Oldsmobile Trofeo Trouble

[trofeo90]

I have a 90 trofeo 3.8 thats giving me gobs of trouble, first i aquired the car and it had a broken connecting rod because something had gone wrong and gas had gotten in the oil and thinned it causeing it to break.. The 3rd cylinder injector would always squirt gas even when the car wasn't running just when the switch was on. I replaced the engine and hooked everything back up put a new battery in but kept the old alternator and powersteering pump. I also replaced the ecm because error codes 41 and 47 said that was likely the problem. Now after i've done all this the 3rd cylinder still squirts gas all the time. I've tested the injectors and pump along with all of the fuel system. I tested the alternator on the car it was bad and i tested one off the car it was good. I put the good one on and it was then "bad" reading no output. Now i am thinking this is wiring. Also the ac does not work unless you just take the battery off the charger along with the radio and dash the speedo doesn't work but all the other gauges do if you turn on the lights and turn them off then the radio lights go out. ANY HELP would be great!?!!?!

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by trofeo90

I have a 90 trofeo 3.8 thats giving me gobs of trouble, first i aquired the car and it had a broken connecting rod because something had gone wrong and gas had gotten in the oil and thinned it causeing it to break.. The 3rd cylinder injector would always squirt gas even when the car wasn't running just when the switch was on. I replaced the engine and hooked everything back up put a new battery in but kept the old alternator and powersteering pump. I also replaced the ecm because error codes 41 and 47 said that was likely the problem. Now after i've done all this the 3rd cylinder still squirts gas all the time. I've tested the injectors and pump along with all of the fuel system. I tested the alternator on the car it was bad and i tested one off the car it was good. I put the good one on and it was then "bad" reading no output. Now i am thinking this is wiring. Also the ac does not work unless you just take the battery off the charger along with the radio and dash the speedo doesn't work but all the other gauges do if you turn on the lights and turn them off then the radio lights go out. ANY HELP would be great!?!!?!

Welcome to AF. First get a noid lite on the suspect injector connector and see if you have pulse with justhe key on, should be none. How did you test the injectors? Did you replace #3 injector? You really need a comprehensive trouble shooting manual, Alldata.com is very good. Your statement about the alternator and testing is unclear, tested good off the car, how?

[trofeo90]

I forgot to mention everything is new all new injectors, rail, etc. and i've done all that using a noid light. I have two alternators, went to the parts store and tested it on the bench. it was good then i tested the one on the car, it was bad, went home and switched them and tested them again, this time the one that was bad on the car was good off of it and the good was bad. I ripped out the replacement ecm and put a new one in now it runs great but i still don't have any gauges unless i turn on the lights then the radio backlight goes out, i still have error codes 41 and 47, I replaced the ignition module, but that didn't change anything. pretty much i've been really busy today doing this. I've done every diagnostic and repair i can think of. Nothing seems to get it done. Maybe the body control module?

[trofeo90]

I have got it running correctly with yet a different ecm, but now i still lack the gauges on the dash, are these controled by the bcm? Could the battery not charging be caused by this??

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by trofeo90

I have got it running correctly with yet a different ecm, but now i still lack the gauges on the dash, are these controled by the bcm? Could the battery not charging be caused by this??

Low line voltage will affect the entire electrical system, those digital cluster were troublesome even new. Try tapping the cluster see if the gages flicker. Yes I believe the bcm does control the cluster.

[trofeo90]

the gauges did flicker when i tapped the dash, what does this mean and how do i get them to work

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by trofeo90

the gauges did flicker when i tapped the dash, what does this mean and how do i get them to work

You will need a new cluster, common issue. Or the plug may be making bad connection, but unlikely.

[trofeo90]

The cluster works when i turn the driving lights on or anything on that switch. but if the cluster is working the backlight on the radio doesn't. So i know the cluster works

[chasinthesun]

Originally Posted by trofeo90

The cluster works when i turn the driving lights on or anything on that switch. but if the cluster is working the backlight on the radio doesn't. So i know the cluster works

THE CLUSTER ,if not working,wont effect the engine performance but will effect your ac controls.Ive owned 3 trofeos and havent had any real success with keeping a good electronic dash gauge pod for more than two years.The ones ive found at junkyards are exactly that ,JUNK , out of 6 if pulled only one worked ,for 2 months,just enough time for the warranty to expire.HERES THE REMEDY ,go to car-parts.com search flowers wrecking service ,theyll fix your unit for $300. ive had one thats lasted 2 years so far ,they say a diode or module goes out ,forget which ,these are the first generation of the EDG s and is a japaneze product ,cost new, $1600 from the factory . Hmmm ,wonder if it was built to fail?Oh yeah ,if you think itll be a touch job to replace ,it isnt ,takes maybe 10 minutes ,unscrew blk plate around the gauge cluster,lower the tilt steering fully with the adjustment,unbolt some of the plastic covering and panels to access some of the lower bolts,unbolt the service center pod located next to the gauge pod.Now you should be looking at just the cluster ,around 6 bolt hold it in ,once youve taken them out the cluster will pull right out,plugs in to the back ,reverse steps your done.

[Bill V]

Cluster problems are very common. Check ebay. Search the word "trofeo" and you will find an ad for rebuilt clusters for $109. I have never dealt with this person, but the ad is usually there.

Good luck!

[trofeo90]

As i said earlier my cluster works when i turn on the lights but then the backlight on the radio goes out. My battery doesn't charge and my alternator is good, is there anyway to make the alternator charge the battery by itself?