1991 Chev K1500 ECSB 4.3/5spd Silverado

[gstubbz]

Would have been bad if that happened! I actually woke up at 6:30 and there was light outside. Shocked me lol. That's what I'm thinking, this 4.3 is probably pretty gutless with all the weight with the A/C compressor and the smog bs. No snow on the honey lake valley floor but some up in the mountains around 5,000 feet! It's been Carhartt season!

 

[GarrettGmc]

Yea that size truck with 4wd with a 4.3 just never made sense. No power for that much truck, now a rcsb with the 4.3 sure but that's abt it. Thinking auto or manual trans?
Yea i gotta leave for Burney in few so been checking caltrans. Sounds like the crew might be staying parked for the winter.

 

[thz71]

I had a 94 ecsb with a 4.3 and 5 speed. Wouldn't have wanted it in auto or to tow anything either but it was OK for a run around truck. Plus 4.3s are indestructible for the most part.

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[gstubbz]

Yea that size truck with 4wd with a 4.3 just never made sense. No power for that much truck, now a rcsb with the 4.3 sure but that's abt it. Thinking auto or manual trans?
Yea i gotta leave for Burney in few so been checking caltrans. Sounds like the crew might be staying parked for the winter.

I agree, and I actually was offered a 88 or 89 RCSS with a 350 and was lowered, it's probably an automatic but I can always convert it to a 5 speed since I have everything for a swap. Only partially considering it because the guy doesn't want to burn me since my 98 dually didn't work out and I already paid him for that truck.

What did you have going on in Burney? Burney Falls is super pretty if you've never been there! Glass Mountain is also tucked up back in the mountains, I need to plan a day trip up there at some point.

I had a 94 ecsb with a 4.3 and 5 speed. Wouldn't have wanted it in auto or to tow anything either but it was OK for a run around truck. Plus 4.3s are indestructible for the most part.

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I appreciate your opinion so I have an idea what to expect for this damn thing. I don't expect my friend to tow with it (hopefully) because I have the dodge for that stuff, and he commutes like 40 miles a day so the 4.3 might be better for him after all the air pump smog bs is removed. And I agree! People talk so much **** on 4.3s but I've grown to like them if you don't do much besides commute or parts runs or whatever.

 

[gstubbz]

Little update on this truck, I didn't really mess with it since I went with another friend to go yank parts from a 96 vortec 454 suburban in a boonies town called Greenville / Taylorsville CA so I was a ways out from anything.

Tyler said that it seems like the injectors are getting power when I called and talked to him on the phone about it when I got service (we had none at the guy's house with the suburban) but that was it. I messed with the truck for a little bit this morning and changed the pickup coil in the distributor but that didn't help either.

When I got home I added this truck to my AllDataDIY so I've been spending hours looking at wiring diagrams to get an idea what to trace starting at the battery to the fuse block, ignition switch, then to the injectors, and then to the PCM. It sounds like the injectors may be getting power, but the PCM may not be returning pulse signals. I have to make a trip to Napa in the morning to pick up other stuff and I'll see if they have a noid light for these TBIs. I'm guessing at that point if the injectors are bad I'll swap the TBI from my other 4.3 engine and see, trace the wires, or if it's neither of those I'll pull the PCM from my green truck to see if it will at least run (although like **** because it's set for a 350 not a 4.3) to narrow things down. If it's the ECM for whatever reason I'll make a quick trip over to Reno and pick up a proper computer for a 4.3/5spd. I know they changed the connectors on the PCMs somewhere between 92-93 so I'm pretty sure the one in my 93 won't work in it.

It runs when gas is poured down the TBI so it's obviously getting spark. Just takes time to figure these things out! Once it runs the next thing we need to mess with is the clutch, the pedal is garbage like how it is in my green truck currently, so hopefully it's something simple and doesn't need a clutch (hopefully).

 

[GarrettGmc]

Parts of wifes family lives up there.
think just abt everyone up here has been to Burney falls, if u haven't you dnt get out much. Glass mt isn't really close to Burney, take 89 N almost to mccloud and bartel then take Harris springs rd for couple mile an then right on medicine lake rd for abt 30 miles at 30mph so it takes some time. There's big and little glass to.

My step dads uncle lives over in Greenville and i need to go out there sometime next summer, he'll inherite the property an wants to build bigger house.

Sounds like the trucks doing good, lil problems but that's normal. You could try the comp from the 93 just to try before buying another. Also mayb some injector cleaner. Hopefully you dnt have to get a new clutch, that'll be a pain since we're supposed to start getting rain, snow

 

[gstubbz]

Aww sweet thank you for the directions! Next summer I'll make a trip up there now that I know how to get there. I like the drive from Taylorsville the back way up to Antelope lake and then come out in Janesville. There is also this neat little hot spring out in the desert by Pyramid Lake and the Black Rock Desert. If I'm driving fast usually it takes me about an hour to get out there. It's more of a party spot than it is relaxing spot lol

 

[gstubbz]

So I have good news on this truck!

So the computer was receiving power to the plug from both injectors, and the connection would break when the fuse or injectors were disconnected so it didn't seem like there was a short anywhere in between. At this point it made sense that the computer wasn't returning a pulse signal so that's why the injectors never worked. I pulled the computer out of my 89, and the injectors started to spray fuel and eventually it ran. I couldn't use the computer from my wrecked truck because the plugs are different but I'm glad my 350 computer worked to test it.

Then we bailed down to Reno and bought a 91 k1500/4.3/5spd computer (although I was stuck in Reno for way too long, accident on the highway kept me in stop/go traffic for over an hour) and got back in the dark, installed the new computer and the truck runs without skipping a beat. It runs really good. Heater kicks ass too!

Tyler also purchased a new grille for it, although it's a GMC one. This was the cleanest grille out there, all the chevy grilles regardless of 88-93 or 94-98 were thrashed unfortunately. So it'll be a GMC for a bit. The front bumper is also a little tweaked so maybe we can fix it, if not I have another bumper with straight brackets. Side note, that square body mirror needs to go on the passenger side. It looks super goofy, and fortunately I have a bunch of 88-94 mirrors.

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So we wanted to drive it, but the clutch is not engaging whatsoever. Tried half ass bleeding it by pressing the pedal a million times but I don't think that's it. Probably needs a new slave or something. Pushing the clutch in while the truck was in gear and starting the truck was doable but difficult. We made it move in 4low up to the house to make messing with it easier.

I'm glad I finally found the problem and didn't have to trace shorts and mess with more stuff, although I've never seen a computer in one of these trucks die, so this was a new one for me!

 

[gstubbz]

He messed with it all day today, got the new grille on and apparently it needed a new clutch master cylinder so it runs and drives! Told me that it shakes on and off and power isn't terrible but it runs good.

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[gstubbz]

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I drove it today, and I must say I was actually impressed with it. I thought for sure it would be super slow but it's not that bad!


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