20 Most Recent 1988 Chevrolet C1500 - Page 8 Questions & Answers

Your battery voltage while cranking should not drop much past 10 volts....sounds like your battery may have gone flat. Have it charged fully and retest...if it's the same the battery is done for. You could also have someone boost you and see if you are cranking normally, or find another battery to make sure she cranks ok.
Take care.

you have to replace your alternator, your battery was still good.

You can end the chat. I see that 3 experts have already responded. Thanks for using Fixya.

Check for a sticking throttle cable. A vacuum leak can also cause a high idle.

A TBI system should never have raw fuel poured down the butterfly. You state you had a fire, but without seeing it myself, I cannot gage the damage your vehicle might have suffered. That would depend on the size and duration of the fire, but to be safe, replace the injector assemblies. This is very easy to do on a TBI engine. Pouring fuel into a throttle body will not make the engine start drawing fuel from the tank; fuel is supplied to the engine fromt the tank by the electric fuel pump in the tank. A vehicle sitting unused and unsefviced for four years is going to have several fuel system problems, none of which can be repaired by a slug of gas in the TBI. By now, the fuel in your tank is bad, the fuel in the fuel pump is bad, the fuel in the lines is bad, the fuel in the fuel filter is bad, and the fuel in the injectors is bad. Gasoline is an organic product, not a chemical, and it has a shelf-life just like any food.
If you are sufficiently handy with tools, you will need to remove the fuel tank from your truck and empty all the old gas from it. Remove the fuel pump from the tank; disconnect the fuel lines from the throttle body and the vapor canister under the hood on the headlight bezel, remove and discard the old frame rail fuel filter and replace it with a new one (just remove it first--don't replace it until you have cleaned out the fuel lines with compressed air and a gas solvent), and remove and discard the old fuel injector assembly that sits atop the TBI like a spider. You will need a new one of these as well.
Have an automotive repair shop steam clean the tank. Using an air compressor with a nozzle gun, blow out all the fuel lines. At the minimum, you will have to clean the fuel pump with gas solvent repeatedly to remove all the sludge and varnish that forms in gasoline when left unused for lengthy periods of time, at worst, you will have to replace it as well.
When everything is clean and new as needed, re-assemble the fuel system, and put about two gallons of fresh new gasoline in the tank. (No more than two gallons; you may have to remove the tank again, and it won't be so heavy if you do not fill it.)
The Chevrolet fuel pump is self-priming but may take several seconds to prime and supply fuel to the engine.
You will also need to replace the spark plugs, plug wires, rotor and cap as a result of this long period of inactivity. Good luck; it can take some time to start a computer-controlled engine that has not been started in many years.

Go to an auto supply house IE Autozone, pep-boys etc. Buy a repair manual for that make model year vehicle and a good repair manual should have the wiring diagram, I would ask the advice of the friendly auto supply clerk at the service desk which manual to purchase for the specific info that you need.

I hope that helps you out, repair manuals are well worth the $$$ they can save you so many headaches and tons of time.

Stormi

egr valve vacume leak or the idle air control motor

Just ground it to bare metal, you'll be fine

Use Dexron lll, or its superseding fluid type.

I would have the starter tested. Also check to see if the motor is turning freely, by turning the crankshaft pulley, just to make sure the motor isn't locked up.

1988 was the start of a new truck design so you will have to go newer when you go looking for a parts truck. For body parts you can use the 1500, 2500 and 3500. They all use the same cab and box unless the 1 ton is a dually. Suspension parts and rear ends have to come from a 1500. The others are different but you could also use them if you wanted to upgrade to a heavier suspension. Mechanically all three are the same, motors, transmissions although the 1 ton may have options that weren;t available in the half ton. You can even go to the full size cars ( Caprice) for an engine nor transmission.
Truck designs are usually good for 10 years but there are upgrades and changes over that time so as you get closer to the end of the run there is a greater chance that some parts may not fit. Try to keep within 2-4 years of your truck and you should have a good assortment of usable parts. Hope this helps.

soak them in engine oil for a day or so then try

Possibly your fuel pump is going out. First try replacing the fuel filter and see if you can check the fuel pressure. Pressure should be 9-13 psi but book says you need a special tool to check it. Hopefully the filter is just clogged...

You can buy a manual on your truck from a auto parts store. You can also go to www.autozone.com. they have free online repair guides. You will have to open a free account.

Older trucks are bad about loosing the ground in the back.. You could try finding the ground or splice in a new one... See if the terminals are "hot" If they are fix the grounds.

Here is the firing order diagram for that vehicle.

You could have a weak slave cylinder, or the fingers on the pressure plate may be worn out. If this is the original clutch I would probably say that is about worn out and the clutch fork is at the end of it's travel and can not be adjust out any further.
On some slave cylinder end you can find that the end of the slave rod had a adjustment ball that can be screwed out to help decrease free play. You might look and see if your slave has an adjustable rod, if not you are going to likely going to have to replace either the slave or the clutch.

Sounds like the fuse for the Tail Lights Is Blown.

your fuel filter is clogged flush your fuel lines before your fuel pump goes out

fuel injector