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green 788

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About green 788

  • Birthday 11/19/1963

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    http://www.clik.to/optimalchargeweight

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    Bible study, trucks, rifles, electronics... :)

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  1. I ran my truck on 7 cylinders for a long time... that wasn't a good idea, but you couldn't tell it was running on 7 cylinders above 1500 rpms or so . I had a bad head gasket. If the engine idles fine when it's cold, then it starts idling rough after warm-up... shoot a blast of freon or freeze spray at the ignition module during rough idle, and see if it smooths back out. If it does, that module is the problem. Clogged cat converters caused my original problem with my 1996 5.7 engine. First the head gasket blew on one side, then on the other. If you can get the O2 sensors removed (the 2 before the converters) that will leave a hole in the exhaust there to see if the truck idles and runs better... if it does, clogged converters are the likely cause. A GM tech who is a friend of mine say they use this technique at the dealership where he works to diagnose clogged converters. You should also check for bubbles in your radiator, or antifreeze smell at the exhaust. See if the engine oil is milky tan looking on the dipstick. That's coolant in the oil, likely bad head gasket. If a head gasket is seeping, it can cause the misfire problem, but I don't think the computer would log it as a specific cylinder misfire since gas and spark would still be present. If you do find evidence of a bad head gasket, it may be caused by clogged converters. They need to be dealt with in some way (or other )... and then the head gasket repaired. The K&W block sealer in the radiator apparently works well enough that many reputable mechanics say it's worth a try to fix a leaking head gasket, to avoid pulling the heads. Blue Devil and Barrs Leak also make head gasket sealers that have decent reputations for working. If the engine has more than 180k miles on it, installing new head gaskets and re-worked cylinder heads will probably cause the rings to fail (I've had this happen on a Pontiac engine, and was warned by my mechanic friend that new heads and gaskets on a motor with a lot of miles on it was not a good idea)... so for an old engine with a minor leak in the head gasket, the sealer product in the radiator might be the best, and it'll certainly be the cheapest option. None of this is to say you have a blown head gasket. I just wanted to share a bit of what I've learned from my own recent experience. Dan
  2. Just for the archives, in case anyone runs into this. Here is how I solved the problem of the turn signal/back-up light fuse blowing. 1994 K1500, 4.3 engine, 5 speed... First symptom, turn signals would not work. Got advice from several places online, some said change turn signal selector. That would have been a really bad and relatively expensive idea. Turn signal back-up light fuse blown. Replaced, then found that it blew before I could get out of the drive way. Note: I have to go into reverse to get the truck out of the driveway. (clue)... I checked the schematic in the Haynes manual and found that the turn signals and back-up lights are on the same fuse. I found that by disconnecting the back-up light switch on the side of the 5 speed transmission, I could get the fuse to hold, and turn signals worked fine. Note: the switch in the K1500 (4wd) is on the side of the transmission, driver's side, and it's easy to get to. It is not on top, as some diagrams seem to indicate. It's a 2 wire switch, one of the wires is bright green... I think the other is pink, but it may actually be a different color. The switch screws in with a 7/8" wrench. A deep well 7/8" socket would be best. I left the truck like this until the Virginia state inspection was about due, and then decided I would work on the problem. The odd thing was that the green wire running from the back-up light switch to the rear of the truck was not grounded out. (you do have to unplug the tail lights to test that wire, or else the wire will show ground through the bulb elements)... With the key on the run position, there was constant voltage at the other of the two wires (pink, I believe) at the back-up light switch. So this wasn't grounded out obviously... and the green wire that feeds 12 volts to the back up lights when the tranny is in reverse was, as mentioned not grounded. But when I hooked it up to the back-up light switch, and put the transmission in reverse... the fuse would blow! Weird... but I realized that it could only be one thing: A bad switch. The back-up light switch had to be grounding out that line when it was engaged. Checking this with an ohm meter proved that indeed that was the case. Most of the time, a bad back-up light switch will either stay stuck, and lights stay on all the time... or else it won't work at all, and lights stay off. But this switch had the unique problem (to me, anyway) of grounding out the 12 volt feed when you put the truck in reverse. A new switch (less than 20 dollars) fixed this problem. Dan
  3. yes, do let us know. I had a Ford with a bad ground strap (a Bronco I put a body lift on) and I really never found the bad ground... so I just slaved a new ground from the firewall to the frame, and all was well. It's still working... I've got at least 1 Ford in the family. :o
  4. I looked over the schematics in my Haynes manual... I can't see the connection between the blower motor and the high beams--other than perhaps a ground, which is what this sounds like. You won't be able to see where the grounds connect on most wiring schematics, so you'll need something like this image below to show you where to look for ground points. That is probably what is going on, a corroded or loose ground.
  5. when you say your air conditioner cuts off, are you basing this on the fact that it stops cooling, or are you referring to the blower motor (fan)?
  6. if battery is good, check wiring from alternator to + battery post. It does sound like the system is operating on the verge of losing voltage. If the truck is running, you should be able to disconnect the + battery cable and still have the engine running; the alternator should be providing enough amperage to charge the battery, and operate the electronics. If the engine won't continue running when you remove the + battery cable, I would suspect that the alternator is not putting out enough power to keep everything satisfied. When the a/c compressor kicks in it's over-loading the system, and when you hit the high beam headlight switch, same thing... overload, and you get the symptoms.
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