Happy to report that the relay makes a huge difference in hot starts. Thanks for the suggestion, @imiceman44 !
CK5
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It is something I do on every old Chevy that I own.
Pretty sure I’m gonna do it on the 89 as well.
Twinkie has two, I use them as a isolator as well. Although I use the second battery for much more now but I originally set it up that way.
Same here
Wowzers, that's a LOT of improvement between welds! Those later welds look good. PracticePracticePractice. You're on the right path.
I like the red cans. For aesthetic reasons I wouldn't repaint them yellow. The red is good.
I've thought about this, but I'm just now getting to the point where interior things can happen. And they will be happening soon, so ideas like this are timely and appreciated.
I would not have thought that a .50 cal can nearly fits.
This is a self-fixing problem. Bad welding produces scraps which facilitate practice which produces good welding. Problem solved!
Yes, purple is what you want for this series of truck.
There is noooooooo way that I memorized this to facilitate hotwiring vehicles. None. Zero.
The fuse is sized according to the smallest wire gauge that will be downstream of it. Yes, it should be large enough to power your intended load (the relay), but the wiring is what it's protecting. If you need 5 amps to flip the relay, make sure your wiring is rated for more than 5 amps. Bad wiring kills vehicles. And houses. Worth doing right, because you may not get a second chance.
And 6 posts in a row. Just like old times.
Too bad Martin and Deuling aren't here to heckle each other about it.
Too bad Martin and Deuling aren't here to heckle each other about it.
I've thought about this, but I'm just now getting to the point where interior things can happen. And they will be happening soon, so ideas like this are timely and appreciated.
I would not have thought that a .50 cal can nearly fits.
Had I built mine with a bit more fore thought they would have fit nicely.
Finally paid enough attention to this to write it down mentally. Here’s what I was seeing:
Idle EGT was at 500
Cruising EGT was 700-800
EGT under throttle/acceleration/grade climbing was at 900-1100.
Seems decent to me.
Thanks for the encouragement! Have been keeping a close eye on the carrier and no welds have broken yet so that’s good.
I’ll definitely be putting in some practice time before my next welding project. Which may be fixing the rust hole I discovered in my new to me barn door.
If I do repaint the cans yellow, it won’t be for a while, and it’ll be for two reasons: 1) for diesel-application appropriateness and 2) because I might be painting my truck red once the body work is done (of which I also have 2 personal reasons for choosing that color) so it almost makes sense to paint them a different color to stand out. But I have a lot more work to do before any of that becomes relevant.
Yes, purple is what you want for this series of truck.
There is noooooooo way that I memorized this to facilitate hotwiring vehicles. None. Zero.
Good thing I guessed correctly. Just kidding. I researched. And there are only two wires to choose from. Red and purple. The red goes to a junction block, supposedly, so purple it was.
The product description claims a “40A/30A high switching capability” if that means anything. However, the ignition fuse on the fuse panel is a 20amp, so that’s what I went with. 20amp to match what’s on the fuse panel. For what it’s worth, the wire from the “battery” (aka junction post fed by the batteries mounted in the rear of the truck) to the fuse, to the relay, to the purple wire, are all 12AWG, which appears to also match the purple wire.
That seems pretty high, I have to tow a heavy trailer up a hill to get my egt's over 800. Idle they'll drop to 300 or less.
Size the fuse for the weakest link, not the strongest. It's good that your relay can handle 30 amps. But 12AWG is only rated for 20 amps. So a 20 amp fuse is appropriate.
Perfect.
I’ll take a closer look next time.
Been knocking out a lot of little projects the last couple days.
Replaced the push button for the manual glow plugs.
Replaced a toggle switch in the back of the truck that I installed a while back so I can turn the interior lights off when the barn doors are open for long stretches of time.
Mounted the back up LEDs (that were on the bumper) to the fuel carrier.
Installed a cheapo license plate bracket along with led light on one of the baskets.
Wired up said backup lights and license lights. (Harnesses were already present just needed to be extended).
Installed the black instrument bezel I picked up a while back from the junk yard. (Still need a decent stereo surround cover).
Replaced the driver’s 4-point window switch and harness. All windows work now.
Reworked the top mounting bracket of the fuel carrier so that it’s supported from the interior. No more warping sheet metal and it’s now perfectly aligned with the latch.
“Adjusted” the EGT gauge. I have a theory on why it was reading so high. The plastic lens is cracked and can get pushed down enough to catch the needle. With power off, the needle was stuck at 200 EGTs. Simple fix is uninstall and reinstall. Needle sits at 0 now when off. Will know tomorrow if this has any effect on the readings. Probably need to fix that lens someday.
None of this really NEEDS to be done before our trip next week, but I’m using it as an excuse to GET it done.
Replaced the push button for the manual glow plugs.
Replaced a toggle switch in the back of the truck that I installed a while back so I can turn the interior lights off when the barn doors are open for long stretches of time.
Mounted the back up LEDs (that were on the bumper) to the fuel carrier.
Installed a cheapo license plate bracket along with led light on one of the baskets.
Wired up said backup lights and license lights. (Harnesses were already present just needed to be extended).
Installed the black instrument bezel I picked up a while back from the junk yard. (Still need a decent stereo surround cover).
Replaced the driver’s 4-point window switch and harness. All windows work now.
Reworked the top mounting bracket of the fuel carrier so that it’s supported from the interior. No more warping sheet metal and it’s now perfectly aligned with the latch.
“Adjusted” the EGT gauge. I have a theory on why it was reading so high. The plastic lens is cracked and can get pushed down enough to catch the needle. With power off, the needle was stuck at 200 EGTs. Simple fix is uninstall and reinstall. Needle sits at 0 now when off. Will know tomorrow if this has any effect on the readings. Probably need to fix that lens someday.
None of this really NEEDS to be done before our trip next week, but I’m using it as an excuse to GET it done.
Interesting. I only have dome light switches on my 2 front doors, not the other 4. I have always figured that this didn't seem right. Glad to know GM corrected the oversight eventually...
