1998 3500 crew/longbed build

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themeec

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So I thought I had a short in the fuel pump/injection wiring or something, as the 6.5 randomly snuffed itself out at idle at the shop this evening. Immediately accessible wiring harnesses look free from wear-through, and connections were solid. Scanner didn't show any codes, but I did notice the glowplug light was clicking on and off with the ignition on. (guess she figured out she's getting replaced and got upset :Big Laugh: )

Ran fine all the way home. Any tips before I just start digging deeper through the wiring setup/bust out the multimeter?
 

someotherguy

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After digging into available mods for the truck, and a couple trips to SoCal and back, while it's clear this truck is in phenomenal running condition, I came to the conclusion that I'd definitely like a bit more power while towing (can't really do much to the 6.5 without risking blowing it up), and dammit ... I just want more LOW.

Picked up a '97 454 gasser dually 4x2 with far lower miles in nice shape today. I was kind of looking forward to the challenge of converting the SRW to the spec I had in mind, but this will be a far easier buildout.
Far easier? Probably.. but more importantly, far more rewarding. That 7.4 will eat some fuel but won't leave you wondering where the power went. And, better success with the lowering job without fear of battling CV angles.

Richard
 

TonyM

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After digging into available mods for the truck, and a couple trips to SoCal and back, while it's clear this truck is in phenomenal running condition, I came to the conclusion that I'd definitely like a bit more power while towing (can't really do much to the 6.5 without risking blowing it up), and dammit ... I just want more LOW.

Picked up a '97 454 gasser dually 4x2 with far lower miles in nice shape today. I was kind of looking forward to the challenge of converting the SRW to the spec I had in mind, but this will be a far easier buildout.
Man, why can't I find one of these? Nice score, you'll be much happier with this
 

themeec

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Far easier? Probably.. but more importantly, far more rewarding. That 7.4 will eat some fuel but won't leave you wondering where the power went. And, better success with the lowering job without fear of battling CV angles.

Richard
Yeah, the 6.5 did a great job and good mileage with a bed full of bikes and cab full of the boys, but I could've stood for more power when towing .... and the 6.5 is not the engine you wanna wring much more juice out of. Can definitely tune/thrash the 454 a good bit more. Kind of a bummer since the 454 is not nearly as nicely sorted mechanically as the 6.5, so I've got some work to do to get her nice, but will be better in the long run.

Speaking of, one of the more cursed features of the 454 is the wipers come on if you turn on the headlights. Is that just a crossed over relay somewhere or an actual wiring issue? Haven't been able to locate any obvious issues under the dash so far.
 

someotherguy

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Yeah, the 6.5 did a great job and good mileage with a bed full of bikes and cab full of the boys, but I could've stood for more power when towing .... and the 6.5 is not the engine you wanna wring much more juice out of. Can definitely tune/thrash the 454 a good bit more. Kind of a bummer since the 454 is not nearly as nicely sorted mechanically as the 6.5, so I've got some work to do to get her nice, but will be better in the long run.

Speaking of, one of the more cursed features of the 454 is the wipers come on if you turn on the headlights. Is that just a crossed over relay somewhere or an actual wiring issue? Haven't been able to locate any obvious issues under the dash so far.
That specific symptom isn't super common, but wiper weirdness in general is a common GMT400 trait. On the wiper motor, re-solder the 5 joints holding the harness socket to the circuit board. It's a super easy job. They're almost always cracked, and the first one to crack is the one at the edge, and that's the ground.

Richard
 

themeec

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Pulled the truck into shop where it will remain for the next month or two so I can dig into it. Has a slight misfire when it's cold, so digging into plugs and other ignition items. Has the original injectors, so those have gotta go. Other stuff from sitting for a couple years. Digging out the first of many well-cooked mouse turds outta this thing.

Current goals are:
- Silverado power seat swap
- New plugs and ignition parts as needed
- New injectors/fuel rails/harness
- Find out the source of cursed wiper behavior
- Belltech 717SP lowering kit w/shock kit
- New tires and wheels (sticking with 16" for mo bettah towing, less rubbing)
- Find out what that racket from the backend is coming from
- Redo tint, yada yada ...

Dog liked it for the short time it was driving it around though. He's a fan of the whole sitting in front on the bench seat routine.
 

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someotherguy

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Once you've gone after the wiper circuit board as I described earlier, that should deal with any wiper weirdness. If it doesn't, I suspect you may have headlight harness damage, your new truck's pet mice may have chewed the wires, or someone may have damaged them, left a ground loose, etc. so a little inspection is in order. There's a headlight ground wire at each end of the core support and the specific location does vary a little bit based on year model, but they're not hard to locate. Your '97 has the old style round evap canister so the driver side headlight ground wire should be visible attached next to the canister bracket on the core support.. IIRC. Passenger side I'm having a tougher time remembering exactly where it is but you should be able to spot it.

Richard
 

themeec

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Tearing into this thing gives me an appreciation for just how simply these things were put together.

Had to replace a headlight bulb on the Hilux which involves taking both turn signals and the whole grille assembly off, which is held on by an endless multitude of fragile, annoyingly placed plastic clips. I guess when it came to giving Orokamono-san a job in the Toyota factory that day, this design became his job.

Oh, and when I got it all off, discovered the Surf was still using the old-style 9003 bulbs in '93 instead of the 9004's on USDM vehicles. /rant
 

themeec

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Nasty. Injectors didn't look a whole lot better once removed either. Definitely want to replace the crappy plastic fuel rail, and crusty harness plugs.

Sourcing injectors is a piece of cake, but only issue I'm having is finding a decent substitute for either new harness or rail that doesn't require a different manifold, or ECU setup. Would prefer sourcing from Summit, since a buddy can hook me up with a hefty discount, but other recommendations always welcome!

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