Camaro in need of help!!!
03-20-2014, 12:29 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Camaro in need of help!!! I have a 2001 SS M6 with Kooks LTs. PRC Stage 2.5 5.3L Heads with a Torque V3 Cam. Everything has worked since the build a little less than a year ago with minor hick ups like new O2 sensors.
The break down occurred yesterday. Started her up, drove 35 minutes with no indicator of any issues or performance issues. Turned off the car for a 5 min pit stop, got back in the car and boom, nothing. No clicking, no attempting of then engine trying to turn over. The power meter showed about 2 to 3 volts. The gauges were flickering (moving) with obvious power going in and out with the light brightness of the check engine light that comes on before you start the car.
A friend and I figured the battery was dead so we hooked up jumper cables + to + and - to - and then it started smoking on his terminals. Immediate assumption was a massive short. Called a tow truck and as he had the car at in incline I attempted to just turn the accessories on and boom no flickering of power, tried to start and I got the attempt from the started but not enough juice... got the car towed home and jumped the car again with NO issues and the car fired up after 5 minutes of charge. Ran car for 30 min, turned off and boom battery dead.
Now I know electrical is a hard thing to diagnose but here are symptoms I have experienced in the past month. While driving I put the gear in neutral and when the cars ram should drop to idle sometimes it stats at 2k rpm. When I stop it takes a few seconds and the it drops to the 800-900 rpm idle the car is set to. Sometimes it will stay at 2K rpm or drop to 1500 rpm and never fall to what it should. I rev the engine and still doesn't fix it. I've replaced the throttle positioning sensor with no change.
Also sometimes my reverse solenoid "stops working" and I have to force it into reverse. Few hours or next day... it works with no problem.
Sometimes my traction control ACR Off light comes on and I can't turn it back on. Again a few hours later or a day later it works. No idea what's causing these issues.
-I have replaced the TPS already
-All fuse and relays are good.
If anybody has had similar issues that could help narrow my search that would be awesome.
When I get home today I plan on checking battery terminals, battery to starter and starter to alternator. And alternator to wiring harness.
The break down occurred yesterday. Started her up, drove 35 minutes with no indicator of any issues or performance issues. Turned off the car for a 5 min pit stop, got back in the car and boom, nothing. No clicking, no attempting of then engine trying to turn over. The power meter showed about 2 to 3 volts. The gauges were flickering (moving) with obvious power going in and out with the light brightness of the check engine light that comes on before you start the car.
A friend and I figured the battery was dead so we hooked up jumper cables + to + and - to - and then it started smoking on his terminals. Immediate assumption was a massive short. Called a tow truck and as he had the car at in incline I attempted to just turn the accessories on and boom no flickering of power, tried to start and I got the attempt from the started but not enough juice... got the car towed home and jumped the car again with NO issues and the car fired up after 5 minutes of charge. Ran car for 30 min, turned off and boom battery dead.
Now I know electrical is a hard thing to diagnose but here are symptoms I have experienced in the past month. While driving I put the gear in neutral and when the cars ram should drop to idle sometimes it stats at 2k rpm. When I stop it takes a few seconds and the it drops to the 800-900 rpm idle the car is set to. Sometimes it will stay at 2K rpm or drop to 1500 rpm and never fall to what it should. I rev the engine and still doesn't fix it. I've replaced the throttle positioning sensor with no change.
Also sometimes my reverse solenoid "stops working" and I have to force it into reverse. Few hours or next day... it works with no problem.
Sometimes my traction control ACR Off light comes on and I can't turn it back on. Again a few hours later or a day later it works. No idea what's causing these issues.
-I have replaced the TPS already
-All fuse and relays are good.
If anybody has had similar issues that could help narrow my search that would be awesome.
When I get home today I plan on checking battery terminals, battery to starter and starter to alternator. And alternator to wiring harness.
Last edited by Camaro4Lif3; 03-20-2014 at 12:54 PM.
03-20-2014, 12:32 PM
#2
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also if I get on it and get to 5K to 5500 rpm and shift usually i get a blinking SES light for a few seconds and it goes away. That's the indicator of miss fire. No idea why it's doing that as well. ACDelco Plugs with MSD wires done about a year go from the build.
06-27-2014, 12:57 AM
#3
Teching In
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Longwood, FL
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would assume you've already fixed this by now, but did you ever test the battery itself? A battery can suddenly go bad, and be shorting so badly internally that it does the things you describe.
The electrical items intermittently working (reverse solenoid, etc...) could also be from a lack of power (battery).
The electrical items intermittently working (reverse solenoid, etc...) could also be from a lack of power (battery).
07-04-2014, 07:11 PM
#4
+1 check the battery itself but hopefully you've covered that basic item.
That being said, improper grounding can cause all kinds of random, erratic, hair-pulling symptoms. I am unsure of what kind of grounding the Camaros have so check a shop manual but the negative battery cable is either going to ground to the engine or the body or both, and often there is a ground strap of sorts between the engine and body. It would be wise to remove/clean/inspect/replace these items as elbow grease is pretty cheap. I've had plenty of situations where ground straps corroded or even were pulled off by hitting road or other debris or even mistakenly left off by previous owners/repair shops. You'll get some grounding through exhaust and some other spots but it's usually just enough of a ground to frustrate your vehicle and you.
Good luck!
That being said, improper grounding can cause all kinds of random, erratic, hair-pulling symptoms. I am unsure of what kind of grounding the Camaros have so check a shop manual but the negative battery cable is either going to ground to the engine or the body or both, and often there is a ground strap of sorts between the engine and body. It would be wise to remove/clean/inspect/replace these items as elbow grease is pretty cheap. I've had plenty of situations where ground straps corroded or even were pulled off by hitting road or other debris or even mistakenly left off by previous owners/repair shops. You'll get some grounding through exhaust and some other spots but it's usually just enough of a ground to frustrate your vehicle and you.
Good luck!