so i just got my 89 si yesterday.

i have this weird problem with the headlights, dash lights, guage cluster lights and radio. whenever i have the headlights on, sometimes they just go out. like i hit the brakes today, and everything went completely out. could it be a loose ground? a relay? how can i chase this down.

i baught this car from a member of this board and i dont want to bad mouth him, but he failed to mention this little bug.

 

hey that sounds wierd but does it have a after market radio? if so check the wiring on it!! i wired one it my moms car and i had one wire off and she told me, when she turned her lights on, everyonce in a while they would just turn off for no reason. and it happend allot i guess( so i had to rewire it) other than that i would check a relay or or look at the ecu for a code maybe it will show up on diagnostics. but i dont know.

 

grounds bro....It sounds like bad grounds....

 

When you hit the brakes, the stereo turned off? Did it turn right back on, or did it stay off?

 

it stayed off for a few seconds. and the lights will get dim for no aparent reason also.

 

oh yeah i forgot to mention, the radio work while the car is completely off. would this maybe have something to do with it?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Noah ***** &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh yeah i forgot to mention, the radio work while the car is completely off. would this maybe have something to do with it?</TD></TR></TABLE> id check the wiring for radio 1st

 

i messed with it a bit last night. the lights come on dim, then if i close the door, they get brighter. also, i was messing with the headlights while the car was off and i accidentaly hit the wiper arm at which time the check engine light the oil light and the seatbelt light *in the cluster* all came on very dim, and the temp guage shot all the way up to the H for hot. keep in mind the car was turned off.

 

Yikes it sounds like wiring gremlins... Check all your grounds and look for any loose wiring before you start tearing into the main wiring. Also look for wiring modifications like for an aftermarket radio and check that wiring.

 

does anyone have a link to maybe show me where all the grounding points are? im thinking of taking the dash out and hunting this **** down. i cant be driving around at night having the lights turn off when i hit the brakes

 

There should be a ground on the thermostat housing, the front of the valve cover, and the battery ground.

 

no where else though? nothing under the dash? im gonna go take out the radio. the rear speakers were run throught the car with loose wire. not factory. maybe its touching water and causing a short.

 

ok guys i think i fixed the problem. i pulled the radio out, took all the wiring out, and noticed a ground wire for the radio to be loose. i disconnected everything having to do with the radio, tried the lights, and they work fine. brights, everything. i think the bad ground behind the radio was causing some type of short. hopefully this fixes it.

 

Yeah there are other grounds all over the interior I just gave you the engine grounds but it sounds like you may have found your problem.

 

hopefully. its not night time, so i cant tell for sure, but so far, so good.