New Owner - 1st Question

[Fastback67]

Another recent Mod here... this one to the Charging System.
Well that heavy duty Transpo VR that I installed lasted about 10 months before finally giving up the ghost, much longer than any of the over the counter auto parts store units. As suspected, it turns out there was a shorit in the electrical system, the ECM to be exact, reducing the voltage to the VR, causing it to remain in an active state, which is why the cheap over the counter units were frying on a fairly frequent basis. The heavy duty Transpo unit held out for as long as it could, but eventually lost the battle. If I had more time to play with the truck I probably would have discovered this sooner, but we all know how that goes.
Anywho... I can't afford keep replacing VR's every other thing, so I had to do something about this little problem until I can get a working replacement for my ECM. That said, I decided to install a Relay in the system that would relocate the voltage sensing circuit of the VR from the weak (under voltage) ignition circuit, and move it directly to the Battery.
To do this I had to locate the main ignition circuit splice in the wiring harness. Then locate and separate the two required charging circuit wires from the splice, and wire them to the relay as illustrated below. I ran the wires through the wiring harness to keep it neat. Then I ran a seperate hot and ground from the relay to the battery. Problem solved...
The gage for the Charging System holds steady at dead center now. This is the first time since I've owned the truck that the gage has read correctly. Previously it had always leaned more to the charging side, sometimes more than others, but always to the charging side.

 

[EDankievitch]

Really nice truck, looks like you've done an awesome job fixing and updating it. I miss my 89 it was by far the best truck I've ever owned.

 

[Fastback67]

Thanks Brother
It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to mess with it, but necessity came knocking at the door in the form of a fuel leak, so here I am... more updates to follow.

Mike

 

[Fastback67]

Since I now have the VE pump and all it's associated hardware stripped off the drivers side of the block, I figured now would be a good time to install that fancy updated fuel pump I picked up from Mark over at Dieseltuff.com. Essentially, a 2nd Gen pump modified for 1st Gen use.
Had to break out the trusty Dremel tool and nip the corners of the sound deadening plate to make room for the new fuel line that comes with the pump, but that was no effort. After I test fit the new pump and tubing I pulled it off and sprayed some of that cheap rubberized Boom Mat coating over the area where I had removed the sound dampening. Did I have too, no, but it looks nicer now, and it's sealed up again.
After that I mounted the pump and hooked everything back up. Don't tell Chip, but I had two new Fleetguard Fuel Filters on hand so I mounted one of them at the same time. I'll use the better one next time Chip, I promise. I just need to get the truck back up and running at the moment.
Two priming strokes from the new pump and I had fuel gushing out of the outlet side of the fuel filter... Good Pump.

 

[ofelas]

 

[Fastback67]

 

[Fastback67]

Okay, so yesterday I dug into the Injection Pump.
This was my first time playing with the old original VE, so first let me say "Many Thanks to Chip" for his tips and guidance here. I was pestering (textering) the poor guy all afternoon. I've read all the forum posts, and I've seen all of the videos, but as we all know, there's only so much you can get from a book. Until you actually get physically involved with your own two hands, you're just a greenhorn. So again, Many Thanks to Chip for putting up with my constant stream of questions, and for his sound advice.

I need to get my truck back on the road ASAP so I only did what needed to be done, and two upgrades while I was there.
The first thing I did was replace that Farg'n Green O-Ring that blew out back there in Never-Never land on the inboard side of the pump. Turns out, the two flange bolts had loosened up over time, and were only on there finger tight. Its worth mentioning that these are the only two bolts on the pump that did not have a layer of Paint on or around them, acting as a lock, preventing them from backing out. That said, I used a little blue Loctite on the threads when I put them back.
I also had a 3200 rpm Governor Spring and Fuel Pin kit on hand, so I figured there's no time like the present... after all, the pump is off the truck and on the bench.. it's doesn't get any easier than that eh.
I put it all back together, and made a few preliminary adjustments to the Fuel Screw and the Idle Screw following Chips advice, so now it's ready to put back on the truck.

Original Fuel Pin coming out for the first time since the truck was new.

After removing all the stupid Tamper Proofing devices I was able to pop the cover and finally get to the Governor Spring assembly.
I had a Bosch Reseal Kit for the pump on hand, so I replaced the old ring seal as well obviously...

All back together and ready to go again.... hopefully.

 

[ofelas]

Glad I could guide/help Mike.

How's she running?

 

[Fastback67]

Looks like the same truck, sounds like the same truck, but it's definitely a different truck.
When you touch the go pedal now it moves, and I mean it really moves!
Thanks Chip! You taught me more than you can realize these past few days. Nothing beats proper hands on experience! Thank You again my friend!
Mike

 

[Fastback67]

Well, it seems like just about everything associated with the ECM was having some issues, especially when the manifold heater circuit was active, so I unplugged it and pulled it off the firewall the other day. Unplugging it, I noted that both plug connectors for the unit were in disgustingly nasty condition, both inside and out. It occurred to me that this may be part of the problem, so I broke out the rags, wire brushes and contact cleaner and went to town.
After cleaning them all up I put them back together with a little Dielectric grease on the rubber seals and a lot of grease on the plug wire inlets, which had been the source of most of the dirt and greasy filth found on the inside. I also did the same with every single external plug connector associated with the various circuits that run in & out of the ECM.
It's not currently cold enough here to activate the manifold heater circuit, but everything else appears to be back in working order now, so thats a good sign.

 

[Fastback67]

I just made another improvement to my charging circuit. I relocated my VR from the OEM Death Valley Hot position just above the Exhaust Header, to a much cooler position over at the fender wall just below the hood hinge. It's pretty much common knowledge that electronic voltage regulators do not last long when mounted near any source of extreme heat.

 

[ofelas]

Looks good Mike; though I'm mortified you didn't use OEM spec friction tape.

 

[Fastback67]

3M Electrical will have to suffice... I didn't have time to run it through the main harness either.

 

[EDankievitch]

Having gone through 6 or 8 of those voltage reg's I think you have the right idea relocating it. I never thought about heat killing them back when I owned my 89 .

 

[ofelas]

It's a sound move, I've re located every first gen VR I came across.

What kills them is a combination of heat & the water trickling down the firewall every time the hood is opened, while conditions are rainy/snowy.

That particular hood/firewall/path of water is pretty single minded - it also manages to get to #6 injector/it's hardware every time. I end up coating the outside of the #6 injector body/hold down nut/line etc with anti seize on pretty much every first gen I see.

 

[Fastback67]

... it also manages to get to #6 injector/it's hardware every time. I end up coating the outside of the #6 injector body/hold down nut/line etc with anti seize on pretty much every first gen I see.

That's a good move there as well... I'll have to do that! Thanks buddy!

 

[ro23j]

Another recent Mod here... this one to the Charging System.
Well that heavy duty Transpo VR that I installed lasted about 10 months before finally giving up the ghost, much longer than any of the over the counter auto parts store units. As suspected, it turns out there was a shorit in the electrical system, the ECM to be exact, reducing the voltage to the VR, causing it to remain in an active state, which is why the cheap over the counter units were frying on a fairly frequent basis. The heavy duty Transpo unit held out for as long as it could, but eventually lost the battle. If I had more time to play with the truck I probably would have discovered this sooner, but we all know how that goes.
Anywho... I can't afford keep replacing VR's every other thing, so I had to do something about this little problem until I can get a working replacement for my ECM. That said, I decided to install a Relay in the system that would relocate the voltage sensing circuit of the VR from the weak (under voltage) ignition circuit, and move it directly to the Battery.
To do this I had to locate the main ignition circuit splice in the wiring harness. Then locate and separate the two required charging circuit wires from the splice, and wire them to the relay as illustrated below. I ran the wires through the wiring harness to keep it neat. Then I ran a seperate hot and ground from the relay to the battery. Problem solved...
The gage for the Charging System holds steady at dead center now. This is the first time since I've owned the truck that the gage has read correctly. Previously it had always leaned more to the charging side, sometimes more than others, but always to the charging side.

View attachment 112615 View attachment 112616 View attachment 112617 View attachment 112618 View attachment 112619 View attachment 112620

I have just spent two days looking for the cause of my under voltage condition at the regulator when I found this post. I have not unwrapped the entire harness but today I started looking for the splice. Is it directly above the brake booster? Also, where do I find a relay? I am not an electrical person so any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks for your information you provided.

 

[Fastback67]

The factory SM says that the splice is located directly above the booster, but I still managed to miss it the first time I went looking for it. It my case the splice was buried in the "center" of the bundle of wires that make up the harness, so I didn't see it at first glance, but it was there, I just had to dig for it. The hard part is determining which two blue wires from the splice are the ones that are need, since they're all blue... but that isn't all that difficult either. The one attached to the VR was easy, since it's so close to the splice, all I had to do was tug on the wire.
The relay is no big deal either. You can find them anywhere, on line, your local auto parts store, etc...they're extremely common. You want a sealed weathertight version preferably since it will be mounted out under the hood. Most are rated for 40amps which is good. I used a 5 wire relay only because that's what I had laying around at the time. I just capped off the extra hot wire that wasn't being used. You can see it in the pic above.
If your going to go to the trouble of installing a relay, then I would also recommend that you relocate the VR like I did as well, to get it away from any sources of trapped high heat temperatures. Under the hood hinges (either side) is a good location that doesn't require the addition of another 100 feet of wire...LOL.... and there's usually at least one predrilled hole there already that you can use. One less hole to drill eh.
I also recommend that you open and THOROUGHLY CLEAN (internally & externally) every single electrical connector under the hood and reassemble using good electrical practices ( I can elaborate further if necessary). I can't stress this enough. 30 years of dirt, grease and grime finding their way into your electrical connections, creates cross talk between pins, light shorts, and hard grounds, all of which lead to issues with your vehicles electrical system. Everything from odd or intermittent behaviors from your instrumentation & indications to voltage drops, and in extreme cases... fire can be the end result.

 

[ofelas]

I heartily endorse what Mike said above about servicing the electrical connections.

When I put my old beater back together, I had the advantage of having an NOS set of harnesses in their boxes.

Still, I Ox-Gard’ed every single connector, and sealed the outsides with di-electric grease.

 

[ro23j]

The factory SM says that the splice is located directly above the booster, but I still managed to miss it the first time I went looking for it. It my case the splice was buried in the "center" of the bundle of wires that make up the harness, so I didn't see it at first glance, but it was there, I just had to dig for it. The hard part is determining which two blue wires from the splice are the ones that are need, since they're all blue... but that isn't all that difficult either. The one attached to the VR was easy, since it's so close to the splice, all I had to do was tug on the wire.
The relay is no big deal either. You can find them anywhere, on line, your local auto parts store, etc...they're extremely common. You want a sealed weathertight version preferably since it will be mounted out under the hood. Most are rated for 40amps which is good. I used a 5 wire relay only because that's what I had laying around at the time. I just capped off the extra hot wire that wasn't being used. You can see it in the pic above.
If your going to go to the trouble of installing a relay, then I would also recommend that you relocate the VR like I did as well, to get it away from any sources of trapped high heat temperatures. Under the hood hinges (either side) is a good location that doesn't require the addition of another 100 feet of wire...LOL.... and there's usually at least one predrilled hole there already that you can use. One less hole to drill eh.
I also recommend that you open and THOROUGHLY CLEAN (internally & externally) every single electrical connector under the hood and reassemble using good electrical practices ( I can elaborate further if necessary). I can't stress this enough. 30 years of dirt, grease and grime finding their way into your electrical connections, creates cross talk between pins, light shorts, and hard grounds, all of which lead to issues with your vehicles electrical system. Everything from odd or intermittent behaviors from your instrumentation & indications to voltage drops, and in extreme cases... fire can be the end result.

Thanks for responding, I will try tomorrow to locate the splice. Also, I picked up a 40A relay along with a matching plug/pigtail and an inline fuse holder.

I spent most of one day removing and cleaning all of the under hood grounds and opening the charging system connectors and cleaning those as well, but it did not change the voltage at the regulator.

Several years ago, I had an overcharging problem and purchased an adjustable regulator from a member here (mysteryman) and it worked great for the last 5 or so years and I have no reason to believe that it is not still working. When I installed it, I did add an extra ground wire to the case as I can see in your photos.

I will let you know how it works out. BTW, that is one clean truck that you have!

Thanks again,
Jim