First start :-) but some issues

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kurbkilla

Member
Had my first start over the weekend and it fired right up, but I'm having some small issues I need some help with tho.
1. small oil leak at new oil pressure sending unit (thinking some Permatex High Temperature Thread Sealant) Fixed
2. after turning off the key, the engine runs for about 10 sec then dies. Fixed, diodes worked
3. CEL/ABS/Seat belt/air bag lights (ABS/seat/Air I was thinking of black tape)(CEL P0030, 0449, 0452, 0053, 0443 (Evap and 02) I was think HP tuners but don't know how to do it. Fixed
4. Headlight wiring is wonky. I got THESE that allow DRL/low/high. We tested one wire at a time to the battery and the wires/light works correctly; however when I wire it to the harness the DRL and low beams turn on together. I can turn it off when I turn off auto lights, high beams will not turn on. I get the high beam symbol in the cluster but not in the light. And it doesn't matter what wire is connected; it always has the DRL and low on. Fixed, the headlight company labeled their wires wrong

Hoping to have all fixed and registered
 
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C

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
I can't get all your questions, but I can get a couple.

The engine running 10 seconds with the key off Is common, and can be fixed with a diode. Either your radiator fan, or in my case the intercooler pump, has enough of an electrical field to keep the car running for a few seconds. Putting a diode in line with it will fix the issue. It's documented on here, I just don't know where the thread is at the moment. If you search for "diode" you should find the thread that explains it.

HP tuners will fix your error codes. There's a section called engine diagnostics, I believe, that will list every possible error code and what happens when the ECM detects it. It should be up top of the toolbar, and looks like a little engine if I remember right. Setting the drop-down box to "no error reported" will make the light go away.
 
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Chubbs

Well-Known Member
Gtstorey said:
Hp tuners will only take car of the power codes so the abs, seat etc will still be on.
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Right, I forgot about those other lights.

dfkitcar.com

Disabling Check Engine Light (CEL) and Others

In order to disable the lighting of the Check Engine Light (CEL), Tire Pressure, Traction Control (T/C), Air Bag, and Seat Belt without completely disassembling the dash, you can cut these traces on the back side. Remove the white cover from the back to expose the traces on the back of the...
dfkitcar.com dfkitcar.com

Here's how to get rid of those. Or, electrical tape is an option.
 
K

kurbkilla

Member
Chubbs said:
Right, I forgot about those other lights.

dfkitcar.com

Disabling Check Engine Light (CEL) and Others

In order to disable the lighting of the Check Engine Light (CEL), Tire Pressure, Traction Control (T/C), Air Bag, and Seat Belt without completely disassembling the dash, you can cut these traces on the back side. Remove the white cover from the back to expose the traces on the back of the...
dfkitcar.com dfkitcar.com

Here's how to get rid of those. Or, electrical tape is an option.
Click to expand...
I did the tape method, don't want to cut the Wong data line
 
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Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
Since no one else has taken on #4, I'll give it a shot.

Lets start with some clarification on what exactly you mean by this statement "And it doesn't matter what wire is connected; it always has the DRL and low on."

You also need to update your signature to show your donor. I have the service manual that covers the 08-10 pretty well so I can look up wiring diagrams for those if we get into it that deeply.
 
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kurbkilla

Member
Gtstorey said:
Since no one else has taken on #4, I'll give it a shot.

Lets start with some clarification on what exactly you mean by this statement "And it doesn't matter what wire is connected; it always has the DRL and low on."
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What I mean is I can attach the car low beam to the headlight hi beam. But when I turn on the car the DRL and low beam are on. It doesn't matter how I wire it, which wire of the headlight is connected to the car harness the result is the same DRL and low beam always on.
 
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Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
Not sure how that is possible unless there is something going on in the light itself. Feeding 12v power and ground to the same wires from different sources and getting different results would indicate a light problem that changes with the position of the light or position of the wires etc.
 
K

kurbkilla

Member
Gtstorey said:
Not sure how that is possible unless there is something going on in the light itself. Feeding 12v power and ground to the same wires from different sources and getting different results would indicate a light problem that changes with the position of the light or position of the wires etc.
Click to expand...
I wonder if it is the light because when we test the light to the battery we are only doing one wire at a time. It's almost like connecting all the wires overload the light to default (DRL & low). But it's seems odd that I would have two malfunctioning lights.
 
Rauq

Rauq

Goblin Guru
Some facts and then some conjecture:

From my understanding, the '07+ Cobalts (regardless of trim) run the low beams at half voltage for DRLs. In comparison, the '06 and older run the front turn signals. The newer DRL style has a DRL fuse in the fuse box, while the older ones don't.

I would start with pulling the DRL fuse to make diagnosis easier.

Based on the fact that your '07 would have the low beams as the DRL, I wonder if your headlight's DRL is actually connected to the marker lamps, and they're on because your ambient light sensor is not getting enough light to turn the auto headlights off. When your headlight's DRL is on, are your taillights on at all? If so, that's likely not your DRLs turning on because the car is trying to run DRLs, it's because your headlights are on because of the auto headlights.
 
K

kurbkilla

Member
Rauq said:
Some facts and then some conjecture:

From my understanding, the '07+ Cobalts (regardless of trim) run the low beams at half voltage for DRLs. In comparison, the '06 and older run the front turn signals. The newer DRL style has a DRL fuse in the fuse box, while the older ones don't.

I would start with pulling the DRL fuse to make diagnosis easier.

Based on the fact that your '07 would have the low beams as the DRL, I wonder if your headlight's DRL is actually connected to the marker lamps, and they're on because your ambient light sensor is not getting enough light to turn the auto headlights off. When your headlight's DRL is on, are your taillights on at all? If so, that's likely not your DRLs turning on because the car is trying to run DRLs, it's because your headlights are on because of the auto headlights.
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Tail lights are on with the auto light. if I turn auto lights off, tail lights/DRL/low beams all turn off. But I still cant turn on high beams
 
Rauq

Rauq

Goblin Guru
Are your high beam fuses in good shape?

I'm still confused by the DRLs. If I understand your system correctly, if your ambient light sensor is seeing enough light, you should have 50% voltage on the low beam wire, and no power at any other light connection. I'm not sure how the DF harness guide provides instructions for the harness to the headlights, but I do wonder if you have three wires there, which would likely be low beam, high beam, and (basically marker lamp).

At this point I'm not sure if I can be of any further help. There's folks that know more about your setup than I do.
 
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Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
I’m still not sure if you are getting DRL/low beams when you connect to the high beam wire of the light. Or are these problems only after you connect all of the light wires?

I think that I remember that for the lights you will have a high beam, low beam, parking and turn signal with the turn signal and parking light going to the mirror/signal combo?

Start by using a multi meter and checking for voltage on the wires that are supplying the lights in all of the possible settings (park, low, high and turn). this will narrow it down to a light or a car problem.

If this is just a matter of the hi beam not working because of no power to the wire, there are several things that could cause it such as wiring from the BCM to the fuse box or fuse box to the light, hi beam fuse and the hi beam relay on the printed circuit board are the top of the list if the older models are wired the same as the newer.
 
K

kurbkilla

Member
Headlights figured out. They miss labeled the wires on the lights and I mixed up the driver /passenger wires (2 from driver on pass. side) o_O..now they work perfectly. on a side note how long after turning of the car do the DRL's typical stay on?
 
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