just bought '00 cvpi - help appreciated!!!

[brianbow]

I just bought a '00 cvpi, heres a pic



i have several minor issues that i am kinda lost on

- brights indicator is always on when headlights are on. If you push the lever forward (should be brights) the bright indicator is at normal brightness and headlights are somewhat dim, if you have the lever in the normal position the bright indicator dims some and the lights go to normal brightness. And yes, if the headlights are on, the high beam indicator is also on, at 2 different brightness levels. low bright indicator means brighter headlights (not higher, just brighter), normal bright indicator means dimmer headlights.

- horn doesnt work, where would it most likely have been cut?

- alternator gauge reads somewhat low despite i had them put a new one in. it always shows about 30% into the normal operating range.

All of these im sure are due to the butchering of the electrical system when all the goodies got removed... Any ideas on where to start??

It has 93k miles on it. Of course this stuff varies greatly from car to car but how long should i expect the trans to last? Only issues seem to be at freeway speed flooring it everything is fine until you let off the gas and get back into overdrive. it kinda thinks about it for a second and you wait for it to hit back into gear. Also if you hit the o/d on/off it has the same effect. maybe new fluid/filter?

Other than those things excellent car. I like it a lot.
Any response is greatly appreciated, thanks!!!

[BMFer1]

Originally Posted by brianbow

I just bought a '00 cvpi, heres a pic

Congrats. Find out who painted the grille white and slap them. J/K

i have several minor issues that i am kinda lost on

- brights indicator is always on when headlights are on. If you push the lever forward (should be brights) the bright indicator is at normal brightness and headlights are somewhat dim, if you have the lever in the normal position the bright indicator dims some and the lights go to normal brightness. And yes, if the headlights are on, the high beam indicator is also on, at 2 different brightness levels. low bright indicator means brighter headlights (not higher, just brighter), normal bright indicator means dimmer headlights.

either the wiring is butchered up in front of the radiator, or the lcm is fried, or both.

- horn doesnt work, where would it most likely have been cut?

Make sure it's plugged in, first of all. It's located behind the front bumper. Check the fuse also under the hood (if horn fuse is blown, cruise will not work either.) Check under the dash for cut wires connecting to the steering column.

- alternator gauge reads somewhat low despite i had them put a new one in. it always shows about 30% into the normal operating range.

bad ground(s), very weak battery (which would be obvious,) or another bad alternator.

All of these im sure are due to the butchering of the electrical system when all the goodies got removed... Any ideas on where to start??

It has 93k miles on it. Of course this stuff varies greatly from car to car but how long should i expect the trans to last? Only issues seem to be at freeway speed flooring it everything is fine until you let off the gas and get back into overdrive. it kinda thinks about it for a second and you wait for it to hit back into gear. Also if you hit the o/d on/off it has the same effect. maybe new fluid/filter?

That is my first order of business on any used CV. Make sure to drain the torque converter, change the filter, and install Mercon V fluid. Use the original reusable gasket if it's in good condition.

Other than those things excellent car. I like it a lot.
Any response is greatly appreciated, thanks!!!

[brianbow]

Mine doesnt have cruise control.

Yeah, they should be slapped. not sure what made them decide it was agood idea to paint it white. they painted the whole car white (besides door handles and the area left/right of the rear lic. plate) it used to be a blue/white.

New problem developing today. I had drove it about 100 miles before i bought it to make sure it was good. obivously i didnt test it enough. I should have drove it a work day (i am an outside sales consultant, i drive ALOT)
Around the 30-45 area mainly if you hit the gas it really has a hesitating problem, it goes but not very well. it has started happening on the freeway too. 65 or so and hitting the gas its not as smooth as it should be. Where should i start? Any common hesitating fix?

also i filled the tank yesterday and drove about 110 miles today, went down to 3/4 tank. Decided to fill again to check mpg. 16.5 with at least 70% of those 6.5 gallons were freeway. 16 1/2 mpg seems really low.

[KimMG]

Tune-up may help with some of those problems of hesitation and poor fuel economy. Changing the engine, trans, and differential oil is not a bad idea if you don't know when the last service interval was.

[brianbow]

Originally Posted by KimMG

Tune-up may help with some of those problems of hesitation and poor fuel economy. Changing the engine, trans, and differential oil is not a bad idea if you don't know when the last service interval was.

i will just take it to a shop for fluids, i dont want to deal with it
i know this has no distributor, just a coil on each cylinder, i had an 01 ss camaro with the same basic setup. But i never touched that car myself. i am a bit more confident with my cvpi. I havent even pulled off the plastic cover and taken a look under yet. Whats the process on chaging spark plugs? Anything else to do along with it? recomended brand?

[wgbtucson]

I just bought a 00 cvpi this week also. So far I have spent time gutting the basic lighting package wiring. Found that at headlight bulb connectors on both sides of front grill is where they cut into the wiring for the alternating high beam headlights. They used heavy guage wire (red,yellow and green) to accomplish this. On this car they left all the police wiring harnesses in place and just cut the main unit out from under the dash. I pulled back the insulation and electrical tape at the bulb sockets and removed their splices and reconnected the "factory green" wires. This solved my headlight problems. I also removed the the grey shielded wires from the strobe lights located in the left and right parking lights. All the wiring on my cvpi came from the lower right passenger fire wall, up over the front wheel well and around the battery, then snaked through the front fender and finally along the top radiator support. All of this can be removed. PS. make sure you disconnect battery power!! I too do not have a horn yet. Will let you know what I find. Good luck.