Williamj95 Build

[williamj95]

2009 LS automatic
First Start - Nothing

Ok guys, I just tried my first start and it didn't go well. I'm jumping the battery since this Cobalt battery hasn't been used in a year. I have power on the dash. Fuel gauge went up as I added fuel. I was able to jump the fuel pump to purge air out of the lines. When I turn the key to start it, I get absolutely nothing. Clearly the signal from the ignition is not making it to the starter. I really have no idea how to start troubleshooting this. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Rttoys]

With key on:

Did you hear the fuel pump and throttle body cycle?

is the security light flashing?

do all the lights turn on, on the dash?

did you do the wiring harness yourself?

 

[Ross]

Does the dash indicate you are in Park?
Is there any other safety requirements to start an automatic?
Probably hold the brake pedal?
Is the brake pedal switch hooked up?

 

[Ark :D]

If nothing else, elevate the back wheels off the ground via jack stands, turn the key on, and jump 12v from the battery to the starter to see if it cranks that way or if you have a bad starter. Be careful with this method.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Oooh, sounds too much like a 'hold my beer for a minute and watch this' moment.

Ok, got the fuel pump to run by jumpering, but did you short to something else? That would not be good and can cause other disastrous electrical problems.

 

[Joebob]

Make sure everything is plugged in, so many interconnections. I have seen it that stuff like the power steering is not plugged in because someone wanted to see the engine run first. If the network circuit is not complete, the dash and lights and lots of other things will work but the car won't crank or run. You need to make sure the grounds are all clean and all the plugs are plugged in including the TCU. The shifter cable also needs to be pulled all the way out which is Park position.

What @Rttoys wrote above are good checks to see if the network is working.

I also have a AT. the car can be started without a foot on the brake but it has to be in Park or Neutral. The brake is needed to trip the shift lockout solenoid.

Joe

 

[Gtstorey]

If you mess up and jump the fuel pump wrong it burn out out a trace I the circuit board in the fuse box. People really need to stop jumping that relay.
I would go through things methodically starting at the starter and see at what point you lose power. That would require you getting the starter circuit diagram for your model.

 

[williamj95]

Ok guys. I appreciate all your quick responses. Looking over all your comments, Ross's comment about it being in Park made a lot of sense to me. If it's not in park it's just not going to try and start, which is what I was dealing with. So I went back to the transmission cable. I thought I had pushed it all the way in, but giving it another try it clicked in one more position, so it clearly wasn't in park. I turned the key and it turned over. It took me half a dozen tries of pumping the gas but I finally got it to start as soon as you turn the key. Problem is, it only runs for about four or five seconds and then it stalls out. I have a lot of uninstalled senors right now - O2, Mass Air Flow, and so on. Not sure if maybe one or more of those are the problem or maybe it's something else? Thoughts on what to try next?

 

[williamj95]

Hey guys, I don't want to waste anyone's time. As soon as I sent that last post, I walked back out to the garage and turned the key. It started up and it's staying running. Maybe it just needed to get gas all through the system. Anyways, at the moment I think I'm good. I'm going to be starting stage 2 soon. There are only a couple videos left by the folks from DF and they clearly don't finish stage 2. Are there any videos or step by step instructions on the forum here to help me get through stage 2?

 

[Rttoys]

good, glad it started.

maf needs to be plugged in to run right.

and never “pump the gas”. Once you get past 75% throttle, it goes into “clear flood” mode, meaning it’ll shut off the injectors in an attempt to clear a flooded engine.

 

[Gtstorey]

Getting gas through the system has nothing to do with it cranking. You will probably have to track down a loose connection eventually.

 

[escapepilot]

Hey guys, I don't want to waste anyone's time. As soon as I sent that last post, I walked back out to the garage and turned the key. It started up and it's staying running. Maybe it just needed to get gas all through the system. Anyways, at the moment I think I'm good. I'm going to be starting stage 2 soon. There are only a couple videos left by the folks from DF and they clearly don't finish stage 2. Are there any videos or step by step instructions on the forum here to help me get through stage 2?

There are a few videos in the archived videos section, I think Part 20 is where you would need to start. The new ones and old ones don't always go in the same order so some things may have been done already or done differently and the old ones are longer and have many steps.

 

[williamj95]

2009 LS Auto
Solid Transmission Mount for Auto

Guys, I recently finished the last build video, #24. I was going thru the parts that I have left and came across these two metal brackets (parts P11O and P11P) and a hardware bag (part N15M) that are all labeled Solid Transmission Mount for Auto. Never saw these parts in any of the build videos. Did a search here on the forum and couldn't find any matches. I feel like I probably should have already installed these. Can anyone show me where these parts are to be installed?

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

P11P is the rear mount that bolts onto the raised triangular three bolt pad on the rear side Cobalt subframe. P11O is the front mount that bolts onto the double ear mount on the front side of the Cobalt subframe.

The mounts should align with bolt holes in the transmission case - I don't have an automatic so I don't have photos. These are photos from the manual transmission solid mounts, the automatic mounts should be mounted similarly.

 

[williamj95]

Ok. I see where these are supposed to go. I actually reused the donor transmission mounts front and back, and have those bolted in so I think I'm good to you with this. I'll just put these parts to the side.

Thanks for reply.

 

[williamj95]

Steeling Wheel Install Question

Guys, I decided to try and get the steering wheel installed. I see how the steering column hardware gets installed on the frame and extends toward the inside of the Goblin with the shaft in the middle of it. Thing is, my steering wheel shaft doesn't even extend to the end of the top bracket that the steering column hardware attaches too, as you can see in the pic.

I read some stuff on the forum that made me think the steering wheel shaft should be able to slide in and out. My shaft does not move so I'm not sure if that is right. Maybe I installed something wrong? Backwards?

Can someone shed some light on what I'm missing here? Thanks.

 

[jamesm]

There should be another shaft piece for the wheel side of the power steering unit. It's bearing sits in a DF provided block that bolts to those other two holes.

 

[williamj95]

Jamesm, thanks for the reply. It's been over a year since I striped my Cobalt. I completely forgot about that part. Makes total sense now.
'
Thanks.

 

[williamj95]

Headlight Question

Fixing to install the headlights. The actual install of the headlights on the Goblin seems straight forward enough. My question is in regards to the wiring. My Cobalt wiring for the headlights has five wires on each side. The driver's side has yellow, green with white stripe, dark brown, light blue and black. The passenger side has tan with white stripe, green with black stripe, dark brown, dark blue, and black. The headlights supplied by DF have four wires - white, yellow, brown and black. Can some tell me what Cobalt wires go to which headlight wires?

 

[Rttoys]

This should help

LED Headlight, Turn Signal & Brake Wiring

Full disclosure: this is not my realm of expertise, I'm effectively handicapped when it comes to understanding some of this stuff but I could use your help! I'm not using the standard headlights, sideview mirrors, or rear lights and this creates a 'fun' opportunity for me. While searching...

dfkitcar.com