So I did something stupid this weekend.....

clrussell

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Man that’s a good looking little car.

I’ve told myself recently I’m not buying anymore projects.
Then I see a project and I’m like damn that’s a good buy and easy fix.

Luckily I’m house poor and can’t go purchase any. 😅
I’ve got plenty other projects to keep me busy in the mean time.
 
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TheBac

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I probably shouldnt have started this one, but its done now. Spent more than I planned to, thats for sure.

As I said earlier, this car was more abused and neglected than I initially thought.
 

JoshH

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I probably shouldnt have started this one, but its done now. Spent more than I planned to, thats for sure.

As I said earlier, this car was more abused and neglected than I initially thought.
Man, I ran into the same thing with a 93 S10 Blazer I found for my sister. She's an artist and tends to like vehicles that are not the same as everything else running up and down the road. When her 96 4Runner got totalled a few months ago, she told me she wanted a vehicle like the 86 S15 Jimmy I had in high school. Since she has a kid, I knew she needed a 4 door which they only made from 91-94 in that body style. I ended up finding one that looked pretty decent a few hours away in northern Oklahoma. We were hauling it back with my dad's LMM, when I noticed the coolant temp was climbing very fast going up a pretty good grade in the Arbuckle Mountains. I backed way out of it but because of construction, there was nowhere to pull over. We coasted down the other side and pulled into a truck stop. After doing a little roadside diagnosis, we decided the water pump had either spun the gear or the impeller. We unloaded the Blazer and planned to drive the truck empty to see if it would be make it without getting too hot. I made it about 30-40 miles, and I realized something was terribly wrong with the Blazer. Once it was all over, I ended up having to rebuild the engine and fix a bunch of little things throughout the vehicle. I probably have about twice as much in it as it's worth, but these things are just really hard to find especially in anything I wouldn't classify as clapped out, neglected, and abused. Thing thing still has some issues, but it's in a lot better shape than most of them I see listed for sale.

Anyway, that's a long story to say I completely understand your feeling about a vehicle being a project you shouldn't have started and one you spent more on than you planned. In the end, it sounds like both turned out pretty nice though. Kudos to you for getting it done.
 

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2004LB7

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Similar experience with a family owned mountaineer that was given to us to sell. Supposed to be an easy repair and sell. But ended up needing, lifters, injectors, handful of gaskets on top of the engine, rebuild the transfer case, engine flush, interior trim replacement or painting. Front seat due to failed restraint system. Brakes and rotors. Welding in new catalytic converter. Probably a few more I'm forgetting.

All in all we where able to sell it for a little more then we put into it. Funny thing is about two years later we got a letter from a tow yard stating we where in interested party. Apparently the new owner didn't do the paperwork to transfer it to her name so we had first dibs on getting it back. We declined when we found out what condition it was in. It was trashed inside, missing bumper and who knows how the engine was cared for. Kinda sad to see it so messed up after all we did but a little relieved we didn't have to do anything if we wanted.
 

TheBac

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As Ive gotten older, I've found I have a tendency to fix more than the repair I was initially planning, especially if I feel other parts are worn beyond what I would tolerate. I end up with a higher cost repair than I planned, but I know everything is done correctly.

Ah well, I think we all have had an experience like this. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they dont.

Funny thing happened this morning. Coming out of a convenience store, what is turning left in front of me? Yup....another silver Regal GS.
I hadnt seen another one this color until just then. What are the odds?
 
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clrussell

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Sep 23, 2013
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As Ive gotten older, I've found I have a tendency to fix more than the repair I was initially planning, especially if I feel other parts are worn beyond what I would tolerate. I end up with a higher cost repair than I planned, but I know everything is done correctly.

Ah well, I think we all have had an experience like this. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they dont.

Funny thing happened this morning. Coming out of a convenience store, what is turning left in front of me? Yup....another silver Regal GS.
I hadnt seen another one this color until just then. What are the odds?
Funny how that works. It’s like the universe produces them.

I’ve been eyeballing a Ram TRX, only seen like 2 ever before I started looking.
Now I see them almost every day.
 
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TheBac

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Dealer taking their sweet time with the car. Called me this morning. They think the SRS module failed.

*sigh* another hit. To the junkyard I go Friday.
 

TheBac

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I got the write up.

ABCM (SRS module) power and ground are ok. Hi and Lo Canbus are ok.

Circuit 5986 (serial data comm enable) is not supplying wake up signal/power to the module. I do not know why the tech thinks the module went bad. IMO, its a broken/corroded wire or splice in the harness under the DS carpet. Im going to start playing with wires tomorrow. I cant find a diagram showing that circuit, though.
 

1FastBrick

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I got the write up.

ABCM (SRS module) power and ground are ok. Hi and Lo Canbus are ok.

Circuit 5986 (serial data comm enable) is not supplying wake up signal/power to the module. I do not know why the tech thinks the module went bad. IMO, its a broken/corroded wire or splice in the harness under the DS carpet. Im going to start playing with wires tomorrow. I cant find a diagram showing that circuit, though.
Year make model, let me look.
 

1FastBrick

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Is this what you are looking for has the data coms for the ABS.
 

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TheBac

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Yep. Ive got the connector pinout diagram. I found a diagram similar to that one on Mitchell. Just cant find 5986 listed on any other diagram.
I'll have to pull the carpet and trace the harness. Fun fun fun. Can you tell I just LOVE electrical problems? :LOL:
 
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1FastBrick

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Yep. Ive got the connector pinout diagram. I found a diagram similar to that one on Mitchell. Just cant find 5986 listed on any other diagram.
I'll have to pull the carpet and trace the harness. Fun fun fun. Can you tell I just LOVE electrical problems? :LOL:
LMK if you need anything else.
 
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TheBac

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I'll be darned. This 5986 problem seems to be common enough on the same generation trucks that there's a TSB out for the same symptoms this car has. If the BCM detects high resistance or an open/short in the 5986 circuit, it literally shuts power off to that circuit, tripping the code and all the lights. Just have to trace that wire from the BCM in the left footwell to the ABCM (SRS) in the console. I wonder why the tech didnt do that?