LUVTruck.com

Hi Everyone! I'm new here. I hope you might be able to help me....just got an 80 Luv....

Did the usual stuff: Adjust valves, timing, adjust new carb, and install Pertronix electronic ignition. But it seems to run unsteady at higher rpm's...idles fine but not such a smooth starting. Has to warm up a little. My issue is this: There was a resistor block attached to the original coil (I have since put on a Flamethrower 1.5ohm coil with the Pertronix). This resistor block was overheating, and when I put the timing light on it the mark was jumping arount, Once I took the resistor block out of the loop, the mark stayed steady and ran noticeably better. The resistor block was pretty hot. Another thing I must mention: I don't think it was originally wired correctly...there were 2 wires on the negative side of the coil when I got it. When I installed pertronix and flamethrower, I hooked it up exactly as it was, only of course the black to neg and red to positive on coil. But it wouldn't start. Now all of a sudden, I had to remove the short black/red wire (coming from the main harness) from the coil negative. Now it would start and run, and if I tried to touch that wire to neg. side of coil the motor instantly died. Now I have that wire taped off. And for the positive side of the coil....there is a black/yellow wire that went to one terminal on the resistor block, and from the other terminal a wire went to the positive on coil. So now, I since got a new resistor block - Beck Arnley part no. 178-8000. (Much smaller but technology does change.) SO, I checked and this had 2.4 ohms of resistance, and the flamethrower coil separately measured to be about 1.8 ohms before I connected resistor block. Now with the new resistor block hooked up, I started it it ran as it did before. I only ran it for a couple minutes, but when I turned off the truck, there was a very small amount of smoke that came from the coil/resistor block area. Almost not noticeable--- it was very little smoke. I checked this again, and same thing....slight smoke when you shut off the vehicle. So now resistor block is disconnected again. Can anyone tell me about those wires coming out of the harness and what's going on here?

Other issue: Unsteady running at lets say 3000 rpms, when you rev it and let off then there is slight backfiring out of the exhaust (I have adjusted carb multiple times using official shop manual procedure). The carb is new, plugs are new, etc. Also first time you go start it in the day, condensation buildup comes out of the exhaust. Could i have a bad EGR valve? Thanks for all the help in advance, guys!

You shouldnt need the resistor with the pertronix i didnt have one when i went with an electronic distributor.
Even with a rebuild the stock carbs are junk and a few members have had rebuilt ones still be faulty
Beyind that im not sure where your problem may be hiding.
Is all your emissions stuff still hooked up?

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

The pertronix coil and ignitor instructions specifically said 1.5 ohms for 6 or 8 cylinder, and 3 ohms for a 4 cylinder motor. It has a single carb on it. Everything is stock and everything is hooked up. I don't think the carb is at all the issue. And what about the wires that I mentioned? Can anyone tell me what they are for or where they should go?

The pertronix coil and ignitor instructions specifically said 1.5 ohms for 6 or 8 cylinder, and 3 ohms for a 4 cylinder motor. It has a single carb on it. Everything is stock and everything is hooked up. I don't think the carb is at all the issue. And what about the wires that I mentioned? Can anyone tell me what they are for or where they should go?

Ben was nice enough to but the wiring diagrams on the site under information. Here is a link

http://www.luvtruck.com/PDF/Series9&10.pdf

Here is a hint, the Black/ blue tracer is on the positive side of the coil, it provides 12 volts for start up. The black/red tracer is the negative side of the coil, in connects to a another one of the same color wire to go to the speed sensor. All the stock wiring info is in the link above.

As far as a resistor block on the coil causing the timing to jump around, that is something I would have to see for myself. Explain how the distributor is moving around causing the timing to jump, if there is enough power for the coil to creat a spark the coil will, timing can not be moved by coil input voltage.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

I doublechecked today and like I said there is a black/YELLOW wire that goes to positive on coil (stock wire from harness) and a black/red wire which DID go to the negative side of coil, but since I put the pertronix ignitor and flamethrower coil on it, the truck will not start when the black/red wire is attached to negative on coil. Furthermore, with that wire disconnected, after I start it, if I touch that wire to negative side of coil the truck dies immediately. So I have that wire taped off right now.

And Luvrv8, I did not say the timing jumped around. I said the mark jumped around when I put the timing light on it. That's because the resistor was overheating causing it to go haywire I guess. As soon as I disconnected that hot resistor, the mark stayed put.

So does anyone know why I had to disconnect the black/red to make the truck run, and any input on the resistor issue?

The pertronix does not need the resistor. It requires full 12 volts, same as any other electronic ignition...

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

I don't mean to patronize you, so sorry if you're a car guy and this insults your intelligence, but If you're not the truck's first owner, make no assumptions about your electrical system. Not about wire color, position, purpose - nothing. LUV's are beautiful in their simplicity, but this made them too easy to tool with. The smog controls added to satisfy regional emission regulations only added complexity to the matter. And to top it off, the manner in which that shit gets pulled back out is usually haphazard, at least in my experience. Besides all that mess, usually electrical problems are something stupid, like a rub or a bad contact.

It sounds like overkill, but printing out that diagram and tracing or highlighting the wire that stumps you is the only 'positive control' method to solving this. That shit works!

Anything less (especially internet speculation, even if it is from a knowledgeable bunch) is going to leave the bitter aftertaste of unfinishedness.

Start with the 'problem wire' and then move on to other wires involved. For all you know, there is just a rub somewhere along the wire route and a hot wire is grounding out. Maybe something was re-routed during the truck's lifetime, and a wire touched the exhaust and melted the jacket away. That was the case with my truck.

Start by going from one end to the other, inspecting the wire along the way. Verify which plug/jack/component it goes to. If it goes where the diagram says it should, that wire is probably not your problem. Broaden your search to other wires involved in that 'system'.

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75 Mikado G180/4sp Desert Tortoise