My first generation build

[Fatmanwa]

Hello everyone, thought I would post my build and any questions I might have in the process.

Right now I am trying to fix the wiper system as the truck I got had its wiper motor taken out. I grabbed a 2nd Gen motor and although the bolts and holes do not match up perfectly I got it to somewhat connect. I plugged in the connector I thought would work and nothing happened when I turn the wipers on. So I plugged in another connector and it immediately made the motor hum and the 4x4 light to turn on. My guess is the original plug is for wipers and there's either a wiring issue or the switch on the Columbia is bad. Question I have now is what everyone think the second connector should go to?

[Fatmanwa]

Well I was following the advice on this forum and was changing the ther5. This resulted in two snapped bolts and a stuck bolt extractor. Now I have to decide to either do the "quick" fix and pay a machine shop to fix it or try and find anot her manifold. What to do, what to do....

[pennyman1]

as you found out, the wiper motors are different, and not interchangeable. The intake is a headache in itself, as finding another one will not be easy - it must be from an 82 - 89 2.6 g54b motor, although one from a k car / caravan 2.6 would work if you can find them in the JYs. There may still be an 86 truck in a yard near me that might still have the wiper motor on it - I can look to see and pull it if its there. No guarantees, as I have been pulling a lot off of it, and it could become crusher bait at any time.

[Fatmanwa]

Well I was following the advice on this forum and was changing the ther5. This resulted in two snapped bolts and a stuck bolt extractor. Now I have to decide to either do the "quick" fix and pay a machine shop to fix it or try and find anot her manifold. What to do, what to do....


I found a pop with a ton of parts and he has anot intake he's willing to sell for pretty cheap. He said it's from a 2.6 engine out of a ram 50. Is there any I should look at to see if it will or won't fit? I plan on going to a pick n pull this weekend as they just got a first generation truck there. Hopefully it has the parts I need. Unfortunately the website says it has the 2.0 engine.

[pennyman1]

look at the manifold at the distributor end - there should be one bolt on the far left top, and the first lower left bolt should be below the #1 cylinder runner - check to be sure yours is the same or take the old one with you. If the intake has 2 bolts on the far left by the distributor, it will not work, it is an early 2.6 manifold. All parts, like the wiper motor and column switch are the same, motor and trannys are different.

[Fatmanwa]

Went to the junk yard today and pulled off parts from a first generation Mitsubishi max. Surprised that us was basic lyrics a complete vehicle. I found an intake off anow early montero, and everything looks like it will fit? Now I just need to get the adapter plate for the weber carb off the original manifold. Feel like the guy glued it in place. Thanks for the help!

[Fatmanwa]

Got both manifolds stripped down to swap parts and noticed the new one had one of the bolts holes for the carb welded iver. Took it to a shop and they tried drilling it and turns out it has the same problem as mine, stuck extractor. So now on to find anot her one. I found a station at a junkyard somewhat near me, got the 2.6 turbo engine. Anyone know if it will fit the non turbo set up?

[pennyman1]

it will, but the bolt pattern for the throttle body is different than the carb.

[Fatmanwa]

it will, but the bolt pattern for the throttle body is different than the carb.

So my assumption was right, those cars are only fuel injected. Well I am still searching for an intake! I think shipping from the east coast would cost a lot

[pennyman1]

its too big for a priority flat rate box I think. it would probably be 40 - 50 to ship it if I would have to guess

[85Ram50]

Try Ram light Truck Parts in Portland.

[Fatmanwa]

Try Ram light Truck Parts in Portland.

Ok, now I feel like an idiot. I found that guy a long time ago, but completely forgot about him! Just called an he says he's got the part! More expensive thank a junk yard but cheaper than the machine shop! Going there tomorrow morning.

[85Ram50]

It may not look it but it's a cool place don't tell a lot of people about it, save it for serious folks and don;t let on to them about how cool these rigs are. :) They quoted me $150 for a door this morning sounded high to me since I saw what they have.

[Fatmanwa]

Got everything assembled and it started right up! But I sense a carb rebuild soon. Anyone got a good how to on the weber?

[85Ram50]

This should help you
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/5615-Weber-carb-help?highlight=weber+carb+rebuild

[Fatmanwa]

Thought I would add some pictures of the work I have done.

[Fatmanwa]

The pictures show the truck when I bought it and at its new home. Then after I took it apart showing the broken easy out on the thermostat housing. also, that carb is pretty filthy. the inside looks pretty bad too. I sprayed it off with some throttle body cleaner, so its a little cleaner now. While at the junk yard I happen to find a new weber air filter. Good thing to since looking closely at mine I can nearly see right through it.

Next I plan on adding some mechanical gauges, finding some clips for the air filter (using zip ties right now) and getting some tires. Also need to fix the vent system a bit. It mostly works, but it wont switch to defrost.

Since I plan on using this for a race, I plan on getting a CB radio and some LED lights. Probably also have my friend/co-driver fab up some nice off-road style bumpers. The front is bent up after some sort of front end collision and the back one looks bent from to heavy of a load.

More pictures to come.

[85Ram50]

I had to get the heater box out of a junk yard my levers were stiff and the valve was frozen on mine. You might try lubing them at the box or taking the box out and cleaning it up. Mice like to build nests in them. I have an extra blower motor if you need it.

[Fatmanwa]

The blower works, I was messing with the knobs that switch from vent to defrost and something came undon, heard it disconnect. Now I have another issue. Drove it a bit and parked it, then came back and tried to unlock the door and nothing happened. Went through the passenger door and tried opening it from the inside, nothing. And to make matters worse, the knob on the lock is broken off. Now I need to figure out how to open the door to fix it.

[Fatmanwa]

Quick question: I was looking around on 4wheelparts.com and noticed that they listed two Mitsubishi axles and diffs for each. They listed an 8" for front the front axle and 9" for rear. Do these parts fit my first gen truck?

[pennyman1]

the 1st gen are 8" front and rear, but the front diff is slightly smaller than the rear diff - a locker from a starquest fits the front of the 1st gen axle. later 2nd gen v6 4wds have the 9" diff in the rear

[Fatmanwa]

Ok, I am at a loss. Bought a timing light and tried to adjust timing to stop the run on. The timing looked like it was at what I guess is 30° before TDC. Moved it to what I think is 7°. Then I tried adjusting the carb mix screw and idle screw. Went for a drive and as soon as I shift to second and hit the gas it bogs down and has zero power. It will also back fire if I keep pressing it. Tried adjusting timing again with a diff Mark and nothing changed. But now I think I have some pinging going on as it sounds more like a 4 cylinder diesel.

Sooo, what should I do?

[pennyman1]

it sounds like you have the distributor one tooth off. You need to get that timing right for it to run right. Pinging sounds too advanced - your saying it was 30 degrees BTDC before you adjusted the timing couldn't have been right. there are threads on here that will help you get the distributor back in right.

[Fatmanwa]

Ok, going to look around the pull your some more. Maybe I was using the wrong mark. Oh, should I have the vacume line off of the distributor while doing the timing?

[geezer101]

You need the vac line on the distributor to be connected during tuning. Also make sure your air/fuel mix screw is adjusted correctly. What is your idle rpm like? Try to set your throttle stop with a minimum of load on the throttle linkage and dial it in slowly. Timing, throttle and air fuel all affect each other - once you have got one right, the others fall into place eventually.

[Fatmanwa]

Ok, so thinking back on what I was doing. When I did the original timing, it was only a little off, adjusted it and was done. I went to the carb next and noticedoI forgot to reconnect the vacume line for the distributor. Redid the timing and that's when it was way off. Adjusted it and started the carb again. Had some trouble as I think the throttle cable or something is pulling just hard enough that it idles faster then normal. Like you are resting your foot on the gas pedal. I put pressure on he linkage so that it's at idle and need to have the mix screw out almost two tunes before the engine sounds decent. The idle screw isn't even touching the linkage.

My plan is to try and find the timing mark on the pully with the engine off. Then put the mix screw back to 1 turn out. Then try and set the timing again. Where on the pully is the mark? Previous owner marked several spots with some paint, so just trying to figure out which is correct.

[Fatmanwa]

Oh, the reason thevacume line was off was from replacing the I take manifold. And I also do not know what the exact ram is, might need to go buy a gauge or something to get a better idea. I just know it seems faster than what it should be.

[85Ram50]

The timing mark on my 85 Ram is a notch in the pulley if that helps figure out the marks. I marked it and 5btdc with a silver sharpie.

[Fatmanwa]

Don't know what the rim is as I don't have a tac. But it seems high as I feel like the throttle cable is pulling to much on the carb linkage. I can push it a bit and the rpms go down to what sounds normal. Gonna try and do everything over again tomorrow. Can someone post a pick of what the timing mark looks like? The previous owner seemed to have marked a couple spots and I just want to make sure I am looking at the right thing.

[Fatmanwa]

That last post was kind of a duplicate of the previous post as I didn't realize this thread made it to page two! Thought one of my posts didn't work, and I can't figure out how to delete things.

[Fatmanwa]

Thewe are the instructions I was following for the carb adjustment.

[Fatmanwa]

http://www.carburetion.com/Weber/adjust.htm

[Fatmanwa]

Ok, I am positive I did the timing right. I am positive I did the carb adjustment right. But when this engine goes down to low idle it still sounds like a diesel. It does not lag as much when I start to gain speed, but it still does. And if I push it it will back fire. What I find I find interesting is it out does this at a certain rpm range. Low it's fine, high it's fine. It just lags in the middle while gaining speed.

My current plan is to run sea foam through the carb and try cleaning it out. Also plan on replacing plugs. I will also look up how to see if the distributor is off by a tooth and adjust if needed. Engine also still runs on after I turn it off, but on do feel like it's not as bad, or I am getting better at letting out the clutch a bit.

[geezer101]

What do the plugs look like? If they've got carbon on them I'd suspect it's running rich (and/or the timing is still out). Maybe consider replacing the ignition coil as well. Have a good look at the throttle cable and make sure it's not over adjusted or binding somewhere as this will prevent you from getting the idle rpm in the ball park. If you can't set the throttle linkage stop it will mess with all your other adjustments (timing, air fuel etc)

[Fatmanwa]

Got the timing done with the proper procedure. Now it runs fine. Still has a bit of a run on, but I plan on doing seafoam today and plugs tomorrow. They are pretty dirty. Throttle cable seems tight, gonna try and figure out how to adjust it. But I also feel like the springs on it and the carb are weak. I plan on buying new linkage for the carb in the near future. Probably same time I do the rebuild.

[geezer101]

Give the linkages a spray with WD40. It might help freeing them up and getting them to actuate smoother. Also take the throttle cable out and give it a dose of WD40 as well. If it feels like it's grinding you might be better off finding (or even making) a new throttle cable assembly. I bodged one up out of a heavy duty MTB brake cable and a brass barrel lock for another project and it worked great and was dirt cheap too.

[pennyman1]

Graphite oil is better for cables - it stays long after WD40 evaporates and lubricates better. Locksmiths use it for locks.

[Fatmanwa]

I did the seafoam, and it only smoked a little while sprayijg. Zero smoke after soaking. Seemed strange after seeing all the other videos belching smoke. Gonna compare the plugs once the engine cools down. Probably buy some new onestuff tomorrow. Oh, and it didn't run on after I turned off the engine!

[Fatmanwa]

Decided to grease the fittings today, pretty sure I need to replace all the ball joints, tie-rods, bushings galore! Is it a requirement to replace the a-arms with all of these? I also noticed the bushings around the torsion (?) Bars peeled apart. They actually felt like grease or really soft rubber. What's up with that?

[pennyman1]

they have deteriorated from age - get the urethane bushings for the strut rod and lower control arm bushings.

[Fatmanwa]

Looking at ball joint tools, is there a specific size I should get? Or are the standard sets on amazon good enough?

[geezer101]

Get OEM replacements or nothing will fit back together. My recommendation is using ones that can be greased regularly. Sealed units won't last as long and have a tendency to be el cheapo quality.

[pennyman1]

regular ball joint tools work fine.

[Fatmanwa]

Been a long time since I have updated this thread. Haven't really done anything since the weather has been crazy. But I have decided to buy a 2" body lift from 4crawler and hopefully fit something a little taller than 27" tires in the truck. I plan on going with some general grabber at2's.

Does anyone have experience with the 4crawler body lift? Or any brand of body lifts? Care to give some advice?

[Fatmanwa]

Decided to rebuild the carb. Went to unscrew the cap for the filter, and the screw decided to break off. Now I have broken off threads in the housing. What to do what to do.

[Fatmanwa]

Boy it's been a ling time again. Got the truck up and running for the gambler 500 and had a blast!

Been working in this and that to prepare for the next race, but all of a sudden the head lights stopped working! The previous owner did something that "made" the lights work through a toggle switch. I tried repairing some of the crap wire job they did, but headlights still do not work. Think it's best just to rip it all out and start over. Anyone have a suggestion on a wiring kit for these trucks? The prvmivious owner removed all the relays and who knows what else. That's why I am thinking a lot would be best.

Also, once a weber is installed, can I just throw out the ecm? It is the thing on the passenger side right? Really wanting to clean up the wiring in this truck. If I had the time I would consider removing all the wiring and using some sort of harness from painless or similar brand.

[Fatmanwa]

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Here are some pictures of the wiring that is in the truck. The one I am holding comes from the alternator and currently splits off to the battery and the plug holding all of the wires for the headlights. I am assuming one of those plastic bits is a fusible link like the chilton manual says should be there.

[geezer101]

I am going to recommend you get your hands on another wiring loom from a wreck and clean slate the truck. It will make your life easier and will be cheaper than a full aftermarket kit that will have a bunch of connections you will still need to modify to make it work with the factory plugs. My advice is, while you're at it - buy an aftermarket headlight adapter loom from ebay and upgrade your lights to H4 halogens. You can get them cheap enough and halogens are by far one of the best improvements you can add onto your truck -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-Headlight-Headlamp-H4-Light-Bulbs-Relay-Wiring-Harness-4-Ceramic-Socket-Plug/232125265635?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.M BE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3Dee540452ef4d439 680feceadb26bcef0%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D 12%26sd%3D272514152164&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOUR-4x6-Halogen-Semi-Sealed-H4-Crystal-Clear-Headlights-Conversion-Bulbs-Chevy/232460891666?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.M BE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3D67ec13f5b13a460 0b2b57b58818b8a0e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D 6%26sd%3D232436828397&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 (you can get them with sexy looking black housings as well)

As for the ECM module, rip it out. It's another electrical gremlin waiting to ambush you and it's just dead weight (when it comes to competing, light = might)

[Fatmanwa]

I am going to recommend you get your hands on another wiring loom from a wreck and clean slate the truck. It will make your life easier and will be cheaper than a full aftermarket kit that will have a bunch of connections you will still need to modify to make it work with the factory plugs. My advice is, while you're at it - buy an aftermarket headlight adapter loom from ebay and upgrade your lights to H4 halogens. You can get them cheap enough and halogens are by far one of the best improvements you can add onto your truck -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-Headlight-Headlamp-H4-Light-Bulbs-Relay-Wiring-Harness-4-Ceramic-Socket-Plug/232125265635?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.M BE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3Dee540452ef4d439 680feceadb26bcef0%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D 12%26sd%3D272514152164&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOUR-4x6-Halogen-Semi-Sealed-H4-Crystal-Clear-Headlights-Conversion-Bulbs-Chevy/232460891666?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.M BE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3D67ec13f5b13a460 0b2b57b58818b8a0e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D 6%26sd%3D232436828397&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 (you can get them with sexy looking black housings as well)

As for the ECM module, rip it out. It's another electrical gremlin waiting to ambush you and it's just dead weight (when it comes to competing, light = might)


Thanks for the tip Geezer! I actually did visit a junkyard yesterday in hopes of finding some parts, but they must have just cleared the row that listed an 85 truck. There is another yard farther away that has an 87, not sure it will still be there when I get the chance to take a look at it. Do you think a wire harness from any truck would work well?

[Fatmanwa]

Here are some pictures of the truck during the Gambler 500. If you go to Instagram and look up FATMANWA, I have a couple videos there.

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[geezer101]

When they made the transition from Gen 1 to Gen 2, some of the control switches changed and they aren't cross compatible. That being said, I can't see why it wouldn't be possible go the full deal and replace the wiper/indicator combo switch and a few other units from the Gen 2 (don't know if it has been done but at the end of the day, you'll end up with intermittent wiper delay and a bunch of newer components that should be easier to source replacements for) The electrics for these trucks are pretty basic without EFI and with a whole wiring loom laid out in front of you, you can delete/add and modify it to suit your build. It would be easier just to get another Gen 1 loom that hasn't been butchered but sometimes you have to work with what's available...

[geezer101]

btw, that looks like a heap of fun! :grin:

[Fatmanwa]

btw, that looks like a heap of fun! :grin:

It was one of the best weekends I have ever had.

I ordered a similar headlight kit from amazon for the headlights. I am going to be on the look out for a first gen truck to pull the wire harness and just get a good idea on what things "should" look like. I do need to figure out how to pull the dash off.

[geezer101]

Gen 1's are easy enough to pull apart. Take off the heater control knobs and the blower knob, undo the blower switch nut. There's 2 screws in the upper part of the gauge shroud - remove them. You should be able to pull the whole dash panel out (if you have tilt adjust steering, drop it down as pulling the dash panel out takes a bit of wrangling to clear the steering column cover top). Unplug the lighter socket and you can take the whole dash panel out of the way, exposing 4 screws that hold the gauge cluster in place (one in each corner). Remove them and pull the cluster forward, reach in behind the cluster and unplug the 3 connector sockets and unscrew the speedo cable.

Done. This should give you all the access you need to the under dash wiring. :thumbup:

[Fatmanwa]

Pulled out the ecm the other day. If anyone is interested in it, they can have it it just pay for shilping. It will come with what I believe is all of the original carb connections.

[Fatmanwa]

Finally "made" my headlights work, got one of those premade wire harnesses. Now I have my regular headlights, but one of the brights comes on too, dimly lite though. I also hooked up my electric choke wire to the black wire with a white strip that connects to the white piece on the ignition coil. Drove to work the next day and everything was fine. Went to drive home and had a dead battery, the starter pushed the gear out but then no spin. Disconnected all of my extra wires (led bar, cb, power inverter, new light harness) and the electric choke. Got a jump and it started, reconnected electric choke so it wouldn't rev so high.

Now I am trying to find out what caused the battery to drain. Is the location I connected the choke to a good one? From the wiring diagrams is seems like the same wire that was suggested to me (original carb fuel cut off solenoid). If it is a good one, then the drain must have come from another source, probably the headlight relays or something.

[geezer101]

The place you hooked up the electric choke is standard. There is no power to the coil without the ignition switch turned to the 'ON' position so there's no chance of it being live the whole time (unless someone did something really stupid to the ignition circuit, which would then lead to the ICM in the distributor burning out very quickly). There must be a live continuous power issue somewhere else which has just taken place since you fixed the headlights. Did you hook up power from the battery for the new headlight harness?

[Fatmanwa]

The place you hooked up the electric choke is standard. There is no power to the coil without the ignition switch turned to the 'ON' position so there's no chance of it being live the whole time (unless someone did something really stupid to the ignition circuit, which would then lead to the ICM in the distributor burning out very quickly). There must be a live continuous power issue somewhere else which has just taken place since you fixed the headlights. Did you hook up power from the battery for the new headlight harness?

I Bought a kit similar to what you suggested from Amazon. It has power from the battery to relays, then to lights and have short ground wires that I screwed into the body. I then took a wire from negative to the cab where I hooked up a switch and then to the negative side of the relays. I feel like I may have constant power to the relays, so may need to rethink how I power them.

Thanks for letting me know the choke wire is good, I remember you describing where you hook it up. But since I just tore out the ECM and original carb wiring, I wanted to make sure I did it right.

[geezer101]

If you have a pocket multimeter, check the relays for signs of voltage while the switch is off. If you don't have one - get one. They can be had for cheaps and are invaluable for digging around auto electrics. I would look at the relay that is tripping off the high beam - I think there's something suspicious going on there. There shouldn't be any voltage passing into that circuit without the high beams actually switched on (maybe the relay is faulty...)

[Fatmanwa]

Was looking at rock auto and trying to compare possible alternators that would be a direct fit and have higher amps. It looks like one from a 1984 Cordia would fit, but it's at a different clock (10 vs 6). do you think the clock or position of the alternators matters much in our trucks? Seems like it would be more important in vehicles that have tight spaces.

[geezer101]

Maybe an alternator from an Express/Starwagon engine would be better. They have a 110 amp rating as well (the Cordia ones I looked at were 75...?) The closer to the original alternator mounting the better. Less messing with belts, pulleys and brackets. The charging system in these trucks is one of it's bugs. A weak alternator and low CCA rated battery will ambush you when you need it least (pouring rain, freezing cold and driving at night - yay...) Once you have the charging system beefed up you can upgrade the headlights and add some extra spotlights and/or a decent stereo.

[Fatmanwa]

Maybe an alternator from an Express/Starwagon engine would be better. They have a 110 amp rating as well (the Cordia ones I looked at were 75...?) The closer to the original alternator mounting the better. Less messing with belts, pulleys and brackets. The charging system in these trucks is one of it's bugs. A weak alternator and low CCA rated battery will ambush you when you need it least (pouring rain, freezing cold and driving at night - yay...) Once you have the charging system beefed up you can upgrade the headlights and add some extra spotlights and/or a decent stereo.

I was under the impression they are not a direct swap. Is that true?

[pennyman1]

Depending on the year of the alternator and truck, the plug on the truck may need to be changed to match the alternator - easy fix. May also have to change pulley if it is off a car with serpentine belts

[Fatmanwa]

Went to Pick-N-Pull this afternoon to try and grab some parts for my new LED headlights (pics coming soon) from a 90ish ram 50. As I was walking around I found an 87 Raider and decided to look at what I could take from it. Low and behold it has a limited slip! My plan is to go back in a couple days and pull it out so that I can put in my truck. Quick question: it seems like I can just swap out the rear end gears, just pull out the whole set up from the forward side of the axle. But what about the front, I have read that they are different ratio from the ram 50? I have a 4x4 and want to keep it that way, how easy is it to swap those out?

[pennyman1]

there were 2 ratios - 3.909 and 4.222 - both came with LSD. the 4.22 gears are the ones everyone wants in a 4wd - John baker used to sell them for the 2wd 2.6 to put the motor in the power band at highway speeds.

[Fatmanwa]

Went to drive my truck the other day (like a month ago) and the engine started to turn over but then just stopped. I tried again and all I heard was a click. Thinking dead battery I hooked up my jumper pack and tried again, still just a click. Took off starting thinking it was bad. Had it tested at Autozone and it worked just fine, so I put it back in the truck. Made sure my jumper pack was fully charged (it was) and tried again, still just a click. Did some of my own testing with a multimeter (should have done this first) and from what I can tell, its a bad solenoid. I am about to order one, but before I do, would anyone like to suggest another possible culprit?

I have also been wanting to change up the exhaust on this truck, but on the super cheap. I am not really looking for lots of power gains, but if some happens, that's good. Other than pace setter, can someone suggest headers that would work on the 2.6? Maybe something found off a stock engine from a junk yard? Suggestions on muffler? was thinking of a magnaflow, maybe something similar in size to stock. I just do not want a super loud exhaust as I sometimes drive this thing to work and I leave really early in the morning. Don't want to disturb the neighbors and such. Also considering making the exhaust into a stack like a semi, just for laughs.

Happy New Year everyone!

[geezer101]

The biggest wiring gremlin is bad ground lead connections. Disconnect the leads to the block and frame rails and polish up the copper eyelets and clean the crud from the places they are bolted up to. Bad grounds will cause voltage drops and restrict current to the starter motor. If you have the Weber carb, the 2.6 needs to breathe to make the most of it. A 2.25/2.5" exhaust with headers is the ticket. Retuning the ignition will also unearth some hidden midrange and top end power as well (and it's free - only costs you time). Porting the head and intake manifold + a wider duration cam will finish the job but you'll make useable gains without going down this path. Use a sealed air cleaner set up if you aren't already. The radiant heat in the engine bay will ramp air intake temperatures and rob the engine of torque and mess with the tuning. The longer the intake path, the more torque you can make.

[Fatmanwa]

Having issues getting this thing to start and I just cant figure it out. Anyone in the Portland area good at diagnosing and want to help me out? There's beer and pizza up for grabs.

[Fatmanwa]

I have checked battery, cabelas for continuity and cleaned the ends. Replaced starter, check for power all around from key to all the grounds and power leads. Eveything checks normal, but I still only get a click.

Was looking at the wire diagram and want to check the jumper wires since this is a manual, where are those located?

[pennyman1]

If you are referring to the neutral jumper, it is right behind the shifter under the carpet / mat. That is where the neutral safety switch plugs in for the auto shifter - the manual trucks have a jumper in place of the switch.

[Fatmanwa]

If you are referring to the neutral jumper, it is right behind the shifter under the carpet / mat. That is where the neutral safety switch plugs in for the auto shifter - the manual trucks have a jumper in place of the switch.

Thanks, just checked that. It's not the culprit.

[pennyman1]

Did you try jumping directly to the starter? if it works then, work your way back. You can also jump the 1/4 inch spade lug to the +12 lead to see if the solenoid works

[Fatmanwa]

Did you try jumping directly to the starter? if it works then, work your way back. You can also jump the 1/4 inch spade lug to the +12 lead to see if the solenoid works

I have checked for continuity, voltage and cleaned the terminals from the positive post on the battery through the starter and back to the negative post on the battery, all good. I checked for voltage and continuity on the ignition wire on the column wire to the solenoid, all good.

Jumped the terminals on the starter with it off the truck, all good. Tried doing the same with it in the truck and it intermittently works. But it only clicks, does not turn the starter.

I am planning in checking other wires on steering column to see if they are good. After that I can only think of changing out the wires from battery to starter, engine to frame and frame to battery since it acts like it's not getting power through the starter. Even though I already checked them.

[Fatmanwa]

Is there a relay between the ignition and the Starter? Looking around I cannot find one in line and the diagram does not show one that I could find. There is a relay by the good release that keeps falling out of its holder. But I think that's the fuel shut off for the original carb, so it should not affect me since I have a weber.

[BradMph]

Darn 1st gen trucks always seem like they crank engine slow. I know in one case I purchased anew starter and it wasn't a 3 wire starter. Guy said just tape up the 3rd wire and don't worry about it. Well, in California don't worry about only being 9 volts since weather is always pretty warm and vehicles and batteries stay nice a warm. Soon as I got up in Washington, the trouble started slow cranking. Took me a long time to relocate the 3rd wire I hid from myself, lol. Looked online and a few others must of had the same issue when going from 3 to 2 wire starter and one got an idea and put in a diode to bring up that voltage to 12v on start. Been good ever since for me.
Though your problem may not be the same, but it seems you have something killing voltages. Need to get voltmeter out a check during keyon and start times. See what voltage is doing. Make sure that battery doesn't have a broken inner terminal post too. They can break inside the battery from knocking down a cable onto the post and you won't know it. I hate electrical problems with a passion and I hope you find yours. Start by running them test that have been being used for decades. Simple test, you probably kick yourself when you find the problem was a wire you forgot to reconnect, lol.

Good luck, let us know what happens. :)

20016
20017

[tortron]

If its spinning nice on the bench, but not so well on the truck i would look for a bad engine earth strap (if one is even fitted, i once had an engine earthing through the choke cable). I have previously added a ground from one of the starter mounting bolts to the frame and it really increases the power going through the starter

[pennyman1]

also be sure the ground from the exhaust stud to the firewall is in place - missing that causes all kinds of weird problems

[Fatmanwa]

Found the issue, positive cable going to starter was to corroded. Surprised me as it passed the voltage and ohms test.

Now I need to decide if I want to keep the new starter. The old one was for an auto transmission and had the extra wire to the ballast. New one is for a manual (which I have) and no extra wire.

[geezer101]

Found the issue, positive cable going to starter was to corroded. Surprised me as it passed the voltage and ohms test.

Really surprised me too. Normally it's the ground leads that corrode...

[Fatmanwa]

Really surprised me too. Normally it's the ground leads that corrode...

As I removed the cable it was looking really close at it and the terminal fell off the cable! Bunch of corrosion came out with it. Must have been just enough to pass voltage but not enough for amps.

[Fatmanwa]

Went to drive the truck today, and it wouldn't start again :shrug: I think it may have to do with me removing that ignition bypass wire to the ballast. To me it sounds like it is not getting spark/igniting the fuel. I can smell the fuel and it is turning over well. Last time I drove the truck, it did sound and feel like it may have a miss. Probably replace wires and plugs too, but first I am going to see if it is getting spark.

What MSD coil do you all recommend? Read it one was a good replacement to remove the ballast and the ignition bypass wire.

[Fatmanwa]

I have to say a big thank you to who ever created that starter s and r terminal article. Since I got my new starter with no ballast by pass wire, it's been hard starting the truck below 50. Installed the food as specified and it started right up this morning at 39!

[Fatmanwa]

Wanting to add some kind of prefilter to the weber lifetime one I have. I actually replaced the one that came with the truck that was falling apart with one I found in a junk yard. Never oiled the one I found, but plan too soon. Was thinking of adding a sock or foam uni filter. Anyone have ideas on what model works from uni or similar brands?

[pennyman1]

Look on ebay for the different prefilters they make for all sizes and shapes of filters

[tortron]

I bought a Kawasaki ninja foam air filter for a custom air filter i made. it was a nice size to work with and very cheap. You can buy sheets of the foam over there pretty cheap, are you using a panel filter style? you can get 2 grades

[Fatmanwa]

I am using a K and N style filter that fits the weber carb. One of the 6.75x4.5x2.5, found it in a junkyard as the one that came with the truck was worn out and lost most of its fibers, just wire mesh left.

I found this company that makes an exact fit for the style if filter that comes with a weber. Not sure if I will use it or make a foam one like you suggested.

https://www.outerwears.com/cart.asp?rp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.outerwears.com%2Fpro ddetail.asp%3Fprod%3D8446

[Fatmanwa]

Need to replace master cylinder. Is there anything diff about bleeding it compared to ones with the fluid resivoir attached to the top? Does using the syringe type tool help?

[geezer101]

Whatever method that gets air out of the system and works for you will suffice. And I'd be hesitant about using foam type air filter elements. I used to use LYNX Ramflo air cleaners until I found out how bad they are (elements shrink so they don't filter around the edges, they crumble and having chunks of foam being pulled into the carb is a disaster and they don't filter well at all which I can pay testament to due to the amount of dust I would find stuck to my air cleaner base plate)

[pennyman1]

he wants to use the foam as a pre-filter - that works well. I have had one on Geronimo for years.

[geezer101]

he wants to use the foam as a pre-filter - that works well. I have had one on Geronimo for years.

Ah, ok. It will catch the bigger particulates before the main filter eats them. Fair enuff...