automan9482

'94 G/A SE 2.3L Quad4, spent last weekend replacing the crank position sensor. The damn thing broke off inside the block, and I had to remove the intake manifold to retrieve it. When I did this, the heater wire for the oil/air seperator, which takes place of the PCV valve on this engine,
came out of the seperator. ( looking down on the engine it is on the bottom right side of the oil/air seperator ) I ordered a new o.a.s., a friggin' dealer only part, and was told this wire is ANOTHER dealer only part at the tidy sum of $170.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO RECONNECT THIS WIRE TO THE INSIDE OF THE OIL/AIR SEPERATOR?? THERE HAS GOT TO BE, BUT I TRIED TAKING THE SEPERATOR APART TO NO AVAIL. HELP!! DON'T LET THE DEALER GET ME AGAIN!
It runs without it, but not like it should, and the damn check engine light is on now.

HELP!!

Thanks!

skibum1111

If the oas didin't come with the wire, then it has to plug in somewhere. Look for a spot to plug a wire in, if the plug is broken off the wire then find one on a wreck and snip the wire take the plug and splice it back into your harness. I don't remember a wire going to the oas on my 95 quad when I did the head gasket a couple of months ago, are you sure this is the part the wire came out of?

automan9482

Thanks for your reply skibum.
Yes, that's where it came from....if you're looking at the oas, it has 2 vacuum lines on the left, the rebreather tube underneath that hooks into the oil fill tube, and this little number is on the right, above one of the 8mm mounting bolts.
It had a hose around it; I originally attempted to remove this hose, thinking it was another vacuum line, but Chilton's doesn't tell you is there's something inside: this copper colored wire. The "hose" came off in pieces, and that's when the wire pulled out. The guy from the Pontiac dealer said it was a heater wire, and showed me a schematic. It just shows it going into the oas, not plugging in or anything (?) I can't post attachments or I'd scan it so you could see.
I agree, it has to go in somehow, but the "box" doesn't come apart.
I had thought of the junkyard idea too, but it leaves me in the same pickle....how to get the befrigged wire back inside the new seperator....
If it actually is broken of inside the oas, splicing wouldn't help.

skibum1111

I looked at mine tonight, the only idea I have for it is to take the whole assembly off a wreck, one end comes off the timing chain cover, another goes to the air duct, and the third goes down to the engine block. Can't figure out why they would put a heater there, the whole damn thing gets awfully hot from engine heat anyway, unless its for cold temps. Reaching the lower end of the hose is difficult as you have to reach around the intake manifold, but it is possible for this to be done. Good luck, hope this helps.

automan9482

After looking REAL close at this wire, and breaking open the old oas, it was clear it didn't break off anything. The oas is simply an empty box...that's it. I don't know what this wire is for either. The new seperator came in yesterday. I installed it, sealed up the lead with electrical tape, unhooked the batt. to clear the codes, and it didn't do anything different.
I.E., still have the "engine" light and the hesitation. Runs great other than that! Going to have the code pulled today. Maybe replacing the crank sensor threw off another sensor somewhere....I suppose it's possible.
On another note, Skibum: have you ever had problems with the tilt column coming loose in your '95? I've known a few people with '94s, and it seems to be a common flaw. Something about 94 being the 1st year for the airbag......
I've had it fixed 4 times, and the pin causing the problem keeps coming loose. How hard is it to fix, if ya know?

gmack221

#1. the heater hose your talkin about is there so that condensation doesn't freeze up in that hose during the winter. All it does is keep the hose warm to keep it from freezing up.

#2. on the 95 grand am if your steering wheel is loose it most likely is your tilt bushings going bad. you have to get the parts (not sure if parts store can get them or if they are a dealer item), pull the air bag, pull the steering wheel, then pull the covers on the outside of the column, (thats as far as I have been into the column) but it looks like you have pull some switches to get near the bushings, I didn't have the parts and decided mine wasn't as bad as I thought when I got in there, so I fixed the other problem in there and buttoned it back up.

skibum1111

With 242k miles, I have never had the steering wheel off, the column is still tight. The only work done on it was the headlight switch was changed 2 years ago. I have seen a bunch of 94's with sloppy columns though.

automan9482

Thanks all for all your help. I may not mess with the steering column either, it doesn't sound like a fun Saturday afternoon to me. As far as the problems with hesitating and the engine light after replacing the oas, I traced it down to the throttle position sensor not being plugged back in. Reconnected it, cleared the code, and she is again the car I know and love.

gmack221

glad to hear you got it fixed!

bjobotts

I took oas unit off and that fat wire just slides out of the hose that connects to oas. No need to replace as only function is to allow gasses to pass through and wire heats then to prevent condensation. Did you have to re teach the CPS with scan tool on the '95? $170 dollars for oas...what a ripoff. How do they get away with it.