serious questions...In need of help...

ok I have some problems I need worked out .
1996 riviera boat load of mods and do it yourself wiring.....

First drive the car for a while, or start it 3 to 4 times and go short distances= a no start condition
( to best describe this when you turn the key to start the car you get nothing in fact all the gauges die as if you pulled turned the key back from the run position, sometimes you get a chime... but still nothing wait a little longer like 5-10 mins and you get a click.....5-10 more mins and the click becomes a rapid fire click still won't start...this is when we know its close to being ready wait 5-10 more and it fires right up)


I have noticed that the process is sped up by raising the hood and letting the heat escape Dreww said he thought it was the range switch and that slamming from 1-p helps it line up better....(yeah that doesn't work sat it the BK parking lot over an hour one saturday trying that super embarrasing)

things to consider Dreww told me he hooked a 98 pcm up to the 96 and things went haywire could this be a part of the problem
after which he changed: ign switch range switch crankshaft pos switch etc.
and still had this problem.

on the pcm end I can't read it with DHP I get a fault and it just resets over and over again....I wonder if this 97 pcm is damaged I got a 96and the acursed 98 pcm with the car along with another ign switch multifunction switch crankshaft pos switchs

also my voltage is never at 12v in the run position which is prolly what causes the above problem with DHP it says somewhere you can't read or write the pcm without atleast 12v its always about 11.4 I dunno if its all the extra stuff hooked up or the battery just isn't healthy anymore after the alternator went bad ...which that happened the day I got the car but it was an oreily"s so they hooked me up with a new one....

anyway some input would be nice and greatly apreaciated thank you in advance for reading my disjointed typing....

I about to head out side and swap negative cables and batteries to see if I get any improvement

ps(just sunk a grand into my gfs car to get it road ready again so I can get the kinks worked out of this car and start finishing the Dc up....)

Car sounds like a frankenstein.

I wanted to say ig switch but you already replaced that.

Are you saying you get no signal at all from the OBDII port? Sounds odd. I've seen that warning msg when the battery power is low. If you have any accessories running while the key is turned without the car being on, I'd try to pull the fuses on those when you read or write to the PCM. If the tuner started the process and had to abort because the battery was too low, you risk bricking the PCM.

I also wanted to say security issue but if you're saying it's clicking then it sounds like a screwed up ground somewhere. Another thing to consider, if it is security, is if the PCM and BCMs are able to sync up properly.

Best of luck sir.

DEMonte1997 wrote:

Car sounds like a frankenstein.

I wanted to say ig switch but you already replaced that.

Are you saying you get no signal at all from the OBDII port? Sounds odd. I've seen that warning msg when the battery power is low. If you have any accessories running while the key is turned without the car being on, I'd try to pull the fuses on those when you read or write to the PCM. If the tuner started the process and had to abort because the battery was too low, you risk bricking the PCM.

I also wanted to say security issue but if you're saying it's clicking then it sounds like a screwed up ground somewhere. Another thing to consider, if it is security, is if the PCM and BCMs are able to sync up properly.

Best of luck sir.

I can get the basic info from the port like vin and whatever and the aeroforce works buuuut if i try to read pcm info...no go it gets halfway done and gets stuck and resets over and over again....this car should be more beastly than it is;...some days tire smoke ....some days I cant even get a screech...that aside I'd like to go more than one place in the car without having to wait 20 mins between places though Ive gotten good at taking my time in stores and my gf helps in that department by looking at everything half the time anyway lol

If you're not getting 12V when running, I'd have the alternator checked before anything else.

AA wrote:

If you're not getting 12V when running, I'd have the alternator checked before anything else.

no no just in the on but not started position.....13.1 if running

Below 11.5v probably means your battery needs replaced or serviced. Still, DHP will properly flash the PCM at lower voltages, it just gives you a warning to remind you that if voltage drops even lower during the process, it could cause a write error. If DHP says you've successfully flashed the PCM, then no problem. I've written at 11.5 volts and lower, but usually not much lower. Point is, the cut off for voltage is much lower than 12v.

Run the engine for a while to charge the battery - before you write - if you're worried about it. If you can't get the battery to 12v after running the engine, replace the battery. I don't think this is causing your problem, but imo get it out of the way just in case.

I am not even trying to write yet just read and it wont let me i will try to read it this weekend when I get my xp laptop ourtof storage and I will write down the error message theres no way I would try to write over on this moody car as it is.....last night the radio wouldn't shut off when I got home had to unplug the fuse... the climate control started hissing one day had to unplug the battery to get it to stop seems like theres a short running wild in this car.....

Mine won't let me read the PCM, it never could. It's a problem with the DHP software, not the car. Even when the read was successful, the file was unusable. My solution was to use a stock BIN file from DHP.

-_- crap soooo not knowing what dreww has changed I have to just make my own guess of trial and error.....well @#$@ he never told me that I would have asked for copies of his files then....

There might be a way to read the existing BIN. I'm sure others have done it, but I've not been able to figure it out.

If something is horked in the car's wiring you may have better luck reading the PCM with an offboard. Worth asking around if any local tuners have one you can use. I had trouble reading Rick's PCM in the car, but was able to do a full read on my offboard.

I wont give up too easy buuut if things don't turn around I'll part the car out to fund the seed money for my XKR and that will be no joke...just 3 years....I can't wait....

nvm I like this car again.......just need thoughts on the no start.....

ok for my no start issue it feels like its heat related but its looks like an ignition problem the harded the car is driven the longer the wait sometimes...


anyone know if everything shuts off if your icm is failing?

removing the ignition fuses kind of reminds me of the problem as everything resets
radio shuts off gauges return to zero I swear it has to be pcm ignition related....I just need to figure out how driving the car fast or starting it multiple times comes into play this car can seriously generate some heat you can feel it coming through the firewall and when you get out of the car you are bombarded with engine compartment heat escaping from underneath the car

this is one of the reasons why I want to make functional heat extractors for the hood of my rivs

also anyone know off the top of thier heads a list of things that fail over time but work fine when cool?

thanks for any input in advance

Do you have headers? If so, that's where the heat is coming from.

hang on let me change my sig so the car in questions mods can be seen and yeah i do have slp headers the ported m90 stays hot....aswell


on the subject of the headers the dipsticks were supposed to be changed yes? its a pure PITA just to check the oil transmission isn't all that fun to check either they feel bent and won't return inside the tubes without a fight...

I wrapped the crossover pipe on my headers, made a big difference underhood.

I don't know if anyone remembers but this is the riv that at one point got a 4t80 transplant it didnt work out though Dreww said it was too complicated in the long run for him so he transplanted the 4t65eHD into the car instead it really is an awesome car just with so much trial and error things are bound to get jacked up...I give him all the credit in the world for going that far with this riv

now I am trying to do my best to figure out whats holding this car back...

my gfs riv should be done in a week new rack and pinion , rear mount bolts trans fluid flushed new filter new intake manifold gasket suprecharger gasket valve cover gaskets new oil and filter....and some oilpan repairs....

then I will be ready to tackle the 96 and see what needs to be done while adding my own mods in at the same time ( I have a 3in lm2 resonator waiting to go so I can convert to 3 in all the way back then reduce down to 2.5 at where the split used to be)

I am glad my work schedule is picking up this is gonna be costly for a poor person like myself....

deekster_caddy wrote:

I wrapped the crossover pipe on my headers, made a big difference underhood.

the only thing dreww had wrapped was the flex pipe.....I guess to try to shut it up...it is really loud kind of annoying at low speeds or I should say light throttle

I will indeed take your input to heart and buy some today ....and give it the old dropped out of college try...thanks I hope this does help

ok! timeout!!! i think my passenger cv is going out the right wheel is having a hard time moving it feels like really bad wheel hop when you look outside its just draging then it starts to go once it starts rolling....hub or axle?

When it rotates, is there any noise? If not, I'd suspect the brake could be sticking.

I thought that might be the case aswell but it seems odd when you first start the car its fine take off a bit and stop then it starts the brakes my be binding but it maybe more than one wheel if thats the case the whole car gets kinda violent when you try to go feels like the whole assend is hopping

it gets kinda scary I don't wanna try to force it so much torque we may tear something up....

from what I saw with my gf driving the front right dragged couldn't tell about the others her mom who can work on cars like no other thought maybe more than one wheel is causing the problem....

.a lot of hard stops from people cutting us off and what not may be part of the problem....before it got this bad a chick in a sentra came across 2 lanes in front of us driving like a snail...forcing a hard stop this has happpened alot since we had the car the ole Im gonna pull out in front of you and drive like im 102 routine.....

Quote :

maybe more than one wheel if thats the case the whole car gets kinda violent when you try to go feels like the whole assend is hopping

Is this happening with the rear wheels? If so, may be the parking brake is grabbing, or there may be a wheel sensor(s) causing the rears to lock up (traction control). Have you done any work to the brakes? Are the front/rear wheels the same size?

If you have a 95,the Rear Outer Adjustment Links are probably long gone. The role of the OAL(the little tie rod lookin thing)is underappreciated on a front drive car.Most owners of a front drive car think that the rear end is just along for the ride.Bad OALs can lead to all kinds of little ghost problems. The OALs need to articulate smoothly up and down and absorb side loads.if they dont function they effectively bind the rear end up and cause the front suspension to exhibit weird behaviours that will have anyone chasing the front end all over the place.
To check it out,jack the car up slightly.all you need to do is relieve some of the weight.dont lift the wheel off the ground.do not loosen the eccentric nut.if you do you will have to realign the rears.pull the rear OAL cotter pin,loosten the castle nut and give the OAL a good whap from underneath.after it's out.grab the OAL and give it a tug.if the tie rod clicks and indexes then you have a bad OAL.if the operation is smooth then it's ok. If there is any play or slop in the OAL it needs to be replaced .My guess is it's bad.

AA wrote:

Quote :

maybe more than one wheel if thats the case the whole car gets kinda violent when you try to go feels like the whole assend is hopping

Is this happening with the rear wheels? If so, may be the parking brake is grabbing, or there may be a wheel sensor(s) causing the rears to lock up (traction control). Have you done any work to the brakes? Are the front/rear wheels the same size?

all wheels are the same i took it out this morning it was fine until I got to where I was going then it didn't want to roll forward when I put it in gear I am now suspecting the trans car is going into gear very slowly I looked under hood and some of drewws harness has come undone I reconected what came un sodered but haven't driven it yet I would take pics of that harness but the entire board would have a heart attack if they saw it I am still finding exposed factory wires.... i've been taping them off because I don't know what they should or shouldn'y connect to........

I am thinking you need to get a complete engine harness and replace what's under the hood...

deekster_caddy wrote:

I am thinking you need to get a complete engine harness and replace what's under the hood...

I want to get ahold of a good 97 harness to match the pcm and trans I looked at one on morads site but it didn't seem like it had enough conections I might be over thinking this all one of my first thoughts when I got this car last year was maybe a new harness would fix all of the issues but I also don't know what is tied into what on this current harness I do know fuel pump and radio are linked and some gauges are tied into the another.....I have a constant fear that if I take it apart it will never run again....