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Havoc's Questions Post.


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Trust me, there is nothing there. And the manual says that its on the stalk. Look at the picture of the light control stalk. There is the light control switch and an exactly identical one next to it that has no labels. According to my manual (It covers Base, GT, and GXP models) that is where the Fog switch it supposed to be, but its only a fixed, plastic placeholder.

Like I said previously. I think someone put those fogs in from a GT/GXP but only wired the turn signals, because the fuse box has the slot for the fog lights but doesn't map it or have a fuse in it.

In fact, if I can recall correctly, this car had the front bumper replaced because of a small bump accident. Maybe its the doing of a ignorant mechanic? I don't know. But one thing is for sure, I have fog lights on a model that isn't supposed to have them. That doesn't mean I can't have them though, I'll have to wire them.

I agree with you Havoc. At a minimuim, you will probably need to replace the stock mutli-purpose column with one that has a provision for the fog lamps. I suspect ebay or your local wrecking yard can help you there. One thing you need to verify is there wiring for the fog lamps to plug into at the bumper within your stock wiring hardness. If the plugs are there for the fog lights, then you can get the new multi-purpose column (you may still need to know if the wiring exists wtihin your column for the fog lamps too) and a fuse for the lights.

If there is no provision for the fog lamps through the stock harness, then you have to completely wire the fog lamps yourself from the lights all the way to the dash and include an inline fuse. Personally if I had to do that, then I would run a simple toggle switch under the dash on the driver's side and wire in an inline fuse, tap a 12V source and run the lights that way and leave the wiring harness out of the equation except as a source of power.

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^ Frosty's got the right idea. Plus, it's nice to be able to control the fog lights independently from the headlight switch. I've always wanted to run mine off a separate switch if I ever put HIDs in them.

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Great! I'll take a look at it when it dries out.

Does anybody know a good place were I can find a "Grand Prix" badge for the back of the car? It looks stupid without one.

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you can usually find brand new ones on ebay and pick any factory color they were offered in. then there is the junkyard route, if you go that route just slap so 3m emblem tape on them and they will be good.


/>http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OEM-GM-Pontiac-GRAND-PRIX-Emblems-10442385-10442390-2000-2001-2002-2003-/200756704821?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ebe083635&vxp=mtr

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Okay. Urgent Question. The Phoenix won't start anymore. The battery keeps draining. I don't know what it is.

She was dead last night. I charged her all night. Then I unplugged her and she started. This morning when I went to start her, she was dead, turned once and nothing.

Prom is Saturday!!!

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alternator?

Well, The negative cable that runs from the alternator to the battery was loose last week, and I was having the same problem. So I tightened it and had no issue. It was fine last Saturday, but yesterday was the first time I tried starting it since then and it was dead. I've been having problems ever since I removed my battery to put into my friends truck to see if it was his battery that was dead or something else. His truck is a 1979 Chevy with a 305 4bbl (So same engine as the Phoenix). Can batteries catch diseases? lol. Because I never had a problem ever until then.

I called my mechanic and he said to bring it to him right after school. He's gonna try and diagnose it. And if its shorting, chase it.

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Parasitic drain it seems like. The alternator does not inhibit the car from starting, it only charges the battery while the engine is running. If it was bad, it would have died while driving.

Either there's something shorted out, causing a large, constant drain, bad battery cables on both the battery's end and the starter's end, or maybe a ground.

OR, this may be the exact issue I had back in early Fedurary. A dying starter 90% of the time can mimic the symptoms of a dead battery. Test the starter if you can.

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Yeah, I'm gonna have it check out today/

' timestamp='1337264236' post='72004']

If it was bad, it would have died while driving.

Not true. As long as the ignition circuit is complete it won't stop. I have a mechanical distributor. The only thing that would die are accessories.

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Forgive me, I'm just used to mordern electrical setups. :lol:

But still, even just a mechanical alternator doesn't prevent startup. Hit the starter solenoid with a hammer, then crank it over. Worth a shot, and it's free diagnostics! :lol:

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Its my doomsday mobile! No EMP is gonna stop me! :lol2:

Any idea where the starter solenoid would be? Or is this more a question for Frosty/Notallthere?

I'm gonna stick an ammeter into this bitch later and test for parasitic drain.

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Got it. I'll have to get under that car for that one. The wire runs below the block. If the wire is exposed and touching the block would that cause a short? I distinctly remember electrical tape near on it near the bottom close to the block.

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The solenoid is on top of the starter.

http://boatbits.com.au/index.php/marine-parts/starter-motors/starter-motor-reco-suit-small-block-gm-v6-and-v8-with-14-1-4-flywheel.html

The small part that will be near the block. The good part is that you do not have headers so it should be a clear shot to it.

Have a load test done on the battery if it has died in the past it may have a bad cell.

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Notallthere is right on. How old is the battery? The closer a battery is to (or over) its expected life, the more likely it will fail - 5-7 years on a battery is about the max age of most batteries. So expect things to start declning after that much time.

Also, an idle battery can undergo a process called "sulfating" just by sitting and not being charged or used for long periods of time (weeks or even months). It will corrod or damage one or more of the plates or cells within the battery, essentially shorting it out and ruining it. I replaced 4 batteries in my Trans Am over the years because I didn't start the car for long periods of time (hey it was winter...) and then I had to jump start or trickle charge it. So your battery maybe dead or dying. The load test will prove it one way or another. Batteries can be expensive but don't be a cheap bastard and buy a generic bargain brand. Buy a quality brand battery - one with a reputable name and replacement warranty because you may need it. The higher the cold cranking amps, the better - for cold weather starting in particular. An Optima red top runs about $160 or more. A Sears Diehard will be less.

The starter soleniod is definitely a possibility. That is pretty inexpensive to replace, I think it is less than $30 for most cars. It is a pain the butt to pull the starter (the damn thing is heavy and awkward as hell to remove AND re-install - especially lying on your back). The solenoid is what engages the starter and pulls the spinning starter cog into the flywheel to turn the engine over when you turn on the ignition.

Battery cables. FIrst, check all the wires that attach to the soleniod (the are often 3 terminals) and make sure they are corrision free. Often the copper oxidizes and turns green (like the big famous Polish lady in New York harbor - Stashu Liberty). Second inspect the large battery cables between the starter and the battery and the battery and ground. Are the cables corroded or are the connections loose? Also, does either cable come in direct contact with the engine - especially near the exhaust manifolds or cylinder heads? I had a starter problem with the Lemans nonce, it came in contact with the exhaust manifold near the starter, the heat burned away the rubber insulation but it was not visible until I removed the cable. Once the insulation was gone, the cable came into metal-to-metal contact and grounded out the battery before it got to the starter. So I had to replace the cable and re-route it in such a way to prevent the cable from coming in contact with the exhaust manifold (Pontiac had a fix for this - which I used).

Finally invest in a quality battery tender (there are few brands on the market now) that you can leave plugged in all the time when you are not using the car for long periods of time. I have not had a sulfated battery since. It charges and paritially discharges the battery, essentially working it in a way that prevents or reduces sulfating. I own two Battery Tender Jrs for my classic cars. One for the Lemans and one for the Trans Am. I have Ultima batterys in both cars now. I kept ruining the OEM replacement AC Delco Freedom batteries when they were more readily available due to sulfating.

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Problem solved. All of the plates had corroded in the battery. Damn things only a year old.

So did you have a warranty for the battery? Did ylou get a pro-rated refund or exchange? This is exactly why I recommend a quality brand battery with a solid warranty. What battery did you get?

Personally I am using Optima batteries simply because they are different construction than a traditional plate/cell.battery.

Now get yourself a battery tender and leave it on, connected to the battery until you are ready to use the car.

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Optimas are nice, you use a red top or yellow top? The yellows are deep cycles, and can be left alone for long periods of time, or have accessories run directly off it for long periods of time.

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