Thanks for the great video there MechaNuts! You saved me a good deal of time. I'm currently working on a kids 82 Chevy squarebody pickup, just overhauled the 350c transmission and did the valve body mods (Remove 2 check balls and short stroke the accumulator pistons etc.) I also overhauled the carb for him a while back, and was wondering why, even though it's a lame 305, I just couldn't get it to run the way I wanted it to. I had completely forgotten about this old system from back in the day (I used to wrench for a living back in the 80's) I'm going to give you a shout out in an upcoming video. Love your channel, (subscribed), If you're ever near Nashville, TN, give a holler l'd love to have you on as a guest!
The ESC was the cause of many days diagnosing and many dollars for a lot of us. Those antiquated systems wreak havoc once the start to fail. Mainly because of the intermittence of the malfunctions. Imagine being "new" to mechanical work and trying to figure it out. I bet a lot of trucks were sold out of frustration over the ESC...i know for a fact thats how I got mine for 2k. I know I could have just pulled everything and went ahead with the engine swap but I wanted a solid running base to start with. Didnt want to search for gremlins later yknow. So I had a built motor, trans, converter, gears, diff...the whole shabang just sitting there waiting for me to figure out that one simple problem. It pushed my build out 2 months. I was however left with a solid 305/t350 that I gave away to someone on the GMSB.com forum. I hope he and his son enjoyed doing their project together. Im gonna check out your channel as well. I stopped making videos back when I got a cancer diagnosis and had to start surgeries/chemo. Im getting back to where I can wrench again(new jeep xj project) so maybe ill be back at it soon-ish. Happy to see others getting something from it for sure. Happy wrenching!!!
Just wanna think yyour for the knowledge... and especially the pictures it's helping me alot .... 87 c10 is getting a new motor and swapping truck from tbi to carb your videos are helping me alot think you
Thanks man, I needed this big time. I've been losing my mind trying to figure out what's going on with my wife's K5. Timing was fine originally but it started back firing and missing like crazy and then eventually left me stranded so I believe that spark control module finally went out, gonna give this a try and see if she fires up.
Thats what happened to me as well. It just got worse until one day it died after a burnout and wouldn't run until it sat for a while. The problem with ESC is the module is pre mosfet tech. Or at least before mosfets were small enough to put on a logic board. Therefore the resistors that signal the board eventually decay enough to start reading the wrong voltage...and since were only talking 0.5 - 3.0 volts per sender a little is a LOT. Im pretty sure in most cases the ESC is sensing a false knock condition from the knock sensor and pulling timing down to somewhere around 8-12 degrees...so basically cam timing with no advance. MOst times they will idle and rev in park all day with a bad esc but as soon as a load is on the motor it acts up. Anywho, hope you solve it soon.
@@mechanuts7191 Heck yeah, that makes me feel even better. I'm probably gonna mess with it tomorrow and I'll come back and let you know if that was it. Actually it might be a week or so because I borrowed the dist. Cap for my K5 and I was hooking my wires up in the dark and I accidentally crossed two and burned up the cap but I will still tell you the out come when I try it. Thanks again.
My 92 silverado has the original distributor which doesnt have the vacuum spark advance. Can i replace it with an heidistributor with vsa on it and then fix my wires like you did in the video?? My esm went out and replacing it would cost md more than a new hei distributor. Thanks in advance forany advice. @@mechanuts7191
Thank you great video, not a waist of my time. I am now very informed! Yae another RU-vidr that is not in love with the sound of his own voice! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 Thank you!
Thanks for your Video! What can i do, if i would like to change the existing HEI Distributor (OEM w/ ESC Connector) with a regular HEI Distributor (without ICM / ESC connection)? can i simply unplug this 4 Pin (Brown / Green / White / Black) Connector and disconnect the "Thin Orange" at HEI Bat. I have a 1982 Chevy G20 V8 305 CUI. Thanks for your help
thanks for your video. 1986 chevy blazer plow truck. did your mods and the tune problem ive been chasing on and off for 2 years is gone... truck could hardly move in 4 low floored, let alone plow snow. i live at 10,00 feet elevation and if my plow doesnt move i cant get to work. thanks again! cheers!
An hei distributor from any years other than say 83-87 will not have ESC prior to tbi. also any you buy from a parts retailer will also not have ESC. I hope this helps
I have three wire plug coming from the coil on top of distributor and the center wire is black I need to know where to run it. Rats are several wires and I can't find a home for the center black wire. It doesn't look like it goes into distributor because I don't see any frayed black wire inside distributor. I hope that makes sense
I’ve got a 1976 Chevy Itasca on a p20 chassis 350 tbi. I can not find out what the green wire is. After I got a new alternator put it my clusters all spin crazily. Any advice?
I wonder if I need to do this to my cutlass supreme 🤔 I plugged it in and my car cuts off when I shift into reverse.. so I’ve left it unplugged for now.
I got an 88 corvette and my timing is screwed up. If I use my vacuum advance on the distributor can I just unplug the ESC ? There's a plug I can disconnect apparently to disable it then adjust the timing. Can I just leave it disconnected or so I need to just wires... I'm so annoyed
Does this ESC come on the 1996-99 gmc sierra model. I’m having the same issue no start cranks but i have no spark. Spark at the coil but it’s not entering the distributor. I noticed the truck had a knock sensor on the driver side with a wire going up the block. Please get back to me I’ve been trying to fix this clients old truck
I have an 1981 Chevy Van with that setup on it. I also have a brand new HEI distributor without it. Can I simply unplug the ESC and leave it unplugged and install my new non-ESC HEI distributor and cut the thin pink wire going to battery? Or would I still need to connect the green and the black wire together on the disconnected pigtail? I would also like to delete/remove the ESC computer while I am at it. Thanks in advance.
Hey bud. With a newer HEI you can simply install the distributor and wire as normal(tach signal,power,ground). There is no need to remove anything unless you want to clean up the engine bay or reduce weight( which is a joke in a c10 anyway). The esc will just sit dormant.
on my 86 s10 the esc wires are blue, black pink and brown....do u know where each wire on your truck routes from ...then to the 4 wire connector? what year is your truck?
Thanks for the video on the problems with the ESC. I have an 85c pickup purchased new. I don't drive it every day and it sits in my garage. I went to start it but wouldn't start. I had a mechanic work on it but he couldn't get a spark so he spliced the black and green together and disconnected the pink wire with fuseable link that connects to the distributor thus eliminating the ESC. Truck starts now but only runs for 10 minutes then quits. I have to let it sit for 30 minutes or so before it will start again then repeats this mo. Can you suggest something? I did take out the ESC and visually it looks fine. Can the ESC be tested? I left the 5 pin ignition module in distributor. Been frustrated with this issue for 2 years. Help help help thanks for video.
First off thats Awesome that you have had a squarebody since new. Now on to the Diagnostics. My first thoughts are that the ESC would NOT have caused a loss of initial spark. In other words it only retards timing but cant completely cut ignition like that. There IS a problem elsewhere. That being said your explanation sounds a lot like ESC so im a bit perplexed. If the splicing was done correctly ( not saying it wasnt) then the ESC is no longer able to do anything regardless of its condition so that rules it out completely. Do make sure its the ORANGE wire that has been removed from the dizzy power plug and that the PINK wire is still connected. The Orange wire doesnt carry enough voltage to run the dizzy properly and its buddy the pink wire is 8-10ga vs 12-14. Try touching the top of the dizzy and wire to see if its hot (temp)...if so it may one of 2 things...A faulty coil or too small of wire causing too much resistance. If all that checks out it could still be coil due to a charging mishap( they happen to us all). Beyond that id have to see whats happening for myself but im here as a sounding board whenever
I did the bypass with a new distributor and the thing still won't run right for me.. is there anything g else on an 82 that's would make it missfire to do with this?
Quick question you ESC guru, what exactly does the orange wire do? I bypassed the black and green wire on my 86 k10 that was intermittently losing fire and had a funky idle at times and that cleared her up. But the orange wire is still connected, do I need to delete it? Not sure if it matters but I still have a factory quadrajet I rebuilt for now.
The orange wire is powering the esc module under the dash. It shouldnt matter either way but I would disconnect it just to alleviate the circuit. The fewer wires you have carrying constant power through the firewall the better off you are in my opinion.
WHy would you want one? I assure you no one has ever replaced or put one back....thats why you cant find them...because they were so bad even the dealerships refused to replace the esc
I'm going to try this with my truck I just deleted all the smog equipment and put a set of headers on that old 305 and now it doesn't run for shit, it falls on its face every time I kick the secondaries in so I'm going to try this trick and see if it runs okay
Sounds great Thanks! I wonder about mine (1983) because I only see one wire on Batt and the three from distributor next to it. Can I leave that alone and then jump Green to black in back of distributor?
How goes it, i have a couple questions for you what year is your pickup and would this work on a 1990 chevy silverado 2500 ??? Any feed back would be greatly appreciated, Thank you for your time.
I followed everything in the video and I still have no spark. I have 2 extra distributors. Which one would you recommend I install? 1 that has vacuum advanced but no ESC plug or 1 that has the ESC plug but no vacuum port ?
Thank you for helping with this, I have an 83 chevy suburban 5.7 and I can't locate where esc is , some say behind glove box some say on firewall so where precisely is it please
I replaced the knock sensor and ESC module and I’m still getting a miss and trouble code 43. I have a 1994 Chevy blazer sport . Any help with be awesome. Thank you .
Hey, I have the exact same issues you're having except I have a new distributor in that doesn't even have that four wire plug on the passenger side. So the question is if I just remove the ESC entirely and run the new distributor doesn't that solve my problem?
Indeed it does. If you install a new HEI distributor you dont even need to remove the esc module. Just install the new dizzy with one power wire and tach signal if it is needed/wanted. If you are still having issues after that it is NOT the esc.
The esc is ran on a 1984 corvette but it has no vacuum advance if I disconnect the esc plug and jump the green and the black wire there will I have full power advanced and will my tachometer still work? Thanks ahead of time for your video
I have a 92 caprice wagon with a 350 swapped in and I had put a 350 prom chip instead of the old 305 one. Whenever I mash the gas it’ll miss and cut off. It also runs hot I’m not sure this would have anything to do with it I don’t know much about these cars
It may be the eprom causing a lean burn situation. That would bog and cause overheating. The problem with eproms is that they are usually coded by a tuner for one specific vehicles setup and then someone burns a copy to mass produce. I've never actually met a reputable pre obd tuner who burns copies. The only way to get an eprom to work properly is to have a tuner create a specific eprom for your specific vehicle. I'm not saying that gotta be the issue but from many years of dealing with eprom and piggybacking I've learned that they just never seem to be just right until you write your own tune. Hope that leads to some discovery and good luck with the caprice.
I have a 92 s-10 4.3 l 4wd. I'm not getting Spark. ive replaced the distributor several Icms. Caps rotary buttons. You name it.. wires plugs. The only things I havent replaced is the knoxk sensor and the electronic spark control module. My question is- is there a way to test the module before buying a new one ? With a volt meter? Test light - and is it often they fail- what about knock sensor- I'm not sure if its supposed to do it's job before initial spark or. After - any help advice would be very appreciated. Thanks
Possibly. id have to see the distributor. Sounds like the same issue that the older esc caused and if so then yes. It helped mine dramatically. However the 90 uses an ecm,pcm, Iac, o2, MAP, and various other control modules as well. I cannot confirm that they are not tied into one another.
I bought a hei distributor for my 1994 blazer tbi 5.7 I couldn’t make it work because the injectors didn’t kick in i poured some gas into the cAb and it fired right up but died quickly after so i saw a video that i could wire the tach wire coming from the distributor to the purple wire coming from pigtail connector If anyone can help please let me know
1981 Firebird with ESC. Suddenly refused to start. Disconnected ESC on the distributor side [the 4-pin black connector] and the engine started. While it was idling, the moment I reconnected it, engine stalled. I did not have to jumper the green and black wires. Does that make sense?
I would equate that to an internal ground -to-power on the esc module itself. It was probably working up to that point and when it grounded out it popped something internally/or vices versa. I believe the esc module on your car is similar to one found on a c3 corvette for a cross reference.
New Subscriber here, I have a 1986 Chevrolet Silverado K-10 truck with the 5.0L engine. Would the ESC cause the Ignition Control Module inside the distributor to burn out too?
I dont think so. Though it could mimic the symptoms. However if you have a verified burnt module I would look at the connector on the distributor first. They have a tendency to work loose and then eventually cross current inside the distributor cap. Just turn the cap over and make sure the three brass plates are firmly connected to the cap...also look for scorch marks there.
Ive got a 87 gmc 1500 tbi I ant getting any pulse an can't get it to hit. Lock at all I got a big cap hei distributor how do I go about hooking it up an still use the tbi ?
Im not 100% sure what you are asking so ill say what I know. You can trick the computer into thinking it has a normal dizzy but thats not gonna do anything that fixing the original problem wont. The oe setup has the same "power" the hei does. Ill list the ways to do so in Worst to Best order. Worst:The idea of wiring an hei into tbi is to get timing control without having any aftermarket ecu/piggyback ...NOT and ideal setup.... you can find the wiring diagrams and rewire the hei to ecu to "trick" it OK but only for racing:You can use the tach signal to pulse the injectors but thats a very "old school" setup and usually reserved for WOT application only. Best and ideal but very expensive without "knowing a guy": You can invest in an E-Prom burner and "tune"the ecu for the hei. Otherwise your kinda stuck using the factory stuff. Furthermore ive never done any of these things and have no experience so DONT go off my opinion alone.
What "module" are you referring to? The only one I know of is the ESC and there are NO "good modules" in existence for that. All the old ones will be problematic and there is no aftermarket alternative. If you are trying to "fix" the ESC just stop now and follow the instruction on the video and you will have a running truck again....if it doesn't work immediately then ESC was NOT the problem. Honestly if it cranks(turns over) but wont start(run) then you have other issues. ESC will NOT disable ignition or fuel...it only retards timing
My c10 5.0 v8 305 small block dated 1983 used to not start. And sometimes...directly start like new car. Can it be the ESC ..better to by-pass? Taking considération that rotor..cap are new. Thanks
Hey man, i have a 93, if you jump those wires, how does it advance? The problem im having is that it wont advance. Ive replaced the entire distributor, computer, and knock sensor, and its gives me code 42 43 for knock sensor, and esc.
Mine doesn’t have the orange wire but it does have the 4 pin plug on the side for esc but I bought a accel distributor which doesn’t have the 4 pin connector it’s all electronic (no condenser) will it still work no issues with esc or do I need to buy a distributor with the 4 pin connector
I have come across an issue with the felpro one piece oil pan gasket. The one that they said is for my 86 sbc 350 the rear part is to large for my two piece rear seal is there a difference between the one piece and two piece rear section that might be the difference in the size
From what I know the oil pans are NOT the same for a 2 piece and 1 piece rms. Meaning a pan from a 1piece rms block will not seal on a 2 piece rms block Regardless of the gasket. SO there are 1 and 2 piece SEALS and 1 and 2 piece PANS. A 1 piece rms block goes with a 1 piece pan if this doesnt make sense feel free to ask again and ill get deeper in to it with you
I have a 83 k5 Is my Daly driver and coming from work it just quit I replace evriting in the distributor except the pick up coil and still crank no start Goin crazy can you help me
Im having similar issues with 1981 malibu 267. I have replaced cap rotor coil plugs and wires. All were original I believe car only has 60 k. Im thinking about trying this esc delete but my distributor has no vacuum advance on the dist. So i am confused if this will cause problems. Thanks in advance
Take the whole dist. out, and replace it with a basic hei distributor. Less hassle, has vacuum advance, you can set your timing where you like it. No ECM needed. Especially if you have an aftermarket intake/carb on it. Did that exact thing on my 82 el camino, made a world of difference.
My idiot light comes on. , and before long the miss starts like your out of gas..if you wain acouple hours it cools down and you can go again.. will this solve that, instead of a coul? Thanks 😊
Not enough info to go on? What year truck and what engine? if its efi or tbi this doesn't apply. I dont remember seeing any dash lights on so probably not. It never misses...instead just retards timing down to 8-12deg. If you have (esc) just delete it anyway since it WILL eventually leave you stranded.
The module can do a few different things according to what its sensors tell it. One of those things is to cut power to the distributor, another is retard timing. When you tie the two wires together it bypasses the esc module all together. If you just unplug the 4pin connector the distributor has a relay inside it that defaults to open and will not fire the coil so you have to do the mod. You could do this inside the distributor as well by soldering the two terminals together OR wire an external relay to the green wire to provide 12v but its just easier to use a butt connector on the green/black
@@zambino8763 Sorry I just saw this response... The carb from 84 on were in fact partially controlled by the esc. There was a "lean Burn" module of sorts with a 2 wire plug on the top passenger/front of the carb. The plug is tan in color. I was able to run the stock quadrajet until I got a edelbrock carb to replace it. The function of the lean burn is null once the plug on top is disconnected.
@@zambino8763 When only unplugging it you are effectively just telling the distributor that the esc is faulty. It will then fail to run at all. You have to connect the circuit otherwise it gets no power. The dizzy has a I/O relay inside it that is controlled by those two wires and unless you rebuild the dizzy to delete it then it will default to open. By splicing the two wires together you are giving the relay constant power so it never comes into play. I eventually pulled everything from the engine bay and replaced it all however I was able to run the truck on modded dizzy and old quad for several months before the swap.
So once you cut the wires, which side do you connect together? The connector side or the wires that no longer run to it? Do you leave the connector plugged in after?
You connect the distributor side together. Trace the two wires as they come out of the dizzy and splice together. Disconnect the connector as it will no longer be an active circuit. No need to do anything else but you can remove the old wiring if you like
81. Heads. Headers. Intake. Carb. Super coil. And. Much more. An And I need. Help help with a push button kill. Switch. Really. For. Light what not starting on. A. Motorcycles. Got. Will a toggle. Help. PlZzzzzzz,
Are you sure it is the ESC. Have you gone through the test procedure for an 85-88 vette esc? But Yes you are right...the 85 began the esc being a eprom controlled module. There are ways around it but you need the ability to re-flash an eprom and then solder a new chip in. Been years since ive done any eprom mods or tuning so I dont have the tools available anymore. The burners can be purchased for under $50 now but were more like $5000-$15000 when I was in the game so anything I did was on borrowed time and equipment. You can pretty easily replace the distributor with an stock HEI from anything made after 88...say from a camaro. You will need the dizzy harness from the donor, the distributor, and a couple hours max.
aw come on man, if ur gonna do a burnout on video u have to at least get both to break loose even if u have to cheat a little lol :p thanks for the video tho man
I know right. A few weeks later I dropped in 3.90s and a truetrac. She boils both now. The new motor and 200 extra hp didnt hurt either. You are very welcome for the vid
This is not the E.S.C.M. what you're pointing out and jumping wires to us called the ignition control module(ICM). The ESCM is located on (what I know for sure) 88-92 350 motors. It is a black electrical component on a bracket passenger side of the intake.
Um....No. Ignition Control Module is located INSIDE the HEI distributor. ESC is exactly as I described in the video. Check your info there bud...we are talking 81-86 NOT 88-92
@@RollingThunder85 Well thats something to work with. However I doubt it has an esc module. Cant see anyone adding that on purpose. The only way it would have an esc is if it was a gm cab..hence the question. I kinda thought that was a given,LOL
@@mechanuts7191 ok i understand im sorry for the smartass comment. I have the problem isolated down to timing i believe but whats the pros /cons of locking in the mechanical advance. And pulling the gray plug when i ti.e my ford if you understand what im saying.
@@RollingThunder85 Ive only consider locking the timing when running boost or N2O and need to make sure it didnt advance without me controlling it. Or a really high compression motor that runs at WOT only. Perhaps there are other reasons but I imagine they are all race only applications. The disadvantages are loss of daily drivability, poor overall efficiency. The reason for advance in timing is due to the fact that the faster the pistons travel then the earlier the spark needs to happen. If the timing is locked vs a curve then at higher rpms your piston will outrun the spark and lead to unburned fuel and loss in power. A nitro car can run static timing because the flame propagation of nitro is waaay faster than anything we are running in our average cars just as an example. This is also just my understanding of it and I am in no way an expert. On a side note if you want to keep the efi you will need a hall effect sensor for the hei to control the efi or something along those lines. Can it be done:yes Is it worth the time:Hells Naw. You are so much better of sticking with what came on the engine to begin with. Ive seen GM HEI used on plenty of old fords with carbs but have never seen one work with EFI. THe only benefit that has ever been to it is simply to lose the ignition coil on an older vehicle. I think it would turn out to be a nightmare vs just fixing whatever is currently broken. Hope this helps
