Hey all!

I am very pleased to report that I am the proud owner of a 1982 Delta 88 coupe. It is all original with 81,000 miles. It is dark blue with a blue half vinyl top and the blue cloth interior. It has the Olds 307 and it runs like a top.

It sat for a long time at the previous owner's shop, as he bought it from the original owner but never did anything with it. It's a northern Illinois car, so the bottoms of the doors are a little crusty and on both sides in front of the rear wheels, but the rest of the car is incredibly straight and solid. Other than the paint being faded in spots (classic 80's gm paint thinning), it presents itself very well. The interior is in fantastic shape as well, so all in all I am a very proud new owner.

Since it sat for quite some time without regular use, there are a lot of things that are deciding whether or not they are going to come back to life or not. The power locks work when they feel like it, each window works, but sometimes the passenger side control doesn't like to do its job. Just little things like that.

The biggest thing I am trying to diagnose is the windshield wipers. Most times when you first start the car, they will work and respond to any input on the wiper/cruise control stalk. However, if you leave them on, they will eventually just stop and no input to the controls will do anything to move them. Otherwise, if you turn them on and then turn them back off, they usually wont turn back on again. Any suggestions?

I am not much of a mechanic, but I am trying to learn. I know how most all of it works, just not how to turn the wrenches, which I am desperately trying to change! I bought this to make it a daily driver. So far I've put about 300 miles on it without issue, so here's to hoping things continue to go smoothly.

Thanks so much for any help or advice folks! I will hope to get some pictures up soon!

Bob

 

Always good to hear a Delta is being saved.

Your windows/locks issues are most likely related to gunk & corrosion in the switches.

Take a poke in here about taking them apart & cleaning them up :

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-switches.html

Hopefully that will help.

The wipers ... I've had similar issues in the past.

IIRC ... it was related to the circuit board that attaches to the wiper motor.

I believe the CB's get hairline cracks in them that cause these intermittent issues.

There are also small contact clips in there that can get brittle & fall off.

Took me forever to find some of those when I had some break.

 

Elwood
The wipers have Gremlins. I had lots of trouble with mine too. Sometimes they had a mind of their own and would pump the ww washer reservoir dry and not shut off. My solution was to just replace them. There should be a good supply of them in the boneyards. Same wiper motor fits Chev, Olds, Pontiac and Buick full size.

3 bolts hold the wiper motor in place, then you just have to release the wiper arms.

 

Bob, I have had a few issues with the wipers on my Delta.

The first thing I would check is the ground. There should probably be a ground strap running from the wiper/washer assembly. Make sure is it connected well at both ends. That has fixed issues for me in the past.

 

Hi Bob, sounds like a neat old car you got. Is this the two door version, right? As long as its got decent brakes and no suspension issues, you're off to a good start. Have you done any thing with the cooling system? Hopefully everything is good there.

I hope the suggestions work for you about wipers. Thats at least the first place I'd start looking at too. I know its not the first time I've heard of it, with these gm wiper systems.

 

Thanks for the advice guys! This will give me a good start in poking around if I get a chance this weekend.

Keep the tips coming! Also, I just have to say, it's great to be back on the site after being gone for a while. I still have my 1971 98, but life likes to get in the way of the fun stuff, so I appreciate the warm welcome back.

Bob

 

Have a 82 coupe too,and love these Deltas. Good luck with it. Another Olds saved!!!

 

I too have a Delta 88 coupe, dark blue (Midnight blue metallic) with the 1/4 blue vynal top and matching dark blue interior.

307 in mine was replaced, but the car has a salavge title. Paint has seen better days, but after repalcing the rusted up rear bumper, car looks pretty decent.

The wiper issue you are having is common. Like it was said, check the ground strap first. My issue is the one wiper doesn't park all the way down. Maybe when I do the heater core I can give that a quick touch up

The power locks, if they are orginal, are very easy to fix. One screw hold the panel on the door and then it lifts right out. Two little screws hold the lock switch in place. Carefully pry them open on the sides and the bottom will pop out. You'll have the bezel, rocker switch, and the contacts.

Use a wire brush to get the corrosion off the contacts, then gently bend the contacts up and snap everything back together.

I have remaned switches in mine dated 1995. They don't come apart

Soon, a 1967 330 Olds hi-compression motor will find it's way under the hood

 

Back to the question about the wipers. I had exactly this problem on my 84 Custom Cruiser. The 77-90 B-body cars seem to have a problem with electrical connections. There are several things to look for. First, pull the connectors off the wiper motor and ensure that the terminals on both sides are clean and not corroded. I like to remove the terminals from the plastic connector housing and clean them thoroughly before reinserting. The Packard 56 style connectors use a lock tab on the female terminals that snaps into the plastic housing. Look at the mating edge of the connector (opposite the wires) and you'll see that the opening for each terminal has a small notch on one side. Use a paper clip inserted in this notch to depress the lock tab, which will allow you to pull the wire and terminal out the back of the connector. Sometimes you need to push in on the wire first as the tab can hang up on the connector housing. Remove and replace wires one at a time for obvious reasons. Also note that there is a diode between two of the terminals. Verify that the leads of the diode are not bent and shorting. Finally, verify that the wires going to the connectors aren't damaged. I had some mouse-chewed insulation on mine.

 

Bobe61, your Delta is gorgeous! I LOVE the color too! Certainly a rare shade. I need to replace the front shocks and springs on mine, as they're original, so the front end doesn't sit up nice and high like yours does. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures, she's a beaut!

Redog, it sounds like your Delta is a twin to mine! It definitely feels good to keep another Olds on the road. If I can keep the body cancer from spreading much of any further while I still use it as a daily driver, then it would be nice to eventually spend some money on getting it repainted and really lookin' sharp.

Hey Joe, I think you may have hit the nail on the head with that diode. It is bent fairly badly. The connections and the terminals all look pretty good, but I don't disagree that they could all be gone over.

How would I go about replacing that diode, and where would I get a replacement? Is there a specific kind, or would it be best to take the old one off and bring it in? I am no electrical wizard, that's for sure.

Thanks again for all the help guys!

 

Post up some pics when you can! I also have a 85 2dr delta 88 coupe.

Paint is cream beige with a light brown quarter top.

 

Our mom's 93 year old friend Margaret still has her 1983 Delta 88 two door, blue inside and out, no vinyl top. She still drives at the moment, and alternates between that and a later model Buick Le Sabre. I would have loved to make a deal on that one, but I have a feeling her children would have cash register eyes, and go nuts. Well, the car I ended up with is just as neat.

 

WOW!! NICE to see that '90 Custom Cruiser! WHERE and when did you score that?! GOOD seeing it saved; along w/ all these Delta 88 Coupes!!