1987 Avanti Coupe Owners Manual

[IndyJimW]

You can find my Owners manual at Bob Johnstones great Avanti site.

https://studebaker-info.org/OM/87avom/87AVOM.html

Good luck,

Jim Wood

 

[studegary]

I purchased a 1987 new from a dealer and did not receive that manual.  Mine was the fourth 1987 sold to the public(--006).  Perhaps they did not have the manual yet.   

[JensenHealey]

On page 54 of this manual it says:

"The headlight wiring is protected by a circuit breaker in the light switch. An electrical overload will cause the lights to go on and off. If this happens. have your headlight wiring checked right away."

Now I have a separate thread here where I have discussed the fact that even thought I have working brake lights, hazard flashers, and turnsignals, I do not have any working headlights, taillights, or dash lights. Now I am wondering if I might have a bad headlight switch that is not sending power to these circuits (recall no power to fuse 12 for the taillights). For the 1989 cars is this headlight switch with the circuit breaker in it a special custom Avanti part or is this headlight switch a GM part from the doner car? If the headlight switch was malfunctioning would that also cause this condition of no power to fuse 12 for the taillights?

[IndyJimW]

How about a little help with more information and pictures.

This late year Avantis were very limited production vehicles, and Avanti used many different parts from many different suppliers.

I doubt many people have looked at the wiring for a 1989 Avanti Convertible, what about 17 made.

My 87 uses parts from GM, Chrysler, Jeep and Cherry.

Brake lights, hazard flashers, and turn signals would not go thru the headlight circuits.

What does your headlight switch even look like? Is it on the dash or on the column?

If your switch is in the dash and has a circuit breaker it would only shut down the headlights.

Have you pulled the headlight switch to check for an overheated plug. Vehicles of this era had full battery power going to the headlight switch and melting the connectors.

If your Avanti has a floor high beam switch have you checked the wiring, they are bad about corroding and all headlight power goes thru it..

Are there other fuses dead in the fuse box that would lead me to believe that a power wire is dead?

1989 Chevrolet Caprice wiring diagram shows (no fuse #) that the tail light 20amp fuse is HOT AT ALL TIMES and then goes to the headlight switch circuit that does not have the circuit breaker and then to the tail lights etc.

My professional opinion is that you have a dead power wire to the fuse box OR (and more likely) several different wiring problems.

A Power Probe would make this task much easier to diagnose.

Good luck,

Jim Wood

 

 

[studegary]

45 minutes ago, IndyJimW said:

How about a little help with more information and pictures.

This late year Avantis were very limited production vehicles, and Avanti used many different parts from many different suppliers.

I doubt many people have looked at the wiring for a 1989 Avanti Convertible, what about 17 made.

My 87 uses parts from GM, Chrysler, Jeep and Cherry.

Brake lights, hazard flashers, and turn signals would not go thru the headlight circuits.

What does your headlight switch even look like? Is it on the dash or on the column?

If your switch is in the dash and has a circuit breaker it would only shut down the headlights.

Have you pulled the headlight switch to check for an overheated plug. Vehicles of this era had full battery power going to the headlight switch and melting the connectors.

If your Avanti has a floor high beam switch have you checked the wiring, they are bad about corroding and all headlight power goes thru it..

Are there other fuses dead in the fuse box that would lead me to believe that a power wire is dead?

1989 Chevrolet Caprice wiring diagram shows (no fuse #) that the tail light 20amp fuse is HOT AT ALL TIMES and then goes to the headlight switch circuit that does not have the circuit breaker and then to the tail lights etc.

My professional opinion is that you have a dead power wire to the fuse box OR (and more likely) several different wiring problems.

A Power Probe would make this task much easier to diagnose.

Good luck,

Jim Wood

 

 

There were 158 1989 Avantis built.  What makes you think that only 17 of those were convertibles?  I do believe that there were 17 1991 convertibles.  Perhaps that is what you were thinking of.

[wdaly]

Re:  Various parts and manufactures - my (former) '88 coupe (bought new) used Ford front door armrests.  

[IndyJimW]

40 minutes ago, studegary said:

There were 158 1989 Avantis built.  What makes you think that only 17 of those were convertibles?  I do believe that there were 17 1991 convertibles.  Perhaps that is what you were thinking of.

Your probably correct.

Still, I doubt there are many people with much experience working on a limited production vehicle from 30 years ago.

Good luck,

Jim Wood

 

[IndyJimW]

23 minutes ago, wdaly said:

Re:  Various parts and manufactures - my (former) '88 coupe (bought new) used Ford front door armrests.  

My '87 Coupe also. I remember that the armrest has the Ford part # molded into it, I used that to order some mounting hardware from Ford.

Used '87 Chrysler La Baron HVAC controls and power window motors.

The wiper switch is Jeep with a ground wire to it.

Every thing they could use off of the Monte Carlo donor car.

The power window switch is made by Cherry Switches from Germany.

One of the main electrical harnesses behind the center console and going thru the console to power the rear TV is a Marine (boat) harness.

I had a problem with the engine just dying, found that one of the fuse box Bat+ wires ran thru the Marine harness to the rear of the center console and back to power part of the fuse box. Bad sealed connector in the harness would overheat and kill the power to the ignition fuse. That one was a real pain to find.

Good luck,

Jim Wood

[JensenHealey]

What rear TV ? None of these three cars have any sort of "rear TV"

What was this rear TV supposed to be used for? Do you mean a screen for a backup camera?

[IndyJimW]

1 hour ago, JensenHealey said:

What rear TV ? None of these three cars have any sort of "rear TV"

What was this rear TV supposed to be used for? Do you mean a screen for a backup camera?

Color TV monitor for the rear passengers, may have only been available in the SC version, I'm not sure. My 1987 Coupe is wired for it, so it may have been standard wiring.

Other options were heated seats, rear headphones, driving computer, auto day-night mirror, headlight timer, remote control alarm system and power moon roof.

About anything available at the time.

Good luck,

Jim Wood

 

[Jim S]

The heater controls on my 87 Convertible seem to be from a Dodge truck according matching a picture of mine to images I found online.  However, I have yet to track down what the HVAC box was sourced from.  Does anyone know where they got this out of?  The vent control vacuum actuator lever broke off the casing on mine.  Thanks all.

[wdaly]

ACME Radiator (?) comes to mind.  Somewhere in Indiana.  Don't know if they are still around.  Kinda doubt the box is still available unless one of our Avanti vendors has 'em.

[Thom]

JimS

Where is the HVAC box located?

[wdaly]

As I recall - right in the middle in the back of the center console (behind dash) AND towards the right.  If you take off the large carpeted piece below the dash on the passenger side you'll see some of it with a 'lever' (blend door) ALSO the computer is buried there!😐

Edited February 4, 2022 by wdaly
additional info

[silverstude]

I believe the 87 type heater/AC control panel, with the vacuum lines, electrical switches and control cables, came from a Chrysler Concorde or K-car or the like.  The higher end Chrysler cars had more chrome on the controls.