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Security problem?

ak diesel driver said:
watch what your security light does. it should go out by the time the glow plugs get done
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I've not been here in 4 years. I was busy with something else. I have to re-acclimate myself to the site.
Where's "My Albums" at? I've got a lot of photos from before.
 
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THEFERMANATOR said:
If it's under the hood, then it's no better than being on the pump in all honesty. You need to get it out of the engine bay where it has good airflow.
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Thanx. I can do that. But first I'm going to "rebuild" the top of my steering column. There's always been something amiss with the turn signal/flasher. It's cheap and I'll put a new tumbler and key in too, and make sure all the clips are tight. Back when we were talking about this before, someone mentioned "it sounds like ignition switch to me" but I pooh-poohed that idea with all of the other issues.

The rear tank fuel pump had perforations, that allowed it to suck in air, and it ran out of fuel (even though the tank was full) which started this whole mess. I replaced the pump but then this electrical problem compounded matters. (I think)

I'm going to repair the column then the lift pump along the frame rail (it's only $20) and hope for the best. I got it apart and I'm ordering the parts today. My batteries are shot after all this time so I need two new ones, too.
 
Do not waste the $20 on a cheap lift pump unless it is to get you through 2 months to buy another one, it wont last much longer than the 2 months. It also will still starve it for fuel.

The best thing to do is drop coin on a good pump like walbro. - check Leroydiesel.com.

Short of that the ONLY stock style pump worth a damn is the AC Delco EP158. Rockauto has them cheap --remember to use the discount code. Otherwise sometimes on amazon. Do not buy one that looks the same with different numbers, regardless of brand.

Many of us have done comparison testing for volume/ pressure and lifespan. I will seriously get a $3 one from a junkyard before buying any other pump if I am out of money. Remember, it isnt just a helping part- a dead LP flows on fail which means the IP is sucking through it, and this wears out you IP quickly. Now the $50 you "saved" just cost you a grand.

Nice lookin truck btw.

There was some of trucks we had in the fleet that ate the hazard switches. Others did ok. Sounds like same symptoms. Good idea on do it all in there at once.
 
Will L. said:
Do not waste the $20 on a cheap lift pump unless it is to get you through 2 months to buy another one, it wont last much longer than the 2 months. It also will still starve it for fuel.

The best thing to do is drop coin on a good pump like walbro. - check Leroydiesel.com.

Short of that the ONLY stock style pump worth a damn is the AC Delco EP158. Rockauto has them cheap --remember to use the discount code. Otherwise sometimes on amazon. Do not buy one that looks the same with different numbers, regardless of brand.

Many of us have done comparison testing for volume/ pressure and lifespan. I will seriously get a $3 one from a junkyard before buying any other pump if I am out of money. Remember, it isnt just a helping part- a dead LP flows on fail which means the IP is sucking through it, and this wears out you IP quickly. Now the $50 you "saved" just cost you a grand.

Nice lookin truck btw.

There was some of trucks we had in the fleet that ate the hazard switches. Others did ok. Sounds like same symptoms. Good idea on do it all in there at once.
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Thanx for the reply, Will. I'll check out Leroy. I got it all apart and waiting for switch from 1A Auto. I'm having a little trouble with the wire clip where the two wires go in for the cruise and the park start. I don't want to break it. It's pretty hard for an old, overweight dude to get at! lol Know where I can see some detail on removing these wires without breaking the plastic switches?
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
If the key doesn't move smoothly, the hall effect sensor for the vats system will not send the signal to the tdm to trigger the ecm to turn the fuel on. You can try and do a vats relearn, but if the key doesn't move smoothly, you have an issue somewhere. You can always bypass the system by installing a resistor across the sensor wires, and then doing a vats relearn bypassing the sensor in the ignition switch.
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Greetings Fermanator: I replaced everything in the column: the ignition switch and the key tumbler, and the turn signal switch. OBTW before I put everything back together, I hooked up the batteries to make sure I had it right. It seems perfect and just-for-the-heck-of-it I hit the key to see if it would start...well...no more than two revolutions and the thing fires-up running as smoothly as ever! It has been sitting for almost three years!!
 
It sat so long the rear brakes were locked up! lol The drive wheels (dual) freed-up fairly easy but the other side was a real bugger to get to turn. I pulled it with my other truck and it freed-up. WHEW! That was a relief! Now to tackle the fuel balance between the two tanks and a couple other knotty problems: It won't come out of PARK after I start it up. I noticed that the green and white wire (that comes from the turn signal sw with another wire that plugs into the cruise control) had been snipped on the old sw. I hooked the new wires up an now the truck won't come out of park even after depressing the brake. It would come out of PARK without touching the brake pedal ever since I've had it. Was that because that green & white wire was cut by someone?
 
The thing is not charging enough either. About 7 or 8 amps. How are the batteries supposed to be connected? On the right I have a ground and one red 4 AWG wire going down to the starter. On the left battery I have a ground and two wires on POSITIVE one smaller AWG runs down under to somewhere and a heavier 4AWG runs across the radiator to the other battery. It's hanging loose, not connected to anything. Is it supposed to hook-up to the POS terminal?
 
The positives on the batteries should be connected with a cable, normally runs across the top of the radiator. The passenger side will have two cables on it. One from the other battery and the one to the starter.
 
ak diesel driver said:
The positives on the batteries should be connected with a cable, normally runs across the top of the radiator. The passenger side will have two cables on it. One from the other battery and the one to the starter.
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Thanx. Maybe THAT is the problem with the ammeter. I'll check tomorrow; we have a late season snowstorm going on out there today. Any thoughts about why it won't come out of park?
 
Will it come out of park if you turn the key forward to the unlock notch, but not all the way to run? It could be a bad brake switch causing it to not come out of park, or a froze solenoid for the shift interrupt.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
Will it come out of park if you turn the key forward to the unlock notch, but not all the way to run? It could be a bad brake switch causing it to not come out of park, or a froze solenoid for the shift interrupt.
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Actually, it's running when I try to move. Just like you would do if you got in, started it, and pushed the brake pedal and tried to put it into drive.

So I shut it off. Removed the battery cables. Turned the key forward to the point where you push a pick down thru the little hole to depress the release tab, and removed the key-tumbler. I could then pull the gear shifter out of Park, down into Neutral.

I then put the tumbler back in and hooked up the battery cables, started it in Neutral and moved it around to a different spot in the yard. (I was really tired of seeing it sitting in that same spot for so long!) lol
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
If it's under the hood, then it's no better than being on the pump in all honesty. You need to get it out of the engine bay where it has good airflow.
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It's doing something funny now. It started right-up after I put the new switches in (turn/flasher, ignition switch, and key and tumbler) but it wouldn't come out of park. I disconnected the batt. removed the tumbler + key, shifted it to Neutral, put the tumbler back in, connected the batteries, and it started right up and ran like a kitten. I was able to drive it and put it in the garage. It got cold out again and I couldn't work on it. I tried to start it a week later and it cranks once or twice and kicks off but then shuts down immediately.

I thought it might be too cold so I waited. Today it's 65 degrees and it's doing the same thing. I remember old cars used to behave like this when they had a bad resistor. Start when you turn the key to START but then die as soon as you let the key return to RUN.

I turned-out the bleeder on the pump and it pumps fuel like crazy when I turn the key ON. The glow plugs are functioning too. It wants to start right up.
 
Here's something peculiar I found when I removed the old turn signal switch: It has all the main wires in a harness but it has two wires that come off together and go to a plastic switch. The switch has a rod that runs through it and it slides in and out as you move the shift lever. I watched a video on YouTube on replacing the turn signal switch and he said it was for the cruise control but he didn't say if the other wire was for the Security Start. Anyway, (on my truck) the green wire was CUT when I looked at it to remove the plug. I wondered what would happen when I come along and replace it with a good wire on a new switch.

Since I let the truck sit so much, I disconnect the batteries so they won't go dead. When I'm fooling with it, I have the batteries disconnected. I remove the key tumbler and I'm able to pull the lever out of PARK. When I put the tumbler and key back in the column, I can turn the key to off position and I can't move out of PARK. But if I turn the key to ON (the batteries aren't connected, remember) it lets me pull it out of PARK. But if I connect the batteries, and put it in PARK, it won't come out of PARK. I think something is being energized when I connect the batteries. It might be "SECURITY" because there's a Security light in the instrument panel. I'm wondering if the green wire is the Security Sensor. If I cut the green wire, I wonder if I'll be able to by-pass the security system. Whatdya think?

I ran the truck like this right after I rewired it by starting it in NEUTRAL. HOWEVER, when I try to start it now it wants to kick over, but then dies immediately. I wonder if I keep messing up the "brain" when I keep disconnecting the batteries?
 
IIRC the module that is for both the power steering and security is under the dash might try unplugging that. My ole timers can't remember what the PS feature is called :(
 
The 2 wires that run over to the solenoid that hooks to your shifter is the park lock switch. When that solenoid is powered, you cannot shift it out of park. It gets powered via the nsbu on the trans and the brake switch. When you press the brake pedal down, the brake light switch should cut power to that solenoid, and allow you to shift out of park. Sounds like there was a problem with it before and somebody cut the wire disabling the park lock solenoid, and you came in and hooked it back up so now you get to figure out what is wrong with it.

And the security system has no connection to the park lock. Sounds like you still have a problem with the vats if it's starting and immidiately cutting off. When those systems give trouble, most just bypass them to make the truck run. Even when working, the passlock system was pretty crappy, and gave trouble fairly frequently.
 
Thanx Frankenburban: Well...it's running! Here's the story for your information: I checked several YouTube videos and got several ideas. First, I had snipped that green/white wire but it STILL wouldn't start. Of course not! As you said, it's the Park Lock but I didn't tumble at that time. Next, I copied several "re-learn the passkey code" techniques. One said to do the 10-minute wait thing ONCE and another said to do it 3 consecutive times. Remember, my truck is a 2000 K3500, and from what I've seen in videos, it has the earlier (more primitive) anti-theft system. It does have a "Security" light, but just the word "Security" that comes on in the upper-right-hand-corner of the instrument cluster.

Thirdly, I read a guy who said the instrument cluster can be the problem. Something about electronic "noise" keeping the "re-learning" process from occurring (because I did install a new key and tumbler) Now, my plastic screen cover is cracked and I'm going to have to replace it anyway so no problem removing it. And lastly, I saw the video showing how to splice together the yellow wire with the orange/black wire to disable the whole passkey system altogether. (the three wires that plug into the top of the key tumbler)

And here's where I violated the "scientific method" by changing more than one thing at a time so I can't really pinpoint which "fix" worked. When I went back out I tried to execute the "re-learn" process. I did it for one ten-minute sequence and it didn't work. By now the batteries are going dead from all the fiddling around. (I just bought these batteries)

I put the batteries on charge and removed the instrument cluster (which I was going to have to do anyway) The guy said the truck will run without an instrument cluster. I unplugged the clip to splice the passkey wires but stopped. Let me see what happens when the batteries are hot again. I plugged the passkey wires back-in. I reconnected the batteries and turned the key and VAROOM! My bad-boy started right up! But I can't really be sure what did it. Did it re-learn from an earlier try or was the instrument cluster the problem?

It does come out of PARK without touching the brake pedal, (but that's because I cut the green wire) but another change I made was that I pushed the emergency brake in slightly so my headlights would go out and not run down the batteries anymore. I don't know if THAT means anything, but I wanted to mention it. I'm going to make sure it's back to normal, by driving it around for a while, but before I put it all back together, I think I'll splice those wires and disable the Passkey System altogether.

Thanx to all for your patience and help.
 
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I might be getting a little ahead of myself, but I now must be sure my fuel tanks are functioning properly but I don't know where to begin. I am not sure how the tank balance system works. I don't want the front tank to run dry while the rear tank is full. That's how this whole mess started. If you remember, my rear tank pump was corroded and must have sucked air in, stopped feeding the front tank, I ran it out of fuel. I fixed it with a new tank pump and sealed it all up, but I don't know if it's pumping. I must also get a new instrument cluster.
 
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