1982 oldsmobile 98 or ninety-eight

[keshawnti]

hey hopefully somebody can help me. i have an '82 98. just recently i put new spark plugs, thermostat , and a water pump on. i was told i had a 350 engine but that engine is diesel, so i guess i have a 307 engine. the water pump is for a 350 diesel engine. i think everything else is too i'll get back to you'all with that info. but the question i have is... will having the wrong engine size for the water pump make the starter go bad? and what will happen? i also replaced the alternater but that i know is for a 307 engine. right now the last time i was driving all the electrical stuff went out, everything electrical but the car was running. that was after the alternater was replaced. please help me i love these cars but i'm getting frustrated.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by keshawnti

will having the wrong engine size for the water pump make the starter go bad?

No.

Originally Posted by keshawnti

all the electrical stuff went out, everything electrical but the car was running. that was after the alternater was replaced.

I am not sure what you are asking here. Some more detail about precisely what happended would be helpful.
What do you mean by 'went out'?

Do you mean the car stopped running but all the electrical devices still worked?

Or do you mean the starter would not spin the engine over?

Or the engine would spin over but not start?

[keshawnti]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

No.

I am not sure what you are asking here. Some more detail about precisely what happended would be helpful.
What do you mean by 'went out'?

Do you mean the car stopped running but all the electrical devices still worked?

Or do you mean the starter would not spin the engine over?

Or the engine would spin over but not start?

all the electrical things like the radio, the lights, the blower(defrost) stopped working.

[keshawnti]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

No.

I am not sure what you are asking here. Some more detail about precisely what happended would be helpful.
What do you mean by 'went out'?

Do you mean the car stopped running but all the electrical devices still worked?

Or do you mean the starter would not spin the engine over?

Or the engine would spin over but not start?

sorry, i forgot to finish my thought. the car was still running and ran for a while. the other day my boyfriend started it up and when he opened the door the lights were really dim

[80sOlds98]

These cars had a lot of electrical equipment and the wiring is getting really old. At this age you can run into the following:

--Bad battery (always test at least yearly)

--Bad alternator

--Poor or missing grounds (check the engine ground strap and all body grounds to make sure they are present and not damaged/corroded).

--Corroded B+ connection at the alternator, connects the main charging circuit to the rest of the system.

--Blown fusable link(s).

The wiring harness is getting old. Troubleshooting it is going to take a lot of time and could get expensive. If you can do it yourself (or have a friend who can), get an electrical troubleshooting manual and check the above first.

Keep in mind that a bad battery can take out an alternator. By "bad" I mean a battery that has 1 or more bad cells in it. So *always* replace your battery whenever you install a new alternator!

[keshawnti]

Originally Posted by 80sOlds98

These cars had a lot of electrical equipment and the wiring is getting really old. At this age you can run into the following:

--Bad battery (always test at least yearly)

--Bad alternator

--Poor or missing grounds (check the engine ground strap and all body grounds to make sure they are present and not damaged/corroded).

--Corroded B+ connection at the alternator, connects the main charging circuit to the rest of the system.

--Blown fusable link(s).

The wiring harness is getting old. Troubleshooting it is going to take a lot of time and could get expensive. If you can do it yourself (or have a friend who can), get an electrical troubleshooting manual and check the above first.

Keep in mind that a bad battery can take out an alternator. By "bad" I mean a battery that has 1 or more bad cells in it. So *always* replace your battery whenever you install a new alternator!

thank u!