Hey there. First post here. Picked up a 1988 vandura starcraft a few months ago as a project camping/travelling van. Love the van. Runs perfect and is going great. Trying to smog it and it is going to pass except for the check engine light isn't on when the key is turned. The smog man says it needs to be on to pass smog. But i have no clue where it is located nor did he. Can anyone point me in the right direction or even better have a picture of where it is??? Thanks so much

Welcome to the site jared
The last person probably disconnected the wire to it. Go under the dash to insure its hooked up. You mat have to pull the gauge cluster.

Again welcome

A quick Duck-Duck-Go search for 1988 G-van cluster turns up this image. Looks like it's in the small lower center circle, below the gas gauge. Yellow words at about the 9 o'clock position that say Service Engine Soon.



First things first. Check the bulb. If it's good, wiring. If that all tests out, you may have a bad computer. With terminals a and b shorted together, the computer should go into a self-diagnostic mode, where that light flashes a code 12 to tell you that the self-test and bulb are working. Then it will flash any stored trouble codes.

How To Get OBDD1 Codes

That's not an 88 dash. It's about a 93.

Is the computer off? Same thing happened when I bought my 89 G20 a few years ago. The brain computer is located under the drivers seat and has a simple on/off toggle switch. Mine was off and couldn't smog. Flipped to on and was ready for CA smog.

Right on. Thanks for the help guys. Not sure if the computer is off or not. Ill check under my seat. Maybe my bulbs are out. Hopefully that's the problem.. I'll be taking the cluster out here soon today. My blinker indicates also don't seem to work on the dash. But my e brake light turns on.

So brought it in to a mechanic to check it out. He says there is no check engine light on this dash. He also doesn't know much about these vans though. But he took the dash apart and found no check engine light anywhere....
Here is my dash. Anyone know where it is suppose to be??? My mechanic buddy says I need different gauges/dash he thinks.

Is this my dash??? Just found this diagram online. Looks about right.

That looks like the one I posted above. It's where the one for my '95 was, IIRC. Looks like someone changed your cluster for a pre-ECM one? Weird.

It's in the bottom hole in the middle. It's in the same spot as the picture. It just a different looking face.

Alright cool. Thanks guys. Looks like I'll need to order a new one. Are they pretty simple to install??

Anyone know where I might be able to buy the right cluster?? Or is my best bet a wrecking yard

I just looked at the dash of my 89 G20. When the key is turned to on, not all the way to start the engine, the Servce Engine Soon indicator message appears below the odometer area, the larger cluster on the left. In the same little area is the handbrake light, to the left of the Servce light, and th seatbelt light t the right of the Service light. My van is a bare bones stock G20, so not sure if a custom conv van has a different cluster. That's why I couldn't pass CA smog. The tech turned the key and the Service Eng Soon indicator wasn't showing. It should be on and appear prior to start and then disappear. Therefore, had to troubleshoot and found the brain computer was off. Or a mouse ate your wires !!

Thanks for the reply Mike
Wish I was good with wiring and what not but I'm not....definitely my weakness.
The mechanic said he checked the whole dash and seen no check engine light/ emblem.
My dash does have the brake light come on when the key is turned but no other dash lights appear
And the brake light is as u said in the odometer area on the far left.
Gusse 'm just gonna have to double check myself this weekend to see what else is on that odometer gauge.
Wouldn't be suprised if the wiring was shot. This van was sitting for a bit before I got it.

O nevermind. My brake light is in the center part of my speedometer

And my Far left side says chock.... do obviously this is the wrong dash. But the lights do work Correctly