This is weird... I don't know how familiar you guys are with the electras wiring diagram but... I was pokin around today and noticed that there was a plug disconnected. It kinda looks like a molex computer plug but, here's the pictures, and the wiring diagram I made (scanner wouldn't scan, sorry BUT IT IS A DIRECT COPY OF THE ACTUAL WIRING DIAGRAM) Does anyone know what the "HTR. CONT. LP" is? I thought maybe it has something to do with the heater system, but everything works fine. I want to know where it plugs into. Also, what does I.P. ground mean?
I kinda figured that one out, but looking at it some more I noticed that the gray wire also goes to another light under the steering wheel that only illuminates when the headlight switch is toggled. I don't know what it is for... it is in a plastic shroud and I am almost positive that is where it is supposed to go. This has me confused. Off the top of my head, the only things on the car that don't work is the key buzzer, and the speed alert (those are related I'm sure).
Ok, I think I.P. means instrument panel, which would makes sense since this is at the front of the car.
Is it the light for the wiper switch? It should be connected to an optical fiber that goes to the wiper switch. Did you find the key warning/speed alert buzzer? The connector has an orange wire and two other wires that are connected together (pink and black/pink). What was the other connector you found?
I've been doing the same with my lesabre...I'm sure it's the same wiring (or very, very close)...I have lots of plugs that go nowhere, so I assume it's wiring for options I don't have. I have about 1/2 of it figured out using the factory diagrams...but's it really hard to track them all down... I have found that the grey wires are for small wattage interior lights (ash tray, under dash courtesy, etc)...
I wouldn't have thought that they put the wiring into the car for options I don't have... I haven't seen anything hanging around for the fuel usage or power antenna wiring. My car doesn't have either. I'm gonna keep pawing around. I blew a fuse yesterday and so I'm gonna do that first, but these wires are very confusing.
Loose Connector You should be able to trace it from the wiring diagram using the wire colors Michael. On older Buicks the harness was pre-wired for options, and if that option was not on the car they simply left the connector hanging - on newer GM models to save money, they custom build the harness to suit the build sheet or order. ' Fibre optics' was first used in '68 to illuminate the lower instrument panel, and ignition key This allowed them to use one light sorce for 1/2 dozen locations.:TU:
Michael, The fuel usage aguge is a vacuum gauge, there's no electrical wiring for it. The power antenna relay is located in this area however but I don't recall what the connector looks like. Does your car have Automatic Climate Control or the manual Climate control? Does it have variable delay (pulse) wipers? Today I had nothing important to do so I lost some time "playing" with my Electra and added something that wasn't possible to order on a 75-76 Buick. From the picture, could you tell what it is?
What confuses me is the location of the plug. It hangs a little higher than the parking brake release, and I guess that the light that is in my "wiring diagram" is the light that juices the fibre optic lines, the lights aren't very bright, and so that's what that must be. I'm just gonna not worry about it if I can't figure out what it's for. I'll take a look at the key buzzer and the speed alert, those are the only things that don't work that sit in that area of the car, and I did find a buzzer that was disconnected, however it buzzed on when I shut the door and had the key in, instead of the key in and the door open. The car as ACC, and does have the variable speed wipers, however the wash doesn't work, maybe the pump, maybe the mystery switch? I have found things on this car that were disconnected for no reason, must have been anooyances to one of the previous owners. Phil I have never seen either the washerfluid light or the head lamp light lit in my car, but I my windshield wash function does not work on my car, and that makes sense for me not seeing it. Which is it? Washer fluid? How do you get the headlamp light to work, when does it illuminate?
I looked under my car's dash and found a similar connector that's also disconected, I'm wondering if it's a connector that would be used on cars with manual A/C... The "headlamp on" reminder light is an option, it's also connected to a buzzer and it comes on if the driver's door is open and the headlights (or parking lights) are on. It requires another buzzer, wiring and a diode. You are right about the washer fluid light. All 75-76 full size Buicks have that WASHER FLUID lens in their cluster but the light wasn't available uzzled:. I found a 76 Cadillac in a junkyard today that still had it's washer reservoir (and standard low washer fluid indicator). I got it and modified the switch for the low washer fluid so it would fit in my Buick. I have a spare fan shroud so I could return it to original if I ever want to. What I did was to remove the cover over the washer fluid reservoir, made a round hole in it, then I used the plastic tubing from another 76 Buick washer cap, straightened it and fitted it to the Cadillac switch to allow the float to go deeper in the reservoir (the Caddy's reservoir is much smaller and located on the firewall). I used a piece of a larger plastic tube that slides over the other tube to fill the distance between the float and the switch.
I think my car has the headlamp option, but like I said, I think that it may have been disconnected years ago... but was that the only feature or was it part of another feature group, like the courtesy light group or something like that.
They were all separate options. If you want to know if your car has it or not, look at the back of the instrument custer to see if there's a light bulb in this location. Look at my 1975 Electra page (page 2) on Car Domain to see a relatively complete list of options available for 1975 Electra. The number of cars and % with each option is also shown. I don't have this information for 76 Electras but the options are almost the same and % should be similar. To access my homepage, just click on my user name above this post and "visit Phil Racicot's homepage" Here are the pictures of my modified 1976 Cadillac "low washer" switch. The washer fluid hose is connected to it and I also used the Cadillac washer reservoir cap which fits perfectly on the Buick reservoir.
I am having trouble visualizing the installation, I'll take a look at my car to see what you've done. The yards in my area aren't too good, so I'll have to be patient for any parts that I might want, Buick or Cadillac. I'd love to get my hands on some nice park avenue seats, but I think I may be pipe dreaming there.
I know where is a rusted out 75 Park Avenue with a console. It has been sitting for many years and no body parts are good on it but it's black interior seemed relatively nice. Too bad I wasn't able to open the doors to see it better and smell it... The owner wanted to sell it complete for cheap but I have no place for it. Of course, it's not worth the shipping to Washington state as you could probably have a decent running car for less than what it would cost to have it shipped!
huh-uh... acrs was available on some GM models from 1974-1976. Phils Electra has both driver and passenger airbags. It's the washer fluid light. They were put into the car's gauge cluster but there was no special system to make it work I dont think. He got his from a cadillac which did have the washer fluid light.
