to the low fuel light and my info shows a light green/blk wire provides a ground return for the level gauge. It turns into a black wire at the gauge end and should tie to ground.

 

I highly recommend you search Ebay to purchase a set of factory service manuals that will help you immensly with problems like this. You should be able to find the complete set of four manuals for around 50 dollars. Some of the best money you can invest in the car.

Edited February 9, 201016 yr by Cougar

I was working on it before I read your post. I read 5.02 V constant from the wh/yel to gnd. Is that opposite of correct? On the black/yel I only have millivolts. Bypassing the sender doesn't even change the gauge reading- could it be the actual gauge?

 

All the door locks work now -wd40 miracle!

 

None of the function buttons light up on the ac controls. I cured the vaccum leak but suspect a harness somewhere is unplugged. It must relay power to the blower switch because it has no voltage either.

 

I will continue my search for a set of FSM. My friend just bought all 6 xt6 books for $90.

I picked up all three FSMs (sections 2-6) for an '88 for $24 bucks on this site, so just keep your eyes open and sometimes good deals come up! Very glad I picked them up, that's for sure. Already helped me out a bunch. Well worth the investment...

will continue search for fsm. I have two chilton's books - second one because it had wiring diagrams. dissappointed in how basic they were - typically engine harness for newer cars. I have an fsm for suzuki and toyota corrolla - super helpful.

 

Maybe the blk to grn/blk is the problem. I only get changing resistance between the other 2 wires. Maybe I should post on the wtb section for an old digidash for parts ...

You didn't state where you read the voltage of the blk/yel wire at. You need to check it where it ties to the meter. The 5 volts you saw on the wht/yel wire is feeding back from the gauge I believe.

I was reading them in the trunk , I stripped some insulation back on them both. Yes. the white/yellow with the 5 volts was coming from the gauge.

 

I bought a parts wagon tonight. A loyale 4x4 with 5 speed pushbutton.I need it mainly for the struts. It has analog dash but I may try messing with the sender in it.

I also have a set of brand new struts/shocks, if you're in need. I bought them from a member on this board, then decided I didn't really want to pull everything apart....nothing really wrong with the one's I've got on the '86 now!

 

Anyhow, I got 'em pretty cheap, I'll sell 'em cheaper if you want them.

Thanks! I may still need them. The wagon turns out to be a Loyale with the 5 speed push button 4wd. If it was DR I would still need your struts as I would have a car worthy of fixing. I didn't have a lot of time to look but I didn't see any controls for a diff lock ( not awd ) or LR. It is also kinda rough. Missing the back seat and some glass , and battery. Some body panels are nice , others are trashed. The tailgate is rusty. Ext. white, inside blue. Once I start stripping it some parts will undoubtedly end up in fs or on ebay. Hoping to fix last couple problems with parts and get my gl10 turbo on the road!

okay , In response to testing behind the gauges- it seems to rad exactly as in the trunk. 5 volts on the white/yellow to ground , mv on blk/yel , mv between two wires. Getting really frustrated with this deal but thats old cars. Sorry about jumping threads - I have been off the board so long I may as well be a total newb! ( flame away )...

 

Took most of dash apart also looking for hidden blower relay. Wires seem to go towards right from switch and disappear. Hope to find bank of 4 near middle of dash, My friend didn't get to PO in time - his xt FSMs are in -hopefully the schematics are similar.

Edited February 13, 201016 yr by swampbrat

I assume you have already checked to see there is 12 volts getting to the fuel gauge module. If that is good then you could do a little experimenting with the circuit. You could remove the blk/yel wire from the module and tie the lead to a small battery pack. I suggest you try around 6 volts. Place the negative end of the battery pack to a good chassis ground and the positive end to the blk/yel wire. Then see if there is a reading on the gauge. If there is, you will have proven the module is bad.

project update!

 

I got the suspension system changed over today. Car sits surprisingly high - I think the wagons have stiffer rear coils so it's up a bit. As for the fuel gauge - no progress, I tried out a different sender and jumping things out. For now , I just pulled the bulb out of the low fuel light. The relay bank was hidden over the fuse box in mine - came out with 3 screws. I tried swapping harnesses to different relays but it still would not kick ac on. Fortunately , I put the battery in the parts car and my wife's key actually turns on the ignition. The ac/heat buttons/blower all work. I will tear into it tomorrow and figure out the wiring so I can fix the gl10.