YotaTech Forums - Electrical Problem Fixed

So after numerous rants and raves and about to give up, my friend finally came over on a weeknight and we found the problem. One of the wire connectors for the main relay popped out of the back of the fuse box just enough that it wasn't making a good connection.

I knew it would be something stupid! After testing and retesting everything on the truck, that was the problem.

Now with the help of new spark plugs, a new battery and decent timing, it starts up pretty easily for something that hasn't driven down a road for about 7-8 years! I've been working on the interior recently. Got some rusted out see-thru wheel wells that I'm working on patching and then I just need to button up the wiring, put the interior back together, swap out suspension and maybe brakes and this thing will be back on the road.

After getting this thing to reliably start, it is truly a different feeling to work on it. It feels like I'm improving it instead of gambling on it! No way I would have spent $600 on its suspension 2 weeks ago but now that I know it isn't a worthless turd, I don't have a problem with it.

One thing that I am noticing is that when it runs, especially when it starts to get warmed up, when I rev the motor I see a puff of smoke that smells maybe like exhaust coming from the area of the #1 spark plug. I know my plugs are torqued correctly, the plug threads are in good shape, and it runs well. Is it possible that this is related somehow to a PCV issue? I certainly cannot attest to the condition of the PCV on top of the motor...who knows how old it is. Or is it more likely just a little exhaust leak somewhere that I am missing. It is really hard to tell if it smells like exhaust or oil because my garage gets filled with exhaust and that's all I can smell (when I take my respirator off to smell it...I'm not dumb or suicidal :)) and it is really hard to pinpoint exactly where it is coming from because the radiator fan just blows all of it away the second it puffs out. It just seems like it could be a rather common issue. All of my torquings are correct for my head and head cover and I don't have anymore leaks. I don't think it could be burning off residue anyway because it only seems to be really noticeable when I rev the motor. Oil level and coolant level have stayed the same for about 3-4 days now even after several startups, warm-ups, and shut-offs. If anyone thinks of anything, let me know...I'll probably just replace the PCV anyway to be sure.

Thanks again for everyone's support and advice! I should have this hunk of junk on the road by the end of the fall and I owe a lot of people a debt of gratitude!