Long Version
On the way to the Nats my car started bucking and finally backfired pretty bad. As I was coasting to pull over the SES light came on. I suspected a cam sensor so I dared not turn off the car to plug in DirectScan. I got DirectScan plugged in ok to see what I figured, Code 41. I was only about 40 mins from home so I started to turn around. I finally decided to unplug the sensor and just not shut the car off. I mean, I had planned on buying that new cam sensor cap from Spina anyways, right? I made it to Bowling Green ok. This happened after my fuel tank leaked from the o-ring on the top but before I arrived at Bowling Green with no blinkers. (Stupid car)
I arrived at the MotelV6 and quickly got myself some beer and started cussing my car. I ran into Bryan from KC and he mentioned it was probably either the cap or the ring. So, we popped the hood to pull the cap. The cap was fine as was the ring. However, just behind the Weatherpack connector on the harness side there was a fray in the wire.
So, the day at the track I anxiously await Spina's arrival so I can get the stuff I need to fix the connector. On the way over I stopped to talk to my buddy Dave England. He was having PowerMaster problems. Since I had just went through a PowerMaster fiasco of my own I offered to take a look at the system. While I was working on it I asked myh other bud Justin (TurboJustin) to see if Spina was in yet because I was going to be a bit o the brakes. Dave over heard me and offered me his WeatherPack repair kit. So, after I got done with the brakes, I proceeded to redo the connector. I cleared the ECM and started the car, everything was good!
On the way back from the track the car started bucking again.
At the track the next day I went ahead and bought the new Cam Sensor Cap from Casper's Electronics with integrated setting LED and slotted ears that also just happens to have a LIFETIME WARRANTY! Back at the hotel that night I went ahead and installed the cap. This thing is just friggin kewl. You can see the light flicker when it starts as the window passes through the sensor, but when the engine is running it's just on solid because the motor is spining it so fast.
On the way to the track the next day guess what happens? Yup, bucking again. Ok, now I'm a little worried. I sought out Mr. Spina again to ask his opinion. It was here that John reminded me that the cam sensor wires don't actually run to the ECM but to the CCCI and that the CCCI was reporting the signal loss to the ECM. John said to wiggle the connector that plugs into the CCCI and see if the car stumbles or misses or acts strange. So, I head back to do this. My buddy Dan comes along because he wants to see this new cam sensor cap in action. I start the car up and let it hit closed loop. I grabbed the connector and wiggled it around and guess what... nothing happened. Dan mentioned how cool it was when the cap LED flickered. I said yeah, but it only does it on start up. "No it just did it," he said. WHAT?!?! So I watched the LED as I wiggled the connector again.
Short Version
Sure enough!! The CCCI connector has a bad connection! So I ran back to Spina's tent to buy a splice in connector to fix the car. Thanks to Spina's new cap, I found a bad connection in the CCCI connector that I would not have found before!
Thanks John! Thanks you for making a great product, for sticking with us Buick guys, and for taking the time to help a guy out. You've got a life long customer here!
On the way to the Nats my car started bucking and finally backfired pretty bad. As I was coasting to pull over the SES light came on. I suspected a cam sensor so I dared not turn off the car to plug in DirectScan. I got DirectScan plugged in ok to see what I figured, Code 41. I was only about 40 mins from home so I started to turn around. I finally decided to unplug the sensor and just not shut the car off. I mean, I had planned on buying that new cam sensor cap from Spina anyways, right? I made it to Bowling Green ok. This happened after my fuel tank leaked from the o-ring on the top but before I arrived at Bowling Green with no blinkers. (Stupid car)
I arrived at the MotelV6 and quickly got myself some beer and started cussing my car. I ran into Bryan from KC and he mentioned it was probably either the cap or the ring. So, we popped the hood to pull the cap. The cap was fine as was the ring. However, just behind the Weatherpack connector on the harness side there was a fray in the wire.
So, the day at the track I anxiously await Spina's arrival so I can get the stuff I need to fix the connector. On the way over I stopped to talk to my buddy Dave England. He was having PowerMaster problems. Since I had just went through a PowerMaster fiasco of my own I offered to take a look at the system. While I was working on it I asked myh other bud Justin (TurboJustin) to see if Spina was in yet because I was going to be a bit o the brakes. Dave over heard me and offered me his WeatherPack repair kit. So, after I got done with the brakes, I proceeded to redo the connector. I cleared the ECM and started the car, everything was good!
On the way back from the track the car started bucking again.
At the track the next day I went ahead and bought the new Cam Sensor Cap from Casper's Electronics with integrated setting LED and slotted ears that also just happens to have a LIFETIME WARRANTY! Back at the hotel that night I went ahead and installed the cap. This thing is just friggin kewl. You can see the light flicker when it starts as the window passes through the sensor, but when the engine is running it's just on solid because the motor is spining it so fast.On the way to the track the next day guess what happens? Yup, bucking again. Ok, now I'm a little worried. I sought out Mr. Spina again to ask his opinion. It was here that John reminded me that the cam sensor wires don't actually run to the ECM but to the CCCI and that the CCCI was reporting the signal loss to the ECM. John said to wiggle the connector that plugs into the CCCI and see if the car stumbles or misses or acts strange. So, I head back to do this. My buddy Dan comes along because he wants to see this new cam sensor cap in action. I start the car up and let it hit closed loop. I grabbed the connector and wiggled it around and guess what... nothing happened.
Dan mentioned how cool it was when the cap LED flickered. I said yeah, but it only does it on start up. "No it just did it," he said. WHAT?!?! So I watched the LED as I wiggled the connector again.Short Version
Sure enough!! The CCCI connector has a bad connection! So I ran back to Spina's tent to buy a splice in connector to fix the car. Thanks to Spina's new cap, I found a bad connection in the CCCI connector that I would not have found before!
Thanks John! Thanks you for making a great product, for sticking with us Buick guys, and for taking the time to help a guy out. You've got a life long customer here!
