97 GA going haywire

[cfaris]

I was idling my 97 GA and everything started going all wierd on me. The tach stopped working, the temp gauge stopped working, all the idiot lights came on, I have trouble starting the car because the theftlock is on, half the time the AC doesn't blow cold. What is wrong?! Could it be the ECM and if it is, can I get one out of a junked GA to replace it?

TIA

Chris

[The Right Formula]

How long has it been doing that? Believe it or not, it could be a sign that the battery is going (odd, I know, but true). Take it to a shop and have the load tested--Goodyear, Strauss, or Pep Boys will do it for a small fee, Auto Zone I think does it for free.

If it's as simple as that, then things will go back to normal afterwards:-)

--Jason

[cfaris]

About 2 days now. The battery is brand new. Also I forgot to mention that the light showing the transmission shift position isn't working either. Also I have already checked every fuse in the car so I know it's not the fuses.

[justin0717]

With the transmission position light, pull the piece off that surrounds the shift lever and the indicator, and make sure the wires are plugged in at the bottom of the indicator, when you pull it off you will see it, its all the way at the end (towards the back of the car if you are sitting in the drivers seat) mine pulled out one time and the indicator stopped working. Oh yea its a little easier to pop that piece off if you pull up the e-brake.


Im not sure if this will help anything else, but that may be something to check with that.

[cfaris]

I checked all the connections and everything is tight. The thing that I am thinking is wrong is this: I noticed when I pulled up the entire center console that the carpeting was wet. I checked the heater core and found that it was leaking in the cabin because one of the hose clamps was not properly tightened. Could the water have caused an electrical spark that shorted the ECM in the car?

[dlwdkh]

Its the battery dude. I have had the same freakin' problem on my '93 with the V-6. One day the gauges just started floating around in space, the thing wouldnt idle right, nothing wanted to work right. Found out there was corrosion between the contact on the battery and the negative cable. Side post battery. Also know some else who has a '93 with V-6 and it would not start for nothing. I determined it was not sparking. Dilly all day with the thing, and i thing hmmm, battery. There ya got, it had a smaller than recommended battery and the heat was zapping some of the cranking amps so it just didnt have enough juice to make the car do what it needed. We put a new battery on it and it is good as new.

[The Right Formula]

Originally Posted by cfaris

I checked all the connections and everything is tight. The thing that I am thinking is wrong is this: I noticed when I pulled up the entire center console that the carpeting was wet. I checked the heater core and found that it was leaking in the cabin because one of the hose clamps was not properly tightened. Could the water have caused an electrical spark that shorted the ECM in the car?

This goes without saying, but make sure you get that leak stopped ASAP! After that, if the weather is nice, leave your windows open and let the cabin dry out for an afternoon or two. As far as the computer being the culprit, it's possible, but before you go replacing that, disconnect the battery terminals and make sure all the wires by the wet area are in good shape--nothing burned, corroded, etc., and replace if needed.

--Jason

[cfaris]

Ok, I put the battery on a tester and it tested fine and showed it had a long life ahead of it. As for the wiring, upon visual inspection, I didn't see any damaged wires. If I buy a ECM out of a wrecked GA will I have to have it re-programmed or can I just slap it in there?

[The Right Formula]

Originally Posted by cfaris

Ok, I put the battery on a tester and it tested fine and showed it had a long life ahead of it. As for the wiring, upon visual inspection, I didn't see any damaged wires. If I buy a ECM out of a wrecked GA will I have to have it re-programmed or can I just slap it in there?

So long as your engine is stock and you get one from a stock engine, you should be fine.

--Jason

[compusmith]

I'll bet it's the alternator.

[cfaris]

See the thing is, the ABS, e-brake, airbag, seatbelt, voltage, oil pressure, theft sys, and low coolant lights came on all at the same time. that and the fact that the ac stopped blowing cold air, the temp gauge, tach, and transmission position light stopped working lead me to belive that it's the ECM. Am I way off here?

[cfaris]

does anyone know if there was a difference between the ECM in a GA with the 3.1 and a GA with a 2.4? They look identical on the outside all the connections look the same, but is there something different in the programming?

[The Right Formula]

Originally Posted by cfaris

does anyone know if there was a difference between the ECM in a GA with the 3.1 and a GA with a 2.4? They look identical on the outside all the connections look the same, but is there something different in the programming?

Yes--they're programmed differently. DIfferent shift points, A/F ratio, coolant temps, etc. If you have a 3.1, you ~must~ swap it with another 3.1

--Jason

[dp62273]

i would chevk the alternator first if thats isn't it the replace the ecm sonunds like thats what you want to do anyway. just make sure it's the same as the one you have. let me know how it goes.

[cfaris]

Ha ha! I found the problem. After sitting and thinking and talking with some friends of mine, I hauled out the old Haynes and started tracing wiring. The problem was a bad ground coming off of the ECM. I replaced the wiring and re-grounded the ECM and, as Emeril says, BAM! Problem solved.