Hows it going? My problem started last Saturday. I drove to a friend's house and later that day decided to go to a nearby convenience store. I inserted the key in the ignition, fuel pump primed, and proceeded to crank the car but nothing happened. I freaked out a bit since I worked that night and had no idea what was causing the problem. I attempted a few more times to crank it but nothing would happen. I checked the radiator and to my surprise it was bone dry as well as the burp tank. I immediatly thought 'overheated engine' and let the engine cool for about 30 min. I filled the radiator with water in the meantime and after time passed I cranked it; this time it cranked and fired right up. Eventually I found a radiator leak which I fixed with a bottle of stop leak, the one with the copper particles and it seemed to do the trick as far as the leak and my overheat problem. Yesterday however I stopped at a chevron with a buddy of mine and after filling up, I cranked the car and faced the exact same problem as last saturday except my radiator is full . Bieng that I didn't want to stay at the pump too long, my buddy and I pushed it to a parking spot were I proceeded to check the engine (under and over) to see if I could spot anything wierd and found what im pretty sure is the knock sensor connector which was just dangling there by the starter. I'm going to reconnect it today but I don't think thats the problem or is it? After about 25 min. at the station I cranked the car and it fired right up and has been running good since. Could it be my starter going out? I'd like to tackle this issue before it gets worse. Thanks in advance guys.

Phoenix

 

Update: I was wrong about the dangling knock sensor connector. Apparently the knock sensor is connected correctly to its corresponding connector. The dangling connector I found has the exact same type of connector as the knock sensor's only its black and is identified by a black or burnt brown wire. I had enough slack to pull it up through the passenger's side header and examine it. It must of been touching the header or something because some wire insulation was missing exposing the bare wire. I'm going to patch it up with electrical tape in the meantime while I look for a good used engine harness. Last but not least, I spotted some sort of sensor in between the 2 most rear primary tubes on the passengers side header. I tried plugging the dangling connector into the sensor which looks nothing like the knock sensor but no connecion. The car has been running good lately so far, anyone know what the connector and sensor's function is? I'm pretty sure thats the reason for the SES light coming on when I drive it. Thanks guys.

Phoenix

 

The other, similar looking connector you found is for the fan temp sensor that's located in the passenger side cylinder head between the last 2 cylinders. It's WAY common for the fan switch plug to be kinda melted since it's really close to the exhaust manifold, or header. I wouldn't go to the trouble of getting a whole new harness just for that. You can usually buy a new plug with wiring pigtail from most parts stores. Just cut off the old one and splice the new plug/wire on. If the parts store says they don't stock the fan switch plug just ask for a knock sensor plug, they'll usually stock it under one name or the other. Take a good look at the fan sensor while you're at it too. If the connection part on it is crumbling or falling apart, you might as well get a new fan sensor while you're at the parts store too. The sensor and the plug are both known for deteriorating since they're exposed to a lot of heat from the exhaust. Your cooling fan won't work properly with that sensor/plug being unhooked, so it's no wonder your car is overheating.

 

Thanks for the info pat . I faced the same issue last night again for the 3rd time but eventually got it running. I have my battery cables converted to top post terminals and the smaller guage wire that runs to the alternator came loose off the terminal when taking the terminal off the battery. Put the wire back on the terminal, screwed it down tightly, cranked it and fired right up. Its funny you mentioned the fan connector because I had it clipped onto one of the battery cable clips and I guess the exposed wire touched the metal because everytime I attempted to crank it, the fans would come on unil I moved it. I actually need another harness since the shop I had my engine rebuilt at cut it up to bypass the FPOP switch . Luckily the connector is in perfect condition, its just the sensor I think is damaged. I'll post when I get it fixed, it looks like getting to the sensor is going to be a task though.

Thanks,
Phoenix

 

Yeah, when you go to replace the fan sensor in the head you might want to undo the petcock on your radiator and drain your cooling system. With the cooling system full you'll get a nice, slimy anti-freeze bath when you take that sensor out of the head. It's a moderate PITA to change out. The best way is to jack the car up and get it from underneath, using a 1/2" breaker bar or ratchet and a big socket to get it loose. Make sure to disconnect your battery too since your ratchet will be really close to the positive battery cable on the starter solenoid. It's also a good idea to put some of the white, liquid teflon thread sealant on the new sensor before you install it to prevent any leakage. Btw, if you're serious about getting another harness, have I got a deal for you! I've got an engine harness out of an 89 GTA w/5.7 TPI that's in killer condition. I wish I could've used it in my 89 Camaro since it's in way better shape than the Camaro harness I used. Since the battery and fan stuff is a bit different on the Pontiac harness I couldn't bring myself to hack and splice such a nice harness, so it's just sitting in a box. If you're interested in buying it, it's yours for $150 shipped. Send me a PM on here if you'd like to buy it.

 

Please tell me you're not in a hurry to get rid of the harness? My payday just passed and my bills shorted me drastically this paycheck. I will definately be able to purchase it on my next payday though if its still available for $150. Btw thanks again for the info, it looks like getting it from under the car is going be easier than the top with the header tubes in the way.

Thanks,
Phoenix

 

Oh don't worry at all, I bought it like 4 or 5 years ago, so there's definitely no hurry on my end. I'll hang onto it for ya, and the price will stay at $150 shipped. It's such a clean harness and I'm glad it'll be going to someone who really needs it! Just let me know when you're ready and we'll git er done.

 

Yesss!! I went through the original harness which was butchured by the original owner, a second harness which was purchased off of a member on these forums which was from an '87 and didn't fit and finally a third harness purchased also off a TGO member which happened to be in fair condition but was cut up by a 'technician' to bypass my fpop. It'll be good to treat my baby to a clean engine harness for a change. I'll let you know when payday arrives to send you the payment. I really appreciate this Pat.

Thanks,
Ruben

 

Hey Ruben. Yeah, from what I can see in the pic of your car, it looks really well taken care of! I pulled the harness out of my spare closet tonight so I could doublecheck it and see how complete it is. It's only the engine side of the harness. I'm sure you know how they split in two at the bulkhead connector on the driver's side of the firewall. In other words, I don't have the headlight harness, just the engine half. It's fully intact on all ends, from the bulkhead connector, to the cooling fans, and to the ECM connections. All the plastic looms are still flexible and unbroken, and I can't see any plugs with broken retainer clips either. Starter wiring is perfect, and even the knock sensor, fan switch, and MAF sensor plugs are unbroken! Whoever removed this harness must've been damn careful unplugging everything! Oh yeah, it's off an automatic and A/C car too, so it has the TCC and compressor plugs. All the oval-shaped relays and the ESC module have been removed by the guy who sold it to me, so you'll have to re-use your original relays/ESC module. If that's complete enough for your needs, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the condition it's in.

 

I would only need the engine harness so its cool and it sounds like its in damn near mint condition . What suprises me even more is there are no connectors or clips broken; my previous 3 harnesses even the one in fair condition had its broken clips. They are all pieces of crap compared to the one you have. You're actually saving me the trouble of purchasing another harness (most likely off of here again) and depending on its condition, send it off for repairs which will cost me around $300. Yeah bieng that I hardly see GTAs here in my area, I purchased mine out of state in Texas so I'm really taking care of it. Hey thanks for the description on the harness consider it sold.

Thanks,
Ruben

 

Fixed! The cause was a loose terminal on the starter, the one the purple wire connects to. No wonder everytime I would wiggle the cable, the car would fire up. Luckily I had a spare new hitachi mini starter which to tell you the truth put up a fight installing it. After spacing and shimming it, I installed the following day and problem solved. My previous starter was a mean green denso style starter (I highly recommend it btw) and the connection must of come loose from the battery cable bieng tugged so much probably by the idiots at the rebuild shop I had it at. The beast is up and running again.

Later,
Phoenix