More Suburban "fun"...

[RowdyRebel]

Rear barn doors won't open. Got the interior panel peeled back to access the interior stuff, and it seems like the latch @ the bottom of the door is stuck. Not much room to work, but got it soaked with some WD40 for now. Have all new latches to install once I get the damn thing open...just being a pain in the ass. Gotta order the rear handle, too, because it broke as I was messing with it.

 

Anyway, if I haven't mentioned it already, I hate working inside doors.

[j hancock]

Never had to dig into the barn doors on a Suburban.  Only replaced the W/S once.  Does it help to have someone push the doors "in" at the bottom to to take the pres. off the latch while the other tries to work the mechanism?

Don't like working inside doors either.  Wish I had better info for you.

[RowdyRebel]

Also working on replacing the gauge panel. Speedometer has never worked, but the Odometer was still clicking off the miles. Well, that quit, too. Can't replace "just" the gauge that doesn't work...damn cluster. Found an aftermarket cluster in the LMC catalog that said it had all of the warning lights included for the "stock" look...and it mounts behind the original dash...so I ordered it. Should have paid the extra $500 and got the Autometer gauges with their replacement panel. Gauges would have looked better (more variety to choose from to pick ones we liked), and we would have got EXACTLY what we ordered. The tach on the gauge kit we ordered is supposed to have a blue halo light for the high beam indicator...supposed to be a wire on the backside to splice the wire into...ain't there. No wiring for any other lights...check engine, brake, etc...despite the catalog saying it'd have them. This is why I hate mail-order stuff...don't always get what you thought you were buying.

 

Anyway, Dorman has some pretty slick looking LED indicator lights in a variety of colors...and some momentary-on push button switches that match and look a hell of a lot better than the cheap little plastic buttons they sent to reset the trip meter and such for the speedo and tach. Picked 'em up in all 5 colors...blue, red, amber, green, and white. Since I don't know how we'd label them without it looking cheap, I figured it'd just be best to use different colors...blue for high beam, red for brake, amber check engine, and not sure which yet for seatbelt and battery...could go either way. At least that way if a light lights up, we know what it's trying to tell us. There's also a couple other lights I might make them...perhaps 4x4 instead of the seat belt...haven't quite made up my mind.

 

Anyway, I should probably get back to work on it...gotta get it done & back on the road.

[RowdyRebel]

Back door problem solved...just needed a hole saw, chisel, and a BFH. Gave the release mechanism a good thump, reached inside the door to trip the top latch release, then gave the door a good swift kick from the inside...and she opened right up.

[RowdyRebel]

Then, while the door was open, I replaced the upper & lower latches, as well as the door handle...and the power door lock actuator. UNFORTUNATELY, the new power door lock actuator was so stiff that the key couldn't lock or unlock the door with it hooked up. So, I decided to add a little something GM forgot...used my drill and some 1/8" rod and added an interior lock knob.

[RowdyRebel]

Then, I decided to disconnect the power door lock actuator rod from the lock mechanism since I really don't care to fight with this stupid door anymore. Locks & unlocks with the key and the newly fabricated lock knob just fine, and the door opens and closes smoother than it ever has.

 

Now all I have to do is get the dash put back together...

[RowdyRebel]

Speedometer has never worked, odometer quit, and the oil pressure gauge was finicky...so I'm putting all new gauges in. Just got to do a little soldering and it'll slip right in behind the original dash panel. Also gaining a tach. 

[RowdyRebel]

One word: TEDIOUS

 

Got the warning lights and speedo/tach reset buttons installed, then wired up the dash tonight. Now, just need to solder the other half of all of the plugs into the proper circuits in the Suburban and take 'er for a test drive. That'll have to wait for another day...

[RowdyRebel]

So the new gauges went in...then back out...and in again. Seems the speedometer wasn't getting a signal from the factory wire, so I ran a wire from the aux speedo output on the transmission controller to get a signal to the new speedometer. The tach had to be reprogrammed as it was reading twice the RPM it should have as it seemed to have been set to a 4 cylinder engine at the factory. The speedometer was also WAY off...pegging itself every time the truck started to move. Default signal it was looking for was 8,000 ppm. Set it to 40,000 ppm and it was still reading WAY fast. Set it to manually count the pulses as we drove a mile, and noticed it was about 10,000 pulses per 1/10 mile...so when it showed "error" after about 7/10 of a mile, I decided to just manually set it for 100,000 ppm. That got the speedometer accurate...until we hit 60-65 mph, at which point the needle fluttered a bit before dropping to 0. I guess 100,000 ppm @ 65 mph it just got to be where the pulses were coming too fast to differentiate. So, into the transmission controller programming we went to change that to a ratio so that it'd be sending the 8000 ppm the speedometer kept resetting itself to every time the truck was shut off (which got rather tedious resetting the ppm we needed it to look for EVERY time we fired it back up). So now the speedometer works.

 

Only other issue we've got right now is the fuel gauge. Used to be, we'd fill up and after about 80-100 miles, it would move off of "Full" and start showing the declining fuel level, and would be very near "Empty" when we needed fuel. Wife said she had just fueled up the day before we parked it to work on it, so I figured we were good to go for at least 200 or so miles. Did some running around town, then left on our trip. 170 miles later...11 miles short of where I had intended to fuel...fuel gauge still showing 5/16 of a tank...we hit a dip in the road and the truck shut off.  I was thinking ignition module, fuel pump, ANYTHING but out of fuel, because we HADN'T driven very far, and the gauge still showed plenty of fuel. One or two bounces on the trailer hitch while the wife listened for sloshing in the tank quickly left me positive it was a fuel (or lack thereof) issue. 2 hours later, help shows up with 5 gallons of gas. Cycle the key a few times to fill the lines with gas and she fired right up. Paid the guy far more than it would've cost to fill the tank, and proceeded those 11 miles to a gas station. 38 gallons later, we were full and back on the road.

 

Even if we had topped off before leaving, we still would've been stuck though. We're used to getting 350-375 miles per tank, and when we short-fueled later after only 212 miles and did the math, we were only getting 6.5 mpg! We might have made it 250-275 miles with the gauge showing 5/16 thinking everything looks like it ought to and bam...out of gas. I've played with the transmission controller programming a little during the trip and I think I've got the mileage back up into the ballpark where it was BEFORE we lost the odometer and parked it for a few weeks...but it's still a few mpg's short of where I feel it ought to be. I need to get that fuel gauge figured out, though...running out SUCKS!

[RowdyRebel]

Well, THAT explains all the pinging after a few hours of driving on our trip north...distributor (have I mentioned how much I HATE GM for burying them at the back of the motor?) was a tad loose and the timing slipped a little TOO far advanced. I backed 'er off (probably a little too far the other way now...was where I wanted it before I tightened it down...NOT loosening it again if I don't have to. It's probably 15 degrees BTDC and I was looking for about 20 degrees, but the only timing marks I have to go by are the ones I painted on myself with white-out based upon measurements from the TDC mark on the harmonic damper. Thinking about getting the Holley #502-9 throttle body and reaming out the intake manifold opening to the 2" bore to match...670 cfm rather than the stock 450 cfm throttle body that's on there now. Perhaps once that's on, I'll tweak the timing again. At this point, though, I'd rather sacrifice a little power rather than damage the brand new engine by detonation in the cylinders.

[RowdyRebel]

So we're sitting on the side of the road...again...broke down...again. Easing our way home on icy roads and the thing backfires. Few miles later it back fires again. Few miles later, it dies. Coast off onto the shoulder to try to get it refired. After it sits a few minutes, it fires up. Put it in 4wd to get going, and it just slides straight sideways down into the ditch. Then it stalled out again and hasn't refired. Wrecker is on its way, going to get towed home, and I have zero confidence in its reliability at this point. Needless to say, it is being benched. No more road trips in this thing until I get it figured out. 2 miles from our exit, then 15 miles home. Yeah, I'm a little pissed. Poor old Dozer was supposed to be fed & get his insulin shot a couple hours ago...he's probably wondering where we are. Oh well...wrecker's on the way. Should be home soon.

[41chevy]

HEI distributor,  probably module.

[RowdyRebel]

Module wouldn't surprise me...just replaced it about 2 weeks after getting the new motor installed. I've got 3 trains of thought on this one...

1) Go with the Holley #502-9 direct replacement TBI. Bolt it on, splice the electrical connectors onto the truck, and roll. It's designed to fit on the intake I've got, and run with the 11-12 psi the fuel pump produces. Opens it up to a 2" bore good for 670 cfm instead of the 450 or so cfm of the stock TBI.

2) Step up to the FiTech Go EFI 4 injection system, which is a stand-alone type carburetor replacement with it's own programmer and controls (basically removing GM's computer from the equation). It would require an intake manifold that would accept a 4bbl carb, and I'd have to bump my fuel pressure up to 80 psi. The Go Street EFI would work if I swapped out the distributor for one that wasn't controlled by the computer...vaccuum and springs. Then I'd only need 56 psi of fuel pressure.

3) Go the other way with it. Replace the intake manifold with the same one I'd need for the FiTech system, but put a Rochester stage 2 Quadrajet from Jet on there instead. A pressure regulator to lower the fuel pressure to the 5-6 psi it would require and then even replace the distributor with one where the timing is managed with springs and vaccuum instead of wires and computers. I'd also need to get a TPS that would work with the carburetor (US Shift has them) in order to work with the transmission controller.

 

First things first, though, it needs to warm up a bit...17 degrees (real feel of 1) is a bit cold for me to be standing around tinkering with it. Then, I need to pull a few plugs and see what they look like, check the timing (again), and get the module tested.

[Phase 1]

It would be good to carry a couple gallons of gas in a can until you are sure the fuel gauge is working right.

[RowdyRebel]

Well, finally had a chance to tear into it a little today. Put the driveshaft back in, then started pulling spark plugs. 1, 3, 5,...running a little lean, clean 'em and put them back. Went to pull #7 and the plug wire was shorting into the header that had burned through the insulation. #8 cylinder wire had the same issue, but a little worse. Fired it up to move it out of the way, and it died again after moving 20-30 feet. Check spark, and nothing. Module is likely toast, and I'm wondering if the pair of ignition wires shorting might have contributed to the module's early demise.

 

Anyway, used the F250 to pull it up into the yard out of the way (working on pulling the transmission out of a friend's Mustang for a rebuild this weekend) and there it'll sit until I get a new module and some new ignition wires. The Holley 502-9 TBI replacement is on order (Holley-days 20% off ends @ midnight), so I'll get that swapped on when it shows up...new injectors, new throttle position sensor, and a 2" bore good for 670 cfm instead of the 450 cfm of the OEM unit. Hopefully that wakes the SOB up and makes it run a little better. May still need to have the chip programming altered...but we'll wait & see on that. I'd really like to run it down to the guy's shop just north of Memphis and have it tuned and set up right, rather than keep guessing and getting it "close".

 

But anyway, Happy New Year, and stay safe tonight.

[RowdyRebel]

Just got an email from Jegs...that Holley TBI that I ordered last month is out of stock and not expected to ship until March. Guess my chances of finding a warm weekend to do the work will be a little better...just sucks that the Suburban will be down 'til then. Sure, I probably could run it with the old TBI...but @ 6 mpg, that's an expensive proposition. Good thing we've got other vehicles to drive.

[RowdyRebel]

Got home to a pleasant surprise on Friday...wasn't expecting it to ship for another 2-3 weeks!

[RowdyRebel]

Well, I've run through just about every cuss word there is & even made up a few. Waited damn near 2 months for this thing to show up, and it turns out the TBI replacement for a "1990-1995 5.7L GM TRUCK" is not the right one for a 1990 GMC Suburban. Everything LOOKED right, except for the TPS plug. Instead of ordering the 502-9, I SHOULD have got the (less expensive) 502-6 for a "1987-1989 5.7L GM TRUCK". I'll receive a credit for the sale price I paid for the more expensive TBI once they receive it. In the meantime, they're charging me nearly $5 more than I'll get back because they aren't on sale now. The correct TBI ships tomorrow, should be here Thursday, so I'll have it put together by Friday night and be ready to test it out on the farm next weekend.  I even asked if the 502-6 TPS would bolt onto the 502-9 TBI...easy enough to swap out if it did...but it doesn't. So, it's parked in the driveway 'til the right part gets here...still out of commission.

 

On the bright side, I did get the ignition module swapped out and new ignition wires installed. 2 wires had made contact with the headers, and the spark plug gaps weren't even CLOSE to what they should have been...guess I should have paid more attention to that when I was putting the new motor in. Oh well. I was going to swap the magnetic pickup, too...but that would require pulling the distributor and disassembling the damn thing. Screw that. Tested it with an ohm meter and it is whithin spec, so I left it in.

 

The other piece of good news is that the new TBI gaskets are tapered to make the transition from the 2" bore on the new TBI down to the OEM bore size on the intake manifold. I was thinking I'd have to port the manifold to open it up, but since the gaskets are tapered to fit I'll just leave it as is. Of course if I still feel it's starving for air, I'll pop it off and put my dremel to use...but no point in doing that if it isn't necessary. I'd also have to trim the taper off the gaskets or the port job on the manifold would be pointless.

 

Guess that's the long-winded version of "It oughtta be back on the road by Friday night."

[j hancock]

Making progress...    One step forward, two back.....?

[RowdyRebel]

Sometimes I think I'd be better off trying to walk away from this thing...but I'm in too deep already. Can't sell it for anywhere NEAR what I've got in it. Brakes, engine, transmission, springs, tires, gauges...all new. Still working on working the kinks out, since the transmission isn't original and neither is the engine. Hell, previous owner put a rear axle under it from a 70's era truck...different brake drums, different parking brake cables...absolutely ridiculous the "little things" that keep coming up with this stupid truck.  

 

It is a damn cool truck, though, when it runs. A real one-of-a-kind. Guess you can say I've got a love/hate relationship with it. Of all the vehicles I've ever driven, it's the only automatic I actually enjoy driving...and that says a lot, because I HATE automatics.

[41chevy]

47 minutes ago, RowdyRebel said:

Sometimes I think I'd be better off trying to walk away from this thing...but I'm in too deep already. Can't sell it for anywhere NEAR what I've got in it. Brakes, engine, transmission, springs, tires, gauges...all new. Still working on working the kinks out, since the transmission isn't original and neither is the engine. Hell, previous owner put a rear axle under it from a 70's era truck...different brake drums, different parking brake cables...absolutely ridiculous the "little things" that keep coming up with this stupid truck.  

 

It is a damn cool truck, though, when it runs. A real one-of-a-kind. Guess you can say I've got a love/hate relationship with it. Of all the vehicles I've ever driven, it's the only automatic I actually enjoy driving...and that says a lot, because I HATE automatics.

No mater what you call it it is a hot rod. When it's dialed in  you'll be happy you kept it.  Been there a few times.  Paul

[RowdyRebel]

TBI take 2. It's at the post office awaiting pickup, so the wife will do that today. HOPE to have it on by the end of the day. Wrong TBI is "out for delivery" as of this morning, so we'll see how long it takes them to refund my money.

 

This internet tracking thing is pretty slick...I remember when you just didn't know where anything was or when to expect it.

[RowdyRebel]

Got it on easy enough. Throttle linkage was a little different, so I had to do a little Redneck engineering to shorten the rod for the cruise control. If I get a 6-40 die, I can trim the rod and remove the bolt...until then, it seems to work. The crimp connectors to splice the injector wires weren't the heat shrink kind, so I swapped them out for some that were. Kinda stupid to spend all that money on making it run right only to place a time limit before wires corrode and the injectors quit working.

 

Anyway, seat-of-the-pants Dyno says it found a few more ponies and a couple extra ft lbs...definitely gets off the line now and ALMOST even wants to spin a tire. Eventually I might pull the TBI again to port the intake manifold, but for now it seems to work. We'll find out for sure whether it's good or not the first time we hook up to the horse trailer.

[j hancock]

Soon to be terrorizing the neighborhood!

[41chevy]

Before you port the intake at the RBI, I would see how much of the restriction is needed to create turbulence  to stop the atomized fuel from puddling. Found that bit when I port matched my small block cross ram TBI 's to  their intake mount. Ended up with idle issues and low speed stumble. It did pull good at wide open throttle.    Paul