Crazy K Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 ?!?!? and you have a 97 which has the newer rear manifold which should be easier. Get a ratchet strap and winch the engine forward...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfan24 Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) Ya I spent an hour fighting mine before realizing I could rock the engine forward. After that the o2 sensor points straight up so you can get a extension on it and get all the torque on it. Side note, I used a ratchet strap to do mine but how do you safely release the tension? I basically held the strap with my hand so the engine didn't go back really fast which didn't work that great. Is this the recommended procedure for releasing the straps? Edited September 30, 2010 by cubsfan24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted September 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 See, I thought about using a ratchet strap to rock the engine enough to get to the O2 sensor, but I didn't see anything that I could tie it to. There's so much shit in the way of everything. Then again, by the time I thought about using a ratchet strap, I was already so pissed that I couldn't think straight. Having anger problems is definitely not conducive to working on these cars. It's strange, though, because I have actually enjoyed working on every other car I've ever owned, but this one gets my blood boiling every time. I just need to take some time to cool off, and maybe I can finally make some progress on Sunday. If not, I have a trade lined up, and the Cutlass will be gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Remove the dogbones, but put the bolts back in. Now use the ratchet strap to pull the motor forward by pulling the bolts together. You could also park the car on a hill, remove the dogbones, and let the weight of the car rock the motor forward as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 When I changed my rear plugs, I took off both the front dogbones, and pushed the car forward by hand and chocked the rear wheels when I got the engine far enough forward. Don't give up now!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 When I changed my rear plugs, I took off both the front dogbones, and pushed the car forward by hand and chocked the rear wheels when I got the engine far enough forward. Don't give up now!!! I think I'll try doing it this way, since it may save me from having to buy a ratchet strap. I really hope the new O2 sensor takes care of my problems! I guess we'll find out on Sunday. I really need this thing back on the road NOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 Well, I still haven't made any progress on the Cutlass. I had to drive it to work a few days ago, because my roommate couldn't give me a ride, and it died just outside of the parking lot. So, now it's just sitting there until I can get it towed back to my apartment and mess with it some more. In the meantime, I at least have another car to drive now, but I need to figure out what's wrong with this thing. It only starts acting up once it gets to full operating temperature, and the exhaust smells almost like pure gasoline. I just need to find the time to figure out what's wrong, but that's hard to do when I'm working 2nd and 3rd shift. Hopefully I can get to it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 ... It only starts acting up once it gets to full operating temperature, and the exhaust smells almost like pure gasoline... I mentioned this before, but I'll reiterate. This behavior makes me really think it is the ICM. They often fail in a way that they will work perfectly when cool, and fail when warm. Failure can be anything up to and including poor running or not running at all (due to no spark). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 It really wouldn't surprise me if the ICM is toast. If it is, I can't afford to replace it. At least not for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hmm...when the ICM shit on my 3800 Olds, I had one clue that something bad was about to happen. I was coming back from the store when it dropped two cylinders all of a sudden. By the time I was like 'WTF?!' everything was normal. About a mile later, I dropped two cylinders again. And they stayed down. I don't know...I know the L27 and L82 are entirely different animals, but check for spark before you start throwing parts at it. Good luck buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 It really wouldn't surprise me if the ICM is toast. If it is, I can't afford to replace it. At least not for a while. You could always take your chances with a junkyard part. And yes, DEFINITELY check spark when it is acting up before assuming anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Hmm...when the ICM shit on my 3800 Olds, I had one clue that something bad was about to happen. I was coming back from the store when it dropped two cylinders all of a sudden. By the time I was like 'WTF?!' everything was normal. About a mile later, I dropped two cylinders again. And they stayed down. I don't know...I know the L27 and L82 are entirely different animals, but check for spark before you start throwing parts at it. Good luck buddy. The Cutlass has never done anything like this to me, but it is also still not throwing a code. I wish it would just tell me what the hell is wrong with it, so I can get this headache over with. The night it broke down on me at work, it threw a code, but I couldn't scan it right then, and now it's gone. I still love this car, but it's really testing my patience. I guess I just need to keep troubleshooting to the best of my abilities and see what I can come up with. How exactly do I check for spark? It will also be tough to do this while it's acting up, as it only seems to do it under acceleration, at full operating temperature. If I try to let it idle, it just dies. When I try to start it up again, it cranks, and cranks, then finally starts back up and runs very silently at low RPMs before dying again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Well, I haven't been around for a while, nor have I made any progress on the Cutlass yet. I had to drop everything at the spur of the moment and drive down to Texas (in my dad's car) for my little baby niece's funeral. That was the absolute saddest experience of my life, but it also drained all of the money I had gathered to get the Cutlass going. It's just sitting outside now, waiting to be fixed. I took it for a quick spin around the block about an hour ago, and realized just how badly I miss driving it. Right now, I'm driving an '08 Camry (yeah), and the Cutlass is just WORLDS better. I'm going to mess with it a bit this week when I get time, and I'll keep everyone posted. I need to get my baby back on the road. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 I finally have an update worth posting. The Cutlass is officially fixed! I took it on a quick 15 mile drive tonight, did about 6 WOT runs, and it runs better than it has the entire time I have owned it. I have missed this car dearly. I can honestly say that it beats the hell out of the Camry, hands down, and that makes me feel pretty good about my 13-year-old shitbox. Thank you all for your advice. Your expertise has definitely helped me a lot. I'm just learning as I go along. Eventually, I'll actually know what I'm doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 By the way, does anyone know what this wire is supposed to be plugged into? I found it just dangling behind the engine, and I can't see where it would even go. The car runs just fine without it plugged in, so I have no idea what it goes to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 So what did you end up replacing? Also that plug is for the magnasteer power steering option and would plug into the pump if you had that option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 So what did you end up replacing? Also that plug is for the magnasteer power steering option and would plug into the pump if you had that option what did you fix? what is the exact color of the two wires on that plug? It seems out of place and too long to be the magnasteer connector... I kind of think that wire might go to the charcoal canister/ purge solenoid... look down behind the coil packs on the rear of the engine to see if it is plugged in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 The plug shoud be red. Keep in mind, the NV7 option was only for the 3.4 in the early going....so the power steering pump sits in a slightly different place than your 3.1.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlassdude96 Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 This was the culprit. Aaron was dead-on when he mentioned the oxygen sensor. I was worried that I might have bigger problems, but all I needed was to rock the engine far enough forward and pick up a breaker bar from Harbor Freight. After that, it was smooth sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed10 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Uploaded with ImageShack.us I bet that's exactly where that wire is supposed to go. Thanks! I'll have to take a look at it tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 This was the culprit. Aaron was dead-on when he mentioned the oxygen sensor. I was worried that I might have bigger problems, but all I needed was to rock the engine far enough forward and pick up a breaker bar from Harbor Freight. After that, it was smooth sailing. AWESOME!! It sucks that you were having all those problems because of one little damned O2 sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Uploaded with ImageShack.us You need a new serp belt my friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlassdude96 Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 You need a new serp belt my friend thats an old picture the belt has been long replace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlassdude96 Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 I bet that's exactly where that wire is supposed to go. Thanks! I'll have to take a look at it tomorrow. thats only if your car is equip with that option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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