jonahs_3sgte
New member
props for andy
alot more easy to understand and more info than my directions lol
alot more easy to understand and more info than my directions lol
Project Phoenix 1990 Alltrac Paint Work Starts 3-5-16!!!
- Thread starter Lamont
- Start date
Hey guys, well today started rather slowly due to a nasty thunderstorm :roll: :roll: , but after the 20 min downpour the sun came back out so I decided to take advantage of the break in the weather to look over the wiring some more. Taking Andy’s advice about the VS wire I decided to do some further tests. I tried to pin point exactly where the problem was. So I retested my AFM and found that the resistance between the VS - E2 terminals was within spec so theoretically when current ran through the AFM the VS would send a voltage signal back to the ECU. I continued my search by testing the continuity of the VS wire from the ECU side and I couldn’t get a reading even with the AFM connected I couldn't pull any type of resistance at all. I assumed there was a break in the line, but where :shrug: :shrug: I had no clue. I then decided to test the voltage at the AFM with the ECU connected and the Ignition switch turned ON. I tested the voltage between the VS - E2 terminals on the AFM harness pulling back the rubber cover to gain access and was getting a 4.04v reading STD = 3.7 - 4.3v with the AFM measuring plate fully closed. Happy with that reading 
I decided to connect a temporary wire to the VS terminal and run it to the ECU. I spliced into the VS wire and ran a 12 gauge wire into the passenger cabin. I was ready to connect the wire, but there was a ton of electrical tape that had to be removed first so that I could have room to splice into the VS wire near the ECU. So I started removing the outer layer of electrical tape and noticed that the VS wire and three other wires were also wrapped in electrical tape. So while removing the tape from the VS wire it just separated :shock: :shock: :shock: the wire was not even connected :doh: :doh: :doh: . I was so excited I could barely contain myself . I ran into the house to get my soldering kit so that I could properly repair the wires, well semi properly it was starting to get dark so I didn't have time to put heat shrink wrap on the wires :doh: :doh: , but I will tomorrow :wink: . So I repaired all the wires, reconnected the battery and started the car. My neighbor was standing there watching, the RPM's shot way up so I cut the ignition and ran in the house to grab my 12mm wrench to adjust the throttle cable. Now OMFG :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: it's like a different car all together. It doesn't smoke and it runs strong and sounds great :shock: :shock: .I can't believe it, I'm still trying to calm down and get my thoughts together :crazy: :rofl: :crazy: :rofl: . Props to Andy for putting me on the right track :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: , you hit the nail on the head with the VS wire :wink: :wink: . I'm terrified of wiring so trust me I would have been working on everything but the harness forever :bangshead: . Props to all you guys :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: for bearing with my noobness and dumb questions :lol: :lol: , and all the advice :notworthy: :notworthy: . I snapped a couple pics of the wiring and the repairs. Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys, and thanks for all the help
I decided to connect a temporary wire to the VS terminal and run it to the ECU. I spliced into the VS wire and ran a 12 gauge wire into the passenger cabin. I was ready to connect the wire, but there was a ton of electrical tape that had to be removed first so that I could have room to splice into the VS wire near the ECU. So I started removing the outer layer of electrical tape and noticed that the VS wire and three other wires were also wrapped in electrical tape. So while removing the tape from the VS wire it just separated :shock: :shock: :shock: the wire was not even connected :doh: :doh: :doh: . I was so excited I could barely contain myself . I ran into the house to get my soldering kit so that I could properly repair the wires, well semi properly it was starting to get dark so I didn't have time to put heat shrink wrap on the wires :doh: :doh: , but I will tomorrow :wink: . So I repaired all the wires, reconnected the battery and started the car. My neighbor was standing there watching, the RPM's shot way up so I cut the ignition and ran in the house to grab my 12mm wrench to adjust the throttle cable. Now OMFG :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: it's like a different car all together. It doesn't smoke and it runs strong and sounds great :shock: :shock: .I can't believe it, I'm still trying to calm down and get my thoughts together :crazy: :rofl: :crazy: :rofl: . Props to Andy for putting me on the right track :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: , you hit the nail on the head with the VS wire :wink: :wink: . I'm terrified of wiring so trust me I would have been working on everything but the harness forever :bangshead: . Props to all you guys :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: for bearing with my noobness and dumb questions :lol: :lol: , and all the advice :notworthy: :notworthy: . I snapped a couple pics of the wiring and the repairs. Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys, and thanks for all the help
soarer.jzz30
New member
OMFG! that's crazy, not really. Andy steered you correctly. i am very happy for you man. maybe now you can get a vid of it running :wink: . Good to see everything worked out so far, helps me if any of my solders don't hold what to look for. Not that I think they will. good work, remember to hold the iron under the wires and let the solder melt into the wire, maybe twist 'em up a little tighter/cleaner, not hating, just saying.
Good work again... :notworthy:
Good work again... :notworthy:
jonahs_3sgte
New member
let us know how your test drive goes
88gt4DE":1q8nbfss said:Dewd mad props on the find ! to think I swapped ecus and was that close to the issue ... :roll: Now mines acting up , I think you should roll to DE and check it out :twisted: hehehe j/k
:lol: I wouldn't mind taking a trip, but you and I both know I would be an assistant at best
I can help you swap ratchets and stuff :rofl: :rofl: .soarer.jzz30":1q8nbfss said:OMFG! that's crazy, not really. Andy steered you correctly. i am very happy for you man. maybe now you can get a vid of it running :wink: . Good to see everything worked out so far, helps me if any of my solders don't hold what to look for. Not that I think they will. good work, remember to hold the iron under the wires and let the solder melt into the wire, maybe twist 'em up a little tighter/cleaner, not hating, just saying.
Good work again... :notworthy:
I accept all advice & criticism, and frankly I need it. I will clean the wires up today, and heat shrink wrap them also for a permanent fix. I was just in a hurry because I was losing daylight fast :doh: .
jonahs_3sgte":1q8nbfss said:
Sure thing Jonah :wink: :wink:
Andy":1q8nbfss said:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Thanks man that was like the call of the century, you just saved me from a nervous breakdown because if I would have swapped in another engine and it did the same thing to me I would have lost it :twisted: :twisted: . On par with Doug Fluties Hail Mary, or Michael Jordan’s buzzer beater 8) :smokes: 8) :smokes: .
Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys & for all the help :notworthy:
:notworthy: UtahSleeper
Active member
Surprised I didn't see that the issue got fixed. Congrats and glad you didn't try another motor lol!!!.
Hey guys, just wanted to give a brief update. The car is up and running so I decided to take a test drive . To my surprise the brakes have renewed life and seem to bite very well. I guess the pads just needed to knock off the years of rust on the rotors :twisted: :twisted: . I didn't really plan on test driving it because of the air to air top mount intercooler and the CS/RC hood :nono: :nono: :nono: , but I was kind of talked into it by my neighbor :roll: :roll: . OK OK, he only twisted my arm a little :lol: :lol: . I was out putting some gas in the tank around 9:30pm and he asked how everything was coming along. I explained that I fixed the wiring and now the car ran fine, so he said "well let's go for a ride then" and at first I said nah, but then I thought hey if it breaks down I'll have help to push it, so I agreed to go for a little spin. We took a nice leisurely lap around the block at around 40mph not boosting much really. I was a little afraid because the brakes needed to be broken in. So I did the routine 10mph increments to a full stop up till 40mph then the brakes seemed to work fine, so we both agreed on a second lap around the block :wink: . This time with some confidence that the brakes would stop the car at speed. So I punch it and get her up to around 80mph and it got there pretty quickly I might add . So after doing a check on all the blinkers and other lights I just parked it for the night and haven't driven it since.
I have however done a little more mechanical work to it that needed to be addressed. First I replaced a couple wheel studs, one was completely broken as you can see in the pictures below and the other had flattened threads that stripped out any lug that you put on it :doh: :doh: . Second I decided to replace the drivers axle, you can see in the pictures that the inner boot was torn, and I had a spare axle so replacing it was cheaper than buying a boot kit. Lastly I replaced the drivers side door lock mechanism because when I would lock the door the motor would just grind like it had a stripped gear. Also if I tried to lock the passenger side lock the drivers side would remain unlocked, so it had to be replaced. This by far was the hardest of the three, not only because of the finicky plastic clips that hold all the levers in place, but because it was like 100 degrees and I think my brain was cooking because I was making all sorts of mistakes :doh: . First mistake was I put the new door lock in, and installed all the clips then noticed that I didn't remove the three bolts from the lock before I installed all the clips. So with everything connected I couldn't take the bolts off so I had to remove the lock and start over . Second mistake was after removing the lock to get the three mounting bolts off I reinstalled the lock, then put the access panel back in place only to find out that I didn't replace the two bolts that hold the door latch in place :twisted: . Last mistake was that after I removed the access panel and installed the two bolts to hold the handle in place, I reinstalled the door panel only to find out that my inner latch handle was sticking up like 2 inches because the latch was from a car that had a busted drivers window and a small piece of glass was lodged inside the lock holding the lever from sitting properly :doh: :doh: . So off with the entire door panel, and the lock, and the door handle again, this time to jiggle out a 1/4" piece of glass from the inside of the lock :twisted:. By this time my brain is sizzling from the intense heat, and I'm pretty sure that played a major roll in me being so confused by what should have been a simple lock swap :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: . My doors now lock normally without that annoying gear grind, and I can lock the doors from either side without any issues :smokes: 8) . So here are a few pics of what I was working on this weekend. Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys, and fingers crossed I will be working on getting Phoenix tagged and on the road soon :wink: :wink:
Thanks again
Lamont
. To my surprise the brakes have renewed life and seem to bite very well. I guess the pads just needed to knock off the years of rust on the rotors :twisted: :twisted: . I didn't really plan on test driving it because of the air to air top mount intercooler and the CS/RC hood :nono: :nono: :nono: , but I was kind of talked into it by my neighbor :roll: :roll: . OK OK, he only twisted my arm a little :lol: :lol: . I was out putting some gas in the tank around 9:30pm and he asked how everything was coming along. I explained that I fixed the wiring and now the car ran fine, so he said "well let's go for a ride then" and at first I said nah, but then I thought hey if it breaks down I'll have help to push it, so I agreed to go for a little spin. We took a nice leisurely lap around the block at around 40mph not boosting much really. I was a little afraid because the brakes needed to be broken in. So I did the routine 10mph increments to a full stop up till 40mph then the brakes seemed to work fine, so we both agreed on a second lap around the block :wink: . This time with some confidence that the brakes would stop the car at speed. So I punch it and get her up to around 80mph and it got there pretty quickly I might add . So after doing a check on all the blinkers and other lights I just parked it for the night and haven't driven it since. I have however done a little more mechanical work to it that needed to be addressed. First I replaced a couple wheel studs, one was completely broken as you can see in the pictures below and the other had flattened threads that stripped out any lug that you put on it :doh: :doh: . Second I decided to replace the drivers axle, you can see in the pictures that the inner boot was torn, and I had a spare axle so replacing it was cheaper than buying a boot kit. Lastly I replaced the drivers side door lock mechanism because when I would lock the door the motor would just grind like it had a stripped gear. Also if I tried to lock the passenger side lock the drivers side would remain unlocked, so it had to be replaced. This by far was the hardest of the three, not only because of the finicky plastic clips that hold all the levers in place, but because it was like 100 degrees and I think my brain was cooking because I was making all sorts of mistakes
:doh: . First mistake was I put the new door lock in, and installed all the clips then noticed that I didn't remove the three bolts from the lock before I installed all the clips. So with everything connected I couldn't take the bolts off so I had to remove the lock and start over . Second mistake was after removing the lock to get the three mounting bolts off I reinstalled the lock, then put the access panel back in place only to find out that I didn't replace the two bolts that hold the door latch in place :twisted: . Last mistake was that after I removed the access panel and installed the two bolts to hold the handle in place, I reinstalled the door panel only to find out that my inner latch handle was sticking up like 2 inches because the latch was from a car that had a busted drivers window and a small piece of glass was lodged inside the lock holding the lever from sitting properly :doh: :doh: . So off with the entire door panel, and the lock, and the door handle again, this time to jiggle out a 1/4" piece of glass from the inside of the lock :twisted:. By this time my brain is sizzling from the intense heat, and I'm pretty sure that played a major roll in me being so confused by what should have been a simple lock swap :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: . My doors now lock normally without that annoying gear grind, and I can lock the doors from either side without any issues :smokes: 8) . So here are a few pics of what I was working on this weekend. Thanks for following Project Phoenix guys, and fingers crossed I will be working on getting Phoenix tagged and on the road soon :wink: :wink:
Thanks again
Lamont
I'm not sure if I can afford to daily drive it :lol: :lol: . Honestly I am thinking of about running around in it atleast until its painted, after that maybe a few times a week :shrug: :shrug: . I have also been thinking of purchasing a 6'th gen and swapping in a 3SGTE, I already have 95% of the parts :wink: :wink: , not sure though. I'm really on the fence on this one. I don't want a trailer queen or a beater something in the middle would be good :shrug: :shrug:
Lamont":3ipge083 said:
sounds familiar.... honestly my 6th gen is a great car, had it for 10 years this last month. Never a problem just maintenance and not alot of that was needed. Wish I didn't have to sell it soon I'll miss her. If you found one in good shape I dont think you would regret it, fun little car.
Your project has come along, I'm amazed keep up the good work!
UtahSleeper
Active member
My choice would be to buy something you don't want to fix up. Something that your ok to drive, but don't want to spend extra money on.
A 6th gen would be nice, but if it were me, I would then want the alltrac hood. Then you won't want to roll with a 5sfe when you know enough about the 3sgte to put one in lol. Could add up quick
A 6th gen would be nice, but if it were me, I would then want the alltrac hood. Then you won't want to roll with a 5sfe when you know enough about the 3sgte to put one in lol. Could add up quick
LegacyofDan
New member
wow man, great great progress!! its been a while since i was last on here, so all i knew about was from what you told me through texts, good man! seriously good job!