I had a new custom exhaust system weiled on last friday, 2.5 inch all the way back and narrowing to 2.25 around corners. They weilded most of it up then started the car and weiled some more to patch leaks (I think this is what did it) On the way home lights in the instrument panel start coming on, actually every warning light came on, and the tach and temp gauges starting turing on and off, headlights dimmed and brightened, whole buch of stuff is messed up.
So yah I'm stopping back at that shop after school today and gonna get them to agree that they messed up my car and have them pay to fix it.
Any one ever had this happen to them before? suggestions& comments welcome
'99 2200 LS CX1 Sport
i do some mig welding of my own.. and i dont really see how this could happen. electricity flows from the work clamp through the chassis to the welding gun. unless they put the clamp on your pcm or something, the current would just harmlessly pass through the body of the car and the exhaust piping.
you have to disconect the battery when ever you weld on a car, any shop should know that. they had better fix it for you, because it is definently their falt.
^ my first love ^
~makin people look silly is the most important thing in life :o)
I've
NEVER seen an exhaust shop disconnect a battery before welding something up.
NEVER. Hell mine has had work done 3 times from switching up setups.
if they had the car running , and while it was running they welded up something its very possible to send a voltage surge and damage something
if they had the car off it very unlikely , but still possible
disconnecting the battery still wouldnt stop an electrical "surge" from the welding......
I've heard of the O2 sensor being fried during welding of the exhaust but have never heard of the whole electrical system getting zapped. I'm sure there must be away to figure out what the problems is.
How's the car running? Is the car running fine ? Is it just the Instrument panel that is all messed up?
I always diconnect the battery if its more than a tack weld. I was told you could damage the brain, so I do it just to be safe.
HiLow Customs
http://www.MNJ-Bodies.org
Humm let me guess, the car runs and drives fine and the check engine light does not come on however almost every other light comes on.
I will tell you now what it is. The Ground to the Body of the car not grounding properly. I bet if you trace the negitve battery cable down to where the cable bolts to the battery tray that that bolt will be rusted and broken off. What happens when driving down the road the the engine and road viberations make a connection and then it loses connectin and the gauges act all goofy.
Please let me know if that fixes your problem.
I can't wait to see what the original poster says when he responds to the thread... I wanna hear what the shop said to him
<a href="http://www.lenkorules.com/"><img src="http://s93165229.onlinehome.us/images/zm/sig/LRDCsig3.jpg"></a>
^^^^^^ im with lenko on this one
Ok think about it guys, seriously if the computer is fried the gauges would be dead and they would not keep clicking in and out, all this points to a faulty ground to the body of the vehicle.
He does not mention the speedo or fuel gauge messing up nor did he say the engine is running poorly or worse off not at all.
I have diagnosed and fixed this same condition on 2 other j-bodies both temp and tach would cut in and out, engine ran fine, AC would cut in and out, radio cuts in and out, ETC light, brake light, ABS, come on, however no check engine light and the car runs fine.
Both times it was a fault ground connection
I would say it is a ground or the generator about to take a dump. But it is funny how these things happen right after a shop works on your car. I think it is probably just a coincidence.
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
shouldn't the ground clamp be some where on the exhaust and not on the chasis.
the wiring harness on my cav was completly melted in half due to a custom exhaust set up...around where the down pipe was there was a huge leak ... i had to cut all the wires from the computer, solder and connect new wires to the computer..what a f in bich that was..lol
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/wrecked92/sig3.jpg">
black S. Dime, I think that you are right on the money, car runs and drives fine except I haven't had the AC running at the time, and my check engine light is one but its for my cooling fan that got ruined when it was packed full of ice last winter. I'll make sure to check that ground maybe I didn't get it tight enough after my engine swap...
John Lenko, I talked to the owner of the shop and he said that its not possible, hes onlys had it happen once and that was when they grounded it to the frame and not the exhaust being welded on. but if it is their fault they will pay for it, he said to get it checked out and let him know, I have an appointment at 3:30 today, we'll see what happens
One more thing, I think what did get fried for sure is my Astro Start, I can hear weird clicking and short buzzing noises (only shortly after startup when the least amount of lights are on, then I start driving and every thing starts getting wacky) from under the dash in the area of the astro start sometimes when I pull the e-brake or put the car partually into reverse so the reverse lights come on. these also make lights come on in the dash and some others that light up lights: apply the normal brake, push in the clutch, coast while highway driving for about 10 seconds.
Now this morning, GUESS WHAT??? IT STOPPED! weirdest thing couldn't get it to do anything bad, but I think its the rain.... water in ground connection making good connection
Thanks for all of the input
'99 2200 LS CX1 Sport
So first it was the shops fault for welding your exhaust... and now its because of the rain ?!? How about you just pop the hood and check your ground.
I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, thats as good as they are going to feel all day. ~ Dean Martin
^^ wha?
I said rain in the connection is making it get a GOOD connection and it is all working properly
and I did say that I would check the ground
you must be drunk right now... lol
'99 2200 LS CX1 Sport
ok, I checked the ground connection, it was only threaded a few threads and was definatly loose, so I tightened it and drove to work (about 30 miles) with out a problem. we will see if this holds up *prays with fingers crossed
so onto the next order of business, I'm going to get my Astro Start looked at to see whats wrong with it.
Thanks again for the help
'99 2200 LS CX1 Sport
Glad to hear that it was the ground, it is one of those things that you look at and are like "how the hell does a loose ground mess all that stuff up". The first cavalier that I worked on that had this condition I first assumed it was the computer but soon tested everything and sure enough a rusted through bolt on the ground. The other one was a loose bolt to ground.
