Help me fix my large pile of crap

[turbodaytona87]

This pile of garbage is really starting to get on my nerves. So I had the electrical problem a week ago, I fixed that and drove the car around. I decided now was also a good time to fis my exhaust. My wastegate housing wasn't bolted in that well (and as I later found out, I was missing a bolt from the turbine clamps) so I jack the car up and remove the turbo with the engine in-car. I get my new wastegate housing made, exhaust realigned, and put it all back together. I put in the battery and nothing happens, ok maybe battery died in a week. I put the charger on the battery and the fuel pump just starts running continuously. I figure, bad battery, so I put in my known good one. Same thing. If I leave the key in the run position when I attach the battery cable, the fuel pump primes normally. Shut the key off and it just runs. In addition to that nonsense, I tried cranking the engine over once and it stopped. The cylinders are once again filled with fuel. Now I have to change the oil again (it has like 20 miles on it), clean the spark plugs.

Why is the fuel pump priming when the key is out and the battery connected. Why doesn't it run when the key is in the on position?

[turbodaytona87]

Sometimes turning the key to on does nothing. The dash, rado, etc. don't come on, nothing primes, it just acts 100% dead. Even on a good battery. Except now the PM has taken to buzzing.

[zin]

Weird sh1t equals check grounds, especially the on on the passenger side of the intake, that's the one for the computer, and you'll get funky action if it isn't connected.

Also, check for codes, and swapping in a known to be good power module, just because it's easy will eliminate that as a possibility.

Hopefully someone has had this exact problem and will chime in... I think we've all shared in your frustration, take a break if you at the point (like I was) where you're contemplating "fixing" it with a match and a can of gasoline!

Mike

[turbodaytona87]

I'm getting to the gas/match stage. :)

The only electrical things removed from the time it was running, to the time it was taken apart/put back together were the AIS, the TPS, and the O2. I just double checked that they were all fully plugged in and that the plugs weren't backwards for whatever reason.

The ground for my intake is a 4 gauge wire ran to the fuel rail bolts.

Trying to source a PM just to try.

[cordes]

There is also a ground right behind the battery that gets pretty nappy over time. Are you certain the actual ignition switch is not faulty internally?

If the FP is running the Z1 circuit is getting current.

[turbodaytona87]

That ground as well as the one to the head have been replaced already. I'll check the wiring for the Z1 circuit.

I'm not sure that the switch isn't FUBAR, I started wondering that a little while ago. I'll pull it and test it out, it does feel loose though

[cordes]

I've had problems with both styles of switch for our cars which caused some crazy issues. They're cheap enough that I might try it just to eliminate it as a possibility.

[turbodaytona87]

If it is the switch (seems likely, would also explain my sudden computer burning), where the hell do I find one? You'd think I have one of like 10 tilt column cars

[supercrackerbox]

If I leave the key in the run position when I attach the battery cable . . .

THAT is a real quick way to cook your computer and who knows what else.

[turbodaytona87]

Why's that? How is it any different from the key making that contact?

[86Shelby]

Always make sure the keys are not in the ignition when disconnecting or connecting the battery to avoid accidentally damaging electronics. -Coming from a guy who managed to fry a donated Cadillac in tech school because he left the ignition in the run position while disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. I have been hardcore on the key not being in the ignition after the Cadillac incident.

Think of the PM/LM/SMEC etc as having 2 stages of being 'on'. The first one is it's receiving voltage & current when everything is shut off and the key is out, waiting for the full on command from the ignition switch. The second stage is when that second circuit is completed in the ignition switch and commands everything to power up.

Or a different way to look at it - Each time you want to shut off your home computer do you simply pull the plug from the wall or do you allow it to power down through it's own processes? That is exactly what is happening when you disconnect the battery with the ignition in the run position. Just because these cars electronics are pretty simple and fairly robust doesn't mean they don't require the same care to avoid damage.

I'll look around for a known good PM.

[zin]

In addition to what has already been mentioned, there is also a phenomena known as "in-rush current". It has to do with the inductance of a circuit, but can be best imagined as filling up the pipes, when they are empty they'll take a lot of water really quickly, which, in the case of pipes can do damage by the "water hammer" effect, similarly a large rush of electricity can overload components in a circuit.

We don't see it very often in cars (especially older cars) because they have a limited amount of sensitive components, and they normally have capacitors, etc to help protect them, but caps go bad, etc and so can leave things vulnerable.

Hope that makes sense!

Mike

[turbodaytona87]

Fair enough, I never really thought they were sensitive enough to matter.

I'm going to order an ignition switch before I try another PM. I remember having an issue before where I turned the key and nothing happened, but I turned it off and on again and it worked.

[cordes]

Fair enough, I never really thought they were sensitive enough to matter.

I'm going to order an ignition switch before I try another PM. I remember having an issue before where I turned the key and nothing happened, but I turned it off and on again and it worked.

If you run into that again leave the key forward when nothing works and check for power at the fuse block. That's how I tracked down one of my bad switches finally.

[turbodaytona87]

Alright, wasn't the switch, I unplugged it and connected the battery real quick, fuel pump still just runs continually

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:56 PM ----------


If you run into that again leave the key forward when nothing works and check for power at the fuse block. That's how I tracked down one of my bad switches finally.

I'll try to remember that, I was with a coworker though, so I didn't want to screw around with it

[cordes]

Alright, wasn't the switch, I unplugged it and connected the battery real quick, fuel pump still just runs continually

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:56 PM ----------



I'll try to remember that, I was with a coworker though, so I didn't want to screw around with it

OK, so now you know that the Z1 circuit is energized all the time regardless of switch position. Perhaps the ASD relay is stuck on in the PM? Try unplugging it and seeing if it still does it.

[turbodaytona87]

The fuel pump doesn't run with the PM unplugged, trying to see if a local guy has one I can try before I go purchase a different one.

[turbodaytona87]

New PM fixed this thing. I still need to adjust the wastegate preload, it only makes 6psi :/

[cordes]

Is that with direct manifold vac? That's about all they'll make with straight vacuum going to them.

[turbodaytona87]

It's running on a boost controller, and I know the angle of the wastegate lever was farther towards the actuator than the original one was.