My New EB Problems - Lovin every minute

[bannind]

I recently bought a 74 bronco, 302 with c4 trany. As I drove it home last night, I noticed a few things and have them listed below. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

1 - ignition switch (common problem??) after starting the bronco - have to 'jiggle' the ignition key a little to get all the gauges active? Will replacing the ignition switch solve this?

2 - Driver side door not fully working. The lock won't seem to fully disengage thus I can't use it. Is this simply a matter of taking off door panel and doing cleaning and such?

3 - Speedo not working - I can hear some 'ticking' coming from the speedo area that sounds like it is at a rate that changes with speed I am going. Would this be the speedo cable or the speedo unit itself?

4 - Lights - when I was driving home last night, I turned on the heater (was pleasantly surprised it worked well - both with heat and fan) but about 3 minutes after that I came to a stop and as I was pressing on the brake, the lights, both dash and headlights, 'pulsed' on and off. I came to a stop turned left, and continued on. I am not sure if it was directly related to the heater, but I turned off the heater and the lights stopped 'dancing'. Where should I start too look at for fixing this?

5 - Interior dash light - Currently the only illumination for the speedo area - is the solid green light for both the right and left turn signal.

I am not that skilled of a mechanic, but I figure with an old bronco like this I am not going to screw anything up that can't be fixed fairly easily by someone who is skilled (unlike me). Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase and know that it was/is going to be a learning process. And I guess I won't truely feel like a bronco owner until it breaks down at the most inconvenient time.

Thanks,
dan

 

[HotWheels]

I recently bought a 74 bronco, 302 with c4 trany. As I drove it home last night, I noticed a few things and have them listed below. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

1 - ignition switch (common problem??) after starting the bronco - have to 'jiggle' the ignition key a little to get all the gauges active? Will replacing the ignition switch solve this?

2 - Driver side door not fully working. The lock won't seem to fully disengage thus I can't use it. Is this simply a matter of taking off door panel and doing cleaning and such?

3 - Speedo not working - I can hear some 'ticking' coming from the speedo area that sounds like it is at a rate that changes with speed I am going. Would this be the speedo cable or the speedo unit itself?

4 - Lights - when I was driving home last night, I turned on the heater (was pleasantly surprised it worked well - both with heat and fan) but about 3 minutes after that I came to a stop and as I was pressing on the brake, the lights, both dash and headlights, 'pulsed' on and off. I came to a stop turned left, and continued on. I am not sure if it was directly related to the heater, but I turned off the heater and the lights stopped 'dancing'. Where should I start too look at for fixing this?

5 - Interior dash light - Currently the only illumination for the speedo area - is the solid green light for both the right and left turn signal.

I am not that skilled of a mechanic, but I figure with an old bronco like this I am not going to screw anything up that can't be fixed fairly easily by someone who is skilled (unlike me). Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase and know that it was/is going to be a learning process. And I guess I won't truely feel like a bronco owner until it breaks down at the most inconvenient time.

Thanks,
dan

1. Yes.

2. Yes check that first. Yet it is probably a hinge in need of rebuilding.

3. Start with a cable and gear. Tom's bronco sells rebuilt head units.

4. Sound like a worn out HL switch. Check your fuses first and remove corrosion from the contacts.

5. Check the bulbs in the Gauge cluster first...but it is probably the H/L swith again. Did you try turning the HL switch to bring the Gauge Pod lights to life?

hth,

Mick

 

[Yellow75]

Check out the links section on the left. Jeepster has a sweet writeup on how to refurb you cluster:

http://classicbroncos.com/speedoreset.shtml


Here's mine after I was finished.. Finally had all my lights working!! ;D

 

[bannind]

Well - on the way to the parts store for standard oil change and tune up gear, my baby let me know who was truely in control of our relationship.

She was running along just fine and then died like she was out of gas. After approx 5 minutes she started up just fine. Wasn't flooded as there was no odor of gas, and I am almost positive I have gas in the tank. But since the sensor and gauge do not work properly, I can not verify that. After 5 minutes she started and ran for another 5 minutes and died. At that point I figure I would call the wife and return to the computer for advice before I tried anything new. When I purchased the bronco the previous owner stated that he believed that the carb could use rebuilding as it 'leaked' (again, I am not knowledgable about these things) Will I want to be looking at the carb or fuel pump as issues first?

Also the tank selector will turn 360 degree's around instead of stopping at either tank, is that something I should be looking at? I would think that it should only be at either 12oclock on the dial or 3 oclock on the dial for tank selection, but again I am a newb.

(addition)
Ty for the link on the speedo stuff - I need to do a lot more looking around at all the tech articles that are available. I guess I am a little too amp'd about my new toy and probably need to make sure she is put together properly before I start showing her off to the buddies. At least that is what my wife is saying.
(end addition)
Thank you again for all your help

 

[Jeepincj7]

Where are you located?

 

[bannind]

The sprawling metropolis of Boise, ID.

 

[Jeepincj7]

Figure some Idaho guys may be willing to lend a hand to help you get it dialed in.

 

[meathead333]

well take it from me, i am "unskilled" too. but this site can answer any question you will have. lots of knowledge on here and great people!

 

[69patriot76]

Well - on the way to the parts store for standard oil change and tune up gear, my baby let me know who was truely in control of our relationship.

She was running along just fine and then died like she was out of gas. After approx 5 minutes she started up just fine. Wasn't flooded as there was no odor of gas, and I am almost positive I have gas in the tank. But since the sensor and gauge do not work properly, I can not verify that. After 5 minutes she started and ran for another 5 minutes and died. At that point I figure I would call the wife and return to the computer for advice before I tried anything new. When I purchased the bronco the previous owner stated that he believed that the carb could use rebuilding as it 'leaked' (again, I am not knowledgable about these things) Will I want to be looking at the carb or fuel pump as issues first?

Also the tank selector will turn 360 degree's around instead of stopping at either tank, is that something I should be looking at? I would think that it should only be at either 12oclock on the dial or 3 oclock on the dial for tank selection, but again I am a newb.

(addition)
Ty for the link on the speedo stuff - I need to do a lot more looking around at all the tech articles that are available. I guess I am a little too amp'd about my new toy and probably need to make sure she is put together properly before I start showing her off to the buddies. At least that is what my wife is saying.
(end addition)
Thank you again for all your help

You are doing the right thing by posting in here. There is a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge here.

As for your troubles with pulsing lights and the engine quitting on you then restarting... yes, check the HL switch then remove your voltage regulator and take it to an auto parts store to have them check it. Might not be a bad idea just to replace it. Off chance, have you done anything recently to your electrical system? Like install a stereo or other accessories? Charge cell phone, etc? That will sometimes tweak an already old and finicky VR and push it over it's limits.

Dan

 

[Dennis]

The high beam switch caused my lights to do the same thing.
The dying sounds like a clogged fuel filter.
A couple of cheap and easy thing to try first.

 

[ken75ranger]

On the dying out thing I'd put in a new filter. While you have the line off put it inn a jar and turn it over to see if your getting gas. If not look at the fuel pump.

 

[4x4DRIVER]

On the stalling problem the filter is a good place to start. when you crank it over with the line off and catch the fuel in a jar let it sit for a while, if there is any water in the gas it will seperate and you will be able to see 2 layers. Also check for rust.

 

[Scott M]

had similar gas prob.

it was the carb, but it was b/c there was not filter and it had been sitting, so once i started driving it all the shit in the tank broke loose and was clogging carbs in 30 minutes. i was 16 and learned this the hard way (3 carbs later), finallly cleaned the tank and installed a clear filter so i could see the condition.

FYI, i finally tracked down the right carb for the 351w and now have the 2150 for the 69 302 which i'd like to find a home for. email me if your interested.

 

[Scott M]

also, on the headlights

after pullin my 69 outta storage for 5+ years. i had headlight problems similar. turns out the wiring on both plugs was pretty shabby. and the extra ground wire on the drivers side was completely broken, leaving me w/ only a flicker in that light. bought new plugs for cheap at autozone and rewired em w/ solder, heatshrink, then the liquide elec. tape on the ends to keep h20 out.

 

[hackyrat]

My advice is to take the problems one at a time so you see progress, don't break the bank and don't get discouraged. Prioritize issues and keep on moving. These are great rigs to work on / learn on and this is the right place to find help. Also look into the search option at the upper part of the page, there is a wealth of information on all kinds of things. I can tell you are already having fun

 

[bannind]

Woot - replaced fuel pump and that is working. Now time to start on the other things without the wife noticing any large bank withdrawls...

Edit - put up a picture gallery with the first photo from my new baby