Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

[OneEightSeven]

Hey Guys,

So I still have my Camaro and can't seem to give it up no matter how much of a money pit it becomes :-). Right now I found three problems:

1. My diff is leaking from the bottom. It's not dripping on the ground but the bottom of the seal is wet and oily. I once saw a really good workup on how to replace the gasket and proper torque specs and such. I searched around but I just couldn't find that awesome post. If anyone has such a workup I'd really appreciate it.

2. My OBD-II is throwing a code saying primary fan relay is bad. This is for the cooling fan, not secondary AC fan. The relay is new and i even moved around the relays to see if it makes a difference. If u ground out the relay somewhere on the block the fan starts right up. So computer is not sending ground for some reason. Wtf? I did have an engine swap from a 2002 model into my 1999 (still 3800), but i don't think the computer was replaced, just reset (battery disconnect). Is this the problem? Mechanic insisted since all sensors and such are the same (according to his docs) it shouldn't matter. AC fan works fine. Should i consider a computer from a newer model?

3. When its wet out I've been getting flashing SES / random misfire at high speeds causing me to slow down and limp home the last two times it rained. I'm taking a better look today, but the car runs smooth. I'm thinking maybe the coil packs are bad? I'm checking plugs and wires today.

Thanks for your help guys :).

[FireEagle22]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

Your going to need a tune. I don't think just disconnecting the battery will set all the parameters correctly on your new 2002 engine.

[OneEightSeven]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

I've driven it almost a year with the old computer :-/.. the weird thing is the P0480 code only appeared about 2 months ago.

So i just scanned OBD-II and it looks like Cyl. 2 was misfiring last night. Could the plugs be any more difficult to reach??!! Since it's not doing it now and was only doing it at high speed when wet out I'm still thinking coil pack? What do you guys think? Wires look fine but plugs seem impossible to reach without lifting the car.

[OneEightSeven]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

Okay problem #3 was a coil pack as suspected. I was only running on 5 cylinders! The coil pack for #2 (second coil pack) was producing absolutely no spark when the boot was taken off of it and the car was started up. So that is a good test to see if the coil pack is completely shot to ****! Replaced it and car runs like a champ now. I also replaced fuel filter and some exhaust insulator things that attach between hangers on your exhaust piping and the hangers on your car's body. Some of mine were ripped half way causing the muffler and pipes to hang lower. I'm taking care of the differential leak Monday. Looks like it's only leaking from the differential cover seal at the bottom (silicone seal broke i guess).

So problem #2 still stands:

2. My OBD-II is throwing a code saying primary fan relay is bad **P0480**. This is for the cooling fan, not secondary AC fan. The relay is new and i even moved around the relays to see if it makes a difference. If u ground out the relay somewhere on the block the fan starts right up. So computer is not sending ground for some reason. Wtf? I did have an engine swap from a 2002 model into my 1999 (still 3800), but i don't think the computer was replaced, just reset (battery disconnect). Is this the problem? Mechanic insisted since all sensors and such are the same (according to his docs) it shouldn't matter. AC fan works fine. Should i consider a computer from a newer model?

Any ideas guys? Could really use your input here!

[cam98aro]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

what diff seal are you talking about, the pinion seal or the cover gaskt?

the pinion seal i just used a gauge to see how far the nut was on, after i replaced the seal i put the nut back and kept tightening it until it matched what the gauge said before, and just a TINY hair more.

the cover gasket well, thats easy, i just basically hand tightened the bolts then did 1/4 turn on them going in a criss-cross motion

the gasket leaked after i did this so i just tightened the bolts up a bit more and not a drop since

[OneEightSeven]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

It's the cover gasket. I had it on a lift and checked it all out. It's getting done monday. My main problem is just issue #2 like in my previous reply :(. I really can't figure out what the deal is :-/.

[OneEightSeven]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

So no ideas on the P0480 code guys? Am I really gonna have to take this to a dealer and get raped? My mechanic can't seem to figure it out ;-(.

[OneEightSeven]

Re: Flashing SES & Fan Relay Issue & Leaking Diff

Well I decided to just wire up a switch for now to keep the fans on when im stuck in traffic... On a side note I checked out my RPO codes today and was happy to see GU6, G80 and Y87 :-).