Machiner 55

See attachment. If you follow the red, yellow, orange and blue electrical lines (that are bundled together with black electrical tape) to the right (when viewing your photo), you will find that they terminate onto a block (my photo). Sticking out of that block should be a small plastic 90 degree elbow. It's to this elbow that the vacuum line connects. In my photo, at the bottom, you'll notice a silver box with blue tabs sticking out of the top. That is the ECM which has been pulled down from its little nest in the dashboard. You will not see this unless you've also pulled out your ECM.

Thanks.

Has anyone ever pulled their ECM, for whatever reason, and then just let it hang there for awhile by it's connectors and then operate the car as one normally would? The reason that I ask is that I want to know if it is normal for the ECM to get rather warm to the touch while the key is in the ON position whether the engine is running or not. Mine does. I can't believe that the thing can get that warm and be burried up under the dash like it is. With an ambient of 80 degrees the temp of the ECM as measured with an outdoor thermometer taped to the case is 94 degrees. Is this an acceptable temp?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I think it's better to answer a simple question like this instead of pointing you somewhere else... The Magnavox coils are composed of three squares, and the Delco coils are the round, transformer-like ones (three of them that can be removed individually) </div></div> Simple? Perhaps. Padgets exqisite dissertation on the subject and the artfully produced photographs sure beats your one-liner all to H*ll. Consider... a picture is worth a thousand words and leave no doubt in anyones mind. What could be clearer? Here's a more direct link. http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/a/padgett46/coils.htm Should be only one click away now.

Go to Padget's home page, http://www.6007.us/ He's got a really great write-up on these with some excelent photos.

AdvanceAuto has them for $79 and change. (plus a $70 core charge) AutoZone carries the exact same unit for about the same price. (core charge is different) As Padget says, make sure you remove your PROM from inside the silver case. In addition remove all of the threaded stud clips from the perimeter of the silver case as well as the black plastic bracket. You even have to remove the PROM cover and keep it and the screws because the replacement has none of these items for you. Jim Finn also has ECMs and BCMs at a reasonable price.

Thank you very much.

AHT's rite. That's what I'm tawkinabout.

Oh Boy! (sigh)

I guess I'm just going to have to say it because, as Hoosiers are wont to say "It's just stuck in my craw." I don't know where the "craw" is located or if I even have one but, I know that I got something stuck in there. (Not a Hoosier, go figure.) Anyway, I just pulled it out and here it is... When anyone posts something ... almost anything... especially where it concerns something for sale... PLEASE offer a location! The location doesn't have to be real specific. I'm not asking for a street address or a Lat./ Long. GPS fix. I doubt that any one here is going to take the info. and use it to track anyone down. Just give the viewers of this board a general location ie., Western PA... Central OH.... Southwest CO. etc. Even a city or town isnt all that revealing. That way, I and others can look at a post and decide whether it's worth the time and trouble to venture to say... South Central Los Angeles or South Central Idaho for what ever is being offered. This would be a help even when someone is asking for advice. Someone could spend hours online communicating with some one only to find that they were only a fourty minute drive away...... You get the idea.

And another view.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Cannot see the connector clearly (is rotated a bit) but looks thke the one for the theft deterrant module which is above the parking brake assembly. </div></div> Please see additional attachment. Tried as I might I couldn't find any place that this connector would plug into. I have the cut up and bloody hands to prove it. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> To verify, lower the drivers window and while in the seat turn the key on and off. Open the door and lock the doors with the electric button. Close the door. Now reach through the window, unlock the door, and open it. Car should carry on cranky until you use the key to lock/unlock the door. Or look for the SECURITY light in the dash. </div></div> Tried this. Car did not get cranky. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hope you got a really good deal because it sounds like there are some major wiring issues and they can be a real pain. </div></div> Paid $250.00 for the car and about the same tow it here from Cincinati.

RE. POST #305591 - 06/22/05 05:56 PM Here?s the latest on the Burgundy 1989. A couple of days ago I went through the grounds located on the R.H. fender well of the engine compartment as suggested. All looked very good. Nothing out of place and no corrosion from firewall to radiator frame. Today, I just got done installing a used but very nice steering column delivered to me by none other than Jim Finn. (purchased at a very reasonable price). I changed this because the key lock assy. on the car that?s giving me trouble was screwed up. I had difficulty inserting or removing the key. Also, the person I purchased the car from said that there had been some work done on it. So, it was suspect considering all the wiring that runs through it. It was a relatively easy change out following the instructions in the Factory Service Manual but alas, no improvement in the condition. I reconnected the battery and started it up. (It always takes at least two tries. The first attempt will let the engine spin but will not "catch". Then turn the key to off. On the second attempt at starting it will fire right up.) It ran for about a minute before quitting. The instrument panel said to check the monitor but I could not see it as it was blacked out but, I?m sure it was telling me the same thing that I related to you in one of my original posts on this thread. I will try changing the ECM and or BCM to see if it has any effect. To Padg. I?ll leave tracing the wiring harness as the last resort. From what I can see everything wiring wise looks good. I?ve got an 88 that was wrecked, abused and neglected. Alterations were done to the sound, headlight and security systems. Tie-wraps used everywhere in the engine compartment. The interior is beat and Leopard skin print used to replace the headliner, windshield pillars and speaker covers. And yet electrically it works just fine. While rooting around under the dash I ran across a wiring connector hidden just above the ALDL connector located by the hood release. I couldn?t find where it might be plugged into. Any ideas? (see photo attachment) In advance, thank you for your time.

I'm not for sure what type of car you're posting about but recently my wife's Olds 88 had a Brake Vacuume Booster unit go bad. First one I ever had to replace. A couple of weeks back we started noticing a whistling noise that, at first, seemed to be coming from the air vents. As time went on it grew louder and to more of a wooshing sound definately coming from under the dash on the drivers side. It was at that point that the power assist went out completely and made for some very interesting moments when it came time to stop. I located the leak at the point where the brake pedal push rod enters the booster thru the firewall. I don't know about replacing the booster in other vehicle types but, it was a BEAR trying to get to three of the four nuts that hold the unit in place. On the other hand, the GM folks were thoughtful enough to place flexible tubing in the lines that feed the master cylinder (which must be removed from the booster) so one does not have to disconnect the lines which would incur having to bleed the cylinder and the brake lines. The cost of the new booster from AutoZone was about $75.00. AdvanceAuto was asking the same. Neither had one in stock. Had to order. Took two days. Did the job in under two hours.

Forget Idaho. Florida it is then!

Hello Manik, err... uh... Mr. Manik... uh... anyway, I've located your whereabouts using Expedia and it looks to be a lovely drive to your environs (provided I don't get sandwiched between a couple of semi's somewhere in Chicago) from (the god-forsaken land known as) Northwest Indiana. My current work schedule affords me Thurs., Fri., Sat. and every other Wednsday off. Should you decide to host a Reatta gathering and it falls on one or more of those days, my wife and I would surely attend providing there are no other scheduling conflicts. I have no film (tape...disc etc.)making equipment or experience. But I do have two Reattas (one just recently aquired) and I'm a mechanic (not cars) by trade (30 years experience)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Here in Indiana we have 4 seasons: Almost winter, winter, still winter, and hot. We're in the hot season right now, in the 90's every day and so humid you need scuba gear to go outside. </div></div> You forgot to mention *Road Repair* as one of the seasons. (It should be bracketed by "hot") Current conditions here in Northwest Indiana include a temp of 90 degrees with an AcuWeather "Real Feel" temp of 107 degrees. And that's not a "dry heat" either. Its the swampy, muggy, oppressive, clothes sticking to you, sweat running down the crack of your a**, kind of heat. My 88 would require a minimum speed of at least 60 MPH held for a minimum of at least one hour to thoroughly cool the interior to a comfortable level on a day like today. Went out for lunch today (20 minute round trip) and came back soaked with sweat. Anyone have any land for sale in Idaho?

Make sure that you properly insert the date ranges you want. ie. NEWER THAN... 3...YEARS OLDER THAN... 1...WEEK You may also try logging out then logging back in before setting the date range. I usually try to search for keywords "In Subject" only to keep the resulting number of returns manageable.

The grey one is from the spare on my 1988 Reatta and the black one is from the spare on my 1989 Reatta. Neither spare looks as though it has been out of the trunk. Oops! Sorry. I tried to post a scanned image but I'll need to convert it to .jpg or something from my Paperport(.MAX) But I can say this... The grey one from my '88 looks like the one in Barney's image. The second from the right (third form the left). OK, I think I've got a photo for this post now. Let's see if it works.

Good morning jss and VicW Thanks for the suggestions. I'll start today by going through the connectors and grounds then work up to the ECM and BCM. I was just being lazy by posting. I'd hoped against all hope that That I'd find a reply that went something like ... OH, I had that exact same problem and all I had to do was....... Oh well. I got to get out and get on it because It's going to get hot today and even hotter tomorrow (near 100 degrees possible) PS. Don't know anything about the "passlock button"

I'm replying to myself. The equivilant to talking to myself. This reminnds me ... Now, you all know that it's OK to talk to yourself, right? But, you say, Yah, it's OK to talk to yourself so long as you don't answer back, right? I say it's OK to talk to yourself and it's OK to answer yourself back but..... if after you answer yourself back and then say "What?" well, then you have a problem. OK, Here's the latest update in the ever evolving saga of "Why don't it run." I'd inadvertantly left the key in the ignition and in the ON position as well as leaving the battery connected. I then proceded to mow the lawn. But, this did not come with problems of it's own. The mower quit after about 10 minutes. Took me over an hour to get that situation straightend out and another hour to mow the lawn. I went back to the car and found how I'd left it. Found that the IPC says: "See Diagnostic Center" The message on the CRT says: "Engine Controls Problem Detected Engine Controls Computer Has Detected An Electrical Problem Service Check Required". The "Service Engine Soon" light was on but not blinking. The red and amber Brake and ABS lights were both lit as well. So, I said what the heck I'll just try and start it. The old gal started right up and continued to run at an idle of 2250 RPM. Way too high but, I let 'er go. A hour later she was still running at that RPM. Oil pressure was44psi Volts@ 13.0 TEMP = 210 degrees(F). In "SERVICE MODE" the codes are: E013 Cur. E013 His. E021 His. E022 His. B450 His. B448 His. B552 His. C553 His. ECM DATA (under service mode... abridged) TPS = .48 (goes up when pedal is pressed) Coolant Temp = 102 degrees (105 degrees after running 1 hour) Batt Volts = 13.2 RPM = 2287 - 2307 MPH = 0 SPK Angle = 0 degrees Air Flow = 12 - 13 IAC 129 (steady) MAT = 95 degrees IGN cycles = 0 degrees Right before shutting her down The readings under *GAUGES* were: RPM = 2350 OIL = 45psi Volts = 13.2 Temp[ = 219 degrees F. I jiggled the key, jerked the steering wheel around and it didn't make any difference. Didn't miss a beat. Turned the key to the off position, the engine shut down and I proceeded to start typing this post. Any ideas? In advance, thank you for your time.

OK, here's an update to my condition. After leaving the key off and the battery disconnected for a period of time (the interval varies from minutes to hours to overnight) I can reconnect the battery and start the car.( it doesn't "reset' itself every time I disconnect the battery only sometime). It will run anywhere from two to 15 minutes then shut down. I get two alerts on the screen. The one as mentioned in an earlier post is the low oil level message. The other is and most persistent one is: "Climate Control Problem Detected - Engine Hot - a/c compressor disengaged to prevent damage - Service Check Required". After I hit RETURN and go to the Gauges screen, these are the Values listed: RPM = 0, OIL = 7psi, VOLTS = 11.9 (brand new battery slightly run down) TEMP = HOT Yes HOT. The engine came nowhere near normal operating temp and the screen says HOT! As a matter of fact, right now it still says HOT. Even after sitting for the last 4 hours. Current ambient is approx. 76 degrees F. After entering SERVICE MODE I get a brief flash of code E021 then it immediately says NO ECM CODES. Then it goes on to list three "current" codes. They are: B450, B552, and C553. (I have a Factory Service Manual so I'm able to look these up.) Under ECM DATA: (I won't list them all just some of the more interesting ones) TPS = 0.0, (step on the gas pedal and there is no change.) COOLANT TEMP = 151 degrees (switches between 151 and 132 degrees) BATT VOLTS = .0 IAC = 150 (starts at 150 then jumps to a low of about 6 then "jogs" back up to 150. It does this every time the *Service Engine* light winks off. Also, each time the *Service Engine* light winks off the EGR valves click and the IAC unit buzzes. This quits when the ignition switch is turned off. After having disconnected and reconnected the battery (if it has decided to behave) and the car starts , all of the previously listed parameters are within their normal ranges and are reported correctly. ie. TPS is .48 and goes to over 4.0 when the pedal is pressed down. OIL PRESSURE is 38 - 43 psi. while idle varies between 850 and 1000 RPM. COOLANT TEMP. is reported correctly. (haven?t seen it go any higher than 54 degrees before engine quits.) BATTERY VOLTS approx. 12.6 and so on. I've disconnected the connector from the temp sending unit but it changes nothing. There is one other obvious thing wrong with this car and that is that there is something wrong with the ignition switch. The key receiver is sticking out about 1/4" from it's hole on the steering column and it is frequently difficult to remove the key unless the steering wheel adjustment lever is pulled and the wheel is moved up and down. The key usually comes out when the wheel is in the down position. I don't know if it was coincidence or not but on two occasions, while the engine was running, I touched the key and the engine quit. At other times while the engine is running I can jiggle the key all over and the engine just purrs along. I was able to start the car this morning and it ran for about a minute before shutting down. That was about six hours ago. I've disconnected the battery about a dozen times during that period but it won't "reset" into start mode. I reconnect the battery and after the "light show" I turn the key to the on position, the IPC says "See Diagnostic Center" and after it does its check it displays the message: "Climate Control Problem Detected - Engine Hot - Blah Blah Blah... Noticed something different this time though. After the light show I opened the drivers side door then closed it. The IPC went dark then the word "ERROR" showed up in place of the mileage. I turned the key anyway and, well, nothing changed. And so, the cycle continues. I don't have any history on this vehicle as I just purchased it a few days ago and had to tow it to my home. Soooooo.... If anyone has any suggestions, comments, questions please feel free. Thanks.

Padgett, a word to the wise... Beware the Hoosier dealer. BTW I'm not a Hoosier, I just live here.

The salvage yard over in Westville, Indiana (Paul's) sold me one for $35.00. Before paying for it they let me plug it in to my car. Worked OK... then. A day or two later started to "jiggle" but only occasionaly. Episodes are far and few in between. I can live with it for now. If you want yours fixed, there's a place around Chicago that'll do it for around $100.00. Goes by the name of REX something or other. You can do a search on this site. Somebody on this site did a "right fine" write up on the subject about a year ago. Good luck.

Thanks to all that have responded. It may be a few days before I'm able to concentrate on this issue so keep the cards and letters comming. I have to finnish a brake job on my son's 89 Riv. in addition to a cam sensor magnet replacement ala Padget. I also have to replace the power brake booster unit on the wife's 98 Olds 88. I'm on vacation this week so I'll have plenty of time to attack the problems. (Just the way I like it ...another working vacation!)