A little additional Dakota Digital info, now from personal experience:
The work done/systems installed:
Wraptor serpentine belt and accessories system including new water pump (which it turned out meant a new timing chain cover), alternator, AC compressor, power steering pump and remote reservoir, and of course the bracket and pulleys. Vintage Air AC and heat complete system, Cold Case radiator and CC dual electric fans w/shroud, Dakota Digital VHX gauges, DD electric fan control module, Summit Racing GPS speedometer module, Carter M6907 mechanical fuel pump (the Pontiac version of the Mopar big block M6903).
Monday June 15th is when work began, by a referred "home based" mechanic. I had high hopes and enthusiasm, and there certainly is more he did right, and very well, than wrong, but we picked up the GTO August 1st, and
ON THE DAY WE PICKED THE CAR UP, "FINISHED"....
My wife insisted that she drive her GTO, and although I would have preferred to drive the "shakedown cruise" I wasn't expecting problems so...
After a brief chat w/the mechanic over basic instructions, we head out for the appx 40 minute ride back to the house, me in my Caravan and her driving her GTO. I tell her to keep an eye on the water temperature, since so much related to cooling was changed in major ways.
After about 20-25 minutes, maybe the last 10 being on a major Interstate highway, she calls me and says the water temperature is in the section below the highest section of H. So it was indicating around 220° or higher! I told her to pull over. I look over the gauges and under the hood, the gauge was actually reading higher than 220, but it certainly didn't seem to be showing signs of being that hot, like no pressure relief activity of the radiator cap, no coolant in the overflow.
I decided we should go the "back way" the rest of the way home. Fuel gauge indicates 1/4 tank. I also told her to turn off that wonderful, new Air Conditioner and roll down the windows, so the 95° hot, humid swampy breeze could blow through the car.
We make it about another 10 minutes and she pulls over. I go see what's up and the water temp gauge is almost pegged on H and the LCD display is indicating 295°!!
Also the engine has died. So she's pissed, I'm really getting angrier by the second because now I'm concerned about the possibility of overheating damage to the not but a few years ago completely performance rebuilt 421, and this is supposed to be the "celebratory ride home enjoying all the "new stuff" cruise"....
I call the mechanic, and he comes to meet us. In the meantime I find one of the 2 twelve inch electric fans is NOT running.
So he comes out and using the hand tools and digital multimeter I had with me determines that power is going from each dedicated power circuit and relay to each fan, but one is definitely not running. I also learned where and how those parts of the system are wired. So I decide we're close enough to the house to make it on one 12" fan, and he leaves...
It is then that I discovered that the fuel level gauge is NOT WORKING properly and the car IS OUT OF GAS, which explains why it stopped running. I go get gas and bring it back, put about 3 gallons in and how about that! The gas engine actually required gas to run...
Today I decided to get into it and Dakota Digital tech support was FANTASTIC, although I found the problem myself.
Yesterday and the day we drove the GTO back, I just couldn't believe that it was overheating, and yesterday it was stone cold and the water temperature gauge was pegged on H, with the digital LCD reading either 280° OR - - - flashing dashes. I decided to remove the bracket that holds the control box and modules under the dash and THIS is what I find where the water temperature sensor wires in:
View attachment 984014
The torque on the wires bundle actually had the 2 wires by the white arrows I drew much closer to each other and those sloppy strands of wire, that absolutely should NOT be like that, were touching each other. I disconnected and retwisted and slightly trimmed the ends, and reconnected them and VOILA!! The water temperature AND fuel gauges both work!
Moral to the story:
*Do whatever work you can yourself.
*If you have someone work on your car, carefully inspect their work, and try to find someone who has proven, good references.
*No matter how "good" they seem or are, take the time to spot check some key points of the work done.
I'm much happier now that I know we didn't cook the engine, and there wasn't anything wrong with the equipment installed. As far as the one of two electric fans that went out, Cold Case is sending a replacement already, and honestly I think the frame of the fan may have not had equal force applied to all 4 corners, and that may have tweaked/twisted the frame. I can see where it was rubbing against the outside frame, and I believe that is what may have killed it.
