billy bee

'98 w/ old's cool plunger switch... Working fine for now... bb

My switch was fine. A faulty connection to the switch caused the problem. I fixed that and kept the original switch. bb

I pulled mine out to replace the switch and the switch was fine. Mine had a bad connection between the switch and the wiring block/harness that heated up and mented the harness leading to the switch. (Excessive resistance in the wiring creates heat.) So, I went to a salvage yard and clipped the harness out of a newer truck (that had heavier wires). I had to replace the plastic harness block with the used one I got. Took some time getting all the wires out of the burned block, but I spliced in a few new wires (that were shot) and clipped them all into the new/used wiring block, and I have been good to go. I used some electric grease on all teh connections and made sure they were all tight...Good luck.bb

I have figured out how to make the truck start even when it doesn't want to...which is increasingly more frequently. I just have to crank it for short bursts two or three times and it catches. Still no idea what is causing the problem, but I am grateful that I can get the truck started when I need to .bb

Hi Jon: Sheesh...I hope not. If I understand correctly, I need a scan tool to pull the codes in my '98, right? I'll search for some recommendation on what to buy. bb

Engine fuse is fine. There is an ignition fuse under there, however. Hard to reach as the access panel is off. I'll check that one, too. Today, it failed to start and re-started in 45 minutes. So, my hour theory is out the window. But that begs a question: what gets hot on start-up that would allow the vehicle to crank but not deliver any fuel. (I am thinking that fuel delivery is interrupted.) bb

What is the CTC? bb --- Update to the previous post... It may be, but that's the very reason I am thinking it's the alarm. One hour to the minute and it will start. Just seems too coincidental. bb

I bought a used 1998 24V QCSB (185k) about 6 months ago. Occasionally, it will fail to start for exactly one hour. Then it will start right up. I suspect an aftermarket alarm. I have no fob that might have come with the alarm, but there is a switch hidden under the dash which enables/disables it. Same problem not matter which position the switch is in. Most of the time it starts just fine. But has failed to start twice in the last week. So, the frequency may be increasing. Any ideas at all? I know the alarm has lots of wires but haven't any idea where to start to troubleshoot. And it may not be the alarm at all. If it is the alarm shutting down the ignition and it has a timer, can I set the time to a shorter duration?Lastly, I really don't need the alarm at all and am willing to uninstall it. Anybody know where the tentacles of the alarm wires reach? ECU? Fuel pump? If I take it out, I want it all gone.Any help is appreciated.Thx,bb

Yeah, something grounded out when you hit that bump. That may be tough to find. I had a similar experience with an O2 sensor wire on a 95 Dodge Neon. It was not routed properly and would ground out over a bump, blowing the ignition fuse. Just got lucky finding that...bb

Mine does the same thing. Just as Rogan described, mine has an aftermarket alarm...installed exactly as he described. I will get around to removing it some day. It causes some unusual starting problems. Specifically, if I crank the engine for too short a duration the ignition will shut down for exactly one hour. then it will start fine. Crazy.bb

Here's a pic of my truck through some articulation mounds. It is a crappy shot but you can see how the body lines are off. The holes under th right rear and left front are deep enough to hang me up there. I had to put a rock under the LF tire to get out of the hole. So, that's about as bad as it will get... The good news is that the added flex in the frame makes for better overall articulation in these types of situations. Here's what the rear looked like:

My QCSB has six bolts. As has been mentioned, they are easy to access. The front two mount through perches that are a little flimsy. One of mine had cracked. I welded a big washer onto it and it's fine. Other than that, the frame is pretty flexxy on my truck and the cab and bed seem to move independently of each other.bb

I have a known good spare you can use for the purpose of testing. If you pay shipping and a $25 deposit I'd be more than happy to send it along. You can also get aftermarket ones for $50 online. You can see how I disassembled one and checked continuity for the hi/lo beam function in this thread. You could easily figure out how to test continuity for turn signals. But I cannot imagine how this could be the MF switch. I don't think separate circuits (for front/rear) run through the switch. This may sound stupid but is the bulb making good contact in the socket? Also, a bulb that does not draw enough (like an LED) will flash fast. Is it the correct bulb? bb

I'd start at the taillight and move forward. There is a connection to the taillight housing that you can get to from underneath the truck by the rear bumper. I'd use a test light to see if you have good power to that connector and a multimeter to check resistance through the ground wire. If you've got power but no ground, add a ground. If nothing there, check the right turn signal at the 7-pin connector. Do you have power there? Right turn is usually the pin at about the 3-o'clock position, IIRC. Nothing? Move upstream to the next connector. That video shows another connection along the frame rail someewhere. I don't remember seeing one like that, but you may be able to isolate the turnsignal wires at another connection block. I'd check these easy ones before I tore into the column or the fuse block.All the wiring runs along the left side of the truck along the frame rail, The wiring to the right rear taillight runs across the spare tire carrier crossmember. I'd also drop the spare to make sure it isn't pinching the wires somewhere. bb

Thanks!!! bb

Where is that write-up? I'd like to look that over. I am smelling antifreeze in the cab when I put the heat on. Not leaking on the floor...yet. Anybody had any luck using Bars Leak to plug up a heater core? bb

I have had crazy issues with my factory stereo. Powers off entirely. Freezes up so the controls don't work (but the stereo keeps playing). Powers off partially that the clock still works. I could always get the stereo to work again by pulling the bezel popping out the stereo and wiggling the connections. I got to the point where I could fix the stereo in about 2 minutes so I could have music for the next segment of my drive. Tightening the ground to the stereo chassis helped at first, but there were other bad connections in the harnesses. In the end I spent a few minutes "tightening" the connections to both the power and audio harnesses. Power is grey and audio is black on mine. By tightening, I mean bending the thin spade connectors in the stereo chassis ever so slightly so they would make better contact with the harness when it gets plugged in. For good measure I added a teensy dab of dielectric grease. Problem solved. At least for now. I am sure the thing will shake loose again. But I love being able to find solutions like that that don't cost anything... bb

I watched a Suburban catch fire while idling in my shop. The culprit was a bad ground. Absent a good ground, the e-brake cables became the source for the ground. They got very hot and caught fire. We were simply lucky that I passed by the truck just as the cables burst into flames. My point is that I have worked on several strange problems resulting from bad grounds. In one case simply adding a frame-to-body strap to fixed an intermittent electrical issue. I wish you luck... bb

Sounds like a bad connection to me, too. Could the fuel system be looking for a ground causing some feedback? I would also be suspicious of the ignition switch. You can probably figure out a voltage or continuity test for the switch. Maybe there is a faulty contact in the "On" position?These are just guesses, but I always tend to start with the simplest possible solutions.Good luck,bb

The Check Engine light cycles just like the other lights do on start up. One time, however, after this happened, the check engine light stayed on for a day or so. Then went off. Do you guys know anything about uninstalling an alarm like that? bb

OK, so I have my ideas about what this might be. Anxious to hear your thoughts.A few times now I have turned the key to start the truck and let go before the engine catches. So, I just twist the key for too short a time and the engine doesn't catch. Then I try again and it will crank and crank and now start for almost exactly an hour. Then it starts right up.There is an aftermarket alarm on the truck and I have no remote. Not sure if it ever had one. I cannot smell fuel in the tail pipe while cranking; so, no fuel is being delivered. When it does start, I will fire right up with just a small puff of black smoke at the tailpipe. So I don't think there is a ton of fuel flowing.Do alarms shut off the fuel on a diesel?bb

That's nice of you to say, but I think I like the looks of a monochromatic one anyhow. So, I'm happy to help and everybody wins... bb

I have a woodgrain one in my 98 QCSB. Perfect cond. There is a good grey one in a local boneyard. Will sell you mine if you cover the cost of a used replacement, plus shipping, if that helps you out at all... bb

Nope. The switch is good. I figured out a continuity test for the switch if the hi/lo function fails. It is essentially a 3-wire switch with lthree large spades leading into the wiring harness and a 4th large spade for the flash mechanism (as in pull the stalk toward you to flash-to-pass). In the picture below you can easily see the array of spades that connect into the wiring harness. The four largest spades (in the bottom row from the lower left corner) conduct power for the hi/lo function. Counting from the left let's call them poles 1 thru 4. Check resistance between poles one and two. If the resistance is high (infinite), click the stalk as if to dim your high beams. If the resistance remains high, take it apart and clean it up. If the resistance is low (<1 ohm) then check resistance between poles two and three. There should be infinite resistance between them. Click the stalk again and the resistance should drop to <1 ohm if the switch is working properly.. If not, then disassemble the switch and clean it up. If there are any burned connections or melted plastic, buy a new one of a known good used one. ---------- Post added at 09:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ---------- Forgot to tell you what my problem turned out to be. It's the headlight switch. I was doing pin checks with the multifunction switch installed in the car. I was trying to check voltage and resistance again. Zero volts! Juice is not even getting to the multifunction switch. Pulled out the headlight switch and cleaned it up and everything works fine. BTW, the harness block was melted and the contacts had melted plastic on them. Too much heat at the switch. Probably a good idea to run a relay in there. I have not figured out how to do it. But there is too much juice running through that switch. bb

OK. Here are the pix: The switch splits easily into two parts by removing the 5 small torx screws: Lift the backside of the case away from the stalk assembly: To check the hi-lo switch, focus on the small back section. Remove two smaller torx screws. I did not have the right torx bit, so I used a small screwdriver: Pull the backing plate away to expose the hi-lo switch mechanism. You can see on the left the turn signal board is exposed and the accumulation of dirt and wear is obvious there: While this is a really crappy picture, I wanted to show how dirty all the circuit board contacts had gotten: Now you can see the board more clearly. I am holding an arm that actuates a rocker switch. This also has contacts on it. I cleaned them and tried to figure out what those contacts do. Using a muyltimeter to measure resistance, I discovered that this sliding arm only conducts when the stalk is pulled toward you while switching to/from hi-lo or while flashing. So, while flashing it is the conductor. It works fine. Another crappy shot of the board after I cleaned it... The contacts for the turn sigmals are shown here in the lower right. I cleaned them... And added a spot of di-electrec grease to all the contacts during re-assembly: This spring I am holding helps snap the rocker switch into hi and lo modes. The rocker switch (left) and the arm are both installed back on the board. Then the plate goes back on and the two halves get screwed back together. The good news it that this is really easy to do. The bad news is that it did not fix my problem. Still looking for ideas. bb