So i went to look at a T/A today, 1987 5.0 TPI 700r4. Problem is that it wont go into park, seems the cable is messed up. How hard of a fix is this? And could it not be the cable but actually an internal issue with the transmission?

Second, its throwing a SES. I dont think the code flashes however it just stays steady. If it does not flash, but just stays on at startup what would that mean? I jumped the wrong two terminals so i couldnt pull the code but i will pull it next time i see the car, but again i dont think the SES flashes at startup. I think this problem is causing the car not to start some of the time, because its never in park so the neutral saftey switch is not allowing the car to start. Starting the car is tempermental. Sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesnt.

Third the maf is disconnected from the intake tubing, would anybody have a picture of the stock routing for the intake piping off the TPI on maf cars? Im trying to picture how to hook up the maf to the piping.

Do 1987 cars have VATS stock? This car does not have vats, and i want to know if its bypassed or if it is not equipped from the factory.

Finally, i have never driven a TPI car but should you feel more power at higher RPMS? almost like hitting boost in a turbo car? The car feels a little sluggish under 3kish but pulls hard after that mark? Im not too sure if this is normal or not and i dont want to get a car with problems.

 

Well one there are adjustments on the cable but it could be an internal problem as well. i guess it depends what you mean by it dosnt seem to want to go into park?

Next about the SES light if the code does not flash when the diagnostic terminal is grounded it could be anything from a problem with the wireing to a bad ECM.


88 and older cars do not have VATS

Lastly TPI cars are torque monsters and shouldnt really feel like a turbo kicks in at 3 k or so. However if the MAF isnt even piped in that alone if nothing else was wrong with the car would cause it to run poorly.

 

The car doesnt feel like it runs poorly, and it only felt like a "turbo" kicking in on a couple pulls, i did about 5 or 6 from a dead stop or a slow rolling stop under 15mph and 2 or 3 times it felt kinda sluggish. But this could be because the maf is not hooked up to the intake tubing? Its hooked up to the car and wired in its just not i the actual tubing right now.



The light not flashing points to wiring with the ecm or a computer probelm. When i go back and pull the code correctly would that throw a numbered code? I know he had a shop rewire some of the wires due to age though.

And by not going into park i mean that the car is literally not going into park. WHen pushing the gear shift from D into P it goes up as far as it can go but doesnt like lock into park like it should, i can drop it down into N. Its like the shifter is in a weird spot between P and R. Once when starting the car it jolted backward because it was kinda in P and kinda in R. Seems like everything is like one shifter position off also, like 1 is 2, 2 is D, D is overdrive etc.

 

Well thats what i mean about the car running sluggish from a launch that is the motor running poorly as it should not do that. Again though the maf not being plumbed in alone by itself is going to cause the car to run poorly. There may be other problems but that is a definet problem.

Yes the check engin light being on steadt could be a multitude of things from wireing to a bad ECM and everything in between but when you ground the diagnostic terminal even if everythings working properly (which it isnt as atleast the MAF being dissconected will throw a code) it should still flash at least the 1-2 code.

About the shifter it could be just an adjustment issue. I mean again its hard to say anything for sure as theres alot to these things and without doing any troubleshooting all it is is just a guess. Now its interesting because for these cars to start you can only start them in park or nutral that means that the shifter is going into park position (or this saftey has been bypassed). Perhaps not all the way but its gotta be pretty close or else it wont close the saftey switch in the shifter preventing the car from doing like you described starting in gear.

Just on a side note how much are they asking for this car? It sounds like someones gotten their hands into it and got over their heads and is not trying to pass it on to you. Unless the car was pretty cheap or in pretty good condition fundamentally ide be very hesitant to get into a car like that unless you really knew what you were doing and had like atleast $500-$1000 you could throw at the car for repairs if needed (thats if you do them yourself). I know it sounds like a lot of money but even takeing care of general maintenece items like a tune up not even actual repairs can be alot. For example i had to get an in cap coil for my T/A when i was doing a tune up the incap HEI stly ignition coil cost me like $85 at napa by itself (add in the costs of plugs wired cap rotor air filter oil/oilf filter were already well over 100 even into the low 200s just for maintence items!). Could have got it cheaper through summit but i was in a hurry but it gives you an idea what these "little" things can run you. Tires are in the $450 range for decent nothing special tires. Then theres repairs and thats can be pretty big money too. Im not saying that you should avoid this car like the plague but again be carfull because it sounds like someones really gotten into it and depending on the quality of work they did will determin how much of a headach your getting into. Again if its not in great shape or pretty cheap its going to need some work and you may be able to find another one thay may cost alittle more up front but not need as much in along the lines of repairs and end up costing you less in the long run. Kinda catch my logic?

 

Price is 1500$ with the parking issue fixed. The car needs two new tires in the rear soon, the front have about 50% life left on them. Its at a shop and he has them working on it. I told him i wouldnt take it till it would go into park correctly. He had the cable replaced a week ago but the shop did it wrong. Its got new paint, and only two small holes of rust. Im still looking at other cars, and the exact reason why i posted up is for what you mentioned.

I have heard of the SES light flashing rather fast, so i might not be catching it but even if the car is throwing a code from startup it should flash the 1-2 ready code when the terminals are grounded, but if there is no code and it flashes 1-2 twice then it points to an ECM issue and the car is driving in limp home mode correct? Thats a car i wouldnt touch, i know there was some under dash wiring done to the car.

 

Well that would kinda concern me two rear tired bald while the fronts were fine and new paint. Again not sayin its a bad car but again things to watch out for. Take a look at a few things does the hood line up with the nose in front pretty much flush or is there a 1/2"-1" gap between the front of the hood and the nose? How do the doors line up? Theos are 2 spots that it seems like whenevver these cars get into accidents worth talking about never line up right after. How are you checking the code with the car running? The car should be off with the key in the run position. The flashing your describing is if the cars running the ECM will send a signal to the check engin light to indicate the 02 sensors reading depending on how fast the check engin light blinks.

 

The rear tires are old and have stress cracks, thats why it needs two new tires. Otherwise they have about 40-50% tread. I will be checking the SES using the paper clip to ground the terminals, i just used the wrong two terminals when i tried to check it. The hood lines up fine, it just has a sticky hood latch, also the doors are fine, a little sag in the drivers door but the other door is fine, no sag at all. Other than the cble which will be fixed if i buy the car, it really only needs tires, and that ses light cleared, which i think could be coming from the fact that the MAF is not set up in the intake piping, but again ill have to pull that code first.

 

Well as long as it hasnt been in an accident and the drive trans in ok shape you cant do too bad as everything else is a relitivly easy fix by comparison.