CK5
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I run 15/40 in my 454
Did you find the oil sender? It should be by the oil filter on the side of the block. There is no port for a sender at the back of the block by the dizzy on a 454
Did you find the oil sender? It should be by the oil filter on the side of the block. There is no port for a sender at the back of the block by the dizzy on a 454
I don't think I have seen an efe valve on the driver's side before.
I hope that is in the open position.
I don't see the sender in that picture.
Looking back at the pictures of the '85 454 in the crew cab it doesn't look like it was. I can't find a picture of the intake area to know for sure if it's there.
Found it at the front above the oil pan.
I us the bg product, I also use the diesel specific 15w40 for it's higher protection composition
My girlfriend's Jeep is finally ready to go. That was a great learning experience but it was also the first time I took one of "my" vehicles to a shop in years. Anyhow, I managed to pull the K30 into the garage yesterday before this winter storm Elliott came through in full force:
I am going to start with these five items like I said in a recent post:
Here are my top 5 items in prioritized order:
1. Oil pressure gauge doesn't work.
2. Voltage gauge doesn't work.
3. Starter shims need adjusted (or starter needs to be shimmed)... I am getting the awful buzz sound more often now when I crank on it.
4. The carburetor isn't tuned / adjusted for Denver's elevation.
5. The steering is incredibly loose.
Hopefully after the holidays I can get going on this thing and crank on it through April. It would be awesome to have it ready in May for some summer camping.
I went out last night and fired up the K30. It was the first time I had done so since my last post.
I took a look at the oil pressure gauge and it showed ~8 PSI at idle. I let it come up to operating temp and it still showed about 8. I revved it up a few times and the needle didn't move much at all.
So, I am not sure what is going on. The motor may just be tired? It has about 175k on it.
Today I am going to:
Isn't there an app out there that I could use to show my RPM?
EDIT: Just realized that there probably isn't because the truck is pre-OBD II.
EDIT #2: I found a guy saying that it can be done with a multimeter by measuring frequency by a spark plug wire... I may try this.
I took a look at the oil pressure gauge and it showed ~8 PSI at idle. I let it come up to operating temp and it still showed about 8. I revved it up a few times and the needle didn't move much at all.
So, I am not sure what is going on. The motor may just be tired? It has about 175k on it.
Today I am going to:
- Check if my accelerator pump works because there should still be fuel in the bowl.
- Verify that the oil pressure gauge is at zero before firing it up and comes up to 8 PSI after I start the truck. See whether it stays there or not.
- I may try and tune my carburetor. I watched a few videos on YouTube and I think I know what to do.
Isn't there an app out there that I could use to show my RPM?
EDIT: Just realized that there probably isn't because the truck is pre-OBD II.
EDIT #2: I found a guy saying that it can be done with a multimeter by measuring frequency by a spark plug wire... I may try this.
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Does your multi meter do frequency? Not all do that.
Rent a mechanical oil pressure gauge from AutoZone or O'Reilly's.
Remove the oil sender install guage and start engine. Note oil pressure cold and warm.
Even if your current guage is mechanical.
Rent a mechanical oil pressure gauge from AutoZone or O'Reilly's.
Remove the oil sender install guage and start engine. Note oil pressure cold and warm.
Even if your current guage is mechanical.
I had a pretty great day today working with the K30.
First off I followed Wes' advice above and got a mechanical oil pressure gauge from Harbor Freight. My local AutoZone didn't have one for rent, but the HF unit was only $30 so I decided to pick it up. MAN, the wire that connects to the sender looked pretty bad! The wire jacket had come off and raw wire was exposed. It looked chewed up a bit. I tried moving it a little bit and it was so brittle it felt like it was about to just snap on me. I connected the HF oil pressure gauge and fired up the engine. The oil pressure gauge showed nearly 50 PSI, which was a huge relief:
View attachment oil pressure gauge.mp4
After that I took a bunch of photos of the oil pressure gauge throughout the afternoon while the truck was idling. It was at 40 PSI for a while, then 22 PSI. The lowest that the oil pressure got (after ~25 minutes of idling and the engine was at 210 degrees F) was 14 PSI:
Next I checked out my accelerator pump to make sure it was working. I don't know how much gas is supposed to come out per "squirt", but there is definitely gas coming out when I crack the throttle... so again that is relief. Here is a video:
View attachment accelerator pump.mp4
After that I thought to try and tune the carburetor. Earlier today, I found a great video about changing your rods and jets in an Edelbrock carb on YouTube. In that video the guy says that I should have my fuel system sorted and my ignition system sorted (timing, idle RPM) before starting to mess with the carb. So I decided to check the timing and my idle RPM.
Timing was pretty straightforward. I gave @Capt Ron a call and asked about how he marked the harmonic balancer on my K5 when he came over a couple of years back. He helped me out quick and I found the groove on my balancer and marked it with paint pen. The timing at idle came out to 0 degrees on the mark.
Checking the idle RPM was interesting. I set my multimeter to Hz and then put the ground lead at the negative post of the battery and the positive lead on one of my spark plug wires. I don't know if this is a legit test or not but it spit out 7 Hz. I knew from this video on YouTube that I had to multiply by 120 so it comes out to 840 RPM at idle. That seems... somewhat normal (?). Here is a video of that:
View attachment idle rpm test.mp4
I decided to call it a day after that but I did notice a couple of disconnected hoses in my engine bay that I wanted to ask you guys about. Here are photos of them.
Mystery vacuum line:
Mystery disconnected hose:
Questions for anyone out there who got this far:
1. Does 0 degree timing and 840 idle RPM sound pretty "sane" for a 454? I want to adjust those things before messing with the carb if you guys think I should.
2. Can anyone identify the mystery vacuum line or the mystery hose that I took photos of? I removed the vacuum line and plugged the opening with the screw in the photo. I reconnected the mystery hose.
3. Any idea of whether my idle RPM test is valid? If not, anything I need to do differently?
Next steps:
1. I am going to see if I can repair the wire on the oil pressure sender. I now have an idea of what the gauge should be showing as the truck warms up.
2. I am going to tune the carb! I'm excited to try that out because I think the truck is probably running really rich. I may pull a spark plug before tuning just to see how it looks.
3. I am going to start looking into the voltage gauge. It is pegged at 0.
THANK YOU!
First off I followed Wes' advice above and got a mechanical oil pressure gauge from Harbor Freight. My local AutoZone didn't have one for rent, but the HF unit was only $30 so I decided to pick it up. MAN, the wire that connects to the sender looked pretty bad! The wire jacket had come off and raw wire was exposed. It looked chewed up a bit. I tried moving it a little bit and it was so brittle it felt like it was about to just snap on me. I connected the HF oil pressure gauge and fired up the engine. The oil pressure gauge showed nearly 50 PSI, which was a huge relief:
View attachment oil pressure gauge.mp4
After that I took a bunch of photos of the oil pressure gauge throughout the afternoon while the truck was idling. It was at 40 PSI for a while, then 22 PSI. The lowest that the oil pressure got (after ~25 minutes of idling and the engine was at 210 degrees F) was 14 PSI:
Next I checked out my accelerator pump to make sure it was working. I don't know how much gas is supposed to come out per "squirt", but there is definitely gas coming out when I crack the throttle... so again that is relief. Here is a video:
View attachment accelerator pump.mp4
After that I thought to try and tune the carburetor. Earlier today, I found a great video about changing your rods and jets in an Edelbrock carb on YouTube. In that video the guy says that I should have my fuel system sorted and my ignition system sorted (timing, idle RPM) before starting to mess with the carb. So I decided to check the timing and my idle RPM.
Timing was pretty straightforward. I gave @Capt Ron a call and asked about how he marked the harmonic balancer on my K5 when he came over a couple of years back. He helped me out quick and I found the groove on my balancer and marked it with paint pen. The timing at idle came out to 0 degrees on the mark.
Checking the idle RPM was interesting. I set my multimeter to Hz and then put the ground lead at the negative post of the battery and the positive lead on one of my spark plug wires. I don't know if this is a legit test or not but it spit out 7 Hz. I knew from this video on YouTube that I had to multiply by 120 so it comes out to 840 RPM at idle. That seems... somewhat normal (?). Here is a video of that:
View attachment idle rpm test.mp4
I decided to call it a day after that but I did notice a couple of disconnected hoses in my engine bay that I wanted to ask you guys about. Here are photos of them.
Mystery vacuum line:
Mystery disconnected hose:
Questions for anyone out there who got this far:
1. Does 0 degree timing and 840 idle RPM sound pretty "sane" for a 454? I want to adjust those things before messing with the carb if you guys think I should.
2. Can anyone identify the mystery vacuum line or the mystery hose that I took photos of? I removed the vacuum line and plugged the opening with the screw in the photo. I reconnected the mystery hose.
3. Any idea of whether my idle RPM test is valid? If not, anything I need to do differently?
Next steps:
1. I am going to see if I can repair the wire on the oil pressure sender. I now have an idea of what the gauge should be showing as the truck warms up.
2. I am going to tune the carb! I'm excited to try that out because I think the truck is probably running really rich. I may pull a spark plug before tuning just to see how it looks.
3. I am going to start looking into the voltage gauge. It is pegged at 0.
THANK YOU!
I've used this before in old engines and restored some oil pressure. https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-epr-engine-performance-restoration/
What are you using for oil? You could try using Rotella 15w40 diesel oil; a common practice for old flat tappet engines.
What are you using for oil? You could try using Rotella 15w40 diesel oil; a common practice for old flat tappet engines.
Yeah, I've got 15w40 Costco oil in it. I was hoping that the reading of 14 PSI at idle was alright due to the sender's location. Do you think that product is similar to something like Berryman B-12?
I know BG makes really good stuff. Around here I can get it at Napa and Advance Auto Parts.
The Rotella has zimc which is good for your old engine.
12psi is okay for idle. The old rule of thumb is 10psi per 1000 RPM. As long as you getting close to 30psi at higher RPM, you should be okay.
The mystery hose is a vent for the heater fan.
I think the vacuum line is for the climate controls. That black thing is a one-way valve. You'll probably need it connected to get your controls to change which way the air is blowing; heater, vents, or defrost. Not sure what all was teed off that vacuum line. If you have a service manual, there should be a vacuum diagram in it.
Oh, and you should have at least 12 degrees BTDC for idle timing. 0 is going to be super sluggish. That's what you'd want for a TBI setup like your K5.
I believe it should go to a black ball looking vacuum reservoir mounted near the heater area. Another line should go from that reservoir to your tbi unit or manifold. I think.....
yes the vacuum line should connect to manifold vacuum, normally at the intake behind carb port. the plastic thingy in the middle is a check valve. the other end goes to the ball (vacuum reservoir). The ball will have a second nipple this will go the hard spaghetti line into the firewall.
The bigger rubber hose blower motor goes to the hvac plenum. there is @1/2" nipple in the plenum case. It should be just behind your finger in your picture. thou I can't see it, my suspicion is it's broken.
14 psi is a little low 15w40 is a good wight oil for your truck, maybe a pint of lucas hd oil stabilizer, totally reminds me of STP oil treatment. As long as the pressure increases with the rpm your good.
That pressure gauge has nice long hose on it I like that. The gauge may not be that accurate, over the whole range.
Timing should be at least 4° btdc, and manual trans 454 could go as high as 15°. Start at 4 drive it, go to 8, see what feels like, listen for any ping or detention, if none and running strong try 12, drive it listen, feel.
the frequency trick is neat I need to try and compare to my tac. 840 is totally reasonable rpm for manual trans. in fact you could bump to 900, it might help with idle oil pressure.
While the baked wiring could be an issue if you ground that wire with the key in on position the gauge should max out. If so fix the connector, and replace the sender.
Glad you had a good day.
edit: do the timing adjustments with vacuum advance disconnected, and plugged. Golf T or pencil make good temp vac line plugs.
The bigger rubber hose blower motor goes to the hvac plenum. there is @1/2" nipple in the plenum case. It should be just behind your finger in your picture. thou I can't see it, my suspicion is it's broken.
14 psi is a little low 15w40 is a good wight oil for your truck, maybe a pint of lucas hd oil stabilizer, totally reminds me of STP oil treatment. As long as the pressure increases with the rpm your good.
That pressure gauge has nice long hose on it I like that. The gauge may not be that accurate, over the whole range.
Timing should be at least 4° btdc, and manual trans 454 could go as high as 15°. Start at 4 drive it, go to 8, see what feels like, listen for any ping or detention, if none and running strong try 12, drive it listen, feel.
the frequency trick is neat I need to try and compare to my tac. 840 is totally reasonable rpm for manual trans. in fact you could bump to 900, it might help with idle oil pressure.
While the baked wiring could be an issue if you ground that wire with the key in on position the gauge should max out. If so fix the connector, and replace the sender.
Glad you had a good day.
edit: do the timing adjustments with vacuum advance disconnected, and plugged. Golf T or pencil make good temp vac line plugs.
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I just went and read the entire thread because I picked up an 87 V30. I enjoyed reading and seeing your progress grow with each task you conquered. Good job forum brother! Keep at it.
Thank you for the kind words @Desert_K5! I still don't know s*** but I get by with a lot of help from my friends here.
I went out last night and did some "work". It was one of those nights where I mostly just looked at the engine bay and tried to understand what the hell was going on. I always read the responses you guys leave for me and then I try to apply them to my truck with the small amount of knowledge that I have. Despite not getting a ton of physical progress completed, I feel good about the time I spent in there just trying to get my head wrapped around things.
First up was the mystery vacuum line stuff. I started by trying to find a 1986 vacuum diagram for the 454. I found this image on Google.
Quickly I realized that even if this is the correct diagram... it applies to a Quadrajet (duh). On top of that the PO of my truck cut all of the emissions vacuum lines out. Still I was able to sort of mentally map what I have in my engine bay with some of these components. @Wes Harden is this the ball that you were referring to (right beneath the clutch cylinder)?
The mystery line that I snapped a photo of comes out of the firewall area... so I am thinking that I need to connect that vacuum line to manifold vacuum and this ball. I bought a bunch of vacuum line from AutoZone so I am hopeful I can make it happen.
Anyway, I moved on to the old oil pressure sender. Here are the old components... they're pretty smoked.
Both the sender connector and the other electrical connector have exposed wire.
I tried getting the oil pressure switch out as well, but this damn thing won't come out. The switch and the oil pressure sender both screwed into a single junction block. Here is a photo of the junction block and the switch that won't come out:
I am kinda thinking that I'll replace the switch, the sender, and the connectors that go to both of them. Hopefully I'll have another update later this week.
First up was the mystery vacuum line stuff. I started by trying to find a 1986 vacuum diagram for the 454. I found this image on Google.
Quickly I realized that even if this is the correct diagram... it applies to a Quadrajet (duh). On top of that the PO of my truck cut all of the emissions vacuum lines out. Still I was able to sort of mentally map what I have in my engine bay with some of these components. @Wes Harden is this the ball that you were referring to (right beneath the clutch cylinder)?
The mystery line that I snapped a photo of comes out of the firewall area... so I am thinking that I need to connect that vacuum line to manifold vacuum and this ball. I bought a bunch of vacuum line from AutoZone so I am hopeful I can make it happen.
Anyway, I moved on to the old oil pressure sender. Here are the old components... they're pretty smoked.
Both the sender connector and the other electrical connector have exposed wire.
I tried getting the oil pressure switch out as well, but this damn thing won't come out. The switch and the oil pressure sender both screwed into a single junction block. Here is a photo of the junction block and the switch that won't come out:
I am kinda thinking that I'll replace the switch, the sender, and the connectors that go to both of them. Hopefully I'll have another update later this week.
