Ok I got a weak V6.. not sure if I should post this in the V6 forum or here since its just a problem in general.. Changing the coolent I used that cap (in the lower left hand corner) on the radiator and drained out all the old antifreeze.... pour in some water... let it run for a few minutes to flush out the antifreeze sitting elsewhere... drain that out... pour in new antifreeze.....

now the engine sitting there in park will run smooth for a minute.. then sputter a little bit then go back to running smooth for a few minutes.. then sputter again for a second.. then back to smooth again..... AND my dreaded "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" light comes on and won't go away.. wtf went wrong... all i changed was the antifreeze?

--- 86 Camaro Sports Coupe

 

You didn't knock a wire to a sensor lose by chance did ya? Other than checking all your wires and such...i don't have a clue...good luck though

 

It's an old car. Stuff breaks. It's probably unrelated to the coolant. Check the code and see what's wrong. Do a search or look on the main page FAQ to learn how.

 

I would guess it has nothing to do with the coolant, almost certain. I bet that it is just a fluke or you messed up a wire or connector.

 

Engine is cold now and the light went away.. its late so I don't have time to spin it around the block and warm it up.. now I just wonder if the light will come back on when the engine gets hot.. what should I do if it does?... oh and through all this I found out my coolent bottle (that plastic one w/ the line that says engine cold and another line that says engine hot on it) has a leak in it.. its not a hole but a small line along the middle where antifreeze leaks out... how to fix it.. or where and how much to get a new bottle?

 

You can get a new GM coolant overflow tank from a dealership. They get them shipped fast too. I got one for around $18-20, and it only took a couple days for them to get it.

later

 

Zirt,

The DTCs are stored for the last 50 engine start-stop cycles, so even if the SES is off, the codes can still be retrieved. The engine doesn't need to be warm for that, since the engine won't even be running during code retrieval.

Find out what codes you have.

 

Yeah, without the codes, we can't help too much. Okay, well, we can help, but we'll throw out every possible idea! And yes, you could also ask this on the V6 forum. We don't bite.

 

Ok I did the thing and it flashed off code 12 a few times like the FAQ said it should then 34.. which is

34. Low voltage (high vacuum) at mass air flow sensor (or MAP sensor)

I'll checked it a couple times.. its a code 34.. but damn.. a few questions.. what is that.. where is that.. and how the he11 did I mess that up changing the antifreeze?

Oh yea and how could I fix it?

 

You probably didn't goof it up by changing the antifreeze, unless you unplugged something, and forgot to plug it back in. You can run through this chart, I've posted it many times on the V6 board, but don't feel like doing a search for it now.

You can do a visual check of the MAF. Take the MAF out. Oh- the MAF is the sensor between your air filter box and the rectangular air duct. It's got a 3 pin connector going to it, and has it's own tubing. Remove it from the intake by undoing the big clamp at the air box, and the clamp at the TB hose from the air duct. Remove the air duct/MAF together, then remove the clamp holding the MAF to the air duct. Look inside the MAF. If the orange frequency film is warped/bent/rippled, the MAF is shot. The film needs to be perfectly flat.

The chart is simple, you just need a $15 Radio Shack (or other) multimeter to check for voltage.

Oh yeah- you have a MAF, not a MAP (vacuum) sensor. 85-89 2.8's got MAF, 90-92 3.1's got MAP.


...
-----------------------------------------------
DIAGNOSTIC CHART FOR CODE 34 (2.8L MPFI ENGINE)
---------------------------typed by Tom P------

First off, they want you to check out the air intake duct for being loose or
damaged.

Since you are getting the code 34, and no other error codes, we can kind of jump into
the middle of the chart:

1. Ignition off. Disconnect the MAF sensor wire. Connect a voltmeter between the
____harness pin "B" (center) and ground.
_______Less than 1 volt? Go down to "1A"
_______Over 4 volts? Go down to "2"

____1A: Disconnect ECM A-B connector. Check circuit 528 (brown/white, on connector
_________"B", terminal #6) for an open or short to ground. If it's not open/shorted,
_________it's faulty ECM connector terminal B6 or a bad ECM. By the way, this is the
_________MAF's "signal" wire.



2. Connect a test light between MAF harness pins "A" & "C".
_______Light on? Go down to "2A"
_______Light off? Go down to "3"

___2A: Faulty MAF sensor connection or sensor. So since you've tried two sensors,
________I'd imagine the connector's at fault. Try checking for corrosion on the
________connector's pins- I had that happen once. Also, try wiggling the connector,
________and seeing if you get a SES light. If I wiggle my current one, I can make
________a code 34 set, and the car almost stalls. I've gotta get another connector
________from a junkyard... Pep Boys sells new ones, but for an outrageous price.
---------update 10/2000: I replaced the connector (actually, the whole MAF harness!)
---------with one from a junkyard car. No more connector problems!



3. Connect a test light between MAF harness pin "A" and ground.
_______Light off? Go down to "4"
_______Light on? Go down to "3A"

___3A: The ground wire for your MAF, which is MAF harness pin "C", is open. Fix
________the problem with the black ground wire, either it's bad or burnt thru or
________it broke at the passenger-side-upper-frame-rail grounding point (a ring
________terminal on a screw).



4. Disconnect MAF relay, ignition "on" (not "start"). Connect a test light (at the
____relay connector) between CKT 840 (brown) and ground, and CKT 39 (black/pink) and
____ground.

____Okay, now, the MAF relay is located between your air filter box & radiator, on the
____radiator support, I believe. It should have one long black connector to the harness,
____NOT two connectors (one black and one gray)- that ones for your flip up headlights.
---------update 7/2001: For Camaros, you guys have a different location for your airbox.
---------But, the MAF relay's in the same spot, at the passenger side of the radiator, on
---------the radiator support. I believe it's the only relay you Camaro guys have down
---------there; just check the relay for the wire colors I mentioned for CKTs 840 & 39.


____The test on CKT 840 checks to see if voltage is getting from your MAF fuse to the
____MAF relay.

____As for CKT 39, that's controlled by your GAGE fuse. (So that's what it does! Cool.)
____It comes on with the car's ignition- that's why you need the ignition "on". When this
____black/pink wire gets power, it flips the MAF relay's magnet ON, which basically switches
____the MAF on- that's how power gets from CKT 840 to the MAF.

_______Only one light? "repair the open circuit".
__________No light on CKT 840? See "4A"
__________No light on CKT 39? See "4B"
_______Both circuits are fine? Go see "5"

___4A: If no light on CKT 840, find the MAF fuse- it's under your hood, screwed down
________to the upper-frame-rail on the passenger side of the car, closest to the
________headlights. You'll see two little black boxes, each with two wires coming out
________of them, screwed down to the upper frame rail by one screw each. One of them
________has a red wire and a BROWN wire coming out of it- that's your MAF fuse holder.
________Pop the top off to see the MAF fuse. (The holder with red & orange wires is for
________your computer and fuel pump.)

________If the fuse looks fine, try replacing it anyway... I've had that happen to me-
________the fuse looks fine but's really shot. Perform test #4 again. Still no light?
________Probe the MAF fuse holder's RED wire with a test light to ground. This checks
________the MAF fuse holder's connection to the positive-junction-block, located on the
________passenger side of your radiator support. If it's bad, follow the red wire to
________the junction block & fix it. Do test #4 again- still no light? Check
________for corrosion on the MAF fuse holder's contacts. You should get a light by now-
________unless your test light's shot!

___4B: If no light on CKT 39, check the GAGE fuse in the fusebox. As I said up in "3A",
________if the fuse looks fine, try replacing it anyway. Do test #4 again. If you've
________got no light, you get to trace CKT 39 thru the firewall, so hopefully you get
________a light on this one. This one would be a bitch to fix. All I could tell ya is
________that the black/pink wire goes to the GAGE fuse, and the GAGE fuse gets turned
________on when your ignition switch gets turned to "on".



5: Connect a test light between circuit 840 and CKT 450 (black ground wire from the
____relay connector).
_______Light off? See "5A"
_______Light on? See "6"

___5A: Fix the bad ground wire (open on CKT 450) from the relay to the chassis.
---------update 10/2000: This is buried! It follows the wiring harness along the
---------passenger side lower frame rail. You'll have to trace it the whole way. It
---------joins with 5 or 6 other ground wires at one point. Then, after that junction,
---------one wire goes to a ring terminal on the rear driver's side head.



6. Check out the condition of the orange/black wire that goes from pin "A" of the MAF
____connector to terminal "E" of the relay. If this wire is fine (not shorted or open),
____then your relay's bad... you could get a junkyard one but I think a new one is only
____$10 or so from GM.