1981/83 Pickup build

1. I have the pig tail and voltage regulator for the 81. The wires (pig tail) come out of the male plug (attaches to female, regulator side) on the truck side and plug directly into the alternator. The 83 voltage regulator plugs just connect to each other, all the wires either go into the voltage regulator or back into the loom on the other side of the plug.

2. I traced one of the coil wires back to the ignition wire from the dash (where the key goes, black/yellow wire). The other two I traced back to the ECU on the 81'. This is where I need to find a pin out diagram for the 81 ECU and the 83 ECU.

 

I have never traced them back that far, I have FSM for these I will dig around and see if I have it here in NC.

The good news is that little computer doesn't do anything unless you have smog junk. I have the harness from my 81 on the floor in my garage I am not even sure it still had one. The 81 harness was a hack job, any I pulled at least 100 feet of junk wire out of my 83 when I got it. Probably won't use either myself as I have at least one good harness somewhere.

Problem for me will be digging one out amongst the piles of old harnesses that I have salvaged plugs etc from, or were hacked when I pulled them in the first place.

 

OK, that is what I was thinking. That may simplify things a little then. I just don't want to fry anything by just randomly hooking stuff up.

I found a FSM off of Yotatech for the 83 I just don't have the ability to download it right now (the work computer wouldn't like that).

 

83 Toyota NSFW haha

Yes, as far as running they are not computer controlled. I am not sure if the idiot lights, suck as when the charge/brake lights come on at the same time to say the alt isn't working may have something to do with it. But my 81 never had working idiot lights. All my gauges worked, power heat etc and thats all I cared for it.

One of my 85's is from California and trying to chase down the bugs with the California special package made me want to stab my eyes out. It had the engine computer on the passenger side, and aaother one on the drivers side. I scrapped the harness and used on out of an 85 I cut up that did not have the California special treatment.

 

From what I have read, the charge light is powered through a relay that is on the passenger side behind the glove box.

This is why I think it goes into the ECU and may go back out to this relay

 

I cannot figure this out. I have traced wires, read diagrams, made connections, moved connections and still cannot get this thing to come remotely close to firing off. I know all my parts work because I drove it right before I did the swap, and all I did was transfer parts from one to the other.

Damn Gremlins!!

 

Could it be relay or a neutral safety switch or something like that? I have a feeling is may be something simple, like a ground I'm missing. The bad part about that is they are hard to track down.

 

What is this nipple on the intake manifold. Lower, center, left of picture. I think I remember this going into a charcoal canister. I am just going to plug it.

 

I finally figured out the starter. I can now get the engine to turn over. I still have a jumper from the starter. I need to figure out the wiring for sure back to the switch. I wires up the fuel pump and ended up flooding the carb pretty good, I fixed that for now. I still need to wire the Alternator in. That should connect directly to the battery, correct? It sounds like it wants to go, but I am afraid that I'm not getting spark from the ignitor and coil. How can I check this?

Also, the ignition coil gets pretty hot when I try to start the truck. Is this normal? I have it grounded to the truck and wire tapped into the ignition wiring in the dash.

 

I just thought of something. My dizzy might be out of sync. I need to get the #1 on the TDC and make sure the distributor is in sync. I remember turning the motor (fan) while the ignition coil wire was disconnected. That would mess up the firing order correct?

 

I think I have a Gremlin




I am going to pick up a spark tester today or tomorrow to try and figure out if I am getting spark. I figured out the starter, Alt, and keyed switch for the ignition. It turns over and wants to go but won't fire off. I need some more ideas. What am I missing?

 

Hey bud, just saw this thread and realized it was yours. Man when i did my 81 took me close to two years to get it done. I put a 92 22re in mine, talk about chasing gremilns, using the stock 81 harness to run the truck and then the 92 computer for the motor. The biggest one think was finding out had a ground issue to the ECU. Sorry have to put pic of my motor up (first motor i helped rebuild, I did not do any of the really important parts of the build was just tool gopher).

 

That is nice!

My motor right now is a carb'd 20r. I shouldn't need the ECU because I don't plan on hooking up all the emissions nonsense. Somewhat like you, my motor is an 80' and trying to be put in an 83' truck. I have done pretty good so far comparing wiring diagrams between the two and hooking stuff up. My solution could either be super easy and I'm just missing it looking for something else, or problems with the igniter and coil. Everything worked before the swap though, that is the confusing part for me.

 

Thats the kind of stuff that gets frustrating quick. Something most likely simple but still pain in the rear

 

I think that goes to the brake booster (larger one on left).

 

@Konvict KROG
I just realized I have these same two plugs. These are the plugs for the ignition coil, correct? One should be power, one should be ground?

I cannot for the life of me get this thing to fire off, and it is driving me crazy.

 

The two on the bottom are the plugs for my coil. The two on the top are the ones you showed me.

 

Well, it turns out, this was my answer: http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content?topic=85514.0

I ran out to O'Riely's and picked up the stuff to do the conversion. Took all of 10 minutes to wire up, and BAM!!! First shot fired up!

Got rid of the Toyota ignitor and coil and replaced it with GM parts.

 

I would really old to go clean all this up, but it is pouring outside today.

To mount the coil, I was going to get some hose clamps and screw them to the fender wall, then connect the coil to that. I am also going to mount the module on the fender wall next to the voltage regulator.

 

No as long as your distributor is installed correctly, it won't be out of whack you can un plug it and pull wires all day.