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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 08:34 PM
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Default tryign to do first start, problems

Got a new pcm with a tune and everything hooked up tonight, fuel system is all back in as well

The fuel pump signal wire from the pcm only stays on for a couple seconds, won't kick the relay over. I jumped power to the fuel pump and it runs, but real rough, have to hold throttle open and it is popping through the exhaust.

Fuel pressure holds at right around 60 lbs and I don't seem to have any leaks.

PCM will not communicate with the scanner still so I can't check for codes. What should I try now?
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 08:38 PM
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The fuel pump signal wire from the pcm only stays on for a couple seconds, won't kick the relay over.

You have this wired as a ground signal from the PCM to the relay then 12v on the control side correct?
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 08:57 PM
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I'll double check on the relay

As far as the other, I have to hold the throttle open to get it start and its really bad rough, and lots of popping.

Right now I don't have a source wire for switched power so I'm connecting them all direct, don't know if that would have any effect or not. We have the switched ones on a side post battery terminal and are disconnecting the wire that is supposed to be constant, probably not the best idea but would it cause considerable problems?

Does anyone know of a good source for switched power that's heavy enough to power all 4 circuits? I have the one that used to go to my coil but I don't think it would be good to connect 4 wires to that.
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 09:10 PM
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Originally Posted by thunderstruck507

Does anyone know of a good source for switched power that's heavy enough to power all 4 circuits? I have the one that used to go to my coil but I don't think it would be good to connect 4 wires to that.
You can run the wire that used to go to the coil to a relay that will handle the load of 4 wires. As long as it's not still a resistor wire. And as for the running rough, my car does that until it's been run for a while, when the battery is disconnected for long periods of time (over the winter) but once it's run for a while it's fine. Just a thought, hope this helps.
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 09:36 PM
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By running rough, I mean won't run at all basically. Just carries on while the throttle is held down then pops and dies.

Kinda more like dieseling than running.

I did find a pink/black wire connected to the fuel pump relay that looks like it needs to be connected to power instead if I'm reading my stuff correctly...but doing so does not affect the running at all.

I'm going to eat and take a break then go over it all again. This is very frustrating.
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 09:39 PM
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Just an idea, if you have a quick enough multimeter monitor your +power wire going into the pcm for low voltage or spikes, and or check the grounds, for high resistance i.e. between the pcm and your engine block.
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by ls1nova71
You can run the wire that used to go to the coil to a relay that will handle the load of 4 wires. As long as it's not still a resistor wire. And as for the running rough, my car does that until it's been run for a while, when the battery is disconnected for long periods of time (over the winter) but once it's run for a while it's fine. Just a thought, hope this helps.
would this be a normal 5 prong relay like the one for the fuel pump or some other type?
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Old Oct 27, 2008 | 11:01 PM
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Make sure all your sensors are connected correctly, a common one is the MAF backwards, the crank sensor will need to relearn too so it will run rough for a while at first
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by thunderstruck507
would this be a normal 5 prong relay like the one for the fuel pump or some other type?
Yes. Put the ignition wire to terminal 85, and ground terminal 86. Then use a constant power from the battery (fused of course) to terminal 30, and terminal 87 to the wires you're trying to power up.
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 10:20 AM
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anyone have any ideas as to why the pcm will not communicate to the scanner? this would greatly help since I could check for trouble codes and monitor the engine more closely

the only sensors not connected and/or connected properly right now are the TCC switch and the neutral safety stuff, but the car is starting without them

I pulled up a random VIN online for a 99 camaro with a 5.7 so I'm pretty sure that's fine to do correct?
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 10:50 AM
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Put it on a battery charger and tried again today, it will run above 2k rpms but below that it tires to die and every time I let off the throttle to turn it off it backfires really bad

still sound like crank sensor needing to relearn? it did seem to miss intermittently on 1 cylinder a couple times, but other than that it ran smooth
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 11:11 AM
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Doe you have the MAF hooked up? and ducted iin the air inlet? Are all of your vacuum ports capped and hooked up also?
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 11:50 AM
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Maf is ducted with a filter and all

vacuum ports: large on rear of manifold to brake booster like stock, small on back of manifold to air/heating controls inside cab, small behind throttle body pass side plugged with a cap

one thing is when it's running it does sound really mellow and tame...don't know if that's any indication of anything like bad timing or something, but it sounds "weaker" and less "crisp" in the exhaust note than my old engine (same exhaust but different headers)

gonna come back from lunch and finalize the power wiring properly so the computer won't be losing power any more at all, also gonna try to hook up the scanner under "generic obdII" and see if I can get anything that way

the idea about voltage spikes seemed to help though, putting a battery charger on it has at least allowed it to run smooth above 2k rpm unlike before, so progress is being made it seems

so I'm definitely open to more suggestions, thanks guys!
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 12:52 PM
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I think you have some cam timing issue. The back firing really seems to lead me to believe that along with the smooth less crisp sound.
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 01:26 PM
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cam is a comp copy of the tr230, uses xe lobes and is supposed to be ground with the same +3 advance as the comp cam

it was installed straight up with an ls2 chain

i guess there's always the possibility comp messed that up somehow, but all in all I am leaning towards some kind of timing issue as well which is why i thought mentioning the pissy sound of the engine might have relevance
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 02:43 PM
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got the scanner working, it was hooked to the wrong wire

all the sensors are working, misfire codes on #1 cylinder but no other codes

won't run at less than about 1500 then it backfires
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 03:39 PM
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swap coil packs/wires, see if it follows. Still weird, would think it would still idle with a dead or misfiring cylinder.
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 03:41 PM
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plugs look good, plug wire is good

its just backfiring but showing up as a misfire, the engine isn't actually missing

does so below 900rpm and above 3500rpm only, I'm gonna call Jesse and see what he thinks
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 04:27 PM
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unplugging the maf makes the car not start, swapped sides with the coil packs and the pop moved with it, so I'm going to try to find a new set of coils....just seems odd to me
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Old Oct 28, 2008 | 06:25 PM
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tried a new coil and didn't help

checked them with a timing light and the middle 2 on the pass side keep cutting out

none of the coils will fire when I first try to crank it, almost like the throttle has to be held for them to fire

I'm out of ideas at this point
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