I'm trying to get the windshield wipers working again, but I'll take any level of progress...
You've narrowed the problem down to the correct truck. That's progress.
this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2026
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.........holy shit. A cassette deck???
Yeah, the radio and casette deck don't work right now, but by stupid magic I guess, the clock started working after unfucking some of the wires..
At least you don't have to worry about your vehicle bricking from a botched software update.
True, but Chevy small block's come with their own "fun" little engineering failures and trying to successfully stop all the oil leaks is a fools errand.
Edit: OP has a Sonoma so not a CSB but the same rules pretty much apply.
Or spying on you.
Does the clock come on with the key? Or do you have to push in the volume knob to make it come up? If it's the latter, there's a yellow wire behind there that still isn't getting power.
Gotta push the volume knob.
This truck doesn't require a key...
Almost none of the 2nd gen S-10 family need ignition keys at this point. They all wear out. Power up that yellow wire however you like if you want some tunes.
So, if I'm understanding you correctly, I should be getting battery voltage from the yellow wire when the ignition switch is in the accessory or running positions?
If that's the case, well holy fuck that gives me some dead-on clues where to start looking next!
Correct. Orange wire is 12v constant and the yellow is 12v switch ignition. Brown wire is ground, but that's kinda optional; it will pull ground from the antenna plug instead.
Dude, guess what our truck is missing? The dome light. Guess what color wires hang from where it used to be? Black, White, Orange, Yellow..
You wanna take any guess where I installed a toggle switch? Right under the rear view mirror. Now we got working radio and windshield wipers!
Man your advice has saved my sanity for the month, I had folks telling me to check the control module and even replace the entire wire harness, while I'm like fuckall with that, I'll seek a simpler solution first.
Apparently its just a fault of the ignition switch itself, which isn't really that big of a surprise, but I would have been chasing wild geese and getting nowhere fast. Your advice got the accessory systems running again! 👍
Now, next goal is to figure out what's up with the horn, that still don't work..
Dude, guess what our truck is missing? The dome light. Guess what color wires hang from where it used to be? Black, White, Orange, Yellow.. You wanna take any guess where I installed a toggle switch? Right under the rear view mirror. Now we got working radio and windshield wipers!
Nice! That is some proper bodging.
A suggestion from a fellow mechanic: Unfuck all the wires.
That's some more of the wires. I said ALL the wires!
jk fellow dullard, tinker and fix, that old Sonoma will treat you right. I've got a slightly younger S10, and if I get my way that truck will haul me to my grave.
That's not so old a thing!
...fuck
1996 Sonoma...
I love those old dials
me too. think they’re pots not encoders which, imho, is far better.
Check the grounds. That is the most common issue in old metal.
Actually the most common issue in old metal is if the original members are still alive.
RIP Dimebag Darryl.
Damn bro, just throw me right down memory lane...
Sounds like playing Pacific Drive, a game where you drive an anomalous station wagon that can develop quirks you have to troubleshoot. Wiper goes left -> turn headlights off and change radio station.
Congratulations! I too have dealt with clunkers and trying to get something fixed, only for the next thing to clunk! I wish you the very best with your faithful friend. ❤️
When people ask “what’s the thing you’re better at than anyone?” I answer that I can set any digital clock without looking at the instructions.
That happened today LOL!
lemme drive that thing c'mon
Hey, you replace the two back tires, and we'll let you drive it twice...
This is the automobile version of "Can I pet that dog?"
In my old 2001 Ford Escape (RIP), the clock would only work for about one week out of the year when it was just the right balance of cold and dry air. It was just the display, too. Everything else worked fine.
There was a moment in time when this was brand spanking new, and appreciated differently, now it's your turn.
Was it by using "percussive maintenance"? That's my favorite kind of maintenance.
Nah, I had to un-botch some wires in the wiring harness from the previous owner.
Ah. Guessing someone put a fancy radio in it in the past?
Nah, previous owner was brain damaged and on drugs and had the wiring fucked up for no good reason.
Good grief!
I've since gotten the radio itself plus the wipers working again too. I went ahead and installed a toggle switch for that, apparently the ignition switch is partly faulty and not providing power to the accessory systems.
I kinda think that's what the previous owner was attempting to fix, but holy hell they had all the wires to the wiper motor botched, I think he was trying to directly power the wiper motor. The botched wires surely weren't the right way to go about it though.
The more proper fix would be a new ignition switch, but it was all too easy to just put a toggle switch from the orange to yellow wires hanging from where the dome light once was, that powers up all the accessories, plus didn't cost me shit LOL!
Every man wants as many toggle switches and buttons as possible, I understand.
Meh, honestly I tend to loathe the idea of rigging stuff up like that if I can avoid it, I very much do prefer to fix things properly.
There was already a toggle switch wired to the wiper motor from like 8 to 10 years or more ago, but that wasn't working anymore either since we acquired the truck. So, the easiest way for me to troubleshoot and fix it was to cut out the old botch shit, rewire all the obvious wires back by their original color codes, and proceed from there.
After I got all the visible fire hazard wires and shit gutted and patched back the way they were supposed to be, I found the wipers still didn't work. Anyways, after a week of careful research, I found it wasn't getting power to the yellow wire, which powers and activates the accessory features.
So it was never a problem with either the wiper motor nor the wiper control arm, it's actually a partial fault with the ignition switch. My uncle, 2 owners back, might have liked to know that, but he was the one that botched the wires directly to the wiper motor.
Anyways, after fixing the botched wires and gutting his janky toggle switch, I found a much cleaner and neater spot to install my own toggle switch, that not only gets things otherwise working right, but also I'm confident that my toggle switch wiring ain't about to blow a fuse.
Proper fix would be a new ignition switch, but fuckit, you can crank it with a screwdriver anyways, so why not take the easy cheap fix? As long as it ain't a tangled rat's nest of wires wrapped in duct tape..
Feel free to check my recent post history, it's been a rather interesting month...
Well dang, now you're responsible for updating it for DST
That's actually more responsible of me than you know. I do keep up with Daylight Savings Time rules, plus legacy operating system time adjustments..