I have an 82 Firebird 2.8L with all the emissions stuff taken of the engine by a previous owner. The air conditioning stuff is gone too. Last night I was trying to see if the MAP sensor worked. I let the engine warm up and then pulled off the hose going into it (there was pressure in the hose). I expected the engine to speed up or something but nothing happened. Is this normal?. How do I check to see if the MAP is working. On the Haynes manual it refers to codes 33 or 34. Do I need some sort of a programmer to read the ECM code?.. Also on a 2.8 what should be the idle rev. On my car its about 1000RPM.

The last few days I've been reading about emissions control and the fuel system and it's doing my head in!. Any help greatly appreciated.

Gerry Holian
Location:Ireland
82 Firebird S/E V6

 

Gerry,

You don't need any special equipment to read error codes.

First, you'll need to acquire a GM OBD I ECM Diagnostic Trouble Code Retrieval Tool (commonly known as a paper clip to TGO members). Form this wire into a ‘U' shape.

With the engine and ignition turned off, locate the ALDL connector under the dash, just to the right of the steering wheel in the driver's foot well area on some models, and on the left on others, depending on the make and year. There should be a small rectangular cover over the access hole in the lower dash trim, or at least was when the car was delivered.



Insert a tool as described above (paper clip) into the 'A' and 'B' terminals on the ALDL connector:



WITHOUT STARTING the engine, turn the ignition to the "RUN" position. Watch the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) - it will begin to flash. This is also commonly called the "Service Engine Soon" or "SES" lamp. The first code will flash three times, and will usually be a code '12'. This is encoded by one flash of the lamp, a brief pause, then two successive flashes of the lamp. Each code will repeat three times, so you should see a "Code 12" flash three times. Any other error codes will follow in numerical order, and each code should flash three times. After all codes have been displayed three times, the "Code 12" will again flash three times, then all other codes will follow as described earlier. This cycle will continue until the jumper is removed or the ignition is turned off.

After you have made a note of all error codes, turn off the ignition and remove the jumper immediately. If you forget to remove the jumper and attempt to start the engine with it in place, you could damage the ECM. For this reason you should remove it immediately.

Once you have a note of all error codes, check this file for the decoding:

GM Error Codes.pdf.

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open/print the file.

 

I just recalled that your '82 V-6 is probably carbureted, and may have teh very old CCC ECM, and five-pin ALDL plug. Which do you have?