no juice to injector 4

1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
211,000 MILES • 2.2L • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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CHEVYJ
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I replaced the coil packs and the number4 injector I have plenty of spark so I tested the connector to the injector no juice so I checked the other injectors which are all working great the question I was wondering is can I splice injector number4 into injector number 3?????
Feb 17, 2016 at 10:21 AM
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JOHNNYT73
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no, you cannot because it is being energized by the computer to inject the fuel at a specific time. If you tie into with the fourth either they will both not work or 3 and 4 will pulse at the same time.
Feb 17, 2016 at 10:36 AM
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CHEVYJ
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What do u think the problem could be I've tested a few spots in the wire just behind the connector and no juice their either
Feb 17, 2016 at 10:39 AM
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JOHNNYT73
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Keep chasing the wire(s) back to find where you are losing the connection.
Feb 17, 2016 at 10:40 AM
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CHEVYJ
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10-4 I do know that this is a very common problem with the crapaliers
Feb 17, 2016 at 10:44 AM
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CARADIODOC
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The 12 volt supply is already spliced to all four injectors. You'll find each one has a gray wire. If voltage is missing to just one of them, peel the harness apart to locate the corroded splice or cut wire.
Feb 17, 2016 at 11:01 AM
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CHEVYJ
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OK so the code reader says it the injector control circuit what is this and what does it look like
Feb 17, 2016 at 2:51 PM
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CHEVYJ
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The code is po200 injector control circuit
Feb 17, 2016 at 2:54 PM
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CARADIODOC
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That's different. All four injectors have a common 12 volt feed wire spliced together. The control wires are the other ones in each connector. Those are grounded individually by the Engine Computer when it wants to pulse one on.

The fastest thing you can do is switch two injectors, erase the fault code, drive it and see if a code sets for the cylinder you moved the suspect injector to.
Feb 17, 2016 at 5:57 PM
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CHEVYJ
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I've heard of someone splice injectors 1 and 3 together and 2and 4 together and it running fine is this possible
Feb 17, 2016 at 6:02 PM
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CARADIODOC
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That is not the way professionals would fix this. If you can get your hands on a "noid" light, that will show if the injector is being pulsed by the computer.

Originally you said you were missing the 12 volts to one injector. All four must have 12 volts on their gray wires when the engine is running. If it's missing on only one injector, there's only a few inches of wire to inspect and one splice. It's a lot easier to fix the damage than it is to solder in another wire.

If it's the ground / control side that isn't being grounded by the computer, all four injectors have their own wires, and there's four "driver" circuits in the computer. Some engines years ago used "batch-fire" where two, three or four injectors were fired at the same time, and there were typically two batches, or groups. That reduces the number of circuits in the computer but it guarantees some of the injectors will squirt their fuel when their intake valve is not open. With sequential-fire, each injector is timed to open at the right time.

My fear, besides incorrect timing, is each driver circuit is designed to handle the very high current of one injector. If you add a second one, that will double the current and possibly take out that power transistor. Chrysler used to run fresh intake air through their Engine Computers to cool them, and they had almost no failures. GM had a real lot of failures, although not necessarily for this problem. I'd feel pretty sad if you destroyed your computer.

Gotta sign off in ten minutes. I'll be back in two days to see how you're doing.
Feb 17, 2016 at 6:18 PM
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CHEVYJ
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Injector 4 I've inspected about 4 feet of wire so far and am at a big junction of wire I wasn't ready to cut open yet and so far niether wire has any power
Feb 17, 2016 at 6:29 PM
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CHEVYJ
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And yes I used a test light
Feb 17, 2016 at 6:30 PM
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CARADIODOC
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A noid light is a special light for testing if the computer is pulsing the injectors. You have to select the proper light for your engine, year, and plug shape. Auto parts stores should have them. The guys who visit shops each week with their tool trucks will have them too. Those are totally different than regular 12 volt test lights. Injectors are typically pulsed on only for about 35 milliseconds. That isn't long enough to get the bulb in a test light to glow.

You CAN use a regular test light for the 12 volt supply to each injector. That's the gray wires. As I mentioned before, all four injectors' gray wires are spliced together. If you're missing 12 volts to just one injector, there's a break in that wire only as far as the splice which isn't going to be more than a few inches away. Be sure the test light's probe is making good contact with the terminal in the plug.
Feb 17, 2016 at 7:12 PM
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CHEVYJ
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I check the other injectors with the same testerband it worked and so far cylinder 4 the injector is not spliced into any other injectors idk
Feb 17, 2016 at 7:20 PM
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CHEVYJ
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OK I'm back swapped out the computer no my code read camshaft position sensor would this sensor cause my car to not start
Feb 25, 2016 at 4:18 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Yup. The Engine Computer uses signals from the crankshaft position sensor and / or camshaft position sensor to time spark and injector pulses. It has to see those signals during engine rotation, (cranking or running), to know when to turn on the fuel pump or pump relay.
Feb 26, 2016 at 7:45 AM
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CHEVYJ
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So the camshaft and crankshaft is the same thing
Feb 26, 2016 at 2:32 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Nope. I'm talking in generalizations because I don't know which your engine uses. All car models are different. Older Chryslers needed both signals for the computer to turn on the automatic shutdown relay. Later models, and some GM models need both signals for the engine to start, but once running, it will continue to run if one sensor fails during that drive cycle. Then, once stopped, it will not restart. Some GM engines will run on just one sensor but for starting, the computer picks which pair of cylinders to fire first, and it only has a 33 percent chance of picking correctly for a V-6 engine. If it picks wrong, you have to turn the ignition switch all the way off, then try again. Some engines start and run on just one sensor but injector timing will default to a backup strategy and fire in time with the spark plugs. Fuel distribution won't be the best, but the engine will run.

If you have a crankshaft sensor, it's somewhere where it can see a toothed ring or wheel on the crankshaft. If it uses a camshaft position sensor, that can be on a cylinder head where it will see a toothed wheel on a camshaft, or it can be a pickup coil inside the distributor.
Feb 26, 2016 at 2:57 PM
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CHEVYJ
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So any idea where the camshaft sensor is located on a 98 cavalier 2.2l
Feb 26, 2016 at 3:06 PM
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CARADIODOC
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The web site I use for service information is all messed up right now. It won't let me select a brand, model, or year. My best guess is you have a distributor and the sensor is inside it. GM put the ignition module in them too, then added the Engine Computer to the system to adjust spark timing. The sensor triggers the module; the module triggers the computer, the computer calculates the desired amount of delay to achieve perfect spark timing, then triggers the module to fire the ignition coil.
Feb 26, 2016 at 4:36 PM
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CHEVYJ
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Thanks for all ur help its very much appreciated
Feb 26, 2016 at 6:27 PM
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CHEVYJ
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Well I'm back after installing the new pcm I had a code for a camshaft circuit low voltage so I changed the sensor and it still says the same thing camshaft circuit low voltage what could this be
Feb 28, 2016 at 6:24 AM
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CHEVYJ
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Also would a computer from a manual cavalier work in a automatic
Feb 28, 2016 at 6:25 AM
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CHEVYJ
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Could I have gotten a bad computer it starts but shuts right off
Feb 28, 2016 at 6:35 AM
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CARADIODOC
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Diagnostic fault codes never say to replace parts or that one is bad. They only indicate the circuit that needs further diagnosis or the unacceptable operating condition. When a part is referenced in a code, it is actually the cause of that code only about half of the time. You also have to consider corroded connector terminals and cut or rubbed-through wires.

Three-wire magnetic position sensors usually develop a square-wave signal that bounces between 0 and 5 volts. I'm not sure what it takes to set the code you have. Other sensor signal voltages are usually limited to a range of 0.5 to 4.5 volts. 0 volts is not an acceptable voltage and is what it takes to set the code you have. There's two ways to look at that signal. One is with an oscilloscope which is built into a lot of newer scanners. The other is to view the sensor on a scanner's screen, then look at whether it is listed as "No" or "present". That is how it's done with my Chrysler scanner. That scanner will work on other brands of vehicles but with reduced functionality.

The best I can suggest is to measure the three voltages by back-probing the sensor's connector. The voltages will only be accurate when the sensor is plugged in. You should find 5.0 volts on the feed wire, and 0.2 volts on the ground wire. If those are right, measure on the signal wire. Expect to see that voltage change if you turn the engine a little by hand.

If the signal voltage stays at 0 volts before condemning the sensor, check the 5.0 volt feed terminal to be sure it's not spread and failing to make contact with the mating pin.
Feb 28, 2016 at 3:24 PM