5 replies to this topic

[Papa Tango]

Hello FBN, I went and bought a another Firebird to replace my T/A that was totaled by a red light runner. A 2002 Firebird Coupe with the 3.8 V6 and 91,550 miles. It might have been an impulse buy but I sure did like that feeling when I test drove it. The windows work, the A/C blows cold and the headlights go up and down without those funny noises. Driving home down the interstate, the "service engine soon" light started winking at me. The original owner had the car parked for apx. three years. The "second owner", the guy I bought it from, put a battery, a water pump and oil sending unit in the car. He got the car for his grandson, who wants a truck! Tomorrow I will pull the codes and see what I've "bought". I'll get some photos uploaded soon. Lol Pete

[ZumpTA]

Good Luck!  Hopefully something minor.

[Formula71]

Congrats on the new car.

 

That 3.8 is a good engine. I have the same one in my Grand Prix.

[TheFoxRocks]

Hey Pete,

 

I just realized you were linking to a post when responding in my thread. I had to go to your profile and manually click on it the topic which did not resonate with me at first. I love the new car, which I am guessing is your profile picture. It looks almost identical to the one I inherited and only wish mine was in as good as shape as the one in the picture. The paint and wheels have better days and leaning towards trying to address those things. 

 

So how is the new car going so far? Also did the insurance company of the two girls agree to pay a reasonable amount for your totaled Firebird? 

[Papa Tango]

Hello Jordan, Well this car has been a project. The code that came up was the dreaded P0300 - Random Misfire. I changed Plugs and Wires. Code still there. Measured the coils. Coils Measured good. Code still there. Replaced the Electronic Control Module on the advice of a garage owner. Code still there. Very frustrating. I can't get through state emissions with the code set. When you clear the code, it comes back before the emissions monitors are set and ready. I couldn't change the title or register the car without passing emissions. I drove the car for about a week on a 30 day temporary permit trying to fix the P0300 problem.

 

There was also a serious oil leak from the front of the engine. One gallon of oil in that week. I decided to address the oil leak. It was coming from behind the harmonic balancer. The front crankshaft seal, that seals on the harmonic balancer. When I pulled the H.B. off, it looked like it had been picked up off the ground in a junkyard after being kicked around for a few years. I decided to replace it. I had been told the original owner had it replaced. Now I found out why it looked so bad. The harmonic balancer for the 1997-2002 3.8 V6 Firebird/Camaro is NO LONGER AVAILABLE and No Aftermarket Manufactured.

 

I had to get one out of a salvage yard. It was nothing like the one I took off. The old one was 8.5 lbs. and the new-used one is 6 lbs. There is no GM part number on the new-used one either. Some where in my many hours of research, I came across a review on a Dorman aftermarket H.B. that when installed caused a P0300 code. More research showed the Control Module gets its information for the misfire from the crankshaft sensor. The cups on the back of the H.B. are for the 3X and 18X crankshaft sensor behind the H.B. I put the new-used Harmonic Balancer on with the new seal and I have no more oil leak and no more P0300 code.

 

I went through the emissions with no problems and I am now legal, Titled, Registered and Insured. It only took 5 months. (there were other forces at work keeping me from my project! Lol) Three weeks cruising in my Firebird! Yeah! Pete

[TheFoxRocks]

Hello Jordan, Well this car has been a project. The code that came up was the dreaded P0300 - Random Misfire. I changed Plugs and Wires. Code still there. Measured the coils. Coils Measured good. Code still there. Replaced the Electronic Control Module on the advice of a garage owner. Code still there. Very frustrating. I can't get through state emissions with the code set. When you clear the code, it comes back before the emissions monitors are set and ready. I couldn't change the title or register the car without passing emissions. I drove the car for about a week on a 30 day temporary permit trying to fix the P0300 problem.

 

There was also a serious oil leak from the front of the engine. One gallon of oil in that week. I decided to address the oil leak. It was coming from behind the harmonic balancer. The front crankshaft seal, that seals on the harmonic balancer. When I pulled the H.B. off, it looked like it had been picked up off the ground in a junkyard after being kicked around for a few years. I decided to replace it. I had been told the original owner had it replaced. Now I found out why it looked so bad. The harmonic balancer for the 1997-2002 3.8 V6 Firebird/Camaro is NO LONGER AVAILABLE and No Aftermarket Manufactured.

 

I had to get one out of a salvage yard. It was nothing like the one I took off. The old one was 8.5 lbs. and the new-used one is 6 lbs. There is no GM part number on the new-used one either. Some where in my many hours of research, I came across a review on a Dorman aftermarket H.B. that when installed caused a P0300 code. More research showed the Control Module gets its information for the misfire from the crankshaft sensor. The cups on the back of the H.B. are for the 3X and 18X crankshaft sensor behind the H.B. I put the new-used Harmonic Balancer on with the new seal and I have no more oil leak and no more P0300 code.

 

I went through the emissions with no problems and I am now legal, Titled, Registered and Insured. It only took 5 months. (there were other forces at work keeping me from my project! Lol) Three weeks cruising in my Firebird! Yeah! Pete

Glad to hear you got it figured out. It is also nice to address one problem and it solve another like a error code you thought it had nothing to do with at first. Since we are starting to get some nicer weather out I am going to start working on my Firebird again, which if you have not seen from my posts is definitely going to be a project.