what are the vac. switches to electrical connections on firewall?

[Captkaos]

The ESC I would remove it.  Is it all hooked up to the distributor?  If so, I would buy pass the ESC completely.  It won't hurt anything to remove it.

For the lockup, if you don't have a lockup trans it won't hurt to unhook it either.

[VileZambonie]

The TVSV can be eliminated also. If you have no vacuum lines hooked to it it won't suck air

[Swims350]

Thanks guys and yes Chris I want to get rid of the esc also, but I'd need a new dist. to do so which will come later.


As for the thermal vac. switch I thought of takeing it out and pluggin it with an npt plug.

I figured with the vac. lines unhooked it might suck air since it switches around as to what ones get vac. when. Maybe it HAD a manifold or ported vac. going to it then when it opens it just let's that go to the other lines?

[Captkaos]

you don't need a new distributor to remove ESC, just cut the wires as shown in this article at the bottom:
http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/drivetrain/escrepl.htm

Here is the image of what to cut/solder:

[JJSZABO]

Good pic Chris - That says it in a nut shell

I bought a new dist. because I didn't know how old it was, and quite frankly, it looked crappy.

[Swims350]

So I cut those 2 wires and solder them to each other? Then what's done with the plugin? left plugged into the dist or what? If I do that can the ecm under dash be removed or no?

[Captkaos]

If you cut those wires and connect them you can completely ditch the ECS. 
You need to take the power lead from the ESC and plug it into the distributor, and the plug going to the module (pictured above, cut those and solder them).  Then you are done and can rip the ESC out completely or leave it in there, just make sure to tape up the wires.  This is what the dealers did when these went bad.

[Swims350]

Thanks for the info I just figured with that big plug it be made into the wiring harness for the ecm and when I went to remove it I wouldn't be able to since it has the wiring harness with it and has to stay connected to the distributor.

I went back and read the article and the note on cutting and splicing the wires which was a good tip. and write up.

[ccz145a]

If I read the earlier explanations correctly, connecting the wires will make the ESC back off the advance just like it would do if you punched the gas suddenly. The connections are normaly open and only closed on sudden loss of vacuum.

So, if you are not removing the ESC dist. imediately just unhook them or cut em but do not connect the wires, or just cut where Capt. showed in the photo.

[Swims350]

ok so which way is it? if I cut them only will it retard or if I splice them together will it retard?

Also that shown is where the wires come off the distributor and then go to the plugin. Then the other end of the plugin goes to the ecm right? So when I cut them wires if I do or solder them together what do I do with the plugin on the right side of the pic? leave it alone? do I hook it into its counterpart(other end of the plugin) or what?

[VileZambonie]

If your ESC isn't malfunctioning leave it alone until you can afford to upgrade your ignition system. No point in hacking it up if it's still fuctioning.

[Swims350]

I don't think it works because it doesn't retard.

One day after gettin some gas from a different place and about 5-10 miles later it started spark knocking bad and we was almost home. It never stopped doing it. We shut it off for the night and the next day it was fine. Then on the highway about 25 mile trip or so one way it was spark knocking alot and several times, never seemed to let up until you left off the gas.


Right now I just want to clean it up underhood and for it to NOT retard timing and make it sluggish.

[VileZambonie]

What is your timing set at with the EST in bypass?

[Swims350]

I don't know, don't even know if the esc is even bypassed.

[VileZambonie]

Warm the truck up, then shut it off. Unplug the 4 wire connector at the distributor and check your base timing. It should be 8° BTDC at idle