Can't make it up my driveway

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Limey

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Jan 30, 2014
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Location
Lawrenceville GA
First Name
Paul
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
305
Wow, that was it. Dad gum. She's running!!
When i put the new wires in, i followed the wires as i found them. So.... it was wired wrong for 10 years. 6 and 5 were reversed. When i replaced the module, i numbered the wires so that i would put them back in the same order, it is possible i guess that i messed up. But she's running well now. Success.

Thanks for all the input. I will still check the compression. And look to replace the Qjet. Any suggestions?

With great respect,

Paul
 

mtnmankev

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Ash Fork, Arizona
First Name
Kevin
Truck Year
1984, 1983
Truck Model
K10, C20
Engine Size
383 Stroker, 350
Glad to hear that !!
You are very welcome for the help and advice.
I bet your gas mileage will get better now, too .....

If you don't have a GOOD shop manual for your truck, do yourself a BIG favor and invest in one.
The info you may need, when you are unsure about something and there's nobody around to ask, can be a life saver at times.

And please, don't let the maintenance slack on that truck, we need to keep as many squares on the road for as long as possible.

And for general principle, DO check the timing chain for wear and stretch.
At 131,000 miles, I would be nervous driving it if I wasn't sure about the chain/gear set being in good shape.
 

Curt

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Loco Hills
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Curt
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1984
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K-30
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383
Stupid story,but I’ll share it anyway.The truck drove just find....was parked for 6-7 days,then no start.Crank-crank-crank.

Thought it was flooded,which it was,but not the source of the no start.Probably wormy mistake on my part,but it took almost a full day to find the problem.

The module for no apparent reason just quit.Don’t understand it.Ive seen a coil do it,but not a module.Whatever.
 

mtnmankev

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Engine Size
383 Stroker, 350
Stupid story,but I’ll share it anyway.The truck drove just find....was parked for 6-7 days,then no start.Crank-crank-crank.

Thought it was flooded,which it was,but not the source of the no start.Probably wormy mistake on my part,but it took almost a full day to find the problem.

The module for no apparent reason just quit.Don’t understand it.Ive seen a coil do it,but not a module.Whatever.

You might be safe blaming that on the space aliens messing with you.
They rarely leave me alone here.
 

MikeB

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Mike
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1969
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C10
Engine Size
355
I know this problem is solved, but I wanted to add this: On older vehicles, what you think is an HEI problem can sometimes be a poor electrical connection where the HEI ignition wire feeds through the firewall connector block. Another thing might be poor connections where the feed wires from the starter BAT terminal go through the connector block to the fuse panel and ignition switch. Or even the switch contacts might be worn.

Easy way to check this is to measure voltage at the battery and the ignition wire running to the HEI with the engine running. If it's 14.2 volts at the battery, I wouldn't want to see anything less than 13.0 volts on the ignition wire. That said, the HEI would probably work fine at 12 volts, but the spark would be less intense.

Also, I have seen new HEI coils with thick black paint on the coil frame, instead of a bare metal spot for the ground wire.
 

Limey

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Lawrenceville GA
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Paul
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1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
305
Thanks Mike,

That's good info. I am worried about the 12volt ignition wire. The connector is on it's last legs. It measures 12.1 with the ingition on, but motor not running, so i think the power supply is good, i have looked for a replacement connector but thus far have been unable tofind one.
 

Dave M

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Australia
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1976
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C10
Engine Size
454
Thanks Mike,

That's good info. I am worried about the 12volt ignition wire. The connector is on it's last legs. It measures 12.1 with the ingition on, but motor not running, so i think the power supply is good, i have looked for a replacement connector but thus far have been unable tofind one.

Did you mean the connection to the HEI distributor itself, there are new pigtails available on Ebay, here's an example.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Painless-W...309732&hash=item3668d19b29:g:mG0AAOSw4wxfPkJy
 

Limey

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Lawrenceville GA
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Paul
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
305
Thanks Dave,

Yes it is the 12v source to the distributor cap. There are 2 pins, 1 for ignition, the other i have read is for a tachometer (which i dont have).
Thanks for the link, looks like what I need.
 

Matt69olds

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GMC 1/2 ton
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455 Olds
HEI are also know to break the wires from the pickup coil to the ignition module. After 30 years of constantly flexing from the vacuum advance moving the plate, the wires eventually break. That breaks up the signal to the ignition module, leading to misfires and backfires.
 

Rusty Nail

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Truck Year
1977
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C20
Engine Size
350sbc
Thanks Mike,

That's good info. I am worried about the 12volt ignition wire. The connector is on it's last legs. It measures 12.1 with the ingition on, but motor not running, so i think the power supply is good, i have looked for a replacement connector but thus far have been unable tofind one.

Try Napa.
 

Dave M

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Dave
Truck Year
1976
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
454
Thanks Dave,

Yes it is the 12v source to the distributor cap. There are 2 pins, 1 for ignition, the other i have read is for a tachometer (which i dont have).
Thanks for the link, looks like what I need.
I usually search ebay for my bits, as we don't have too many options down under. You guys have great spare parts outlets that cater for a wide range of bits and pieces. I bought the twin plug for mine, in case I wanted to fit a tachometer later. I ended up connecting this point to drive the pulse relay for my electric fuel pumps.
 

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