Oh, then yes, thats normal. All the grounds across the truck are all interconnected in the frame/body (all metal). So what you were reading was xx.x volts coming off the fuse box, which it should.

 

DOOD first and forthright I need to say thanks for all your help, the diagram and the advice. You are superman.....

Secondly I need to tell you after finding out everything was good today confirmed from my friend who could read your diagrams like a box of wheaties he advised I check the Pcm for a ground issue.

Low and behold on the firewall I had a ground which got rusty.. I cleaned it good and put back on and would you F in believe it that was it... The switch was working, then I went for a test drive and for the first time I got to hear the gear shift and I went over 80 mph with no issue.. Just like your truck my O/D shuts off like its supposed to when you turn the truck off ... I have working O/D and when I start the truck it is in overdrive always like its supposed to be.. I am soooo friken happy right now I am smiling ear to ear... I cant believe after all this it wasnt a huge electrical problem and was something soooo stupid... I wish I would of checked this first but assumed since he had a wire in where the fuse went to O/D that he must of fried something... I am soooo happy I had the help of you to help me check everything because with your tests I knew it was PCM or O/D Silenoid related.!!! Your the best and I cannot thank you enough for the time you put into this issue and your advice..I hope others learn from this thread and learn how to do their own tests as well so they wont have to pay top dollar to a shop to find such a stupid issue...

In the end I have one last question for you... I am taking the day off tomorrow.. Changing the transmission filter and fluid and doing a oil change on the truck... I hear some clattering in the engine lifters and was wondering (since I have the thickest oil in there and Lukas oil also) Is there some kind of clean out stuff or something I can do to quiet or make the noise go away completly? I believe it is gunk stuck to the lifters causing them to stick... Its not a loud click but noticable especially when taking off ... If you can offer this advice to me it would be totally appreciated...You are a supreme person and forever I will be indebted to u.
Gary

 

AWESOME!!! I hope I helped you more than I confused you! I hate electrical problems and I hate them even more when I can't see them. And yeah, ground wires can cause all sorts of problems.

If I were you I'd get the thick oil out of there and put in 10W-30 without the lucas oil stabilizer. Thick oil doesn't really help much when it comes to the valvetrain. Thick oil is usually only good when rings and seals start to deteriorate cause it won't seep past them... basically it just slows down the oil consumption of an old engine. So if your valves or rockers or something up there is clattering, try using 10w-30 (the specified oil for our engines) and see if that helps.

About cleaning it... there are several cleaners out there, but I wouldn't recommend them. Reason being, if you are right and there is a lot of gunk in the engine, you really don't want to break it all loose all at once! It can clog passageways and get in bearings and do more damage than good.

What I would recommend doing is using a good quality oil and changing it every 3000 miles for the next year or so, and before each oil change, pour in about half a can of seafoam in the crankcase and drive the truck for 15-20 minutes, then change the oil like normal. Do that for the next 3 or 4 oil changes and you should have a very clean engine by next year!

Then, you can change your oil change interval to 4000-5000 miles. The 3000 mile myth is just that... a myth. Oil doesn't go bad that quick, but when you are trying to clean an engine, you want to get clean oil in there at quicker intervals to hold on to all the crap, cause there comes a point where oil can't hold any more contaminates... and when you have a dirty engine, that point comes faster!

 

No in no way did you confuse me you helped me greatly. Due to the wire being in the fuse panel I assumed the wires got fried. Your knowledge and help guided me in the right direction to not only learn something but also check out all possibilities one by one...

I am glad you helped and like I said others will benifit from this problem and reading this detailed forum. SO a win win situation for all


As for the sea foam where do I find this product..I am gonna do the oil change tomorrow when I do the tranny fluid change and filter. I would love to buy it and change it then...

autozone has it? or advanced auto? well ill check in the morning...(just put it in where the oil goes yes? then run for 20 mins) just want to make sure... Ok thanks again I am forever indebted to u.

 

Yup, any autoparts stores should have it! Just put it in where the oil goes before you drain the oil out, run the truck for 15-20 minutes while the truck is at operating temp, and then change the oil like normal.

 

Ran the truck today more then when I owned it.. (5 days) so the truck is running great..Shifting nice. I changed the tranny filter and the oil like you said. (Even though I just did a oil change) I agree getting the lukas out is smart since it wont really help the issue with the tick. You see the main seal on the engine shows a small drip after running all day. Nothing constant but this is why I thought lucas was a good choice. Now the engine sounds quieter. I found the sea foam at autozone for 9.99$ the man tried to sell me on some Gunk product for 2.99$ and I told him I am not interested.. I know with these products you get what you pay for.

Once a deaf friend of mine ran his 1977 chevy caprice wagon out of oil somehow.. I came by and with a bottle of slick 50 not only did I get the rod to stop knocking but I got the smoke coming out of the tailpipe to go away.. I had him rev the engine at 3K rpms and low and behold it fixed it. Also once I had put slick in my engine in my camero and hit a nasty pothole and all my oil leaked out( I didnt know) I went to a shop and found I had a huge oil leak and ran the car about 10 miles without oil.. When I came home the engine was knockin and I fixed the pan with J&B weld and a piece of metal and filled with oil and low and behold no knock and no leak.. SO I will like to say I have had some great experiences with certain products so I know this Sea Foam must be the best.

Thanks again ill keep you updated but for now I am totally stoked I can ride this thing normal.. Cant wait to go to work tomorrow.

Also I got the original radio working too I am soo pleased with all the knowledge I learned in the last few days..

p.s here is a pic of my baby...she thanks u.

 

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD OMG today leaving the home depot with a 400 lb load I noticed at the hwy that my 4th gear was gone. the switch is still working but pressing it doesnt rev the rpms up or down now .. The truck seems to be running in overdrive on because it is not running real slow like last time. What do you think happened this time!!!!!! I am soooo upset No codes to help me this time either... I am totally stuck, fluid is all there.... I noticed the thingy u mentioned a few days in a row about warming up the tranny to make it shift into 4th and it did it fine all the days but today no shift into 4th..I was doing 3K rpms at 60-70 mph and still no shift as before it shifted into 4th at 45-50 i am sooo upset this truck was running sooo good and now I am back to square crapola.. please advise if u can.

 

Hmm. I'm running out of ideas besides what all has already been said.

Can you tell if the torque converter clutch is locking up as it should?

Read through this and get back on what you think the highest possibilites are...

 

looks like when u press the button stuff does what its supposed to hauling gear higher rpms) all gears shift nice up and down.. when i go about 45 can go up to 70 and no fourth gear kicking in. so then i lay off the gas and it will downshift as normal smooth as silk back to the 2nd gear and 1st

so i believe maybe the no shift to 3to 4th is the best specific's on the diagram you specified. I put about 500 miles on the truck with 4th gear so I know what it was supposed to do... Maybe ill try tps first and go from there.. fuse good.. thanks a bunch.. truck was running great, now no 4th gear...