Gary Lewis

Ok, I'm taking this back to the Big Blue's Transformation thread. Sorry for the hijack.

And neat! Thanks, guys. But I've run into a snag. As discussed on the Warning Buzzer thread, Big Blue's warning buzzer comes on when I open the door, long before placing the key in the ignition tumbler. In fact, apparently the column I installed doesn't even have the switch in the ignition tumbler. But something is triggering the buzzer. So, I've been doing a bit of sleuthing and have realized that I may have a problem. It appears that an early column, meaning one w/o the key switch, an early C305A jumper for the speed control, and a 1985 wiring harness aren't fully compatible. I say that because I found these pinouts for C305 in the 1981 EVTM on the left and the 1985 on the right. The key-on buzzer circuit is 158 BK/PK, which shows on the '85 diagram, but not on the '81. However, there are other changes as well. So, I'm going to create a spreadsheet to compare the circuits.....

Ok, I'm crazy. It is official. I was at the wrong end of the C305A. The wire in there that matches up with the black/pink is blue/purple. And, with the two connectors apart and jumpering between the black/pink and ground turns the buzzer on. But jumpering between the black/pink and the blue/purple doesn't. The plot is so thick I can't stir it......

I've sorta found my problem. This white/purple wire is in the C305 jumper where it connects with the black/pink hash wire going to the buzzer. I can't find any voltage on that wire nor does it show any resistance to ground, but it is just enough to trigger the buzzer. So now I'm trying to figure out where it goes.....

Well, the plot just thickened. My truck does NOT have the BK/PK wire in the steering column harness. And yet the C305A jumper that I took out of it, the one that goes to the cruise control but was butchered, does have it. So, the steering column I put in is from a truck before that buzzer came on the scene. And the C305A jumper I put in may have as well. So, what's causing the buzzer to go on when the door is opened? And, depending on the answer to that question, do I care to fix it? I do NOT want to change out the steering column.

Do you mean buzz in. (I see what you did there. ) I'll check that switch.......

Right. So the Key Warning Switch is bad? I'll check it out.

You can try carb cleaner, but compressed air is much better.

No problem!

I think the circuit is working properly. Page 90 of the 1985 EVTM says: That seems to say it should buzz with the door open. And that's the way I remember it working. Yes? No?

I think 10884 is the one:

Both idle circuits have to work for it to run properly at idle. Have you tried blowing it out with compressed air?

Depends on the source of vacuum to the advance. Some are "timed", which means that there's none when the throttle is closed, and some are "manifold", which means it is there all the time. If manifold then your timing will be way off if you set it with the vacuum attached.

Let's try a two-step process to our TOM picture: Photo Submission: Post up your suggested pics in this thread. (There will be a thread like this for each month.) You'll have until the 15th of each month to submit the pics. Poll: On the 15th I'll create a new thread with a poll in it as well as the pics of the trucks. You can vote on the picture you like and the winning pic will be posted in a new thread in the Monthly Truck Photo Contest folder. And some rules: There can actually be more than one pic of the same truck, like 66gtk's two pics in this thread. We will vote for the picture, not the truck. Pics have to be of a truck owned by a member of this forum, but can be submitted by anyone. Once a pic of a truck has won the contest pictures of that truck cannot be submitted and it cannot win for another year. Do you agree with the rules? Do you agree with the process? Suggestions, please. Start posting pics!!!

Very true. But there's another factor - clutch slippage. It takes a certain amount of torque to get a truck moving, and the 300 will give you that torque at a much lower RPM than a 302. So to get the truck moving from a stop you'll have to rev the 302 more to get enough torque. And you have to slip the clutch to do that. Perhaps the wear and tear on the clutch was a concern with why they didn't want the 302 in the heavier trucks?

Thanks to Bill, those instructions are now part of this website: Documentation/Electrical/Electronic Engine Control (EEC). Then go to the EEC-III tab, which is will probably open to, and then the Pulling Codes tab. They can be searched, zoomed in on, and printed.

Not sure which truck you mean, but I can create a new thread with a poll in it. However, I don't think I can change the questions in the poll once I create it. And the poll has to be in the first post of a thread, I think. But, let's give it a try. First, I need pics to post so they know what they are voting for. So, folks, please post pics of the truck you are suggesting for truck of the month. Just one pic each, and after we get a few of them I'll create the poll. Will that work?

Well, what I had planned and how it actually worked were two different things. But I think I got it fixed. The plan was that the pinned folder, called Monthly Truck Photo Contest would be locked such that only admins could create a thread/topic in it. And we would create one per month. But the threads would not be locked, so after the admin created it and posted the pic of the truck for the month any member could comment. But, I didn't tick the box in Permissions that let people reply. So, when someone tried they got "You can't do that, please request permission", which GSMBlue did. I've now fixed that and proved it with my Test User login. HOWEVER, we don't have a way to determine what the next month's truck will be. And we need to be discussing that right now so we are ready for May. HELP, PLEASE!

Yes, good day. Even in spite of the broken t-stat housing. The ones of those that I've seen broken were because the stat had slipped out of the notch and was holding the housing away from the block. But some of the housings for the 300 have a system that prevents that. Did you figure out why it broke?

With the battery connected it goes on as soon as I open the door and stays on until I close the door. With no key in the ignition.

Cameron - That truck is nice, and the price is good. But the 3.8L was notorious. No power and the MPG wasn't very good either. However, a Windsor will bolt in where it is. And just fyi, tacking this onto a thread about the vintage catalog is not quite the right thing to do. I doubt Cory will care as I have the book on order, but you really should have started your own thread about a different topic like this truck.

Yes, I thought the Supercab back "seat" was intended for little kids or suit cases. Scott - the window looks great! The chrome bead looks just right against the black.

Bob - The painting is awesome! And the car turned out great as well.

Yes, please email the pdf and I’ll post it.

Sometimes it helps the transition from idle to have a slightly rich mix. Did the TPS seem to make things worse or better? And, have you pulled the codes?