This is what happened. Tuesday me and my friend are headed home from work and it was raining so I turned my a/c on right but when I was almost home(like a good 30 minute drive w/traffic) the car;s radio turns off by its self so I think nothing of it. then the whole car justs dies. I went to trun it back on and then drove it home without the a/c. It ran ok I guess. Then today the radio cuts off again magically and this time the a/c wasnt on. Then the car wanted to die? what the hell kind of crap is this. I swear if it isnt one thing with our cars it's another. what could it be? I just got a new 100 amp alternator. could it be that? How much is it for someone to fix the electrical problem? Please help guys. I need my car for work. Thanx in advance.

 

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A LOOSE GROUND.
And electrical work goes for about $40-65 an hour.
Start searching for the answer yourself. You may find it real easy.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

thanx Ked85 for the info where should i Starlooking for it? close to the battery or maybe close to the alternator. tahnx again though.

 

Check:
battery terminal
battery cable
cable ground to engine
braided ground strap

for engine dying: any water get in th edistributor cap?
do you have holes drilled in the d-cap?
next time it dies on you, take some orange flourescent paint and put a big X on the road. When it dies again, see if you are near that spot

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85 Firebird. $150.00
2.8 Auto.
Blown Head Gasket.
Mods Galore to Come....

 

I would say..check all electrical connections in the engine bay..I know there is a main ground that is on the firewall...there should be two ground wires on that bolt...i think one is for the actual harness...and the other i'm not sure what it is for, but it bolts up to the back of the passenger side head (it looks like a braided shoe string) also the battery ground bolts up to the front of the block...just trace that wire to find it...keep us updated...

wicked

 

alright guys thanx for all the help i will do that today when i get home. I will keep u updated.

 

ALSO KNOW THIS
You may not see it, the break or loose connection.
BUT what have you installed lately.
I mean, stereos
lights
alternator?
Anything that cut into a wiring harness?
It could even be a bad ignition switch on the steering column.
Last time I had "fun" I had a poor connection to the alternator.
I even soldered the connection (always do that, too). Solder held up, connection was a poor quality to work with.
Sometimes you cannot win!
Look real through.
Your connection MAY BE VERY OBVIOUS, or hidden under a plastic hose cover.
Remember, the place to start is with what ever was touched last.
Oh, Happy Hunting .
Keep at it, but, again, YOU may not find it, and you may end up driving to an electrical reapir shop.
Sometimes you have to bow to a higher power!
OH, try battery cables, too.
For repair shops, ask around for referrals.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Also, with the ground connections, make sure you clean them well. Sand 'em, brush 'em anything to remove any dirt or corrosion. Sometimes things can look clean and still have a poor electrical connection.

My $.02
Dale

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1986 FireBird
2.8L MPFI
Gutted Cat, No muffler (Sweet Sound)
Was 700-R4 --> Now T5

 

Here is the update everyone sorry it took for ever. Anyway yesterday i was looking at everything and I saw that the charcoal canister on the drivers side was missing a hose so i put on in. Then i started to inspect the spark plugs tomsee if that was the problem. Guess what i found i had one spark plug wire torn. and its one of thos 8mm wires that say it can wit stand heat. I leaning in the favor of the spark plug wire but im going to get my dad to check my ignition module under the distributor.

 

Here's how simple it is to check spark plug wiring.
WAIT UNTIL NIGHT TIME/DARK OR find a building with NO outside lighting. Open hood. Start engine.
IF ya see ANY ANY ANY sparks, you found your problem.
No, these 6 cylinders do not like running on less than 6 cylinders.
Checking plug wires is that simple.
You open your hood in the dark and watch for sparks.
YOU SHOULD SEE NONE!
IF ya do, it does look way cool. A Mini electrical storm, over the whole engine.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

yeah mine is doing that and now that i changed out the one tha has arip in it the car wont start without a jump. I waited until night time and i had my wife jump start my car and we looked at every single wire jumping except the one i fixed. then the car died and we had to jump it again. What the hell is it now? its like the car wont hold a charge. its wierd. Im getting so pissed off guys its not even funny anymore.

 

Sounds like an alternator.
A bad alternator will wreck havoc on the car, as it requires lots of electrical juice to run smooth. I found that out, myself.
Do the headlights osocilate up and down while on? Mine did. Replaced alternator and that cured a few extra quirks, too.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Yeah tried that already and nothing. its weird. I dont know how to fix this **** and im getting mad. I'm not sure if its the ignition module or what? should i go ahead and replace the distributor cap and rotor to see if that my be the cause and while i am at it the ignition module inside the dis. too? i have no clue on what my car has and i really appreciate all of u trying to help out. keep comin with the advice guys. please

 

Common sense says that you could, NOT need a tune up.
Check the coil or decide to buy a new one.
I have a gremilin now, too. Not into it, but, it's ok, so far.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

I had that very same problem with my 2.8 powered Jeep Wagoneer! The + cable going to the starter was rubbing on the frame and arced out! It burnt the ground cable between the block and firewall, burnt the + cable (bad), and burnt the starter solenoid. CHECK YOUR + CABLE!!!

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Ya can't have too many fast Chevys!

 

I would first of all like to point out the excessive vibration you should feel if you drop a cylinder... I dropped 2 on my V8 recently (burned wires on exhaust) and it ran like it had 5 cylinders... the vibration was terrible. My first car (civic wagon) dropped a cylinder @ 213k and ran like it had 2.5, so in reality you can drive a car with less than all cylinders firing, but you would know if you were by a big loss in power and excessive vibration.

I would start replacing electrical wires, vacuum tubes and anything that water could **** up. It sounds like you are draining excessive power into the ignition system or something, I would replace the major distributer components and double check that the new alternator is working properly.

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1984 Firebird - Daily driver, 305 LG4, T5 - Hurst short shifter, Edelbrock 600 CFM Performer Carb - Edelbrock Pro-Flow air filter, gutted cat, IROC 16x8 Wheels, Goodyear P215/60/R16, AIWA bargain basement (from Sears of course) CD player, Fuzzy dice, Eight-ball shift ****
Check out my ride here $1600!!

First Kill: 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon (1 person vs me with 2 passengers)

 

Have you checked to see if the battery cables are loose yet? Cuz it seriously sounds like a 'whole car electrical fault', not an 'ignition fault'...

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'86 Camaro SC, black /w silver racing stripes
2.8l MPFI/700r4 /w special 2nd gear delete option
In search of new v8 engine & transmission, now contemplating t5 swap to get me out of this mess.
Misc Mods: Cut air box, '83 Firebird spoiler.
Performance Parts: MSD coil, Accel 8mm wires, SplitFire plugs, Gabriel hijackers.
Audio Mods: Pioneer DEH-P3000, two 12" Optimus Pro Audio subs in hand-made enclosure each powered by a 260 watt Optimus amp. Working on shaving the box for weight.
My Homepage, with pics.

 

I drove to hemet a 200 mile drive one time it was 120 outside yippie and i had cheap autozone wieres on and they aways meltd but i got to hemet i went to leave and i drove 2 blocks and i started haveing a miss i pop the hood the wire was melted apart. I got to drive home 200 miles on 5 cylynders with 4 peopel in my car i actualy did ok on gas and every thing.
While we are on this I herd if you remve 2 apark plug wires your care will suspositly have more power ive herd it from a few people they say the car works harder to make up the power or something is tha true?

 

Hey ChiilPhat,
your response was exactly what I was referring to. IT can do it, but, the engine really lets ya know it has a problem.
FastRS, would you like to risk your engine on that test?
You were real fortunate no more bigger problems came about on that ride.
You need spark plug wire seperators. That's only common sense. They cost about...........$1!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA