Hello guys,
I'm just now starting my second year with my 88 Trans Am 305 TBI. Let me say that my first year owning it was a pleasure. Only thing I had to get fixed/done to my red beauty was new rear brake drums and to fix the tilt steering wheel. Ok now for my problems



Last week, I went over to the Sear Auto Center to get new tires for my car, while driving there on the highway mid way through my trip the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on. Wierd, I've never seen it on before while driving. Anyway, that is just one of my concerns/problems.. I replaced all 4 tires with the BFGoodwrench Radial T/A's. I believe 215/65/15. I also had the rear shocks replaced as well. The very next day I was driving home and I noticed everytime i turn right that i heard/felt a grinding noise. Didn't feel normal at all. So I took my car to the Pontiac Dealership to get my broken sway bar fixed, and asked them to see what was going on up front while they were at it. They came back and said that My TIRES were too big. And rubbing against the wheel well. (This information cost me $34)WTF?? Going from that, I returned to the Sears Auto Center today and told them the story.. Oh, and when going there again today I had the cute little orange "service engine" light come on. I'm going to start to cry and hit things . Anyway for those of you who are still awake, The sears dude looked it up and the 215/65/15 were the manufacture recommendations. They took my car for a test drive and expierence the same things, and came back saying that something else it wrong, the tire is not to blame. I'm beginning to hit things now. Why ME!?!?



So, a summary:




1. Whats the deal with my tires!? What could be causing them to "rub".. The old ones didn't "rub" but they weren't new.


2. What the hell is up with the service light?


3. How do i know when i have a bad O2 Sensor??? (The dealership wanted to charge me $68 to scan to see if it was good or bad)
Could the service light be coming on because of the O2 Sensor????????????



If things keep going wrong, I'm going to go insane.

Thanks For All the help,
Joe

Red 88 Trans Am 305 TBI

 

Dude, I feel you pain. The O2 sensor could cause the SES light to come on. There is a way that you can read the codes at home off of the SES light. Unfortunately, I forget how to do it. If you can find out, you can post the codes you get back here and someone will let you know what they mean.

------------------
Pimpin' ain't easy.

 

There's no way that a 215/65-15 should rub. That's the factory size. Sears is right, something else is going on there.

Which tire(s) rub when the wheel is turned which way(s)? That might make it easier to diagnose over the Net. Has the car ever been hit? Any idea what the tire is rubbing on?

Pull the codes from your computer and post them. In fact, I think there's a place on this site (or at least used to be, it may or may not be back up yet) where you can go look up what they mean. They don't always tell you exactly what part to replace but they will point you in the right direction.


------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

The tire seems to rub when i turn RIGHT (i beleive sears said it was the Front Driverside wheel), and sometimes i hear/feel a popping noise as well. Car has never been in any kind of accident/crash. I have no clue what is causing this. As far as the Service Light, i don't know how to pull my own codes.. i wish i knew more about cars.. only 18

THanks all,
Joe

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/faq/thirdgen.shtml

Scroll down to the end

------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

Where can i find this DLC 12 Pin connector to pull my own codes??? Will a number flash if there is something wrong? As always detail descriptions, and/or pictures always seem to help me best.

Thanks a million
Joe

 

Joe,

Above post has good link to help you pull the offending code from the computer. Post it when known and we'll try to help.

Regarding the wheel rubbing. The "popping" noise could be several things - a bad ball joint comes to mind because when turning, more stress is placed on the ball joints, and will sometimes make the noise as you posted (popping) as stress is placed on the ball joint(s).

The following would be some things I'd check.

1. Are the ball joints loose (can you move any of the linkage by hand?)?

2. Was the front end aligned after the new tires were installed? (The alignment shop should-have/may-have seen if anything was broken or loose, etc.)

3. If the tire is rubbing the car, can you see where? If not, then perhaps the tire is not rubbing afterall, and its another problem.

4. I know you said it was not in an accident/crash, so how did the sway bar break? Was it the front or rear?

5. What else did Sears replace?

6. Were the wheel bearings replaced or repacked? If the nut was not tightned properly, there might be too much play. With the wheel off the ground, hold the tire at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions, and move it in and out. There should be very little movement if at all (I'll guess a few thousanths of an inch at the top of the rim), and the tire should rotate freely. If you can wiggle it a lot, then the nut is not tight enough.

7. With one tire still off the ground, hold it at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions, and move it in and out. You should not have any free play. (You'll have a littl play, but that's the linkage moving - look for any play before the linkage begins to move).

Just some thoughts.

 

Joe,

Just saw your last.

On my 91 Camaro, that socket is directly below the steering shaft, and I have to remove the lower panel to access it.

When you short the two sockets (with a paper clip or whatever), the "check engine" light will flash. Count the flashes to determine the code. If memory serves, code "12" is for normal operation, so you'd see that light flash once, then pause, then twice. I Believe it will repeat each error three times, so if you have error 12, 25 and 30, then you'd see the light flash "12" three times, then "25" three times, then "30" three times, and then repeat the sequence. I'm pretty sure that's how it works.

 

Stuart is correct: The ALDL connector should be located under the drivers side, probably to the left of the steering column. To identify this, look for a small black rectangular box, approx. 1" by 2" and should have 12 pins in it. You need to ground the a & b connectors. The a & b connectors are the top two on the right hand side of the ALDL. Grounding them consists of taking a paperclip, folding it so it looks like a "U" then insert one end into the a and one end into the b side. You then insert your key into the ignition and turn so that the ignition is on, car off. Basically turn the key, don't start the car. The light will start to flash. First once (pause) then twice...this is code 12, code 12 is good!! 12 will flash 3 times, then it will move onto the next stored code, let's say it is code 23, the light will flash twice (pause) then three times. It will then flash code 23 three times in a row, just like it did for the code 12. and it will do this for every code stored. Then it will start back over at 12. Hope this helps. As for the popping, could be a ball joint, tie rod end link, and really anything else. Get that ball joint checked!!!

------------------
-Bill
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Boston Chapter
91Z28, (in progress) 3.8L, TE63-1 turbo, MSD50lb injectors, Hemco upper, ported TTA heads, 62MM TB, Red's XP fuel pump, 3.73s, vigilante (stall to be determined)

[This message has been edited by Bill91Z (edited September 15, 2000).]

 

Thanks for all you help guys, I had sears get down to the bottom of this today, and they found that my Front Suspension has worn sway bar links. Hmmm, interesting.. Anyway I will have that fixed up when i take it back to the pontiac dealership to get the rear one fixed as well...

Thanks again for everyone's help, I really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Joe

Red 88 Trans Am 305 TBI

 

JC,

So in essence, the tire was rubbing on the bent end of the sway bar because the links are worn and have allowed the bar to slip toward one side of the car... is that right?

The ALDL on an '86 is under the right trim panel next to the steering column - where your right shin would hit the dash if you raised your leg. The trim cover should just pull off, and the 'A' and 'B' terminals are the two on the upper right end. For instructions and the decoder, see: GM Error Codes.pdf


------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"Make Me Bad"
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

Try to find someone with a "code reader" that sounds like it would be your best bet, when my 91 rs (305 TBI) started actin up it ended up being the O2 sensor. good luck