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Arizona CSVT'S !!

I've been keeping an eye on this thread because I'll be there around the end of the year to look for a place while I'm attendind UTI. I definetly want to hook up with at least a few of you all while I'm there.
 
I can contact 2 SVTC's if anything is happening (if it's got a little advance warning) and possibly get them down here from Prescott. They were both on the last October run up through Alpine......

Like that T-shirt group buy as well, anyone else game? Not seeing that many locals on there.....
 
Yeah I've been silent for a while, I now have ANOTHER problem with this car. This time its wiring, and I've done about all I can to find it. I'm almost to the point of throwing in the towel on this damned car...
 
Here's my post from NECO, see if you can make any sense of this

Here's the situation, this could get confusing. I may have to try to take a video to show exactly whats going on if I can't describe this right.

I got in the car to come home from work tonight, and I started it up without problems. As I got ready to leave, it shut off. I restarted it, and it was running VERY rough, like it was cutting out. All the electrical stuff was flickering (gauges, dome light, etc), and it shut off again. Smoke started coming out the top of the gauge cluster. I called Royce over, and we suspected that one of the LED's that we put in had burned out or something. We ran back to my house real quick and grabbed the gauge cluster from his Cougar, and put it in mine real quick, as his hasn't been opened up or modded. But it still did the same thing, with smoke coming out the upper right side of the cluster.

Now here is where it gets REALLY confusing. As I was towing it home, I noticed something strange. When the E-brake was OFF, only the turn signals and high beam were illuminated, and very dimly at that. I was not hearing the fuel pump come on. The car wouldn't try to start, just clicking the relay. When I pulled the e-brake ON, all the lights lit up and I heard the fuel pump kick on, and the car would start and run, albeit flickering and running very rough (enough to get the car up my uphill driveway though). With it running, if I dropped the e-brake, the car would shut off along with most of the electrical on the dash.

I was suspicious of the recent custom wiring I have done, but it is run 100% independent of the rest of the car and has a "master" kill switch for all accessories. I even disconnected the power completely from the battery just to troubleshoot that, and it made no difference.

Get in car, e-brake ON. Turn key to ON. I hear fuel pump kick on, and I see this on the gauge cluster.
P6290001.jpg


Display screens are illuminated, as are the 4 warning lights to the right. I get full signal of fuel level and coolant temp.

I let the e-brake OFF. Fuel pump power no goes OFF, LCD's shut off, , lose all signal for fuel level and coolant temp, and I get this on the dash.
P6290002.jpg


Turn signals and high beam indicator are now ON. Pulling e-brake ON at this stage re-powers the fuel pump, and gauges come back on.

WTF, mate?

I've got one more "last ditch" thing to try, and if that doesn't fix it, I'm moving on to something else. I'm open to several options, depends on what I can find and who will finance me.
 
What all did you change while it was down? Did you change the ECU and/or any of the harnesses?

What does the car do without the gauge cluster plugged in?

What happens if you unplug the e-brake wire?

Sounds like you have an open connection somewhere... and maybe the wire to the e-brake is somehow completing that connection. You might want to take the center console section out again and make sure the e-brake wire isn't missing any insulation so that it's grounding on the floor or another wire.
 
That's cool you got it fixed! Grounds are weird... my accessory battery ground came loose and my car became possessed. Headlights & gauges flickering, ignition miss/fuel cutout, and the weirdest... my wipers started going!
 
What time are you going to be starting UTI? I graduate there in about a month. You'll be the only one in the parking lot with a CSVT haha.
 
Hey... where have you been? You should go to one of the meets sometime.

There was also a CSVT at UTI last year (cantdrive55).
 
I'll be coming down sometime this winter to check everything out and get everything set up with the school I plan on starting classes sometime in March. I don't seperate from the Navy till november. I'm hoping to hook up with you all down there when I come to check it out and introduce myself and to at least have a few people to hang out with when I get there in march.

How is the school I'm looking forward to going.
 
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UTI is a pretty good school for auto mechanis, etc.... pretty renound from what i hear. and i think its right up around my area too (north phoenix) so you shouldn't have a problem meeting up with any of us. we all live pretty close to one another! lookin forward to meetin up and checkin out your ride man. :cool:
 
It's interesting that the majority of the local CEG'ers are in the north/north-west valley, while the majority of the Focus crowd is in the south-east valley.
 
I'm really excited to be going there I'm already pretty good when it comes to working on cars this school will just help me wiht what I don't know. Then I'll get to do what I enjoy and get paid for it! I'm definetly looking forward to meeting up with you guys and hanging out.

Do any of you go to the track there? How is it? I'm going to bring my CSVT and my streetbike and I love taking my bike to the track I got down to 10.7 in the 1/4 on it before the track here shut down.

That is funny that the contour guys live up north and the focus guys live more in the south end of the valley.
 
There's some good racing stuff around here!

Drag strips:
Firebird http://www.firebirdraceway.com/) - south end of the valley. Corporate and usually very busy.
Speedworld (http://www.speedworldmotorplex.com/) - north-west end of the valley. Laid back and not too busy.

Autocrossing (http://www.azsolo.com) - SCCA solo events
NASA (http://www.clubracingarizona.com/) - HPDE/track events
SVTOA (http://www.svtoaz.com/) - They do various events including drag racing, autocrossing, mild road racing, and car shows.

We sometimes have little Contour meets, but are invited to the Focus meets.. which have alot more people. If you're interested in mountain runs, there's a medium sized one coming up at the end of August.
 
Thanks for the info Morbid I'm not gonna be off Hawaii till Nov or I'd be all over that canyon run. I can't wait to drive my CSVT it's been five months since I've driven her :cry: . I'll definetly let you all know when I'm heading there to set everything up for my school in about six months, seems far away but I'll be sooner than I think.
 
^ yah man can't wait for ya' to come down and meet up. I have a few things i need to do to my car still. hopefully we can schedual a little contour tech day or something soon. its almost time for another oil change, and i'd like to top off my tranny fluid, get my new spark plugs installed with my 9mm Ford Racing wires, and install my Indiglo Gagues... give my fog light mod another try. and replace a burnt out fog light bulb! All little things, but im a prograstinator, so having someone around help motivate me :laugh:
 
Thats terrible schaff letting all that little stuff slide by, lol. Thats always the stuff you don't really wanna do I understand that as does everyone else. I can't wait to get home and start modding my car hey at least you have your there. I just get to look at pics of mine that I took before I left it with my dad.
 
The old school is up North, the new one is on 107th and Van Buren. I live way out in Buckeye, which I've seen a T-red CSVT pass me on the 10 once (maybe one of you guys?) I will hit up one of the meets as soon as I get the title, the guy is dicking me around and I think it's time to call the authoritys.
The school is good though man, if you really enjoy cars you'll like it. A lot of people are completely retarded there with daddys money and there are some that know their ****, those are the few I try and hang out with and you'd be wise to also. Be prepared to hear tons of "my real car is back home" stuff, haha. Over all it's good though, I mean I've been there since August last year an honestly time flew, I already graduate next phase. (august 3rd)
 
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