Topic: Engine Harness install and other things

[rkellerjr]

So Rich, do you drive this car or just spend money on it?

I just spend money on mine.

hehehe, I drive mine, as often as I can but lately I've been letting it sit because I really need to replace the suspension.

Rich,
I use to run a chrome aftermarket housing myself.
They always leaked on me.
Replaced it with a stock one, and problem solved.
You might just want to with yours too.
I have seen some later Pontiac stock ones, in alum, and those you can polish.

Just a thought,

George 

The thermostat housing was on the car when I bought it.  If this gasket doesn't work I'll take your advice and replace it.  However, I think it's leaking because I've torqued on that top bolt quite a bit to remove the shaker.  I may have loosened the underlying nut that holds the housing tight against the intake.

[rkellerjr]

Life is hard sometimes 

I got all the stuff done this morning to the car and she fired right up.  Oil guage isn't working and neither is the water temp    maybe it's the dash harness.  Anyway.  I took it for a ride, no changes in existing issues and on top of that, I drove over to the garage to drop of the timing light to my friend and the car wouldn't start.  It "looks" like the high end starter I bought just went kapute.  So, the car is sitting at the garage waiting for them to figure out what happened.

I'm destined never to be happy with this car. 

[RRR76TA]

It will all work out ,

[Rick]

Ah -- you just haven't shed the requisite amount of blood yet, Rich.  Just drop that starter in and out a few more times, slice your fingers on a sharp edge up under the dash while laying upside down with your head in the footwell, and it will recognize your sacrifice and respond.

Just gotta show 'em you care...

[brian c]

Cheer up Rich - you got to drive it!

And speaking from my own experience....did you connect the temp and oil gauge sending wires to the sending units? I ran the wiring but in my haste to start the car I never connected them and then had my friend try to figure out why they weren't working. Found out later once I crawled back under the car to look at something else - found the oil sending wire just dangling.

[rkellerjr]

Ya, they are both hooked up.  The oil gauge "looks" like it's working but it's reading way off the chart.  I'm wondering if I got the right part for it.  Temp guage was working and then quit.

[Joker (§ir£Ğragon)]

Did you use any kind of sealer when you installed the oil pressure sensor? Might not be getting a good ground there.

Temp gauge could have an air pocket.

[rkellerjr]

I sure didn't, didn't think I needed to.  the sensor just screws in just above the oil filter.

Temp guage, why would you think that?  It was working perfectly and then quit. It's been doing that for some time, kinda like there's a loose wire somewhere.  How would remove an air pocket?

[RENOVATIONS]

In my experience, an air pocket would cause over-heating. If that's the case, you'd need to burp the system to rid the pocket.

[Joker (§ir£Ğragon)]

Ok, you're right. You shouldn't need any (or much). Sometimes thread sealer will interfere with the ground. So that rules that out.

An air pocket will keep the sensor from being able to reach the coolant and therefore not read the temp of the coolant. Yes, usually they will cause the engine to overheat, but not always. But if it's been doing it for a long time then I doubt that's it either. More likely you're right and it's something under the dash. (Could also be a bad sensor if you haven't tested or replaced it already. I may have missed that.)

[rkellerjr]

Huh, you won't believe what I just found out tonight.  My parking lights in the front of the car aren't working.  Headlights are fine.  I wonder if I bent one of the prongs in the block when I screwed the block to the fuse box.  They were working prior to the harness install.  Turn signals are also working fine.  Just the front parking lights.  I'm gonna pull the block apart this weekend and check the prongs.

[Rick]

I'll bet it's something pretty minor.

[TransAmGuy]

I'm destined never to be happy with this car. 

I agree.  That car is junk.  I hate to see a fella suffer though, so I probably could scrape together....say $500....to take it off your hands.............

[rkellerjr]

Vance, what a guy!  You'd do that?  Just for me?  Ya know, if the wife would let me I might consider that offer

[WarbirdTA]

Be careful Rich,
Wifes usually are the first to say "Yes".

George