grahamco

So I bought this rig almost 3 months ago and I've ben lurking several forums and reading all that I can about these things and their gremlins. I've already corrected several issues pertinent to basic operation of the vehicle. I'm not a novice mechanic by any mean, but I'm also not a professional. I can handle just about anything as long as it doesn't require some high dollar specialty device. Anyway, moving on...

I'm unable to correct a few different things now that I feel may be related, but might not be. The PO took the liberty of direct wiring several things that he couldn't figure out such as some LED front turn signals, because the stockers don't work though the parking lamps do illuminate, the HVAC is wired to a switch because it doesn't turn on via the dash assembly, the cruise control doesn't work, theres no AC (just blows air, whatever the temperature is from the inlet I suppose), and the electric fan doesn't work. There are many other things besides that, but I;m just working my list of things that should "work" but don't.

So the cruise control: it could be the stalk switch, I can't tell. It doesn't set at all, and also won't accelerate via the resume switch. I have read that this, the HVAC, and some other things can all be caused by a vacuum leak but I cannot for the life of me find one. I have replaced several lines and have looked at every connection I can find otherwise, still can't find one.

The turn signals: these do work, but just the LED strips and not the actual bulb, which as mentioned is illuminated as a parking lamp. The rear signals work fine and are stock. No idea on that issue.

HVAC issues: So if i flip the wired up switch the blower kicks on but only on full blast. I bought a blower motor resistor which I intend to install in a day or two, so hopefully I can get some fan speeds. Also, when the switch is on, there is the ability to select heat, AC, etc. That seems to work, but only blows through the floor vents or the defrost vents is that is selected. Could be the resistor, could be vacuum, could be everything, very confused on that one.

Electric fan: I tested the relay and it is good. I thought about replacing the sensor, but thought I would wait and not just completely throw money at it. I can't really tell if the compressor is good or not. I've been reading and looking for guidance elsewhere on testing it or troubleshooting it somehow. It looks like it could be OE, in which case the clutch is probably seized. I haven't jumped it with a wire yet, still looking for the plug. Also, neither the E-fan and compressor turn when the AC is selected. Could be because of the HVAC switching issue above, not sure. I guess I could also test to see if there is any R12 left in the charge. Seems unlikely, but would explain why the fan won't turn on I guess. Not sure if this would affect the compressor engaging or not. I've come across a few threads addressing shimming the compressor. Not sure if I need to attempt that or not since the whole compressor might be shot. I'll convert to R134a eventually, but I would like to know what's up in the meantime, whether the lack of charge is causing all this or if its something else I need to correct.

Anyway, if anyone has any guidance on any of these issues I would appreciate it. I've tried a few things, but it seems that each of the problems has so many potential causes. I figured I would post to see if anyone knew of any correlation between some of these issues so I could take a certain route over another instead of chasing my tail for another couple of months. I appreciate it.

cruiser54

Begin by clicking on the link in my signature and doing posts 1,3,4, and 5.