Wait till you hear this story.

well...my dad FINALLY takes the car down to get the sensor wire problem fixed...he emails me after 45 minutes and says the mechanics OBD2 scanner wont scan it...i said thats cuz the 95 riviera is an OBD1.5. he comes home and tells me the tech is mad at me cuz im making up shit and theres no such thing as an OBD1.5. so i brought it up online and my dad still thinks im wrong.

so now they want me to take it to a THIRD person to look at it while payin ANOTHER diagnostic fee. i have described the fuckin problem 3 times to many different people.

the tech also said all the pulleys, belts, and tensioners must be removed to get to the wires for the cam sensor problem. not sure if thats true. confirmation?

the tech is right, its a royal PITA. because ur car is a G-body the belts route thru the engine mount

and yes they are 1.5. the guy that says there isnt such thing should quit his job

I replaced the cam sensor on my Riv. The trick is you kind of have to do it blind. On my car the sensor is behind the water pump pulley - which kinda explains why they made the pulley so easy to remove/replace. Basically with the belts on use a box end wrench I think 8mm to loosen but not remove the pulley bolts. THEN take off the belt. THEN remove the pulley bolts the rest of the way. Now wipe off the area around the sensor with a paper towel (or 2) or a clean shop rag. Next you need I think a 10 or 11mm socket on a short extension (I used a wobble extension and a 3" extension) with a ratchet wrench. Leaving the wire for the cam sensor connected, back out the attaching bolt. The sensor has an O-ring holding it in place. When the bolt is out you have to grab and wiggle the sensor to get it out. Once the sensor is out - well - there is enough wire so you can leave it plugged in and move the sensor far away enough from the engine block to see the sensor and the plug.

Now unplug the sensor and inspect the wiring. Any loose/busted wires? Watch out for wires that are broken by the connector pins such that the insulation is still in 1 piece but the wire is broken off inside the insulation.

Plug the new sensor into the wires where the old one was. put it back in under the water pump pulley. Now here is the trick. The wires will kind of have set their shape such that they will help you guide the sensor into the hole in the block it fits into and will more or less help you align the attaching bolt. If you crane your neck left and look right you can barely see the holes. Anyway, line the attaching bolt up and install it. You may want to use a little Loctite Blue (blue is removable, red is permanent) on that attaching bolt, or other removable thread locker, if you have some around.

Now clean off the water pump pulley with a little dry gas or window cleaner and a clean towel.

Now put the pulley back on and get the bolts finger tight... you may want to use Loctite Blue on these, too. Then snug them with the wrench while holding the pulley with your hand.

Then put the belt back on.

Now that the belt is back on, tighten the water pump pulley bolts the rest of the way. If you got them right before, they will only tighten another 1/4 to 1/2 turn or so. Be sure not to strip them.

Now start the car and watch the water pump pulley. It should turn smooth not wobble. If it wobbles you need to loosen the WP pulley bolts and reposition it so it turns smooth.

Albertj

ahhh albert. great info..but i dont need it replaced. the asshole down in florida decided to put a new one in without testing everyting first...its the wires that are the problem. i cant do this myself anyway..i dont trust myself enough at all.

When you were still living in Florida you said you couldn't wait to get back home because you would have some technical support, family etc.
Looks like no matter how far you travel this problem won't go away.
I feel for you. Trying to find someone that understands and will just follow your instructions has got to be maddening. I'd be ready to blow a gasket.!!!!

IF the problem boils down to the wires, the only issue is it'll take some doing to disassemble things enough to re-terminate the wires properly. GM dealers happen to have the tools to crimp and remove/insert terminals for the WeatherPack connectors that GM used on these cars. Just FYI the tools and terminals are here:

http://www.whiteproducts.com/weather_pack.shtml

and here

http://www.quickcar.net/ign_sys/terminals.html

Some independents have these tools too. And some of the connectors are available on rockauto.com - - So a GM dealer might be the best solution. Being around Pittsburgh - I'm sure there has to be at least one "electrical is our specialty" auto repair shop around. And if the problem is really one wire, $141.- just for the tool is a bit stiff (weeeellll there's an economy version for $70).

Albertj

Rickw wrote:

When you were still living in Florida you said you couldn't wait to get back home because you would have some technical support, family etc.
Looks like no matter how far you travel this problem won't go away.
I feel for you. Trying to find someone that understands and will just follow your instructions has got to be maddening. I'd be ready to blow a gasket.!!!!

oh believe me...im very happy to have boxing gloves and a punching bag. i went nuts on it for about 10 minutes. im furious. i just need a freakin break with this car.


albert...i cant do the work myself. so tools wont help. i need a professional. im just sick havin 3 different people look at it and not fuckin fix it. payin over 200 for the sme problem is so annoying and ridiculous.