95RiviSC's Problem Thread

^^I've had the ignition module replaced not too long ago. I'm getting pretty flustered with this car.

Make sure the ground wire that comes off the ICU is making good contact.

It may have been disturbed when ICU was changed.

I think you're on it Rick. We'll see.

Albertj

Excuse my ignorance but what does ICU stand for?

ICU = Ignition Control Unit
It's located under the coil packs. The coils are actually screwed right to it.
I believe that was the module you had replaced.
There should be a black wire coming from it and bolted or screwed to a ground.
Make sure the wire is not broken and that the connection is clean and tight.

Rickw wrote:

ICU = Ignition Control Unit
It's located under the coil packs. The coils are actually screwed right to it.
I believe that was the module you had replaced.
There should be a black wire coming from it and bolted or screwed to a ground.
Make sure the wire is not broken and that the connection is clean and tight.

My 00 Regal was acting crazy and having all sorts of driveability problems. The problem was the connector with all the wires that connects to the coil pack was loose. Tightened it up and solved the problem. Seems like it is called a DIC connector(not sure it that is the correct terminology) Its easy to spot it.

Bert

ibmoses wrote:

Rickw wrote:

ICU = Ignition Control Unit
It's located under the coil packs. The coils are actually screwed right to it.
I believe that was the module you had replaced.
There should be a black wire coming from it and bolted or screwed to a ground.
Make sure the wire is not broken and that the connection is clean and tight.

My 00 Regal was acting crazy and having all sorts of driveability problems. The problem was the connector with all the wires that connects to the coil pack was loose. Tightened it up and solved the problem.

Bert

good idea to check it - the connector is on the front of the coil packs and help in by a 7mm bolt head, just make sure it is snug.

So the problem has been narrowed down to the black ground wire that is connected to the ignition module. The mechanic says he needs to know what voltage it is, whether it's 12V or 5V, to fix the problem. Any ideas?

Could someone with the 1995 FSM verify the voltage requirement via wiring the diagram.
Actually all years should be the same but I loaned my FSM to a local guy I recently met.

My FSM was just returned and it states:
The PCM provides 5volts to the ignition control module bypass circuit when conditions are appropriate for PCM control of spark timing (IC mode).
If the PCM does not apply 5 volts to the bypass circuit, or if the ignition control module does not receive it, the module will control spark timing at a fixed rate of 10* BTDC.

Rickw wrote:

My FSM was just returned and it states:
The PCM provides 5volts to the ignition control module bypass circuit when conditions are appropriate for PCM control of spark timing (IC mode).
If the PCM does not apply 5 volts to the bypass circuit, or if the ignition control module does not receive it, the module will control spark timing at a fixed rate of 10* BTDC.

Thanks for the help man. Supposedly the mechanic fixed it. I drove home from my parents house last week and the car ran great. After a couple days, it started doing it again.

Also, I've noticed another problem. The battery light seems to always be on. Sometimes when I come to a red light or stop sign, it turns off then turns back on when I accelerate.

I went to another mechanic today and he told me to have the catalytic converter check. That the converter may be causing the stuttering problem. I did a little research and I don't think it's that.

Battery light coming on while accelerating or anything above idle: if that's correct i would suspect an over voltage situation.
Test with a voltmeter at alternator at idle and with throttle above idle and record voltage. Should not exceed 14.5 volts
Could be a bad voltage regulator overcharging your battery or a bad thermistor at the battery telling the regulator to put out more volts.
You need to check with a voltmeter though, anything else is just guessing.
You need to do it soon because if the system is putting out too much voltage and over charging the battery you will have excessive gassing of the battery under the back seat and emitting hydrogen gas...not good.

Rickw wrote:

Battery light coming on while accelerating or anything above idle: if that's correct i would suspect an over voltage situation.
Test with a voltmeter at alternator at idle and with throttle above idle and record voltage. Should not exceed 14.5 volts
Could be a bad voltage regulator overcharging your battery or a bad thermistor at the battery telling the regulator to put out more volts.
You need to check with a voltmeter though, anything else is just guessing.
You need to do it soon because if the system is putting out too much voltage and over charging the battery you will have excessive gassing of the battery under the back seat and emitting hydrogen gas...not good.

I will go do that right now. Thanks man.

I really appreciate all the help everyone has given me on this site. It's truly appreciated. Thanks again guys!

So the voltage test was good. The battery was ~12.68 and the alternator was ~13.4

Hmmm...

did you check to see if the alternator belt is slipping when you rev the engine... maybe the tensioner is dead; when you accelerate the belt slips and the alt puts out less juice, causing the idiot light to come on. Or maybe the pulley is loose/damaged?!?! Or maybe the brushes in your alternator are worn out.

Just a thought.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

Hmmm...

did you check to see if the alternator belt is slipping when you rev the engine... maybe the tensioner is dead; when you accelerate the belt slips and the alt puts out less juice, causing the idiot light to come on. Or maybe the pulley is loose/damaged?!?! Or maybe the brushes in your alternator are worn out.

Just a thought.

Albertj

I recently replaced both belts. And the alternator is new as well. How would I go about checking the tensioner? Or if the pulley is loose or damaged.

I know I've had the SC pulley replaced too.

If the belt looks like it vibrates or wiggles when the engine is running and you rev it, odds are the tensioner is wack.

As for the pulleys, with the engine off loosen the tensioner, slip off the belts and inspect them. If a pulley is squeaking replace it with a name brand like Dayco or Gates... or if you're flush get a billet aluminum one made.

Albertj

I'll have to take a look at them tomorrow morning. I'm almost 100% sure that they are fine.

If the 3-way connector is unplugged from the alternator, it will cause the battery light to come on, and the alternator won't charge the battery. But this is probably not the case if you are driving the car and the battery isn't dead, just a thought.

AA wrote:

If the 3-way connector is unplugged from the alternator, it will cause the battery light to come on, and the alternator won't charge the battery. But this is probably not the case if you are driving the car and the battery isn't dead, just a thought.

Yea the car drives fine (when it doesn't do that annoying stutter once in a while). So I really don't know if the stuttering is directly correlated to that battery light turn on when driving, and off when idle.

I had the battery light on in my 95. The problem was a 16 gauge wire that goes through the connection to the battery. No clue what the wire is for but it had broken of f about six inches away from the battery. I spliced the wire back together and my voltage light has only been on when it's supposed to be. It's worked for the last year. I tried to find that wire in alldatadiy so i wouldn't sound like an idiot, no luck.

what do u mean?

Matt is probably referring to the fusible link, which really should be replaced not spliced.

Albertj

Pulleys and belts checked out fine.

I figured out what i meant! i was thinking about it all day at work. its the Battery Temperature Sensor. one of the wires was broke. it hooks to the positive terminal on the battery. the sensor is $35 on rock auto. i spliced the wires back together and the only time my battery light comes on is when i first start the car. Sorry about the confusion.