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Yes. I bought the 84 model. I like it much better than my 01. I got to put a starter on it and fix either the front brakes or a tie rod end. It pulls to the left under braking. And a V-belt on it. Other than that just some little things.
And the slant 6 engine doesn't knock. Only one rust spot on it.
Cool. Regarding the amp gauge, the one on my '84 gave me serious electrical issues... fried wires, etc. I may have had other problems, but after bypassing the gauge, all was well. Last year I found an in-depth article online (which I can't find now) on how those gauges were melting wires, and themselves, due to how much juice was flowing through them... the plastic lens on mine was warped. Someone else here might be able to provide more details. They eventually changed to voltage meters, but I picked up a 12v voltage meter that's been doing the job well.
Cool. Regarding the amp gauge, the one on my '84 gave me serious electrical issues... fried wires, etc. I may have had other problems, but after bypassing the gauge, all was well. Last year I found an in-depth article online (which I can't find now) on how those gauges were melting wires, and themselves, due to how much juice was flowing through them... the plastic lens on mine was warped. Someone else here might be able to provide more details. They eventually changed to voltage meters, but I picked up a 12v voltage meter that's been doing the job well.
I wasn't sure what you were getting at. Thanks for the tip. Can I just disconnect the wires from the guage? Technically the wires going to an amp meter guage runs in series with the heavy wire going to the battery. They call it a shunt or something. Is that how it's wired up on this van? In other words disconnecting the guage won't affect the charging system?
I haven't checked to see if there is a warning light. I got the V belt off. Advance Auto gave me the wrong belt. Because mine has a 100 amp alternator but they didn't ask me.
Last edited by James Siebold; Dec 29, 2019 at 05:37 PM.
I thought the battery was weak on this van because the engine struggled to turn over. Eventually it got to where the starter just clicked. Luckily it did this in my garage.
After testing I found the Bendix was engaging but the starter motor wasn't spinning. I bench tested it off the motor with jumper cables to confirm.
This was the easiest starter by far to swap. The only time I've ever swapped starters from within the vehicle!
I wasn't sure what you were getting at. Thanks for the tip. Can I just disconnect the wires from the guage? Technically the wires going to an amp meter guage runs in series with the heavy wire going to the battery. They call it a shunt or something. Is that how it's wired up on this van? In other words disconnecting the guage won't affect the charging system?
It was a while ago, so I don't remember the details on how it all played out. But these diagrams helped us troubleshoot the problem:
It was a while ago, so I don't remember the details on how it all played out. But these diagrams helped us troubleshoot the problem:
Ok based on that looks like all power has to go through the guage rather than a smaller shunt wire in series. So yeah I can see how that would cause an electrical fire. Looks like running a second thicker wire from the battery to the alternator would be an easier fix than messing with the guage wiring. I think the guage cluster is a printed circuit board and those connectors pull apart after awhile if unplugged. The top diagram is not showing the voltage regulator for some reason.
Last edited by James Siebold; Jan 17, 2020 at 02:21 PM.
3 cheers for the manual transmission van! If you get it, we should start a sub-forum club. My '89 B150 has a 5-speed manual, but 3.9L EFI V6. I often wondered about transplanting a slant six someday.
