Bradys build

[Steve Wood]

Reading your thread... I'm going through some similar things you are. Just to add from your first question is about that little box with the lights on it in the engine bay... my car has one too. What it does is gives your engine computer full 100% pedal reference voltage at like 80 or 90% pedal mainly used for if you were drag racing the car. So instead of the car fluctuating slightly at WOT the box sees anything over 80-90% (can't remember the exact % but something like that) and automatically gives the computer 100% solid so if your foot is making the pedal fluctuate slightly it won't make a difference becuase the computer will be seeing a WOT voltage at max and therefore making sure it doesn't back off any settings at all ecen slightly so you will get steady maximum performance throughout your run. I didn't know if you knew that or not... anyways good luck

Unfortunately,  the above is based upon what some people thought back in 1986 before the ecm/chip was dumped and they learned how it actually worked.

Wide open throttle fueling is controlled by LV8 rather than tps millivolts.  The TPS Fix/Enhancement box does zero for performance and turned out to be another gimmick based upon insufficient data at the time.

It does not matter at all with regard to wide open throttle whether the TPS voltage is 3.75 v or 4.8 v.  Once Performance Enhancement has been triggered by the programmed LV8 factor, the tps voltage is ignored and the programmer's fuel curve is used.

[Shimy87]

I eliminated that box  

[Shimy87]

Well I got the gauge cluster out, the engineer that designed. that needs a kick in the nuts. Going to replace all the bulbs that are bad but here's my question / problem if I put negative to one side of the bulb holder and 12 volts to the other the bulb does not light up but I'm getting 12 volts to pass through, if I remove the bulb nothing passes through, what the hell's going on with that..... shouldnt a good bulb light up and a burned-out bulb not Let voltage pass-through I'm very confused here

[Steve Wood]

I agree with you on the engineer.

I don't know why the bulb is not lighting if you power one side and ground the other.  there have been rumors that some sockets had a resistor built in so the alternator would charge even if the bulb went out.  I have never seen one, myself-at least on a buick.

If the bulb is in the socket and is good-referring to both the bulb and the contact, you should be able to turn the key on, and put the meter between the brown wire in the plug under the hood and ground and read a voltage.  Also, if you ground the brown wire with the key on, the bulb should burn in that condition as well.

If it does, but the alternator is not charging, that would be an alternator problem.

[Shimy87]

I used the multimeter and just did a continuity test and only found one bad one. I attached a picture of my volt light socket and I believe it is the kind you describe with a resistor in the housing

[Shimy87]

Going to reassemble at all tomorrow and I believe if that resistor is working even if the bulb doesn't come on with the key on engine off I should have 5 volts at the brown wire connected to the alternator

[Steve Wood]

here is the easiest way to tell if you have an alternator problem, or a volt light problem.

When it is back together, hook your meter to the battery, crank the engine.  If it does not show 14 v or so on the meter, then jump, momentarily, battery power to the brown wire...cut the insulation on the wire so you can apply power.  If the alternator is good, you will hear the load being applied to the engine and the meter will then show it to be charging.  If it does not charge, then you have an alternator problem.

[Shimy87]

 got it all back together, The volt light still will not come on but somehow it's putting 12 volts out that brown wire to the alternator. So I'm sure that's ruined my alternator. I tried the test of starting the car checking the volts and putting power to that brown wire and I got no increase in voltage so the alternator is s***. I still don't understand how the bulb does not light in the dash but 12-volt are still coming through all the way to the alternator. Going to get a new alternator and use the system of putting a 194 bulb in that line to the alternator to activate it.

On a different note put the cleaned injectors in and the car still has that terrible off idle stumble or when you blip the throttle it has that stumble. It's getting a steady 43 lb of fuel pressure but could it be caused by only getting 11 to 12 volts?

[nocooler]

Low volts causes all sorts of weird issues

[Scoobum]

Jeremy is correct. Full voltage or all kinds of shit goes on.

[Shimy87]

Sure hope that's the issue!  Forgot to mention, radiator leaks also....gotta catch a break here soon

[Steve Wood]

Easy to swap alternators. Pull the one off your car. The voltage drop is very small.when I have measured it

[Shimy87]

Do you mean the voltage drop on the brown wire? Also do you think the slightly low voltage could be causing the engine stumble?

[Scoobum]

Do you mean the voltage drop on the brown wire? Also do you think the slightly low voltage could be causing the engine stumble?

Jeremy alluded to that in a previous post about the stumble.

[Steve Wood]

I mean the brown wire should be close to normal battery voltage.  I kinda doubt the lack of charging is the problem but it might be. Are you sure the cam sensor is not 180 out?