Some time ago I wrote a post asking for advice on my '88 GL Wagon. The red warning indicators bellow the instrument panel would always glow red and shimmer. The car also eventually had a problem where the voltage would start to swing up and down at a steady rate. Somehow, turning the headlights on would cause this to stop. I believe I had posted something about voltage oscillation at some point also. Recently the voltage would simply start to climb up too close to the
18V mark on the gauge. Turning the lights on would help this too but at that point I knew it was time for new alternator since the regulataor was aparently shot.Here is the good news. All of these problems are solved. When I removed the alternator I found a ground wire attached to the engine. This wire went to a conduit that appeared to lead inside the car. I believe this must be the instrument ground. I cleaned it good and replaced the connector because the wire was fatigued. Now all the indicators that would glow dimly are off and the CHECK ENGINE light that would glow brighter than the rest is certainly on. Believe it or not, either replacing the alternator or fixing that ground gave the car more power and also fixed a shifting problem that had just started. The transmission had been acting like I was pushing the pedal down farther than I was, delaying the shift or causing a downshift. Goes to show a little electrical problem can cause plenty of trouble. Hope this helps someone.