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About to start it up,

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Please hurry

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Replace the Voltage regulator as a start.

Do not drive it with the charging pegged to the C. The wiring in these old cars won't handle high current and when the alternator is putting out the max it has the same effect as a shorted wire. Too much current flow is too much current flow. I had to rewire my Satellite because of a bad VR that I ignored for too long.

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Started it up and the gauge sits right in the middle at idle, raises just a bit at higher rpms. Everything appears to be fixed, the gauge doesnt bounce around or go to far in either direction, and the battery doesnt leak or sizzle any more.

Is it a good idea to replace the battery even if it still operates fine?

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Replace the Voltage regulator as a start.

Do not drive it with the charging pegged to the C. The wiring in these old cars won't handle high current and when the alternator is putting out the max it has the same effect as a shorted wire. Too much current flow is too much current flow. I had to rewire my Satellite because of a bad VR that I ignored for too long.

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What circuits/sytems were affected by your bad VR? was it just wiring in the engine bay or did it damage anything in the dash, instrument panels, and lighting circuits?

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My most notable symptom was that my running lights stayed on and I could dim them with the dash light dimmer switch. I also had weird things happen when I turned on the wipers. Most of my damage was under the dash but I didn't like the look of the the main alternator output wire inside the engine harness so I replaced it also.

What happened was the main power wire started melting under the dash and when it did it shorted out other wires.

I have rewired them in the car by pulling the cluster but it is really a lot easier to remove the whole dash and do it on a bench.

1. Disconnect the wiring at the bulkhead, heater core, both kick panels and the headlight dimmer switch.
2. Disconnect the cables to the heater controls & hood release. There is Vacuume hose on the heater controls and the speedometer cable also.
3. Remove the wiring on the steering column and remove the steering coupler from the steering box and column from the dash. Some people let the column hang without removing the coupler but if anything is going to damage that 30 year old flex joint the 73 and newer columns have, it would be letting it bend harshly from hanging.
4. Remove the dash speaker panel and the 4 screws holding the dash to the windshield base.
5. Loosen the two screws at the ends of the dash under kick panels and roll the dash into your lap.

Once on the bench unwrap the wiring paying close attention to the thick read and black wires and everything they touch. I suggest you go ahead and use a bolt in bulkhead connector for those wires to bypass the weak link of the spade bulkhead connector or what I do is to run straight wires through a hole in the firewall and have no connectors at all.

Hope it helps

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If all my wires check out, my next step is checking the vr. Can a bad ballast resistor damage the vr? Can a cheap autozone vr break in under 30 days of use?

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