88 GM CP - New Purchase - Many Problems

[roompainter]

Hi and thanks for your help in helping me diagnose some of the things I have found wrong with this battle axe I just bought.

Problem 1: AC/Heater - more specifically the blower - more specifically the fact that when ac is on [low thru high]- at idle -> air blows mildly through front vents and floor - when driving +55 -> air blows through defrost vents. Why, and how do I fix this?

Problem 2: Intermitant Occurance at Idle in Park or at red light - motor runs smooth most of the time and then - a shudder - then motor runs smooth for a while then a shudder. Not in time like a bad spark plug.

Problem 3: Power Steering Pump sounds like there is a cat or something stuck in it - whining bad but operational - need to replace pump I guess- question - is it easy, any unknown stuff I should know before doing the R&R?

Problem 4: Gear shifter - hear a hissing sound when I put gear in D (not over drive) I have [P R N OD D 1] - I hear the hissing sound in D & 1. Is there a snake living in my steering column?


Feel free to take a shot at any or all of these but please quote the problem/s in your reply.

[gadget73]

1) vacuum leak. Check the soup can, the lines to the soup can, and if you have ATC, unplug the vacuum lines connected to the odd sensor thing in the heater hose on the passenger side and seal those lines up. Likely the problem will stop. The system defaults to hot defrost in the event of a vacuum loss as a safety measure.

2) quite possibly also vacuum leak, see above, and also inspect the rest of the vacuum lines

3) pump is fairly easy, but try flushing it out first. pull the low pressure line off (cut it, its easy to bust the nipple on the pump) and drain the fluid out. Remove the belt and turn the pump by hand till the fluid starts coming out of the return line. Keep topping off the reservoir and turning the pump till the fluid comes out red instead of that dried blood color it probably is now. Replace the low pressure hose with trans cooler line and see if it didn't shut the pump up. Worth a try, and even if it didn't fix it, you've got fresh fluid in the steering gear, all ready for a new pump. If you do need a new pump, you'll need a puller for the pulley. Alternator has to come off, then its like 2 bolts and 2 or 3 nuts on the water pump to remove the PS bracket and pump. once the pulley is off, i think 3 more bolts under it. If you do replace it, I'd highly suggest a new high pressure hose too, just so its all nice and brandy new.

4) parking brake release thing under the dash is bad. Pull the cardboard stuff from under the dash. Look on the top side of the steering column up against the firewall, and you'll find a white half-moon shaped thing. Pull the vacuum line and cap it. Should be a black line to engine vacuum and I think a clear or white that goes to the vacuum motor on the brake itself. Its not an important system, more of a granny dont burn the brakes up measure. Also its a vacuum leak, could possibly contribute to the climate control problems and the random miss.

[roompainter]

Thank you Sir, I will check all these this afternoon. Except for the PS pump.

I also have leaking valve cover gaskes so everything under the hood has a coat of grime... need to do a good engine compartment cleaning and all.

Thank you very much though;

This Board Rocks!!!!!

[roompainter]

1) vacuum leak. Check the soup can, the lines to the soup can, and if you have ATC, unplug the vacuum lines connected to the odd sensor thing in the heater hose on the passenger side and seal those lines up. Likely the problem will stop.

What is ATC - see that alot in other posts.. what do it mean and whare r it?

[nitroracer]

ATC = Automatic Climate Control

Located on the heater hose.

[roompainter]

ATC = Automatic Climate Control

Located on the heater hose.

Well thats nice... iT SEEMS THAT I DONT HAVE ONE OF THOSE!!!!

looks like the heater hose is new, and I suppose it was to much of a task to install that thing.... geez.. is this an available part somewhere?.. I ope they didnt cut the wire harness thing off ...

[86GmLsCoupe]

For the valve cover gaskets, you might want to try and tighten them up just a tiny bit. Mine was leaking some on the passenger side and smoking up when into dripped onto the exhaust. Turned out one of the bolts I had loosened up just enough to allow a leak. I know when my gaskets were done, but still might help you. I also use Lucas treatments in the oil, supposedly it helps swell the seals some?

[gadget73]

Well thats nice... iT SEEMS THAT I DONT HAVE ONE OF THOSE!!!!

looks like the heater hose is new, and I suppose it was to much of a task to install that thing.... geez.. is this an available part somewhere?.. I ope they didnt cut the wire harness thing off ...

Not all cars have it. Its optional and that stupid part is nearly useless really. If you don't have an 'auto' position on the fan selector, and temperature numbers on the slider instead of just hot and cold, you don't have ATC.

I took my sensor out when the POS China one exploded on me. All it does is keep you from being able to turn the blower on in the floor position before the engine warms up. The vacuum part closes the outside air door when cold so cold air doesn't leak in onto your feet before the motor warms up. Plug the lines, connect the two wires together, and it'll work just fine. Climate control is still fully functional, but I get cold air in the winter before the motor warms up. Simple solution is to just turn the heater off till the motor warms up a bit like most other cars on earth.

[88grandmarq]

ATC stands for Automatic Temp Control, it's a lot more than just the heater control valve.

anyway, try flushing the PS pump. Make sure you use type F trans fluid when you re-fill. also bleed the PS system before you start car. do this by jacking up the front wheels and turning the steering wheel back and forth with the engine off... this will force all the air out of the system.

[1987cp]

I've been experiencing #2 with one of my engines for quite some time - a really annoying intermittent stumbling at idle that doesn't seem to affect performance under throttle. You can even see it when the strobe periodically misses a flash while checking the timing. At first I assumed it was something in the TFI ignition or whatever, but now the engine's bottom end has been redone and it's running in a different vehicle with a different ignition and induction system (carb and Duraspark vs. SEFI) and even a different cam and exhaust and capped off Thermactor passages, and it still does the same thing. I tested it with different cap/rotor and ignition wires as well - no change.

The only constant on this engine (aside from the original roller lifters that I reused after they checked out okay) has been the 130,000-mile E6SE heads that I didn't have rebuilt when I rebuilt the bottom end, so I must conclude that on my engine at least, the problem is in the heads/valves. Where I had my work done, a valve job costs $200, but I know of a place that can hook anyone up with a fresh set of superior E7TE heads for about $300 ... guess what I've got sitting in the back room waitng to be installed when I have the time.