Dumb Problem Fixes

[jcoatswo]

Ok I don't know if there is a thread out there yet for something like this so I'll try to start one.

When working on your barley or non-working truck and you're having an issue that makes no sense at all and you have done all (or most) of whatever diagnostic procedures it can really get under your skin.

Like doing everything right on the first two dates and you still end up going home to Miss Michigan on the third date. You followed all the instructions, did everything in the correct order and you're still not getting to use your dipstick. Usually you ditch the b*tch and move on, but it would be a shame to do that to a beautiful OBS. Post your stupid fixes to problems that you've solved in the past.

First to post:

I had to put a new motor in my truck when the last one took a . I was was in a big rush and I ended up pulling it into the garage, taking the hood off, and pulling the old motor and putting the new one in in only a couple of hours. When I hooked up the battery some lights on the dash lit up very dimly which was odd but whatever, I needed to know if my "new to me" motor was good. I started her up, ran fine, went to shut it off and nothing happened... truck still running. I thought I smashed a wire or pulled off a ground somewhere, I was pissed. So I start checking wires everywhere, all looking good. I looked up wiring schematics on all data and pulled out the multimeter and started the seemingly endless task of checking any and all wires that could be backfeeding to the ignition, nothing. Checked ignition switch after recommendations from the techs at my work, it was good. After my last attempt to swap various parts back and forth from the old motor I was completely as a loss.

In the end I was putting the hood on to push the old ***** out of the garage to work on another vehicle when I noticed the connector from the hood light wasn't there. I looked around for about 10 minutes and realized the MAP sensor was unplugged also.

Solved:
I had hooked up the MAP sensor lead to the hood light power lead (which are the same exact shape and size) and it was feeding it power because the hood was open/off. Nowhere in alldata did it say that the map sensor somehow fed back to the ignition.

This was a huge pain in my ass and I have never heard of someone else having this issue. Hopefully this will save someone some time and headaches.

 

[96-1500]

Haha, good idea for a thread. I got a chuckle out of your story. That stuff happens to everybody. If you claim it hasn't, you either are lying, or haven't worked on enough vehicles.

My personal favourite I've done, picked from a very long mental list of doing stupid things (this is for GMT-400s, I have done lots of stupid things to other vehicles too, notably a slight jack-related incident on my '49...)

Working on a friend's truck. It's a 1994 GMC K2500 light duty. 305/5 speed.

It's a fixer-upper plow truck, not a daily driver. It had some issues, notably needing brake lines and a clutch. I had it running before, ran strong and would drive. Went to fire it up, weak battery, wouldn't start.

We needed to get her down the road a little ways to the shop to work on it. So, we hooked onto it and towed it via a tow strap. Piece of cake.

Get to the shop, and we need to get it in there, but of course getting in was a tight fit, uphill, so basically we needed to drive it in, but it wouldn't run. After a very quick "diagnosis" we figured the fuel pump was shot, as she had no fuel, but lots of fire. So, being the redneck geniuses we are, we decide to jimmy rig it, just long enough to drive it the 20 feet into the shop. This wasn't a good idea.

Naturally, the "best way" to do that is rig up some way to manually dump fuel into the TB. Just dumping a little in would start it, but obviously then it would die, it wouldn't run long enough to get in the shop. So we figured maybe a squirt bottle with a hose running to it would work...nah, wasn't gonna happen. That's when we saw the half-full outboard motor can lying over by the shed.
"Hey, lets hook that up to 'er to gravity feed it, that'll work" says my buddy. After all, we're only moving the truck 20 feet...

Set the can up in the engine bay, tape a screwdriver into the adapter on the end of the fuel line, and tape it to the top of the TB (with air cleaner removed, obviously). Got the fuel flowing a slow trickle by pushing the screwdriver in just far enough (finesse...), whirled 'er over and she started right up and ran surprisingly well.....

....until it backfired and almost set the whole truck on fire. Nothing was damaged and nobody was hurt amazingly, and we got the fire out. But it only gets better.

Me: "(buddy's name), you checked the fuel pump fuse, right?"
Buddy: "I thought you checked it?"
Me: "no, I thought you checked it..."

No fuse in the holder at all, somebody swiped it out of the truck where it had been sitting.
Installed fuse, started it up normally and drove it in the shop.

Never underestimate the dangerousness of two idiots.

 

[dirtridinz71]

Working on a friend's truck. It's a 1994 GMC K2500 light duty. 305/5 speed.

It's a fixer-upper plow truck, not a daily driver. It had some issues, notably needing brake lines and a clutch. I had it running before, ran strong and would drive. Went to fire it up, weak battery, wouldn't start.

We needed to get her down the road a little ways to the shop to work on it. So, we hooked onto it and towed it via a tow strap. Piece of cake.

Get to the shop, and we need to get it in there, but of course getting in was a tight fit, uphill, so basically we needed to drive it in, but it wouldn't run. After a very quick "diagnosis" we figured the fuel pump was shot, as she had no fuel, but lots of fire. So, being the redneck geniuses we are, we decide to jimmy rig it, just long enough to drive it the 20 feet into the shop. This wasn't a good idea.

Naturally, the "best way" to do that is rig up some way to manually dump fuel into the TB. Just dumping a little in would start it, but obviously then it would die, it wouldn't run long enough to get in the shop. So we figured maybe a squirt bottle with a hose running to it would work...nah, wasn't gonna happen. That's when we saw the half-full outboard motor can lying over by the shed.
"Hey, lets hook that up to 'er to gravity feed it, that'll work" says my buddy. After all, we're only moving the truck 20 feet...

Set the can up in the engine bay, tape a screwdriver into the adapter on the end of the fuel line, and tape it to the top of the TB (with air cleaner removed, obviously). Got the fuel flowing a slow trickle by pushing the screwdriver in just far enough (finesse...), whirled 'er over and she started right up and ran surprisingly well.....

....until it backfired and almost set the whole truck on fire. Nothing was damaged and nobody was hurt amazingly, and we got the fire out. But it only gets better.

You must be registered for see images attach

^^^That can be the end result from above trick

I once had a clunking sound in my 92, picked up full front end rebuild parts...turned out to be the hood latch.

 

[RHamill]

A month ago I put a body lift on my new truck (remember I made that huge elaborate stickied thread called "Tutorial: 3" Body Lift" from my red truck?) Anyways, I did it at work on my hoist, lifted cab got that all done, started on box, started with right side, then lifted left side, put hoist down, seen a HUGE dent right at the gas door. I'm like fvvvvck.. forgot to disconnect fuel filler neck from box side, so I did that, then loosed hose clamps, started to pull hose off fuel tank spout, almost had it off.... next thing I know all 4 knuckles hit bottom of box causing blood leakage all over hell. I broke THE SPOUT from the fuel tank.... mind you all the guys in the shop are gone and its like 10:00 PM on a friday... I was so close to being done and driving home with that bad ass accomplished feeling.

Anyways, so I had 24 gallons of fuel in my tank because I filled up before I got to work, I had 4 soar and bloody knuckles and a broken fuel tank spout, also I had the sh!ts because I ate takeout from Pablo's tacos for lunch, so everything was going completely wrong that particular day. I HAD to drop the damn tank, but my truck was parked in a way in my hoist bay where I couldn't lift the whole thing up properly, so I put a floor jack under the tank, removed the 3 nuts on the frame and the 1 long (VERY EASY TO BREAK) bolt for the rear strap, dropped the full to the brim tank down, removed the snap ring (yes 98s use a snap ring for the sending unit), removed sending unit, cleaned surface rust from tank and spout, mixed up some quick weld, layed it on thick all around spout and even inside cleanly, then went and pooped for 20 mins, came back it was dry enough.

NOW, getting that tank back up there was VERY dfficult, mostly because it kept falling off the damn jack once the sending unit was in. Now its 12:00am and Im still at work, covered head to toe with oil, gas, grease, blood, cuts, I FINALLY got the tank up enough to get a nut started on the front strap mount, then hoisted it up enough to get rear strap bolt in! YES!

Tightened them all down, cut fuel filler neck in half, installed spacer, slid it on my repaired spout, tigthened filler neck to box side (DENT WAS GONE TOO), hopped in truck sitting 5" high with brand new 33" Goodyear Duratracs, almost rolled my ankle getting in. Sat in the drivers seat feeling awesome and like I accomplished a great task and I was ready to toss a pinch in and floor it as soon as I got on the road then rev up at a red light next to some hot b!tches (at 12:30am........)

So I turn the brand new GM key I found under the cd holder in my center console (was a spare that never got used Im guessing), zzzzzzzzzzz, off, zzzzzzzzzzz, off, zzzzzz crank crank crank crank crank crank (zzzzzzzz, fuel pump sound).

Good sign, fuel pump was for sure running, so I continued to crank thinking it was priming still, but NOTHING.

Got out and rolled under truck to make sure pump and FTPS was plugged in, they both were, didnt see any fuel leaks, grabbed my multi meter and measured voltage and ground on the pump wires and ftps wires, everything checked out, plugged Tech II in and had code for FTPS, it wasnt reading proper tank pressure. Anyways I ended up taking a loaner 2013 Hyunda Santa Fe Sport 2.0 turbo home, next morning (6 hours later actually) I was back, measured fuel pressure (my pressure checker was at home), I had 0 psi.. So I got under there to do a voltage drop on fuel pump and low and behold, my awesome nylon line for the fuel filter was tweaked and causing NO FUEL PRESSURE!!!!, straightened it out and voila! had excellent pressure and no leaks.

All it took was a little time away from the project. A clean shave, fresh shower, clean underwear and a new approach.

I did also put a FTPS in because I did drop the tank 500 times before I got it in.

 

[1ugly88]

i got one.... when i bought my 95 yukon it had no high speed on the blower motor. didn't think much of it till the first snowstorm. checked the blower and relay, no power. figured, ok, must be the control unit. i mean it was missing the knobs, no rear defog, half the lights didn't work. put a new gm one in........ nothing. start checking fuses, turns out i have the wrong fuse box cover and it was labeled rear blower(i think, it was something dumb like that) and low and behold, put a fuse in and it worked. boy, was i pissed