Hows it going? I own an '89 GTA with the L98 which is currently getting a good used engine harness put in by a good friend of mine whos an expert tech btw. The harness came from an '88 GTA which I thought would be plug and play and about 2 hours of work for my freind...WRONG! Turns out that he had to transplant quite a few clips (did it the right way and no shortcuts btw) from my old harness to the good used one. One obvious difference that my friend pointed out to me was a roundish relay (dont know what its for) which is sorta hidden behind the passenger's side headlight; my '89 harness has 2 of these relays on the same pigtail while the '88 harness has one relay like mine (a little different in color) and a male type connector coming out of the same pigtail which had to be transplanted. I guess they're not compatible then huh??

Thanks,

Ruben

 

Ok so my friend was removing the final connectors from the old harness on my GTA when he came across what appears to be a dangling torque convertor lockup switch that wasn't even connected at all (and no he didn't cut it off himself ). The thing is I've been driving my car for some time now since I bought it back in may of '07 with no problem at all. Anyone know what this switch does and if its supposed to affect drivability? Heres some pics of the part. Thanks in advance

Ruben

 

hahah what??? too lazy or dont wanna even bother to respond or what??? losers lol j/k!

 

It locks up your torque converter. I think it usually locks up around 40-45 mph. I think your gas mileage would go down, anyone? It is controlled by the ECM.

 

Ok thanx man! So that explains why when I floor it the car sorta revs up first and then launches (sh**y btw) right?

 

It does not come into play until you reach 40-45 mph. taking off from idle the TCC does nothing. Maybe a higher stall converter?

 

yeah, that is for your lock up converter, and 4th gear switch. It is also broken! The piece you unplugged is supposed to stay in the transmission.

it probably wouldn't affect much other than possible a trans oil leak, and lower hiway mileage, since it can't lock the converter.

 

Right on! So it has nothing to do with launch ok! My friend whos putting on my harness found the wires to the switch just dangling and if im correct he also stated that it was already unplugged but ill ask him how he found it exactly when I see him later and update on the situation if needed. Hey jwscab, so this switch plugs into the tranny internally correct? the switch looks good to me so whats broken on it? or did you mean 'broken' since its not plugged in? With gas prices now a days I want to get as much mpg as I can get so I definately want to hook the switch up in its proper place and get it working. My friend tried looking for the other ends of the wires but couldnt locate them; anyone know where they are located and where exactly the seitch plugs in to??. I really appreciate the info guys thanks.

L8R,
Phoenix

 

that piece is supposed to stay in the transmission. there are no other wires. it has been broken off the transmission. was that piece on the harness, or is it from your transmission?

if it's not from your transmission, then the connector is still in the trans, it is located on the drivers side, behind the shift linkage, pretty much directly underneath the driver's right knee.

if it's from your transmission, you will need to drop the pan and replace the connector/wiring harness more than likely. if its from your trans, i would also suspect you have a pretty massive trans fluid leak.

 

Well my friend found the wires dangling off the tranny and he said he found it tucked somewhere on top the bell housing and as for a trans oil leak....the driveway is clean . I just looked at an actual diagram of how the switch is mounted and yeah it appears to be 'broken' off from the tranny; the round piece with the rubber ring (on the ground in pic 2) is supposed to be sticking half way out to allow the harness to be plugged in. See those 3 prongs that are sticking out of that piece? it looks like I can just plug the thing back in, re wire it and plug in the male end of the harness and all systems go...or not?? Thanks again guys.

Phoenix

 

Drove my car back home today from my friend's house and the thing ran like s***t! When I stepped on the gas to speed up or when coming from a stop sign, it barely even moved and would catch speed very slowly. Anyone know what might be going on here? Thanks in advance.

Later,

Phoenix

 

did the engine rev and you felt like you were going nowhere? if so, that could be low fluid level. if you are down like a few quarts of trans fluid, you will have a hard time moving the car. this could also be why there is no fluid leak where that connector went.

it really sounds like some trans repair is in your future. your friend who is an expert tech should be able to help diagnose what is shot.

 

It goes but just really slow at catching speed. you have a point there about it not leaking out , I'll take a good look at it today. Yeah Ill have to ask my friend to take a look at it and see what he finds.....right after he gets back from New Mexico in 2 months . Anyway thanks for the info jwscab.

Later,
Phoenix