Happy Monday folks, I've got an odd one for ya today. Buckle in.


I'm the proud (and increasingly weathered) owner of a 1995 Camaro Z/28 with a 383 stroker, long tube headers, electric Meziere Water Pump, and a few other modifications. We all know reliability comes second to performance here, so getting home from work on your own isn't really the name of the game.


Last week, I drove my car to work in some heavy rain, and it ran with no issues. I'm talking no misfires, no backfires, no stumbling on start, no lights on the dash - not even my loyal 'low coolant' lamp companion. Totally smooth ride. When it comes time to leave work later that day, the rain has stopped, the car starts strong, but the ABS INOP light appears, and the AC isn't blowing. I toggle the AC from "AC" to "OFF", and I can hear the expansion valve doing its thing. That tells me it's likely a blower issue, not a compressor issue. No worries - I can drive without AC and ABS for a little while. And I do! I almost make it out of the parking lot before I notice the engine temps creeping up a little faster than they should. I have a 160 degree F thermostat in the car, and the motor made it up to 190 in less than 5 minutes of driving. Certainly not normal. I pull over, turn off the car, turn the key to the auxiliary power position, and listen for the water pump. My dad initially installed the electric water pump to receive power in this key position so he could circulate the coolant and cool the car down between runs at the Orlando Speed World drag strip without the motor running. Unfortunately - I'm not hearing the pump running.


Realizing this is no longer an ignorable issue, I assume the three issues here (ABS INOP, No Electric Water Pump, and No AC Blower) are all related given they all popped up at the same time. The car drove through heavy rain earlier in the day, so maybe there's an underlying electrical issue? I am known amongst friends and family for saying "Electrical Engineering and Software Engineering are the top two reasons I became a Mechanical Engineer" - so this solve isn't in my wheelhouse at all. Fortunately, a friend of mine knows his stuff. I pulled all my fuses and relays (both in the engine bay and the side panel in the dash), and ferried them over to my friends house to test them. Every single fuse was good, and every single relay clicked over when prompted. My next thought was that perhaps the underside of the fusebox was dirty or wet - it had rained pretty heavily after all, and there's no weather stripping around that fuse box. I lifted the fuse box, and sprayed it down with electrical cleaner. After letting it dry in the hot Florida sun, I reinstalled all the relays and fuses, and you guessed it - same issue as before. No dice.


In consulting with my dad (who built the car in the 90's and 00's), he is of the opinion that the three issues are unrelated from one another. Recently, I suffered a pinhole leak in the 90 degree elbow of the heater hose connecting to the top of the water pump assembly. For a few weeks I was leaking coolant, and potentially running the pump dry from time to time. I fixed the hoses just over 3 weeks ago now, and have had no problem with the pump since. Additionally, I've never had an issue with the ABS or AC before. The three going out all at once is just a bit too coincidental for me . . .


Anyhow, I've got a second car I can drive in the meantime, and I'm open to any/every idea you guys can throw my way.


Thank you all in advance!

 

Do you have the ability to scan the EBCM (ABS module)?

This PC based system will do it, free download, you buy a cable. I no longer review Scan9495 data logs.

OBD Diagnostics

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/com...95-lt1-874306/

When I had problems with the ABS INOP light (always temporary) I mentally attributed it to water in one of the front wheel sensor harness connectors. Happened on my 2001 Silverado all the time, as well. Ignored it, eventually went away.

I have no experience with the electric water pump, and someone would probably need to know how it’s wired up in order to troubleshoot it.

There are 7 PCM codes for the A/C system.

And as I probably mentioned in the past…. not a lot of active members here any more…. maybe a 1/2-dozen.