Feller39

Hello hello! I'd first like to mention I'm new to forums and all and glad to actually sign on. By browsing through in the past you guys seem to have a lot of knowledge and knowhow. Anyways onwards to my situation. So despite knowing a bit on rigs for a while I finally managed to purchase my first car and have been having a heck of a time to get it running as one alleged repair became this mess. It's a 1996 Camaro RS V6 with the 5 spd and the 3800 series 2. It had sat in a field for a good decade prior, but I know for a fact it runs. Which brings me to my first problem: When I start it it only wants to run for about two seconds. Every third start however causes this V6 to rev way up into the RPMs and smells like raw gas from the exhaust. Afterwards it dies regardless of throttle response. I replaced the gas tank (which had just about rusted through), fuel pump, everything fuel related even the injectors. I also changed spark plugs and wires as well. I know all about the VATS and ran a bypass, a fuel enable bypass, and a push button starter button and verified it does work. I've repaired all the sensor wires, there was mouse damage. I currently have my dash about ripped out and the bay wiring all apart trying to track down missing wires and all are inspected (patched properly if needed) and rewrapped for protection. All grounds have been checked and cleaned as well, most sensors are new. I do know someone has had an alarm system tapped into the wiring in the past which they just left the connectors dangling. Someone has also either cleaned or fiddled with the 3800 under the hood as well as the transmission and the wiring as well. I was told someone could have rebuilt the car but unfortunately that person moved out of state. Now I have made the following wiring repairs: 02 sensors (upstream), oil pressure sensor wires, alternator wires, injector #1 wires, one rear sidelamp, both from blinkers, radio (aftermarket), one ignition wire (ignition/pink to ECM), a ground strap for the starter, and that's it I do believe. I do know there is a still functioning Viper alarm in which case I have the remote that still works and have verified it is wired correctly. Aftermarket Viper remote start was wired in but when I hooked up the battery the car tried to turn over by itself and cutting the incorrectly wired module seemed to allow everything to work normally. I have checked and rechecked my repairs, Vats, everything. Which brings me to the weird 2nd problem: The injectors seem to stay open once and offer no sort of pulse like they typically do. I have considered a bad Camshaft sensor or crank but have ruled those out as those are new. Yes, I checked the fuel rail, injectors, and the regulator on the rail and I cannot pull codes (plug is messed up somehow I was told). I would also like to note I do not have a multi meter so I might not be able to test much. I do have test light however. Should I fire the parts cannon? Am I missing something? I do apologize for all the rambling and jumbled up data here, I just want to make sure I give as many helpful details as possible. Thanks in advance fellas!

Feller39

So I did a little retest of everything that might cause this symptom after finding nothing electrically wrong. I decided to test fuel pressure, I don't have a gauge, but I could eyeball that there was at least some fuel pressure. So I cracked open the valve and nothing but air! I had keyed the pump on prior to this test. I did a backtrack and found that fuel was going to the rail with no leaks so it had to all be going somewhere. Then I smelled the raw gas, and that's what kind of clued me in. I popped off the line for the fuel return to find that all the gas bled off past the brand new regulator and it was also weeping out the back! Now I'm surprised the car ran at all. Can't believe I got a bad part right out of the gate. Now I'm trying to find this injector stuck wide open electrical issue until a new regulator gets here. I'll keep an update in case someone has similar problems.

Feller39

Update!! So I got the regulator all installed and all that. Now I have a no start issue. I know I have spark and fuel pressure. Now I have no power to the injectors. I figured my fuel enable bypass could have gotten shorted out by a mistake I did earlier as it will no longer send an enable signal and decided to hook up the VATS again, as it sometimes worked. Now I get no security light at all or any response from the VATS. My aftermarket radio, heater blower, and dome lights are all malfunctioning as well. All went out at the same time, all grounds are good, checked, and cleaned. Now it is to my understanding the PCM controls most of this. Is the PCM junk? If so is it possible to just install another and run a VATS bypass since it wouldn't be in sequence with the rest of the system?? Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

Feller39

Updates to any curious or having similar problems. I did a retest and checked wiring. So the ECM and PCM appear to be working. A lot of people told me VATS is in the ECM but it turns out its in the PCM (fuel enable 50 hertz receiving circuit) and a separate body module too as I first assumed. The body module was connected to most of my accesories and there is no power whatsoever except to power up the body module. The security light will not light, wires are good. To those deleting the body module for a 96, your radio will work (unsure on the 97-02) if you find the thin orange wire connected to the body module behind the dash on the drivers side, cut it, and splice it into the big orange wire going into the BCM. Now don't confuse this with the orange SLEEVED white wires, that'll cause an uh oh. I'm about to do the same for for the climate controls. The big wires are not constant 12 volt, thus will not drain the battery with the key off. The dome lights I'll need to research. Be warned this will not apply to all F-body years, most likely the early Gen 4s (despite mine being the 96 year). I do know the later years (97- 02) have a different setup.

So I also dug into why it hates running. I mentioned a possibly failing fuel bypass (Bit.ly Timers/Firehawk Motorsports Fuel Enable Bypass) and decided to test it just to be sure, can't really rely on just an LED telling me status. The LED is stuck on and it should be blinking a series of status blinks. So what? bad LEDs can happen. So I reconnected the VATS and absolutely nothing. Will not even fire for a second. Reconnect the "failing" bypass, what do you know! Does the weird couple of second fire up. I did this four times, same results. But now I notice each fire up gets shorter. These bypasses come with different hertz setups. 30 hertz (for earlier years prior to or on 1994 I do believe, information on Ebay seller site) 50 hertz (from late 94 to 02, again, view site if curious) and then a 50 hertz alternate sequence (Why? I'm not sure). So I tried to activate all sequences and I got absolutely nothing. No light, no power from the bypass. Meaning the internals aren't switch modes. Which means I must have fried it wiring it up the first time when I was in a hurry. That being said, I'm ordering a new Enable bypass and I'm willing to bet that is the problem. I can't think of what else would cause that. Now here's something interesting I believed I solved. I repaired the fuse box under the hood and saw the pink ignition wire just laying there. When the engine was firing up for three seconds. With ignition power. Confusing eh? I realized the engine smelled richer and richer each fire up. Which told me the injectors just sat, limbo. Nothing telling them to close or open. Gas just filling the cylinders unmetered. Explains the high rev and all that. I hope my update solves any questions or similar problems and I'll post results on the bypass/enabler soon.

Feller39

Alrighty! Back again! Now I installed the new bypass module and it works correctly. I realized my problem was I did not even tap into the right wires. At least the right dark blue wires. I knew that the VATS went through 2-3 different computer boxes in the earlier 93-95 if I'm correct and assumed 96 was the same. This time I remembered someone mentioned tapping directly to the ECM. So after hours of internet searching I found an accurate pin out for the wires to the ECM. There I found on the blue connector a dark blue wire on pin #55. I ran my bypass and what do you know it fired right up. Idles up like crazy (sounds about 2k) but the RPM gauge bounces up to redline. Seeing as how someone put the wrong gasket on the IAC (Idle Air Control valve) and it's sticking out like a sore thumb by a centimeter with a thick homemade gasket (there was a lot of hackery on this car), that will cause a major issue. Pulled the IAC out to set it proper and the O ring is gone, causing a vacuum leak symptom I'm guessing. I thought I'd find another O-ring but nope, you have to buy the whole sensor. Oh well, a new IAC would be for the best anyways. I'll get another IAC and post updates soon.

Feller39

Been a long while but I would like to do a final report on the car. After the bypass module bypassing the fuel enable system (Bit.ly bypass), an IAC, and spark plugs the car runs and drives perfectly fine for the most part after sitting for a decade. I will get bushings, fix the deleted exhaust, and all of the sensors replaced before it officially becomes the first daily driver, doesn't have to be perfect just driveable for now. If anyone else experiences the same or similar issues, I will be happy to help in questions regarding what all I did to the car to get past VATS.