This picture is taken of the front of the engine. As you can see, the driverside sensor is not connected to anything, and I have no loose wireing that I can connect to it. What is sensorwires is missing, and what should I do about it. and how do I do it..

 

I don't know TPI engines very well, but that looks like a coolant temp sensor. And so does the one right next to it. My guess would be one is for a gague and one is for a dummy light. You car may be equiped with one and not the other so one sensor is disconnected. OR you have a loose wire somewhere. Either way if your temp gague works, I wouldn't worry about it much.

 

well. my temp gauge doesnt work, and I have problems with the engine overheating and the fans not turning on. I just got a different sensor that I hooked up in my cow, and I had the engine running at 240 degrees and the fans didnt turn on. The engine used to boil when I parked it before I got the new sensor. (the new sensor and gauge is hooked up on the driverside at the lower part of the engine.. the old one was just cut off...)

 

Driver's side lower part of the engine? Can you show a picture? The fan switch should be on eht epass side cylinder head. I just replaced mine yesterday. So if you're fan is not kicking on when hot I'd look there. Does that fan work at all? Will it kick on when you turn on the a/c? In fact is your a/c cooling right? If you even have a/c. If the fan doesn't work at all then I would check the relay and the fan itself before the switch.

 

Thats weird.... I have an 89 GTA.. the coolant temp sensor is on the left side of that picture.. That could possibly be a fan switch..

Looks like the Intakes been off.. maybe it was misplaced? Check yur harness for cut wires.. you might be suprised with what you could find

 

Thats the air intake on the right, tensioner on the left, looking straight at the front of the intake manifold just below the throttle body.
Looks like coolant temp sensor to me too, and on mine, I'm pretty sure there's only one sensor there... may be wrong and I'll have to look when I get home.

 

Looks like somebody stuck two coolant temp sensors in there. My only other thought is that they relocated the secondary fan switch (normally on the passenger side head) to the intake manifold, and never hooked it up. It should be a single black wire that goes to it.

 

I think that all the wireing in the car is replaced. I have checked for cut or none connected wires, but I cant find any. I can check it out again later today. The sensor that I replaced is in the picture, but you can only see the "steelwire".

The two other sensors are there, but I can just pull them out with my fingers and I have no idea how to check if they work or not.

Picture of "the other sensors" is added...

 

Is that wire for an aftermarket gauge? Looks like it would be. Hopefully you just bought this car.. cuz someone was doing a nice little hack job on it

 

Ive had the car for about a year now, and I was the one that bought the gauge since I didnt know any other way to get the temp without spending a bunch of money in a shop.

Nice little hack job? Im foreign:P what does that mean?

 

someone that worked on the car before you decided he didnt care much about how the car went back together as long as it drove. Basically sloppy *** mechanic. Not saying you are.. but the previous owner definetely did some fine work on it

 

As far as temperatures and fans go, you should have:

1 Sensor in the drivers side head with single wire (this looks to be the one you call "steelwire". This is the sensor for the stock temperature gauge.

1 Switch in the passenger side head. This switch controls the second fan (ECM controls the first)

1 Coolant temperature sensor on the front of the intake manifold. 2 wires go to it (yellow and black I believe).

I dont know what all that other crap you have is.

 

Just an observation, but, I dont think you have the original motor in your car. It looks to be a flat tappet motor, when an 89 should be a roller cam. The reason I suspect this is from the picture you posted of the two sensors on the front of the engine. There is a little plug on the front of the block there where the oil galley is drilled. My '85 flat tappet block had this hole (and plug) and my 88 roller motor does not have a hole there, just a casting pad.

 

I think the dude that owned the car had lots of plans with it, but then he decided to sell it.. He got high compression heads and a mild cam and a flowmaster exaust for the engine, but as you say. everythings seems to be put together in a hurry.

The switch in the passenger side head should be there. The coolant temp sensor in front is there too. I just checked the wires and you were right about the colors. they are black and yellow.

MattODoom. Are you far from Wisconsin? Do you want to fix my car? hehe

 

Where should I look to see if the engine has matching numbers?

If you are right about this. Is this a better or worse engine??

 

Michigan, and no! Got enough problems on my hands fixing my cars.
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Pull the valve cover off to check head castings. Stock L98 centerbolt heads should be 14101083 I believe. I know it ends with "083", the beginning part im pulling from memory here. As for the block, the casting number is on the side. Three big numbers.

 

hahaha nor do I .. I have enough problems trying to keep up with Matt and his pockets full of cash!

 

I'd like to know where I left those pockets. I got nothin!

 

You can see the head casting numbers here towards the top in this picture. These are my somewhat ported by me L98 heads:

 

The heads are not stock. I know that. I have high compression heads and a mild cam. Oh well. I dont really care. I cant do anything about it anyway. But it makes some sense that its not the original engine.

 

It could be. I dont know for certain that the plug there was not present on all the L98 roller blocks. Just something I noticed between my 85 and 88 blocks.

 

Do you know what kind of heads they are? Yur next place to check would be the casting number on the block.. which is on the drivers side rear of the engine... basically harder then hell to read if you ever had to unless the engine comes out.

 

Well. the only thing I want right now is to get the car working as fast and as cheap as possible. I guess I need to try figure out why none of the fans are kicking in when the engine is passing 240 degrees.

 

Check your fan relays.

 

Did you check the passenger side head for the fan switch?

 

If you guys would tell me where to find the relay (and how to check it) and the fan switch, I will do that as soon as possible.

 

Well. I can see that your coolant temp sensor is plugged in. So assuming that it is functioning correctly, at least one of the fans should work (the ECM controlled one - drivers side one). Since it is not, I can only assume either the wiring to the fan is amiss or the relay is bad. The relay is located on the firewall by the power brake booster I believe.

 

fan switch would be on the passenger side head between cylinders 6 and 8. I believe its a one wire hookup. should be right underneath yur exhaust manifold.

 

You guys made my thread burst into flames..

I will run down and check the relay. Im not sure what to look for, but I will jiggle it a little and maybe even unplug it. Maybe I should just hook them up so that they run all the time? Its not like Im going to drive around too much when its snow and ice out anyways.

 

Shawn's fault. He's the flamer.

 

Well I do drive a trans am too.. so theres a possiblity

 

You two are too cute. How long have you been dating?

And I checked the relays by unplugging them and plugging them back, I also found out that the battery ground was kind of shady so I tighten it up. I dont know how much that matters.

 

3 years. But frankly I'm sick of him making fun of my trans am. Its over! you hear me... its OVER!!

But the battery cable might not be your magical cure, but tightening wont hurt.

 

Well. Im recharging the battery now, so I guess I just have to wait and see what happens...

I wish I had the knowlegde, tools and the room to fix my car.. Its interesting, but it sucks having an old car when I dont have the ability to do anything myself..

 

hey speedball

i can tell you what the other sensor is!!
it is the cold start sensor!!!
i drive a camaro to,and mine has this sensor to on the front of the manifold!left is the cooland temprature sensor and right is the cold start sensor
look in the search for cold start switch/sensor and you see i`m right

goodluck greets from the netherlands(europe)

Dennis

 

Dennis,

the cold start circuit (switch, injector) was dropped in 1989. Starting in 1989 the computer just lengthens the injector pulse of all 8 of the regular injectors. On top of that, the cold start switch does not look like the sensor shown. It has a rectangular plug and uses an injector style connector. Refer to this picture to see what im talking about: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...r-100_0297.jpg

The second sensor he has there in his intake is a CTS sensor, albeit there is already one right next to it.

 

mattadoom sorry i have a `88 camaro
but the picture look`s the same!!!with the same sensors on the same place
can you explane that?

gr dennis

 

Dennis, my 88 GTA had the cold start stuff when I got it, and had the large rectangular cold start switch. I have never seen one with the oval connector.

 

the other switch is for nothing maybe previous owner had nothing else to plug the hole with so he just stuck another coolant sensor in LOL .... at least if your coolant sensor goes bad just plug your wires into the other sensor LOL