Amber Gramps

so swaping it out for another one, say headlights or some other one doesn't do it? Man your killin' me. Peter is the right guy for the job. at $100 bucks an hour this is getting expensive. You didn't give him your credit card number yet, did you?

Amber Gramps

where does the signal come from that tells the relay to close?

EtheCarGuy

Not sure where the signal comes from, but the relay is good, from what I can tell. Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any other issue but the lack of fuel pump action. It is really a humdinger huh? The alarm system interferes with the fuel pump, in fact in the Bentlety book, it actually states, apropos of nothing, that a failed alarm module could affect the fuel pump...So the mystery remains.
The signal to close (which turns on the pump) comes from a couple of places. None of which seems to be the real cause here. The alarm is still the likely source, but it's in the harness, and not in the module itself. So the question remains that perhaps there is a way to jump (ground)the terminals in the harness to bypass whatever is over riding the system.

I love this car, and it's a good thing, because otherwise, it would be history.

-E

Amber Gramps

this is what makes it a collectable. if you could fix it with parts from wallmart it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

EtheCarGuy

Agreed. Does Walmart sell beer?

I love the car, and candidly, she hasn't caused me a lick of trouble in 7 years. This just happens to be a real pain in the backside. I can't wait until this is a distant memory. It feels as if we're close to a solution, but I'm no expert, so this is a huge learning curve for me. I really do appreciate all the help I've received. I truly couldn't do this without the help of everyone out there.
Thanks again,
-E

jimq

check the ground straps. If they are old they could be shorted from the surge and cause all kinds of different problems on these cars.

EtheCarGuy

Jim,
Thanks for the suggestion, is there a particular strap to check , or should I just check them all? It's going to have to wait until morning, but I'm sure Bentley outlines where they are.
Thanks again,
-E

Amber Gramps

come on, it's only midnight....some guys are just coming on line

EtheCarGuy

After removing everything from the lugagge compartment including the blower motor and associated stuff, I found the alarm module and the rev limiter. I have a problem in the wiring harness with pins 15 and 31 which, with a test light attached should shut the light off with the ignition turned on. It does not. I have surmised that this may be the problem...I'm not sure though. To compound matters, the Bentley manual shows that the wire going to the fuel pump relay (the one I think I am to cut) should be black. In the car, all of the wires match the colors that Bentley and his minions describe with the sole exception of the black one which is in fact, be ruling out all others based solely on color matching, brown with a red stripe (mmmmbeer.) The only wire I can see going in to the back of the fuel pump relay is in fact brown with, you guessed it, red stripe. I think I should cut the brown/red wire, hook the harness back into the alarm control module and give it a shot. I can live without this 25 year old rudimentary alarm.
What do you think?
-E

EtheCarGuy

OK, HERE IT IS. PROBLEM SOLVED!!!What I thought was the rev limiter (based solely on deduction, having nothing to do with fact because Mr. Bentley decided not to put it in his book) was not the rev limiter. I googled rev limiter 911sc and found a post here on Pelican from 2002 telling me where to find it...I popped out the fuel guage on the dash and it was mounted to the side wall of the car. I unplugged it, and the car fired right up!!!

Is there any risk (besides over revving the car) driving this, or should I replace it as soon as possible?

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!!!
-E
__________________

Amber Gramps

Eric, what a roller coaster. Thank you for taking the story all the way to the end. don't know about the rev limiter delete option code, but it sounds like a plus (just kidding). May be time to call a dismantler if it's not a catalog part. good luck and keep us posted on the rev limiter.

Peter Zimmermann

Eric: Did you not read my post (#38) to locate and unplug your speed (rev) limiter???

EtheCarGuy

Pete,
I did read your post, and thought that I had done it (no mention of location in the Bentley book, and no one offered the location apparently compounded by the fact that I neglected to ask you (or anyone else) where it is. I apologize if you feel that I wasted your time and trouble shooting skills. They were, and remain absolutely useful to both me and I'm sure others who may have a similar problem and will use this thread to help solve their problem.

Thank you once again, and I hope I can return the favor some time (clearly not with trouble shooting an electrical problem.

As always appreciative and with kind regards,
-E

Peter Zimmermann

I'm really glad that your car is fixed, and I'm sorry if my post, regarding speed limiter location, wasn't clear enough. The car is running (yea!), so no time has been wasted. All's well that ends well - don't forget to plug in your sensor plate housing safety switch!

EtheCarGuy

Got it! I also just re read your post on the spped limiter and noticed that you in fact did tell me EXACTLY ehere to look for it, and what to do. I apologize profusely! You are the guru!
On another happy note, I put the rest of the car back together and I am all ready to go. I just have to figure out weather or not I need to replace the limiter or just ignore it and make sure I don't over rev the engine. Either way, not a big deal.

Thanks again to Pete and everyone who helped out. I couldn't be happier!
-E