T/A stalled & wont start. Help.

[cmcardle]

I've been reading the message forums for quite some time. Thanks for all the help.

Well this time I have a serious problem. I have a 1995 black trans am. I t was raining last night & I've noticed that the last few months my SES light comes on when ever it is raining. I had my mechanic do a diagnosis & he claimed he found nothing ???

So I start the bird up last night only to have the car idle very roughly & I noticed the voltage gauge slowly decreased & the car just shut off. This was not the usual stall that most are familiar with. When I tried to start her up again I heard a slight grinding noise. Is this the alternator since the voltage gauge dropped dramatically before the car stalled. She will crank, but wont turn over. Please....any ideas on what this may be.

Thanks to all for any help you may be able to provide.

Later,
Chris

[wolfdogs]

opti spark.............

[Jeff_in_Atl]

You need to scan it and see what the SES code is. My guess is the same as Wolfman but you won't be sure until it is scaned.

[cmcardle]

Do you really think it's that bad. I know I've been to your comp ta site & your wife Mary's Firehawk page, so I understand that you have loads of knowledge when it comes to the 4th gen F-Bodies.

I will certainly take your word for it, but are there any other possabilities other than the Opti ??

My TA is well taken care of (i.e. oil changes w/ mobil one every 2500 miles/ just had a tune up last year with delco platinum plugs & taylor spiro pro wire, etc...)

I was hoping maybe just the ignition coil, or something minor like an alternator or something.

The TA only has 70k miles on her & I thought thr '95 had the vented opti.

Pls reply if you have the free time. And thanks again for any info.

Appreciated !

[Jeff_in_Atl]

It could be several things. I had the factory OPTI fail on my 95 in Feb. The put a brand new GM on it and it failed in like July. The can go at any time regardless of how well you take care of your car. They really hate puddles which is probably what killed the 3rd one.

Since you have a 95, I don't think the auto parts stores can scan it. It's a screwy setup. Where do you live?

[cmcardle]

Thanks for the reply. I live in Brooklyn, N.Y.

So whats this Opti gonna cost me. I think I read somewhere that this is a complicated & expensive fix......I hope I'm wrong.

Any reason why the voltage(battery)gauge slowly dropped all the way down & then the car stalled?
It was not an abrupt stall.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

The OPTI is a time consuming thing to do. If you have somebody else do it, the labor is the killer. You have to take the water pump off to get to it. Check out Rob's (shoebox's) site. http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/4th_gen_tech1.html He has some pictures of it. The OPTI runs as low as $200. It is 1104032 $230.97 from http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/ It will cost about $450 from the local dealer. I would highly recomend NOT getting one from the local parts store.

If you are not going to have it scanned, read and do this. http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/4th...html#opti_test before you start tearing into it to prove if the OPTI is bad.

Oh, I asked where you were because if you were in Atlanta, I could come by and scan it. I finally got a new cable for my scanner. New York Is a little to far for me. LOL

[cmcardle]

Hey Jeff, Thanks so much I will look at those sites tonight when I get off from work. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out here. I'll keep you guys posted. I've done some minor work on my t/a like changing the fog lamps & installing the FIPK kit from K&N, but beyond that I haven't really done any complicated installs. This will be a challenge, but it might be a good opportunity to learn more. I hope I don't bite off more than I can chew...lol

Later guys.

[BAS]

1) Very little water from a puddle will ever
get up there in the engine bay, and if
it does, it will dry out quickly due to extreme heat.

2) Do you have BPOD? (Blue Powder of Death?) Were your eletrical connectors
corroded into a blue powder?

This is normally a sympton of a blocked vent tub. Check to see how much vacuum (if any) is being pulled through the vent hose.
An obstruction will cause repeated opti failure.

Originally posted by Jeff 95 Z28
It could be several things. I had the factory OPTI fail on my 95 in Feb. The put a brand new GM on it and it failed in like July. The can go at any time regardless of how well you take care of your car. They really hate puddles which is probably what killed the 3rd one.

Since you have a 95, I don't think the auto parts stores can scan it. It's a screwy setup. Where do you live?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I'm not trying to start an argument here but I'm 100% sure water from the heavy rains this spring caused the failure of OPTI #3. We had a LOT of heavy rain this spring in Georgia and one day on my way home from work, it was pouring rain. I went through a pretty large puddle that made the engine sputter for about 5 miles. I know the water got on something that made it immediately start running bad. When they took off OPTI #3, the connector and the harness were corroded. I don't know what the inside looked like because it was a warrantee repair and the wanted to send the part back.

[4THGEN Z]

for a no start condition, U have to go back to the basics. Are you getting fuel and spark. I just went through a no start 2 months ago on my 95 Z and it turned out to be a bad ignition coil (1 yr old MSD blaster). Also check the coil wire, they seem to be prone to prematurely break down.

But before you spend any $$$ on parts, get that code scanned!!

Just my $.02

Stew

[Formulaboy95]

The opti failed on my 95 a few months ago also. Noticed a stumbling at low rpms, but only when there was rain/moisture in the air. Scanned it, and got no trouble codes. Turns out there were 2 problems - 1 Cylinder #4 was not getting spark due to corrosion only on the #4 connection from the opti to wire #4. So, I was probably only firing on 7cylinders (mabey less). The #4 is directly underneath the waterpump on the passenger side. Took apart the opti, and the cap/rotor was rusted, chipped and worn, so it might have not been making contact with the other posts. Optical section was clean, and looked perfectly fine. I only had 56,000 mi on the car when I replaced it. Might as well do the cover gasket, and waterpump maint. while you are in there also. I should have done mine, and will have to soon. If you have not already done it, I would reccomend replacing the wires, and plugs also! After all that, my car ran better than I ever remember it since I took it home with 36,500 in April 2000.

First I would check fuel, & spark (as mentioned above) but since you mentioned the rain thing, I am leaning toward wires/opti.

The opti should be around $195-200 if you get it from Jason Cromer @ Sam Talyor Buick Cadillac, Phone # 850-243-8826 (or 850-244-5165) Oh, and the shipping looks like actual amount unlike gmpartsdirect.

1104032 opti (vented)
10317886 water pump drive seal $3.98
12552428 opti drive seal $3.88
12553792 o ring for water pump shaft (need 2) .70
12554314 front crank seal $14.50

Probably forgetting something, but that's all I got for now.

Here's a pic of the corrosion on the #4 terminal.

[cmcardle]

update on t/a not starting

Thanks for all the input you guys provided. Just a quick update.
I tried starting up the TA this morning (no rain today)and she strted right up. The only difference I noticed was some dark smoke & a rough idle but when she warmed up the smoke stopped & the idle was slightly smoother. Perhaps the smoke was from me trying to start her up in the rain when she wouldn't turn over ??

I will still get the code scanned again.

[BAS]

Re: update on t/a not starting

Hey I believe you man! With the corrosion - I would DEFINITELY check
the vaccuum in the line from your air intake track.. should be at least 12-16..

Your opti won't last long if your not sucking air through it. It's worse than
having a sealed 93/94 unit.

Good luck!

Originally posted by cmcardle
Thanks for all the input you guys provided. Just a quick update.
I tried starting up the TA this morning (no rain today)and she strted right up. The only difference I noticed was some dark smoke & a rough idle but when she warmed up the smoke stopped & the idle was slightly smoother. Perhaps the smoke was from me trying to start her up in the rain when she wouldn't turn over ??

I will still get the code scanned again.

[cmcardle]

Actually, now that you brought up that A.I.R. vaccuum thing it's all making sense now. My A.I.R. Pollution pump has been busted for about 2 months now. I have noticed a slight power loss, but the car's drivability is virtually the same. I better get that vaccuum fixed asap. That must be the reason why i'm having problems.