i know it is a sedan, but car is a Cutlass Supreme according to fenders... i was wondering if the car is anything like a Ford? i know on Fords the engine light comes on only for 2 reasons on the 80s Crown vics and Grand Marquis... those reasons were overheat or no oil pressure... any rate, on my cutlass sedan with 3.8L the engine light is on... was wondering what might cause this? the engine starts no matter the temp outside... i give gas pedal one pump then barely touch gas and turn key and it fires on up... i can say that i need to replace heater core since past owner bypassed it... i also would like to change door handle on driver door since it is busted along with mirror... the surprising thing to me is back doors only have wing windows and dont roll down... this is a non powered car and pretty basic... i will post pics as soon as weather allows since it is COLD and snow on everything here in Nebraska

 

So what is wrong with a 4 door? My mom had one (an '86) and I loved the ride and the classy look - I wish I had it!!!!!!

Olds is different then Ford.
The red Ford "engine" light was for oil and overheat back then. My Ford had the same thing until I swapped for gauges.

Now on your Cutlass, are you talking about the orange "check engine soon" light? I assume so. That is for emission control failure / computer errors. A bad sensor probably. You can drive it without damage if this one is on. There are ways to find out what the code is and fix it.

The Oldsmobiles then had separate red lights for 'temp' and 'oil/choke'. When those are on, do not drive it.

The non-opening rear big windows was standard. Silly, huh. However, the wing windows worked well for ventilation when you were moving though. You could even have them open in the rain and use the 'vent' setting when it was not hot or cold out.
On power window cars, the wings opened with motors.

 

Well to the extent it has four tires and an engine in the front, yeah, it's the same...

What "light" are you talking about, exactly? If it's the Check Engine light, when it stays lit there is a trouble code stored in the computer.

 

it is the check engine... how do i go about running codes and getting that shut off?

 

You need a paperclip, slightly better than a sloths reaction time, (maybe) something to write with, and knowledge of what the codes mean. Here's how you do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3CzHCfz-9A

Forget the code key, all you need is a paperclip bent into a "u".

To determine what your code is, get a repair manual or search the interweb.

It's really easy, don't sweat it.

 

If you want to do that yourself, here is how:
http://tlentz.oldsgmail.com/howto.html#Computer

If you do not wish to try, your local parts store might have a scan tool to use (if it works on those older systems). The computer plug is to the left of the ashtray under the dash.

Report back the code(s) and we will take it from there.

 

the second link was a helper toward a noise i thought was windshield... it pointed out the hood rests were to blame... i opened the hood, and looked over a few things then went for a drive and low and behold the noise was gone... i will get codes pulled as soon as the sleet and freezing rain stops... i hate winter when i wanna work on the car

 

Autozone will have a guy come out with you to your car and connect a code reader for no charge.

 

They both also have "O's" in their names, too!

 

Yep - the notorious thunkin' center hood bumper! Grease it for a little thunk-be-gone...

Oldsgmail.com has lots of good info for your G-body Olds!

Especially when your hands become so cold they hurt like crap...

 

thanks for the helper sites... i belong to numerous Ford type sites and assist people and i am an admin over one... i belong to GrandMarq.Net FordForums.com and MercuryForum.com

i help where i can but my specialty cars are the bigger Crown Vic, Grand Marquis and Town Cars... i like finding them not running and bringing them to life again...

i like this car now... i just wanna fix it since it was neglected and i feel bad for cars that dont get attention they should get and are only driven till they drop and then forgotten about or disposed of...

 

well... i got the brakes bled out now to drive the car safer than the way it was... i need to figure out a couple vacuum lines .. one big one from the cruise servo it looks like and heads toward the vac booster but left open and another vac line the feeds off a T fitting small line to the right when looking at the front of the brake booster... i also need to pull the owners manual out of the glove box and check fuses to see why the dash lights dont work

 

There might be something here in the hose routing page...
http://members.dandy.net/~k0xp/Oldsm...dsDiagrams.htm

Oh - wait, here it is from the site above!!

This is for an 84 bu the the 85 should be similar if not the same.

If you plan on keeping the car, a copy of the factory service manual will be your best tool for the money.

 

ok... i am having an issue with heat in the car... when i bought it, the heater core was bypassed... i changed it in 10 degree temps and no leaks and still no heat... heater core lines are heated up, but thinking it is a blend door not closing... are there adjustments on this to make the blend door close so that i hve heat... kind of rough to drive in weather where it hasnt been above 20 in 2 weeks....

 

Did you verify the door opens and closes as it should?

 

I am pretty sure the temperature lever is cable operated on these. There should be a noticable resistance felt when moving the lever. If too loose and easy to move, that indicates a broke cable or attaching point. You should be able to check the door's movement by looking up under the dash while moving the lever.

If both heater hoses are ~equally hot near the core, then it is surely a problem under the dash causing only cold air to blow out.
If one hose is much cooler than the other, then the water valve may not be opening.

 

As noted, the temperature blend door is cable operated on these cars. It is very common for the plastic bellcrank that connects the cable to the door to break. Pull the glove box liner and you can see what's going on. If it's broken, you can get a new one at Rockauto. See this post:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/134760-post11.html

 

i dropped the glove box and adjusted the door... there was a metal threaded rod that has a plastic clip on it and adjusted it to fully close the door... it was only shutting 2/3 of the way... i also slipped the cable thru the clip some also to pull it tighter also... i can say the heat is working for the most part... i need to check the vacuum servos to see about the doors controlling where the air blows... it blows mostly thru the floor and very little to the defrost... no matter the setting

 

Glad you got some heat now...
If you jiggle the top handle, can you get it to work? Do you hear a faint hissing sound fromt he control panel? If so, then the vacuum selector switch is leaking and needs replacing. Common issue - part can be had from rockauto for 25 bucks.

To check the vacuum servos, attach a long clean piece of hose to each and suck on 'em. They should move freely and hold vacuum.

 

i noticed now when using the heat in the car at night with headlights and when braking that the belt i am guessing to the alternator is squeeling bad like a bad draw on the system... i am only guessing that the alternator is about toast...

i will go thru the servos and get something going to get it more from the defrost to allow it to keep from fogging the windshield...

 

If the belt is tight (1/2" deflection at center) and not glazed or worn, measure the voltage at the battery with lights on (high beams), heater fan on high. Should be no higher than 16V per service manual. It should be no less than about 13V. 13.5 to 14.8 is optimal.

If not, the alt may need work (note that these can be easily bench tested and repaired - I just did it to my '86)

 

thanks for the info... i noticed on other cutlass cars they had different speedometers... i dont like dummy lights and would rather install the one that has the tach, speedometer and other gauges... is this possible to do? i didnt know if all i needed to do was find one the way i wanted and install or if i had to do some other stuff? my work comp finally is sending money since it has been over 4 weeks since pay... now i have money to pay my bills and do a few things to the car... i know i am gonna do the valve cover gaskets, plugs, wires, belts, and get a few junkyard parts to fix up the old beast... my fiance and myself settled on the name of the car also... it is now known as Sweet Pea...

 

All cars should have gauges!
It can be done - I did it to my '86...



You will need the rally pac, oil sender, oil sender brass elbow, water temp sensor, 3' long piece of wire with a 2A fuseholder on it, some patience, and some electrical knowhow.
You will need to rearrange some wires in the connectors that plug in the back of the cluster.

Hardest part will be finding the shifter indicator plate. You may have to make one like I did, as most of these clusters were on floor shift cars.

Before installing, clean all the electrical connectors with a pencil eraser and solder the tach selector on the back to ensure good reliability.

Wiring mod description is available at 442.com and oldsgmail.com.

 

i can care less about shift indicator... my state does not have inspections that require stuff or check emissions... only inspection i will have is to compare the VIN of the car to the title to make sure it matches since it is a car from out of state...

well, as stated previously, i had to get photos of the car taken... i finally did, so be nice please... i understand the car needs work, but it was neglected over the years and i plan on rejuvenating it to bring back some of its glory... the bad dent in driver rear door i can fix with stud welder, slide hammer and a body hammer to pull it back out and get it back in shape. i did the same thing to the car i did paint job to of my ex's car since the passenger door of hers was knocked in good and when i was done, people thought i replaced instead of fixing it

 

Looks like a good project for sure. I hope that you ARE able to restore it (at least some)...
My mom once had an '86 and I loved it. Very classy. These are hard to find now and I hope yous stays on the road.
Looks like all that salt crap is taking its toll on her. Hopefully it does not get too much worse.
That dent in the door might be able to be mostly pushed out from the inside. Would be less to use the slide hammer on.