| Author | Message | ||
     Blackbelt |
Ok, i gotta let off some steam. To those that remember, i posted that a couple weeks ago i purchased a 1983 Trans Am, and today i got the plates, insurance, and engine running GREAT!! so i decided to take her to work this morning. The car is running great, until about 12 miles into my 70 mile daily trip to work, my RPM gauge takes a dump along w/ my voltage meter. I shrug it off as electrical glitch, it is a 22 year old car. Just in case i get off near my karate club just to be sure, and as i am pulling off the E-way, and come to a stop my radio turns off (no power) and back on. I think, "now i have a bigger electrical glitch than i thought". So i pull into my club, and put the car in park, and STEAM!! rolls out of the Cowl vent in the hood.. GREAT I BROKE THE RADIATOR HOSE, OR WORSE!!! so i pop the hood, very slowly. No radiator dammage, no ruptured hoses. I had left the Break Resevoir loose and the header is RIGHT under the master cylinder. WHEW!!! that is much better than a messed up coolant system. so i get back into the car and remember THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. so i figure it is just a gremlin in the system..... try to start the car and, CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! WTF!!!  the battery is freshly charged, AWE CRAP!!! the Alternator took a dump... This explains the electrical glitches.....DANG!!! well i park the car (at 6:00 Am) and call my parents (who live 1 mile from my club) and ask my dad to give me a ride back to the homestead and get my pos caviler..... Luckily this story has a decent (not happy cause the car is still not moving yet) ending. A replacement alternator is $60.00 w/ a lifetime warrenty and is 15 amps bigger than my stocker. that is kwel, but it won't be in until wendsday next week.. DANG  Thanks for letting me vent..... | ||
| M1combat |
No problem  . Muscle cars RULE! I've had the brakes go out in mine . Not too fun, but some pretty high pucker factor . Also... If I turn my brights on, the entire electrical system in my Mach shuts down... Except for the ignition system of course... So at least I can drive home at night w/o any lights . Scared the CRAP outta me the first time it happened. I was headed towards a fairly sharp right hander that drops off into a river on the inside... I turned my brights on a little before the corner because, quite frankly, the dim lights are exactly that... Anyway, JUST as I turn the wheel to enter the corner ALL the lights go out... Dash, instruments, headlights, running lights... Everything. Here I am cranked into a right hand corner that I never saw the exit of and all I know is that if I uncrank too soon, I'm in a BIG dirt berm, if I uncrank too late, I'm drowned. SCARY moment . Luckily... JUST at the right time a car comes over a little crest about 100 yards out and lights up the road. Thank you little car... But then he honked at me and flashed his lights because I didn't have mine on and it was pitch black. | ||
| Blackbelt |
Ok i almost pooed my pants laughing... Pucker factor.. LMAO!!! it is funny though, cause it has a FM50 and they removed the A/C and put in larger Throttle bodies and injectors.. so this thing PEELS out all the time.. i was at a dead stop at a light, and i slammed on it just for grins, and i was grinning from ear to ear.. go from a 2002 Caviler (whopping 120 HP, 4 door) to a 1983 T/A (210 HP or more)  But now i get to replace the Alternator, and my drivers side headlight motor went out.. so i get to FIND (cause they arn't availible new) a used one somewhere.. FUN FUN FUN | ||
| Jarhead |
LOL.. I can relate to both y'all. My 59 ford F100, god bless her, has given me many fits. The gas gauge only works when the headlights are on, but the dash lights only work when the running lights are on.  At random times, once or twice every couple of months, the headlights go bye bye like a thing gone dead. I know there are still pucker marks in the old vinyl seat.  One thing for sure, that old 312 v-8 always cranks....unless your in 5pm downtown traffic in the snow, and the carb gaskets are so old and shriveled that they decide to give and flood the s$$t out of her and you end up blocking half the traffic for about 30 minutes cuz there is too much of it to just push the truck out of the way, plugs are wet and fouled by now from trying to start her back up, and my brother finally shows up with his 4wd and a tow strap. I now know how to P.O. the 5pm downtown commuters!  I wouldn't trade her for anything though! | ||
| Blackbelt |
I gotta get my digital camera up and running again and get pics of her.... | ||
| Cataract2 |
The joys of old cars. I love em! Least until they die on me. Then I curse their name and fix them. Then I love them again. Then they break and I fix em again.... | ||
| Blackbelt |
Well Update.... I had the Alternator Tested at Autozone last night and it passed TWICE!, so i am gonna swap out the positive battery cables, and check all the fuesable links.... FUN FUN FUN | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Don't suppose the battery has packed it in and dead shorted. Check the wire going to the starter as well? | ||
| Blackbelt |
that is what is on my list for today, and i am pritty sure it isn't the battery, cause the car has been running on just that for the past 2 days... 20 miles to my class on thursday morning, and 2 miles to my parents house from my club... so i doubt it is the battery. I can charge it up and it holds the charge... but i am replacing all the battery cables, and the starter cables today... see how that holds up | ||
| M1combat |
Check the grounding strap too.. | ||
| Blackbelt |
it isn't a strap, just the negative cable from the battery going to the engine block.... | ||
| M1combat |
You need one to the frame as well. Usually the Negative goes to the frame, then there's a jumper to the engine, but I'd imagine it works just as well to the engine first. Either way, I think it would need a strap from the engine to the frame. | ||
| Blackbelt |
there is a smaller wire going to the frame... accually the 1/4 panel by the battery.... I agree most cars i have ever worked on had a 2, or 4 gauge wire leading from the (-) pole to the frame at some point.. but this went to a bolt in the engine... figure that out.. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
'69 Camero RS with my GF and roomate in the car. 9% downgrade with a stoplight onto a 4 lane at 2am. There are two major grocery chains on the corners and their delivery trucks are showing up. Step on the brakes and the pedal goes to the floor, 750feet from the lights, pumpumpumpumpumpumpumpumpump nothing not even a little, downshift to 3rd, then second 250feet from the intersection still doing 60+, grab the gear shift hit the clutch, throw everything I have into the shifter and break the reverse gate, slam the clutch, and feel the whole car shudder as the rear end buckles as reverse kicks in. Come to a sliding stop about 1 car length from the line as 2 semis pass through the intersection. cost to repair?$600 for the brakes, $25 for a junkyard drive shaft, $75 for a junkyard rear axle...sold the car for $2500 so I still made a profit since I had bought it for $1500. Cause of the brake failure? oil had been poured into the mastercylinder by someone. | ||
| Blackbelt |
LMAO, you don't have any luck w/ vehicles... do ya.... I will find my digital camera and pull off some photos tonight.... post them this weekend or monday for ya's | ||
| M1combat |
So... You have a large wire from Negative terminal to engine, and small wire from Engine to Firewall? Weird. At least check the contact though... | ||
| Blackbelt |
Not the firewall.. cause the battery is in the left front of the compartment, it is a 14-16 gauge wire going to the 1/4 panel (fender)... weird as heck.. thank god grandpa is an electrical engineer, who worked on the corvette and delorian.... i figure he is gonna help a TON! | ||
| Firemanjim |
And what about the emergency brake and turning off the key to use engine braking???? Best one I ever was in--passenger in a friend's 1958 GMC 4WD carryall,coming down a nice long hill on divided road.He looks over and with a straight face,says I have no brakes.I thought he was joking until I heard his foot and brake pedal hitting the floor,he went for the e-brake and nothing--we figured out why when the rear tire --with axle attached passed us going down the hill.So no brakes and no engine braking,SH%T!!!We are still gaining speed,about 45-50 when we come to a traffic light.Both through lanes are full but the left turn lane was empty on both sides,so over we went and into oncoming traffic.Paul pulled the truck up and across the center divider hitting a bunch of the steel marker poles.Which would not been a problem except someone else had hit one coming the other way and bent it toward us.It punctured the gas tank beneath the passengers side door.DOUBLE SH%T!!!!So here we are with no brakes dragging on the rear brake backing plate throwing just a couple of sparks and leaving a trail of gas----just like something from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.We finally came to a stop and I had to do the long jump to get out the door on my side to go over fire.I beat feet to the corner to call FD.Lucky he had one extinguisher and a passerby stopped with another.Suprisingly little damage to truck and after the adrenaline settled down we laughed our buts off. BTW,I updated all my old trucks with dual master cylinders so this would not happen to me. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Damn Fireman, bet you were thanking the maker that day. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
the Ebrake was disabled awaiting me having the time to replace the old rusted out snapped cables, and well, to be honest I hadn't even thought of the key FMJ, I was 17 at the time. That was the last car that I ever owned that I didn't short cut the safety aspect before putting it back on the road. It was definately one of those live and learn aspects in life | ||
| Tank_bueller |
FREE Car from hell...... My friend finds this 79' dodge colt, been parked for a couple years. We get it towed to my house, drain the gas and put a gal. fresh gas in. We check under the hood for plug wires, chewed thru hoses, etc.,and it looks pretty good, given the history. change the oil, fresh battery, finally get all the bees out....turn the key. She fires with some persuation, but runs real bad(like 2 or 3 cylinders). A few pedal pumps and it's doin better(3 and sometimes 4 cylinders). SO, a little more on the car: front brakes lock when pedal is pushed, rear work o.k. drivers door will not latch Time to go for a drive. It's his car, so he gets behind the wheel. He has to hold the door shut, and can't mash the brakes. Thats where I come in..... We discuss the operation for a while and decide this: He will hold door closed, steer, mash gas. I will shift gears, operate e-brake, •••• pants. We ride the ride up the drive, down the street, coming to the stop, I advise an e-brake u-turn. He agrees. We slide the car around, I jam 1st gear, he dumps clutch, tires dont spin, car stalls. Hit the key and it starts back up, we take it back to the house and call the junkyard to come get it. Totally fun time, I wish we had that car back. I just saw what they call "Handicap racing" on ESPN. the "passenger" steers, and the other person works the pedals. sorry for the long post tank | ||
| U4euh |
Blackbelt- sounds like a fusible link! Had it happen a couple of times on my old Nova. | ||
| Twowheeldream |
man, you guys know how to make someone miss their old car..... my first car was a 71 Dodge Dart so sad i got rid of that car.... next car i get is going to be another one if i can find it | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Despite the fact I really like the cars, My wife tells me that if she EVER see the word "SAAB" on another machine I bring home my life will get very very difficult. I am glad she has my back. | ||
| Craigster |
Blackbelt, Don't know much about the '83, but last gen F-bodies have an ingition switch that runs both the starter relay voltage, the 12 volts to operate the instruments and the 12 volt ignition command for the PCM running through it. If you loose the tach and the voltage gauges, chances are the switch has burned up. the rest of the car keeps running (as well as speedo and temps) since they don't run through the switch. If the switch melts down bad enough you'll loose the ability to start since the ignition signal isn't there. Sometimes she won't even crank at all since the cause of failure is a misalignment in the rod stroke (actuated by the key switch) and the plunger positions inside the switch assembly. Not sure if the '83 was similar but you have the same symptoms. Good news is the switch is $19.00 at Auto Zone. Bad news is it sucks to get at since it's under the dash ontop of the steering column. Hope that is somewhat helpful. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
M1, easy fix for the lights is to wire the brights through a fused slave relay to save all that current having to go through the switch. I've done it on most of my old cars & trucks, to enable me to put in high wattage bulbs. With drum brakes I like to be able to see as far as possible! Twowheel, look here. http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/ | ||
| Blackbelt |
Well everyone, it is fixed.. well until something else goes wrong... I spent most of my saturday under the car (oil change, tranny fluid/filter change, etc.) and while i was under there i thought i would do a quick inspection and see what is up w/ this car.... Here is what i found. They (previous owners) had removed the A/C prolly to add more power, and instead of pulling the connectors back out of the way they just let them hang....... so the exhaust manifold took its toll, and melted a bunch-o plastic. so i took out the electrical tape, soddering iron, and zip ties and went to work.. LO-and behold EVERYTHING (electrical) WORKS!!! go figure. now i have a valve knock that i will take care of much later cause i just don't feel like ripping the heads off at this moment in time.. lol |
