my headlights radio trunk pop and cigg lights work for 25 min then they quit working while driving down the road i think it is a ground but im not sure where to locate said ground i sprayed them all down in my hood it made it start better because of the copper ignition ground someone help im not sure how to read a wiring diagram to even fix it and i dont have the money to take it to a shop

 

Can you verify that the alternator isn't dropping out? Does the voltmeter(gauge) work? Watch it while this is happening and see if the voltage is dropping. The way your problem sounds is more like a circuit breaker than a bad ground. Has a previous owner wired in a circuit breaker to these load circuits? Look at the fuse panel. The headlights were originally protected only by a fuse link. If the fuse link blew and was replaced by a circuit breaker, that would explain your trouble. The only ground that these items all share in common is the main body ground circuit between Battery- and the body and/ or engine block, and the ground strap at the rear of the passenger side cylinder head.

 

it only has 59,000 original miles im the second owner it sat for five year the voltage is dropping come to think of it im not sure if the fuseable link was replaced or not do you have any idea what that lloks like the circuit breaker i mean all the other electrical is working fine matter of fact the night it went out i drove 40 miles with only my blinkers and break lights working no radio or anything it has power windows and locks the windows work but the locks do not i have left the windows open a few times i apreciate the help im new to electrical i can rebuild an engine but can barely install an aftermarket radio

 

also how would i check if the circuit breaker is bad when i do find it

 

The car didn't have a circuit breaker from the factory. Only fusible links. On the Camaros, the fusible links are all at the starter and attach to the battery + wire there. There is one link for lights and another for the ignition and accessory power supply. generally, fuse links don't open when hot then close again when cold, they're pretty much like a fuse and when they go they're gone. If the previous owner did install a circuit breaker to replace a fuse link, I would have no idea how they might have connected it or where they might have mounted it.

I'm still very suspicious of your alternator itself. Your symptoms sound alot like the alternator getting hot and dropping out. You would need to be monitoring voltage at the BATT terminal of the alternator when the problem happens to verify that it is dropping off. to be sure you would also need to be watching power at the red wire in the 2 pin connector next to the battery terminal. If this loses power the alternator will shut down.

Be sure to check out the fuse links at the starter to make sure they're not broken or scabbed together somehow. The wires from them should go straight into the engine harness with no breaks. If you trace them back, you may find where someone installed a circuit breaker. Replacing the breaker may solve your problem. I have no issue with someone using a circuit breaker to replace a fuse link. The fuse link was only used at the factory because it's cheap. A quality circuit breaker will provide the same level of protection and be resettable. If the circuit breaker has been tripped too many times it can get weak and trip too easily. Then it needs to be replaced. However, if the circuit is running high current, you will need to find and correct the cause.

 

if the alternator was dropping out wouldnt all the electrical be failing not some and i think i know where the short is its the power locks they got wet a while back and by the starter ill check that today for the fusible links or circuit breaker if its not a circuit breaker than it could be a few crossed wires ive heard of these things to catch fire due to wiring problems on the fuel pump im going to disconnect the accecory fuses that power that access the powerless items

 

If you had a short in the fuel pump circuit, the engine would stall. Generally if the alternator were losing power it would cause more than a few accessories to drop out. But it's still good to verify the alternator is not the problem. You need to figure out what power or ground supply the items that you are losing have in common. Do they share a ground? A power supply? That's why I say check the fuse links.

 

Looking at the diagrams for your car, I see that the headlamps are powered through fuse link 1 which also carries power to the accessory fuse, which in turn powers the other items on your list. I would check that fuse link for poor connections or being broken. It is weird but I have seen broken wires that make contact when cold and go open when hot. And as I said, it's possible someone put a circuit breaker in.

 

i checked power to the alternator thats fine i checked all fuse locations that were out i wasnt sure whichwas the head lamp fuse but all fuse locations were active when the accessories were not example the radio i checked the radio fuse but the radio was out with the fuse in is that fusible link located on the starter or is it the red line with the cylindrical connector by the right front headlamp behind the battery and is there any chance you could send a copy of the wiring diagram to my car i cant find one anywhere

 

The fuse loink at the battery is the charge circuit from the alternator. The fuse links that feed the headlamps, ignition switch and accessories are all at the starter. The headlamps don't have fuse. Only the the fuse link. I don't have a way to post diagrams. Everything I have for your car is on All Data. All Data is the technical resource here at the Precision Automotive where I work as a master technician. I strongly urge anyone diagnosing their own car to either purchase a good service manual or go to the library and look for All Data or Mitchell On Demand on the computer there. I know our local county libraries have it and you can print pages for a small fee.

 

ill take it to a garage because my car is so low i cant get it on ramps i need to lift it with an alignment rack
another thing is my tachometer seems to be off quite a bit since i went and got my transmission rebuilt and it seems to lack power at 55000 rpms and it seems to take all the gas to get it going that fast

 

I hope that goes well. I'm a 37 year master tech but I have a lack of faith in the repair industry in general. I see too many wanna be techs who pretend to know what their doing and customers who pay for this attitude. There are still some real good honest techs out there who really profess in their work and try their best. I work with some of these and consider myself one. The only thing I can say is be choosy about the shop you use. While I am not a religious man, I can say that generally, businesses that display the "fish" symbol are run by honest people. Also, shops that are clean and neat, tend to take better care of the cars they service. Of course, try to find an ASE Master Technician. These will generally be the guys with the most experience and knowledge.

As far as your Tach goes, it's common for these Tachs to be inaccurate, especially for them to read high. Mine has been pretty good but I notice lately that it's reading about 300rpm high at 7,000. The rev limiter in my MSD Digital 6 is set at 6,900 and when I hit it the other day, my Tach was reading just over 7,000. It's still close enough to be useful and there is a fix involving installing a resistor on the circuit board. Eventually when I can afford it, I'm going to store my factory cluster in bubble wrap and replace it with a custom cluster made of AutoMeter gauges.

Power loss above 5,500 on your 2.8 is not unusual either. Since your 2.8 V6 runs out of wind at about 4,800. The 2.8 was never meant to be a high performance motor and hard use will bring it's death sooner than later. I had one towed away last week with a spun rod bearing and have seen a hand full of them with broken cranks. If you really like power, you might want to start saving to build a high performance V8. In the meantime, check your state of tune(plugs, wires, cap and rotor) to pick up a little lost performance. Add Seafoam to a tank of fuel.

 

i know i had an ase certified master tech his name was russel he was really good but the shop closed down and he does other work now i was planning on switching my chevy s10 4.3 engine into my camaro since i rebuilt it with a little bit of russels help i dont run my 2.8 hard just try to get it to do its damn job lol highway mileage should be easy ive had 4 cylinders stronger than this thing you know i was looking at the recalls for this model and there quite a bit of them dealing with the gas tanks and the gas line rusting and leaking i think mine has been leaking lately

 

I haven't seen much trouble with rusted fuel lines. I would imagine that's more of a problem in the northeastern states or coastal areas where salt is an issue. The 2.8 V6, and I say this with some reserve as I know that many people love their 2.8s, did not have a good run as a factory offering. It came out in 85 as I remember and by 90 we were replacing them enmass at the dealer level. Low power output was a huge complaint(only 15 HP more than a 2.5 L4) and broken crankshafts seemed to be a common problem especially when equipped with a manual transmission where high revving was possible. GM released the 3.1 as an upgraded replacement for the 2.8. the 3.1 is no giant of reliability or power itself but it does better than the 2.8. The 4.3, aside from maybe the 3.8 Buick(it's hard to argue with either the turbo charged Grand National or the supercharged GS's or GTP's), is lilkely the best V6 GM ever made.

 

do you think my beloved 4.3l will fit in the 2.8l place will it bolt up to the transmission also ?
because the trucks body has seen better days literally the frame is pretty much gone and neither of the doors or windows work ill probably get my moneys worth out of the rebuilt 4.3 than the crappy 2.8l love that 4.3 its never done me wrong

 

and will the shaft fit by any chance ? all of these things on the truck is in good shape more info on the tuck is its the same year as the camaro 89 also it has the 700r4

 

Bad news there. The 4.3 will not bolt up to the 2.8 trans bellhousing. There are of course adapters available. The 4.3 uses the same bolt pattern as the chevy V8. It is basically a V8 with 2 cylinders cut off. Another concern to keep in mind is that the 700R4 for the 2.8 will not hold up behind a 4.3 or V8. The 2.8 auto trans is a light duty unit will a specific valve body for the smaller engine.

 

but will the 4.3 and the 4.3 transmision fit in the 2.8l and the 2.8l trannies position i was thinking on doing a full swap and putting the 2.8l road buggy to mess with

 

i have finally gotten my camaro in the air too look at the starter wires there are four (the main starter wire which goes to the batt)
(then three others two close together wires)(and a single one)
should i replace all of the fuseable links or just one the main wire has no little cylindrical box on it so it of course is not fused but the other three are and what should i replace said fusible links with ??? or should i replace all of the wires that deal with my stereo system because i have a high draw stereo system in my vehicle i think that that is the reason my fusible links burned up

 

Is the stereo just a head unit with built in amp? If so it shouldn't draw more than 10 amps. You would connect the BATT constant(yellow) wire to one of the BATT terminals at the fuse panel and the fuse links shouldn't have a problem with this. If the stereo draws much more than 10 amps, you would want to connect the BATT circuit of the deck directly to BATT+ with an inline fuse close to the battery.

The fuse links are just a soft wire that blows apart under high current. This wire is also susceptible to fatigue over time and will just break apart after many years of carrying current and being jostled about as the car is driven. The way that I would verify that the current draw isn't excessive is to connect an ammeter in line with the circuit and watch current draw while you operate all the loads on that circuit and wiggle the harness to check for shorts to ground.

As far as replacing fusible wire, the wire is available in rolls at the local parts store. It comes in various gauges. The lower the gauge, the larger the wire, and the higher the current capacity. I believe the fuse links at the starter are all 16 gauge and are rated at 20 amps.

EDIT: Be sure to verify that the fuse links are open before you replace them. Use a voltmeter to test voltage across the fuse link. If the link is good, there should be zero volts. If the link is open there will be 12v.

 

its a 100 watt x4 sony head unit //////
and if i connected the head unit directly to battery is there any other way to get it to shut off with the ignition ?

there are little cylindrical plastic boxes on said wires do i break said plastic boxes ?

and you and you never answered my engine question will the 4.3 fit in the place of the 2.8l

and will it bolt up to the drive shaft will it break too easy should i replace it with another shaft

any ideas what will fit and should i replace the reaer end and will the truck rear end fit
the reason i spaced it is cause my grammar is terrible and it wil make it easier to read

 

I think I did answer that question at some point in this thread but that's okay. No, the 4.3 will not bolt up to the trans for a 2.8. The bolt patterns are different. Also, even though the transmissions for each are identified by the same numbers(700R4 or T5) they are different in that the 2.8 gets light duty, V6 specific, trans while the 4.3 gets V8 trans. Otherwise, if you change the trans with the engine, the swap is fine. I've done it myself in a few 3rd gens. I myself swapped in TPI V8s for customers who wanted Z28 or T/A performance from a less expensive package. The drive lines are the same and the rear axles vary only by ratio option and limited slip or open diff.

The stereo has two seperate power wires. One is yellow and larger than all of the other wires. This one can be connected directly to the battery, as I detailed earlier. The other power, or ignition, wire is red and is the on/off signal from an ignition source. The stereo will turn off when power is taken away from this red wire. It should be connected to the car's radio fuse. To replace the fuse links, you cut the wire above the plastic joints. Before replacing the fuse links be sure to verify that they are open. Chances are, if any are open, it's only one. I told you in a prior post how to test them.

 

hey i finally caught you on line what i meant by the engine question not the transmission i will swap the engine and tranny when i swap it all i was wanting to know if the engine will fit the motor mounts being a 4.3 and not a v8 ?

 

The 4.3 will mount just like a small block V8, using the V8 mounts. It is naturally shorter than the V8 so the rear cross member might need to be adjusted. But I think the main difference in length is to the front of the mounts so any difference at the rear cross member should be minor. You will want to use an electric fan or find an extra long fan shroud.

 

that makes sense it being in resemblence to a chevy 350 will the transmission fit in place of do you think and bolt up to the camaros drive shaft because i know the s10 one is too long to go in its place

 

so my car will not start i found the harness where my short is located its by the coil im getting spark at the distributor but not after im thinking it is the ignition control module again i replaced this thing one not but 5000 miles ago might be less could it be anything else i unplugged a clip that has three wire on both sides of it and it looks pretty grimy im gonna clean it and try again you have any idea what that clip could be