Maverick you sound like one heck of a mechanic. Being from NY you should be ok with a little cold weather, maybe consider the midwest. I live in Fargo ND and there really hasn't been any downer in the economy here at all. I fix copiers, printers, computers and stuff like that and i am so f'n busy it's crazy! Sorry, got off topic. My son's car went off to get the transmission rebuilt today! Good old boy network. I fixed a computer and printer for a friend of my dad's that has a trans shop and does really good work, so I get a really good deal. 87bluebird, you should be able to find a DMM @ RadioScrap that will do freq for much less that the price of a Fluke. I have one that is about 10yrs old and it works great.

 

My Craftsman digital clamp AC/DC DMM would have been free if someone had gotten me the right one for a gift a couple years ago when my $40 one died (kept blowing both fuses at the same time for unknown reason). Cost me $70...

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_101...82369&sLevel=0

Yep, love the north eastern winters... Especially when there's an ice storm . Driving a car that should be as far away from cruddy weather as possible in that kind of crap gets you driving REAL good.

 

maverick we are allowed to work on our cars in BOCES but i have no way to get the car there its all the way in Mount Morris. i got a road test on the 8th so if i pass ill get the car registered while i am there. then ill drive to BOCES after spring break but thats only if i pass. for know the birds sitting in the garage. i just adjusted my shifter and re tourqed the y pipe bolt it was starting to come back out.. it shouldn't know i used a big pipe for leverage.
is the speedo supposed to go backwords in reverse? i can live with the ruff idle for now. hopefully i can get my license before the end of the school year and take the bird to BOCES they have prettymuch every tool imaginable.

 

The y-pipe nuts are NOTORIOUS for backing out. Get a set of locking nuts, not the nylon locking nuts (nylon melts and is useless after that) and put them on with anti-seize.

I've seen some speedos go backwards in reverse. Mine doesn't, don't know why some would do unless they're cable operated (yours isn't unless you have the idiot light dash instead of the gauges cluster).

How far are you from Mt Morris? I'm about 20 min from there and pass through there to visit family in Nunda.

 

mine has idiot lights and im about an hour from mount morris east koy is the name of the area half way between pike and portageville

im am very pisssed off rite now. i spent 15 or 20 mins wrestling the starter back in place.
got it back on the ground and backed it of the garage so i could test if i fixed the shifter. took it to the other end of my road spun it around roasted the tires about 20 feet in 2nd gear shifted back into drive and raced back down my little dirt road got almost back to my drive way real happy that she seemed to be running good. then as i started to turn back into the driveway she stalled luckily i had enough momentum to roll into the drive way. the i heard a sizzling sound and saw smoke coming from the front left corner of my hood and thought oh shiit my battery. i pulled the hood release and jumped out and of course the positive terminal of the battery was on fire i blew it out. and saw the post was completely melted out sou i was trying to pull the wire away without getting burnt and trying to hold the hood up with my head.
after i grab the stick i use to hold the hood i removed the battery and set on the garage floor its leaking acid and i don't think they'll let me return it. which sucks cuz i just bought that battery a month ago. at first i thought maybe i didn't connect the starter wires rite and one shorted and ground out. but their still there like there supposed to be and there nice and tight. so i have no clue what did this. all i know that at least i got the shifter fixed. and now instead of replacing my tire rods which are all completely gone. i got to get another new battery this weekend. yay


sorry about any grammatical errors im to mad to fight with spell check

 

Just how tight did you make the terminal when you replaced the battery? If the starter was still hanging where it's supposed to and the wires were still tight on the terminal, there should have been no problems there, which leaves the battery.

2 things cause heat in a wire: resistance and loose connections (arcing, basically the wire welds itself to the terminal). You'll also need a battery cable, it sounds like. When you remove it, check to make sure the connection at the junction block by the pass side headlight is tight and that the connection on the back of the alternator is as well. Also, since the battery is out anyways, remove the starter connections and clean them up nice and shiny to get rid of corrosion and resistance in the connection, which causes hard cranking and, well, heat.

 

the wires still good the post on the battery came out in the fire. the wire was tight to the the battery terminal i'll check the other end of the wire tomorrow i already cleaned the connections to the starter the first time it was out.this car is being a real pita also i was going to ask earlier.when i was adjusting the shifter i saw i wiring harness with two wire a black and white.the weren't connected to anything just zip tied in place to the transmission wires. i was wondering if they had anything to do with the wires on the power steering pressure line. cuz my wires from that were cut of by a previous owner. i posted a thread about it in the electrical section. power steering wire https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...ring-wire.html it wont let create a link. but thats the url. let me know what you think pleaz.

EDIT: when i was typing this it acted like it wouldn't link the insert link button wasn't responding so i just pasted the url. then after i submitted it was a link.

 

That pair of wires by the trans harness, does it have a 2-wire connector on the end similar to the one in the charcoal canister by the air cleaner? If it does, and the wires are actually purple and yellow (just stained different colors), that would be for the trans mounted VSS you don't have (because you have the base idiot light cluster instead of gauges and run a speedo cable). The wires should be looped back towards the engine harness from the 3-wire square white connector that's under there for the torque converter clutch and the 4th gear switch.

The PSPS is wired into the harness closer to the big bulkhead connector by the relay bracket and winds its way down the frame rail towards the battery. Look straight down at the frame rail from the battery side of the windshield washer tank and you'll see the switch. If you need it, I can get pics tomorrow.

The thing is, GM makes the harnesses universal. For options that a particular car doesn't have (A/C, gauges cluster, power anything), the connectors are just folded back into the particular part of the harness and zip tied in place to keep them out of the way (like the A/C compressor wiring in the 3.1 harness I have or the performance sound adjustment slider connector behind the center part of the dash above the radio pod).

 

that makes sense i cant see well under there so i thought they were the same color. and if you can get pics of the switch id appreciate it. the first time i replaced the batery a month ago i saw the 2 bare wires with metal sticking out just sitting there under the battery and traced them back to that power steering line and just disconnected for now cuz i had no idea where it was supposed to go. this car has just been one problem after another lately and that's the second fire this month

 

i figured out why she caught on fire. it turns out that when i put the starter in the wire was touching the exhaust manifold. so as i drove the car and the engine heated up it melted and shorted out. saturday i will replace that wire and the battery. seems as i am replacing the wire anyways im gonna convert it to a top post battery which will be a lot easier to connect and disconnect the wires. and i found some more dry rotted hose that ill replace. the tie rods are gonna have to wait a few weeks now.

 

that power steering switch must have been removed by a previous owner cuz i cant find it any where that aint important is it.

 

Actually, it is important. The switch tells the ECM to bring the idle speed up when the power steering pressure is high (during tight turns such as during parallel parking) to keep the engine from stalling. Similar to the switches in the A/C system that tell the ECM to bring the speed up when the A/C compressor is turned on. There is a pic around here somewhere that has a nice shot of it right next to the radiator cap. I'll see if I can find it and post a link.

:edit: It's in this thread, in the engine pic in the first post. At the bottom of the pic, you'll see the rad cap shining like a light bulb, and then look just to the right of it to see the PSPS: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/v6/5...-firebird.html

 

is this tic you talking about

you can see where the wire connects to the hose but i don't see the psps
im going to advance to get a bunch of parts in a few minutes. batteries, wire, tie rods, 3/8s hose, antifreeze, etc. hopefully that's it for now other than tires. i got a week off school so hopefully i can finish the car and get on the road before i have to go back.

 

is it on the steering box. somewhere?

 

Where the wire connects to the line in that pic IS the pressure switch.

 

there goes another 250 bucks this bird better pass inspection. good thing im gonna inspect it myself. the idiot at advance gave me short battery cable and said it was the longest they had it was a foot shorter than stock when i go back tomorrow to pick up the tie rods ill ask them about it. l made it fit for now so i could start the bird shes starting to sound pretty good. i got the negative converted to top mount. but the positive was to short to convert yet.

where does the other end of the power steering wire go that is the end that i got.

 

Problem with the Firebird is that the battery is on the driver's side and the starter isn't, as opposed to the Camaro which has them on the same side. Just our luck, eh? I picked up a relatively decent positive cable at the junkyard a while ago and put it in finally, but it's side post. Anyways, you could maybe cut the terminal off of one from the junkyard and convert it to top post, if you can find one long enough, or you could poke around on the Web and see if you can't get a custom one made, OR, you could relocate the battery to the passenger's side and use a homemade air intake. :edit: And, as another option, you could install a junction block for the large cable and run another 2 gauge cable down to the starter, and that way, you'll have an access point for any accessories you want to install.

The PSPS wire is supposed to be tucked into the conduit that runs along the frame rail next to the fuel lines. If you don't find it there, it's the small wire coming out of the main harness near the relay bank by the brake booster, and it winds down and around the strut tower, through the conduit, and to the switch. (The conduit is the black thing in the pic above, above the PSPS)

Let me know if you need any help... I could use something to do on a day off.

 

i finally got my internet working again. the last couple of days have been a real PITA. Saturday morning i drove all the way to Warsaw to pick up the tie rods. i got home i figured id start the car and spin it around and park the front in the shade while i replaced the tie rods. i get in turn the key nothing happens. starter quit. so i figured screw it ill replace the tie rods where it is i jack it up pull the old ones off the passenger side and open the new ones. the first box i opened looked it had already been opened and re taped. i cut the tape and there's a huge mess of grease and a used tie rod from a completely different kind of vehicle. asssholes. i opened the rest of them they looked rite. then i took that one and the starter back down to Warsaw and had them order a new one and then got a new starter. i figured seems as im replacing the tie rods i mite as well replace the center link and idler arm while im at it. so now I've spent a total of 400 buck. this weekend. 250 on Friday and another 150 on Saturday. and i have to wait till noon tomorrow to get the center link and idler arm and the other inner tie rod. she should steer really tight after all this.

today i went to a friends to do some yard work and replenish my empty wallet a little bit. then when i got home i tried to remove the drivers tie rod center link and the idler arm. the tie rod came off no problem. the the pitment arm to center link nut came off but still haven't gotten that pounded out i soaked it in pb and I'll let it sit over night.the idler arm bolts are two different sizes. ones an 18 the others a 19. and neither wanted to come off so i gave them a bath in pb hopefully it'll come off tomorrow.

also that wire on the psps when i found it. it was sticking out of the black plastic thing that goes around the wires is that what you meant by conduit? i pulled them out of that and traced them to the psps. i have no clue where the rest of the wire is, where its supposed to go, or why they where cut. sorry for writing so much.

 

That would be one of the reasons I asked for an air compressor for Xmas a couple years ago, other than so I could do my trans swap. I kind of needed the 500 ft/lb impact wrench for some bolts, you know? Still need an oxy welding kit, though, as I have rusty things I need to get loose and a body panel to cut out and weld...

Did you trace the PSPS wire back to the main wiring harness? Like I said before, it should come out of the main harness near the relay stuff, in a small wire loom followed by TONS of tape.

 

i have an air compressor but no air tools.
i pulled back the black plastic from the rest of the wires part of the way but i cant find the rest of these 2 wires yet tomorrow i'll completely remove it and see if there in there anywhere.there was close to 2 feet of these wires wadded up in the bottom of the battery tray when i found them so they where probably cut pretty far up in there.

 

Next time you get some money to get some stuff for working on the car, take about $160 or so to Sears and pick up the 500 ft/lb impact wrench (all silver, may have a 2" extended anvil) and the AC/DC 400A clamp-type multimeter. You'll save yourself in the long run and you can do more than with a basic DMM and the weak 220 or so ft/lb impact in their air tool set (impact, hose, adaptors, air ratchet, and air chisel).

 

hopefully i'll pass the road test on thursday. if i do then i'll put the car on the road the beginning of next week.and start looking for a job then start buying tools.but rite now im broke i got sixty dollars and that includes the 50 i was payed today. i have put close to, if not over 600 bucks in this car and i still have to get new tires. hopefully i'll be able to talk my dad into paying for them. cuz there's still the registration and insurance to worry about.

 

what do you mean by 2" extended anvil

 

The thing that holds the socket or whatever bit on the end of the impact is called the anvil... The one I'm referring to may be extended 2" from the body of the wrench, which is good for things like wheels.

I hear you on the broke thing... I dumped almost $1500 into my Bird and my dad put even more into it before I got to drive it to Ohio for school (guess where all of the money I got for graduation went), and yes, I was jobless at the time.

 

these parts add up pretty quickly. you start spending a few bucks here and there on hose and spark plugs next thing you know all your moneys gone. and the parts stores still don't always give you the rite part or even a new part. but at least when they screw up like that and you bitc* them out they give a discount on other parts. i got 10% off my starter for their tie rod fu** up.

is this the impact gun you where talking about? link 160 aint a bad price

 

That was it, but mine was cheaper due to the fact that it has the short anvil on it and, well, it was actually free, as the one I had bought a few months before had a problem with the regulator and I returned it under warranty (and got a 100 ft/lb boost in power due to a redesign ). They must have marked the price up a bit since I got it... The old one was only $100 plus tax, and this one was the same price when I got it.

Just as a suggestion, BTW.

 

the previous owner realy loved to use electrical tape!and the more i peeled back the more surprised i was that there hasn't been any electrical fires. other than my battery.
i finaly located the other end of the psps wires. im going to advance to get the rest of my parts in a couple of minutes while im there im gonna get a bunch of wire connectors and replace the numerous electrical tape splices.

 

good news engines running rite finally. bad news cars on jack stand and cant get the rite parts

advance fu**ed up again. i went around noon to pick up the last of my parts inner tie rod, center link and idler arm and the electrical stuff i mentioned earlier. i got home fixed the electrical issues than spent the next 4 hours beating the old center link off. then opened the new center link box and there's no nuts, plastic boots, cotter key, or grease fittings i have tried to call about 20 times since then and all i keep getting is a busy signal.

i never had any trouble with advance before now they screw up twice in one weekend. which is napas the one that always screws me over now advance.

 

shes finally back on the ground and running rite and surprisingly strait given all the stuff i replaced. shes going on the road next week and ill take her to a garage to get her aligned just to be safe. and new tires and drain/flush the coolant other wise shes finished for now.

maverick thanx so much for all the help you really know your sh*t.

 

Congrats on getting your car running and good luck on your test. I am waiting for the trans to get finished on my father/son project, and then we can tear into it more. It too is running rough, but we have a good collection of parts to put in it.

 

copyfixr one thing i would suggest doing is replace most if not all the vacuum lines after i did that to mine she smoothed out quit a bit. that and go thru your wiring cuz you never know what hack jobs have been done by previous owners. also a lesson i learned is too always check your parts before you leave the parts store. especially if you live as far from it as i do.

 

87bluebird, I plan on going through all the vac lines. The previous owner didn't really do much with the car. He had money and bought it cause he thought it looked nice, but then it just sat. He bought a 77 Vet with a 454 so needless to say a V6 Camaro is not a priority. We have a new cap and rotor, plugs, wires, coil, MAF, and an O2 sensor to put in it. I have already done some work on it to get it running a little better. One of the vacuum fittings on the EGR solenoid was broken off. Lucky for me it was still in the vac line so I epoxyed it on and ran a drill bit through the opening to make sure it was clear, and no more SES light. still runs a little rough, but the tune up should cure that. Then it's on to brakes and suspension. When I have the car back from the trans shop we are going to start a thread. If it's not me it will be my son. He is ShoNoGo88 on THO. Later and have fun. Let me know if i can ever help. I have a GM manual for the 85 Camaro so most of it should be the same.