LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

Wiring Help Needed!!

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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 12:48 PM
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Default Wiring Help Needed!!

Bought my car in april and it has an autometer oil pressure gauge in it. He unhooked the wires at the gauge. But the wires running to the gauge are hooked up. One wire is hooked up to the black wire to the fog light switch and it is burned. One wire is hooked up to a pink wire under the steering column, the pink wire goes into a connector and it is goin into slot "M" Also burned. Another on was goin to the fuse panel ign slot can't remember if it was burned. So how do i wire this thing correctly and would this cause my car to hesitate. Cause i can't even drive my car anymore cause it is always cutting in and out.
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 12:59 PM
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OK, RH113, walk us thru this problem with a few more specifics and I'm sure soemone can help diagnose this. First set of questions, what year, OBD I or II (I'll assume the car is an LT1 car), and wha is the complete set of problems / issues?

Let's start at the beginning; electrical problems are the best, and we need to know everything you can find out to help you diagnose this over the net!
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 01:12 PM
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I would start by rewiring the gauge. Use the link for an actual schematic. http://www.autometer.com/productPDF/1162.pdf
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 01:49 PM
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I have a 93 Camaro Z28, M6. Bought the car end of April from dsmawd350

Ok, so middle of the summer my car started cuting out for a split second at a time. This happened randomly. It progressivly got longer and more frequent. Now i can't even drive it down the block without it happening. I first replaced the coil, then fuel filter, plugs, opti with a new msd. checked my fuel pressure and it was sitting at 10 psi. changed my pressure regulator and put in a walbro 255 and then my pressure was good. However it kept getting worse so i took it to Walls Rod & Custom. He put it on the dyno and checked all diagnostics. He couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Air/fuel is good and so on. He said it never cuts out at wot and when it does cut out the engine doesn't get fuel or spark. It completely shuts down. He said it is wiring, so i decided to do it myself so it wouldn't cost me a fortune.

The car has an autometer short sweep oil pressure gauge in a pod pillar. All the wires at the gauge were cut and taped when i pulled it out. It did have wires running from it though they are as follows:
1. A wire running to the black wire coming out of the fog light switch. This wire was all burned up and bare
2. A wire running to a pink wire coming out of a connector under the steering column. The slot for the pink wire on the connector is marked "M". The wire running to the pink one is burned and bare.
3. Another free floating wire was attached to the ign spot in the fuse box. May have been for the NX wet kit that was in it.

I would like to know what the pink wire is and if any of this could contribute to my problem? Also how they could have all gotten burned and melted
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 02:15 PM
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Sounds like one of those loose wires shorted to ground. I don't have a wiring diagram here so I can't be of much help. If you've got a book, look at the wiring diagram and traceout the burned up wires. My guess is that the pink wire was a switched power wire, and the unterminated end grounded to some metal and caused a nasty short.
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 02:22 PM
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I just got my Autometer Cobalt electric oil pressure gauge out and it has no pink wire.
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by dhdenney
I just got my Autometer Cobalt electric oil pressure gauge out and it has no pink wire.
Does an autometer require an autometer sender? Because mine looks stock. Here are some pics of the wiring











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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 05:43 PM
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Oh I bet this guy has tapped into the gauge cluster for the oil pressure gauge. Does the Autometer work? Does the factory work?
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 07:01 PM
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ya the factory works. but i don't know if i need an autometer sender unit . and that wire from the fuse box was for the nos but it was all taped off and fine. so that wouldn't have caused any problems
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 07:11 PM
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i have no idea why someone would put in a aftermarket guage in the first place, and if i were to install the autometer gauge i would have just used the sending unit the gauge comes with.

People.. I swear..

But I can't imagine your car cutting out having ANYTHING to do with your oil guage (unless there is something in the PCM watching oil pressure, and i don't believe there is)
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 07:43 PM
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aftermarket is alot more accurate. I don't think this is affecting my performance either but i don't know where to go at this point.
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 07:45 PM
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turns out i do need the proper sending unit. I completely gutted my dash and am searching the car over. (I already have a headache from this mess)
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 09:10 PM
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Originally Posted by roadhog_113
aftermarket is alot more accurate. I don't think this is affecting my performance either but i don't know where to go at this point.

LOL! Its oil pressure!! whos cares exactly how much as long as it has it!!!

People.. i swear (lol)
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Old Oct 8, 2007 | 09:18 PM
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wow do me a favor and write something usefull. Anyway any ideas on what would shut both my ignition system and fuel system off for a split second at a time? I am going through all my wiring and haven't found anything yet but hopefully i comeup with something.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 03:09 PM
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Do you have access to a complete year specific wiring diagram? If you do and the PCM controls the fuel pump and the ignition (as mine does on my Formula), an intermittent open in a power feed or ground could be the root cause to your symptoms.

I have a 96 OBD II so my GM F-Car manual won't help you; a Chilton's or Hayes might, but your best bet is to call Helm and purchase a set of real GM manuals then carefully study the "8A" section - when I worked for GM (thru EDS) I wrote that part of the books. Your answer in there.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 09:24 PM
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Went over my wiring cleaned it up checked injectors resistance, cleaned iac and checked it. Took it for a test drive and bam it barely cuts out on my street and then it is running freakin amazing for about 10 mins until bam it cuts out big time again and then it just cut out randomly more often and more often. and at lights when i come to a stop the car idles at 600rpm and then after 3-4 seconds it goes back up to 1000 rpm. the voltage does the same thing. it goes down to about 9 or 8 and then after 3-4 it goes to 12 again. I am pulling my hair out. I am gonna go check for codes even though it has never thrown a single one.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 09:52 PM
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Ok so I pulled a code 50 out of the pcm. SYSTEM VOLTAGE LOW. I guess it's ignition. What are your thoughts? By the way thanx for the tip great421 i think i will pick one of those up. I didn't know where to go to get one.

Last edited by roadhog_113; Oct 22, 2007 at 10:02 PM.
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Old Oct 23, 2007 | 06:50 PM
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roadhog_113 said:

"Another on was goin to the fuse panel ign slot can't remember if it was burned."

Check the slot the fuse goes into.

Make sure it holds the fuse tight.

Make sure you have the correct voltage on each side of the fuse.

I had a no start /intermittent cut off problem that I finally tracked down to the ignition fuse being loose.
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Old Oct 24, 2007 | 03:10 PM
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I am goin through the haynes manual checking my charging and ignition system and i got to step 8. It says, "If the coil checks are correct, disconnect the ignition mudule connector, turn the ignition key ON (engine not running) and check for battery voltage at the at the terminals A and D. Normally, there should be battery voltage at the A and D terminals. Low voltage indicates an open or high resistance circuit from the distributor to the coil or ignition switch (primary ignition circuit)."

I did that and this is what i got. I am new to the electrical thing. These are the readings on the different settings on the multimeter i got. So does this mean i have low voltage?

There is also a resistor goin from the wiring harness to the black connector on the coil. A white wire goes into it and out of it as well as a ground to the cylinder head.

Last edited by roadhog_113; Oct 24, 2007 at 03:45 PM.
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Old Oct 25, 2007 | 02:54 PM
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I took the car out for a spin again today and waited till it started acting up again. It seems to start once the car is in operating temp. Then I took it home and let it run in the driveway without shutting it off. I put the voltmeter on it and waited about maybe 2 mins and the voltage went from 14 to 13 to 12 and then the car stalled out. Could my alternator be sh*tten on me?
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