93 3.8L Electrical problems haywire

Hey all, I appreciate your help. I've had some problems come and go in the past; the power side door may/maynot work; and the high speed blower fan may/maynot work. I can live with that, however, all of a sudden I have a new list of major probs: 1. The engine fires, runs a few seconds, then dies (no idle). 2. With the key on, the temp gauge pegs off the scale. 3. If I put the key in, open the door, I don't hear the warning chime anymore.
I have a good battery (rpl. last year), plenty of juice, clean connections. I checked all the fuses, breakers, and pulled all the major bulkhead connectors apart, checked for corrosion (none found), sprayed them with WD-40 and snapped them back together... no help. I checked the 12V binding post near the power brake unit.. it's clean, and I tightened it a tad.
I will endeavor to start checking all the grounds tomorrow, esp the one behind the driver's kick panel.
If anybody has any ideas what may be causing these problems, your help will be most appreciated. And I promise to share a post with everybody when/if I find the cure. Thanks, JLynn

OK, 2 down, 3 to go. I did find a ground problem; I put a sensitive voltmeter between battery (-) and chassis ground, it read a fraction of a volt. Sooo, I ran some big honking 14 ga. wire from engine, & chassis, and that tie point behind driver's kick panel to the spare top post of the battery. Now, the power side door works, and it chimes when I have the key in and the door open. It still will not stay running. I put the key in, turn it to ON, the temp gauge pegs out (it has pegged so hard that it will not fall to zero with key out) It cranks, fires, and runs for one second and dies. What gives? I got a code scanner but it doesn't seem to work on the Transport; it is listed to work with a 93 Lumina, but I can't read get a reading on the computer codes. Arrgh. Has the computer gone south? Which little silver box is the computer? There's a small one behind the center console, and a bigger one under and behind the glove box. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

OK, 2 down, 3 to go. I did find a ground problem; I put a sensitive voltmeter between battery (-) and chassis ground, it read a fraction of a volt. Sooo, I ran some big honking 14 ga. wire from engine, & chassis, and that tie point behind driver's kick panel to the spare top post of the battery. Now, the power side door works, and it chimes when I have the key in and the door open. It still will not stay running. I put the key in, turn it to ON, the temp gauge pegs out (it has pegged so hard that it will not fall to zero with key out) It cranks, fires, and runs for one second and dies. What gives? I got a code scanner but it doesn't seem to work on the Transport; it is listed to work with a 93 Lumina, but I can't read get a reading on the computer codes. Arrgh. Has the computer gone south? Which little silver box is the computer? There's a small one behind the center console, and a bigger one under and behind the glove box. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
You can get the Check engine codes on your 93 by jumping the A and B terminals located under the sterring wheel and dash panel to the left. You will see a black terminal box. Put a wire between A and B with the ignition on but no start. The Check engine light will start to flash. A flash and then a pause and then 2 flashes means #12. This is normal and means the computer is working. Thier will be a pause and it will flash again 2 more times. If you have any other codes they will then come up, they will each flash 3 times like before. Record the codes and go to http://autorepair.about.com/library/ts/obd-i/bl-dtcs-36a.htm to see the results.

Thanks Knucle Ears for the heads up on computer codes! However, I cannot read codes because of a new intermittent problem; the Check Engine Light will not come on; nor do any of the other warning lights (Air Bag; ABS; open door; etc.) I turn the key ON, and no idiot lights at all. Dang.
I guess I'll have to pull out the instrument cluster and check for shorts, bad connections or faulty grounds. Unless somebody can help. hELP PLeAse!
Is there place online where I can pay to see a service manual, wiring diagram, and trouble-shoot list for this car? Thanks!

IT IS FIXED!!! YAY! I found the main problem... bad ignition switch. Go figure. I noticed that every time i turned key on and off, the temp gauge would fall slightly. hmmmm. After I turned it 12 times, the temp gauge fell to zero, and the idiot lights came back on, check engine light, everything. it would fire and run..... but when I turned it off, problems returned. Finally noticed that if I held the key switch a certain way, the idiot lights would come and go. Rpl the ign. switch, and the baby's good to go. Ha ha!
Now, about that high speed blower fan problem. Got a new fan relay, but noticed the socket terminals were melted. eeks. No problem. Got out the big honkin 14 ga. wire again and the soldering iron. I cut 6" pigtails, soldered them to the new relay terminals, and crimped yellow butt-splices to the other end. Then, cut the old socket out, stripped the wires, and crimped them into the other end of the splices. EVERYTHING WORKS!! YAY! I hope that relay never goes bad. : ) Thanks to this forum and all the folks who offer their assistance and help. Peace, out. J

IT IS FIXED!!! YAY! I found the main problem... bad ignition switch. Go figure. I noticed that every time i turned key on and off, the temp gauge would fall slightly. hmmmm. After I turned it 12 times, the temp gauge fell to zero, and the idiot lights came back on, check engine light, everything. it would fire and run..... but when I turned it off, problems returned. Finally noticed that if I held the key switch a certain way, the idiot lights would come and go. Rpl the ign. switch, and the baby's good to go. Ha ha!
Now, about that high speed blower fan problem. Got a new fan relay, but noticed the socket terminals were melted. eeks. No problem. Got out the big honkin 14 ga. wire again and the soldering iron. I cut 6" pigtails, soldered them to the new relay terminals, and crimped yellow butt-splices to the other end. Then, cut the old socket out, stripped the wires, and crimped them into the other end of the splices. EVERYTHING WORKS!! YAY! I hope that relay never goes bad. : ) Thanks to this forum and all the folks who offer their assistance and help. Peace, out. J

Glad to hear you got it going. I had a similar problem years ago with a GMC van. I would be driving down the road and it would unexplainably die. I would then fiddle with the ignition key switch and it would start and I was on my way agin. I repaced the switch and no problems afterwards.
I guess it is sometimes a matter of perseverance to find some of these problems.
I have had many electrical/electronic problems with mine and have gotten all of them fixed. My latest was an oil pressure guage that was maxed to the hilt. I read all the articles in this forum about how to diagnose and realized the sender should be replaced but also it could be a connector at the sender that was wrong. I replaced the sender but same problem. I finally took my old sender and connected the one wire that goes to the guage and the other to a ground on the engine. It turned out I had a bad ground. I then soldered a wire from the connector and ran it to a good ground and it works now. Not a big problem but I had to get it working.