86 Estate Wagon Cruise Not Working After Turn Signal Lever Replacment

Hi There:

I am back again with a small issue on the 1986 Buick Estate Wagon I recently restored for my dad. He is looking forward to taking the wagon down to Alabama in April and wants everything to be working properly. Before I started the resto project, the cruise control worked fine, but now nothing.

I replaced the turn signal/wiper lever with a used one with clean lettering (the old one was all worn off) and I thought I plugged it in to the base of the steering column, but now I'm not sure. I tried to get my head under there to see, but with the lower dash piece and the molded HVAC ducting in the way, I cannot see for sure. I also checked under the hood and everything looks plugged in. I checked the fuse block, but could not see a fuse foor the criuse control unit. I assume it is shared with one or more functions, but if anyone knows please advise me before I start pulling all the fuses to see if I have a blown fuse.

I will be pulling the lower dash pieces when I replace his carb in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, if anyone knows what else to check that would be greatly appreciated.

So far, it still looks good even with a layer of salt on on it. The headliner will have to be redyed though since the current coloring is easily brushed off whenever you touch or bump it. I knew this, but without completely removing th headliner, I had no choice but to lay on my back with a hazmat suit and goggles on and shoot the recoloring spray against gravity. I am thinking now that I will have to vacuum the loose coloring and then using gloves and tack free rags, recolor the headliner by hand with dye right out of the bottle. I found some product online, but may have to purchase a small sample to confirm the color is close to the original dark blue. Always something......

Anyway, any info on the above cruise control issue would be great.

Thanks!!

Ted

 

Checking to see if you plugged it in would be a good start.
If it is plugged in make sure the lever switch isn't bad by replacing it with the old one that you know worked to test it. I would check that first since it's the only thing you messed with.
Otherwise I woud check the fuse, the owner's manual should say which one it uses. The cruise also connects to the brake light switch or it's own switch controlled by the brake pedal. My '71 cruise also has a vacuum switch down there that cuts off the cruise vacuum when you hit the brakes.
Doesn't the 1986 Olds chassis service manual should show all of the pieces-parts and cruise control troubleshooting diagnostics?

 

No advice on the cruise problem, but your headliner issue sounds like one that's better addressed by an upholstery shop - even though you've got to pay for it. Sometimes you gotta know when to call in an expert....
Also, with all the spray dye, etc. on it now, maybe it's just better to replace it......

 

Yea just recover the headliner with new material. They sell headliner fabric at fabric stores that already has the foam attached to the back. It is actually pretty easy to do yourself for cheap. Just clean the old foam off the boards really good, and find a good quality spray contact adheasive. The hardest part is getting the headliner trim off without breaking the plastic clips, because they are no longer available new through GM.

 

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That is the main reason why I opted to recolor it versus snapping every brittle headliner clip and having to glue it in place. I'm sure the current coloring will come off no problem with a vacuum and brush attachment. The real trick is to get the coloring on evenly by applying it and then working it into the fabric with a carpet brush. Whoever said these cars were easy to restore and work on???

I will post my results on the cruise control issue and headliner whn it gets warmer here.

Ted

 

Ok, I just did some checking online for a replacement turn sugnal/wiper/cruise contriol lever and I discovered there is a 3 wire and a 4 wire lever available. My dad's wagon has the intermittent wipers and cruise and I thought fo sure I replaced it with the proper lever, but I have no idea if it is a 3 or 4 wire harness. Does anyone know if his 86 Estate Wagon should have a 3 or 4 wire replacement lever and what the significance of the extra wire is? Does it go to the cruise control somehow and that would explain why I suddenly don't have workign cruise control on his car?

Can I tell which one I have on teh car by unplugging it underneath the dash (assuming it is actually plugged in in the first place (see my post above)? All I remember is the end of the lever harness has a weird metal tipped end that plugs into the harness end near the floor. The wires are covered by a thick protective vinyl covering that I don't want to cut into. Maybe I just got a bad used one. Unfortunately, I sold the old worn out one so I can't compare it to the current lever.

If anyone knows about this, please let me know. There is a seller on Ebay selling and four wire and another selling a brand new 3 wire lever.

Thanks!!

Ted

 

I did some more research on the two different turn signal lever wiring harnesses and found this:

THIS IS A BRAND NEW NON-OEM EXACT REPLACEMENT TURN SIGNAL SWITCH WITH WIPER DELAY AND CRUISE CONTROL. IT HAS A CHROME HOUSING. IT SHOULD FIT THE MAJORITY OF ALL GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLES MADE FROM THE EARLY 1980'S TO THE EARLY 1990'S EQUIPPED WITH CRUISE CONTROL. IT IS A 3 WIRE WITH A BLADE TYPE CONNECTOR. IF YOUR VEHICLE HAS 4 WIRES COMING OUT OF THE SWITCH AND HAS A SMALL SQUARE PLUG THEN IT IS A LATER MODEL SWITCH WITH CRUISE CONTROL AND WE HAVE THOSE AS WELL LISTED IN A SEPERATE AUCTION. THIS IS THE BEST DEAL OUT THERE FOR THIS ITEM AND ONCE WE SELL OUT THEY WILL BE GONE FOREVER AT THIS PRICE!!! DO NOT SNOOZE ON THIS ONE. THE ORIGINAL GM PART # IS 25111260

So, I guess there is only one turn signal lever that would even fit on his car. So, it's either 1. I forgot to plug the blade connector in or in snug, 2. Someone messed with the cruise control assembly near the carb when they reset the idle or 3. The replacement switch I installed was defective and I need a new switch.

Anyway, glad to know I installed the cirrect switch. Now, it's just a process on elimination until the problem is solved.

 

Ok, so I looked at the connector under the dash and to my dismay, I actually plugged it in corectly when I reinstalled the steering column. So now, either I installed a bad turn signal lever or there is a fuse somewhere that got blown. I still need to check the owners manual (my dad had it out of the car for some reason) to see if there is a fuse somewhere that I might have missed. I also checked under the hood when I installed a rebuilt carb on Sunday and didn't see any wiring harness unhooked and/or damaged. Maybe there is a ground somewhere that is loose or broken? I may just buy a new aftermarket lever and try replacing that (only $23.00 shipped) but I really wanted to have the factory GM lever since I think they are better quality. Either way, I just want the cruise to be working properly for him.

On a side note, I also located some permanent fabric dye that is used on fabric convertible tops in dark blue. I may give his headliner a nother go around with that product before I breakdown and break every headliner clip trying to remove the headliner to have it recovered. Always something to do on these wagons even though my resto project was "completed" last November.

Will post what I find out after some more checking on the signal lever.

Ted

 

Since the cruise originally worked it SHOULD be the wand or the fuse. However, you say that you changed the carb on the car...is the cruise hooked up properly under the hood?

 

Car is at the shop having the carb fine tuned and some other maintenance performed under teh hood, so they will be checking that out as well. In the meantime, I am going to order the turn signal lever and have it ready to install.

Will also post my results on the headliner recoloring once I get the green light from my dad to buy the fabric dye.

Ted

 

Well, I solved the cruise control issue. It was the switch. I found out the hard way that GM makes two different switches for the full size Buicks, Olds, Chevrolet, Cadillac, etc. A 3 wire and a 4 wire. For those of you who have a full sized Buick built between 1980 and 1990, you will need a 4 wire switch. I ended up buying an aftermarket switch that is alright, but the lettering is too large for my taste. The OEM one I had bought for my dad is a 3 wire switch. Not sure what GM vehicles it will fit, but if anyone needs a nice switch that has all the lettering intact except for the "SET" on the edge, I am selling it on CL for only $15.00.

Send me a PM if you need it and I will sell it for that price plus actual shipping to you.

Thanks,

Ted