Hope I found my gremlin!

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Bamamav

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
6,171
Location
Berry, Alabama
As you know, I have been chasing a gremlin in my 86 Vette since I had to have it pulled in last month. Have had to work on it when I had a chance, been very busy getting the Lincoln ready for the Tupelo cruise in that the Vette has sat untouched the last couple of weeks. When I had time, I've been researching it's symptoms, crank and run when cold, warm up, wouldn't crank back, next few days it might crank when cold and it might not, almost never the same cycle, it varied every time you got in the car. Thought maybe I had a bad injector or two shorting out the banks, nope, all ohm ed out in range. Thought fuel pump was bad again, couldn't get rail pressure, turned out my gauge wasn't working right, had rail pressure all along. Checked for spark, had spark. Scratching my head on this one. [S

Other night, came across a post on a Camaro board that had the same symptoms as mine. Cutting through the BS and the things that I had checked before time and time again, found out that the module in the distributor controls the injectors until the engine gets up to 400 RPM, then the computer takes over. One way to tell if that was what it was was to spray starting fluid into the intake, if it fired and ran, the module was going bad. So I tried it, and it cranked immediately! Shut it off, it would crank every time on the starting fluid, hot or cold, but without it, it would just wind over, never doing anything. OK, so I must have a bad module, go to OReillys and get one. Put it in, and nothing.:( Won't even fire now. :mad:

Next afternoon, wife says let's try it, so we do, still nothing. I go back into the distributor, pull everything back out, check for voltage..........zero. [S
WTF? Voltage at the B+ wire, nothing at the module. Move the wires and pick the module up, and then I see it. The wires going into the module plug, one is broken off, held only by a sliver of insulation, one had one strand of wire still connected, and the other was intact, but hard and stiff. The way the wires ran, and the way the intake was, it was almost impossible it see the wires. I think this was why it would crank sometimes when the broken wire made connection, other times it wouldn't connect and you got nothing.

This afternoon, went and got the new plug harness, put it all back together. It barely turned over before it fired and ran! [cl Checked it numerous times, ran it down the road a few times and blew the soot out of it, 97 MPH before I let off, put her in the driveway and shut her down, restarted fine. I think I may have it fixed now, time will tell for sure.

Going to a show in the morning in her, after I get back and get some grass cut, going to pull the axles in the Lincoln with the puller I rented at OReillys tonight. Decided to go go ahead and check the other axle bearing, if it has any slack, it will get replaced too. Going to go ahead and pull the axles out of the spare rear, too. Going to just go ahead and change the chunk to the 3:00, that way, everything should be in good shape. Maybe things are starting to turn around around here!
 
You had me worried!!! [ddd[ddd[ddd

BoB
 

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I know you blow lots of time and money trying to find little problems sometimes but even with the extra expenses in both, it's really satisfying when ya do find the cause. Way to go Bama!
 
Well, that wasn't it. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I so thought by the way it cranked and ran yesterday that I had solved the problem. Got up this morning to go to a show, it won't hit a lick. I'm through with it. I'm changing it over to a carb and the injection crap is going into storage. Already have an intake, just gotta get a carb, low profile air cleaner and a HEI dizzy. Then I won't have to worry about that crap anymore.
 
I so thought by the way it cranked and ran yesterday that I had solved the problem. Got up this morning to go to a show, it won't hit a lick. I'm through with it. I'm changing it over to a carb and the injection crap is going into storage. Already have an intake, just gotta get a carb, low profile air cleaner and a HEI dizzy. Then I won't have to worry about that crap anymore.


Had all kinda probs with the LS1 out of a Camaro I put in my panel truck. I hate to be defeated by anything but it took over a year to straighten it out. After that experience I prefer a carb set up now. I'm not all that hip to EFI but can deal with a carb any day! Went carb on my LS3 as well! :eek:

One thing I did learn during that ordeal... GM's have anti-theft in the software. If you don't use the key with the orig chip... the motor will start 25 times like normal but after that... it'll start up but the computer will cut the gas off immediately. Had to have that reflashed.

BoB
 
Wow,sounds like you went thru quite an ordeal. I know some people swear by EFI and some people swear at EFI. I"m using a 1990 engine in my Rat and going carb because I dont wan"t stuff like that to happen.
 
My brother has a Chevy work van he junked because it kept shutting off in traffic.
Would have to push off road and have towed home.Then usually the thing would start right up.
He tried to get it fixed and changed some parts.
One day it left him in traffic jam right in middle of road and it is too heavy for one man to push.
When he got it home I helped him push it in back yard with my truck.
Now he uses it to store his garbage in.:eek:
It works good for that.;)
 

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