I put this Thread in General Questions but I don't know if that was the right spot, so I'm putting it in here too.
Hope you can help.
I am going to try to delete the one in General.

Hi, I have a 1989 k 1500 pickup that I think has an OBD I computer?
I'm older and not to savy on the computer end and would like to be able to do the work on it myself, so I would like to put a non-computerized engine and transmission in it. Engine in it is getting a little wore.

What do I have to do to switch the pickup over to non-computerized?

What about the gauges and speedometer, etc.?

Any help I can get will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

It would be a lot simpler to just sell your pickup and buy a newer one. Yours has a TBI,unit not a carbuerator, so no ECM simply isnt going to work. In many states it will never pass the smog testing as well if you did. Just buy a newer Chevy.

 

Nothing really hi tech on a 89 to be afraid of. The trans isn't even electronic.

You can swap the tbi for a carb with an adapter and fuel pressure regulator. Swap the distributor for the older model and done. But all your getting is worse fuel mileage and harder starts.

 

oilcanhenry
Thank you for the input. The reason I wanted to go non computer is so I could work on it, because I don't have the money to take it to a mechanic all the time and pay the high labor cost.
So buying a newer one is kind of hard to do for me financial wise. I would love to have a newer one but I don't think it's in the cards for me.
Thanks again.


burnhedge,
Thank you for the help.
That sounds pretty easy to do. If I unhook all the computer plugs for the engine will it cause any trouble with the speedometer or gauges?
Or is it just the engine that is controlled by the computer? If it's just the tbi that don't seem to bad.
Would I be better off just to stay with the tbi and computer than go to a carb?
I just don't want something that's going to be pretty costly having to take it to the mechanic, because if I can't afford to take it there then it will end up just sitting.
Thanks again.
I haven't had this pickup for very long. About 3 years. The rest seems to be in pretty good shape.
If the co

 

Heck a TBI unit on a 1989 5.7 Liter (350) is easier to work on then lots of carbuerators were back in the day were back in the day. It's mounted pretty much like the carbuerators were and the two fuel injectors are right on the top of the unit, not like the spider rail fuel injectors on my 98 K-1500, not that Ive ever had any trouble with them mind you, but it takes more time if you have any troubles with the more advanced fuel injectors used on later vehicles, one F-I for each cylinder. Of course the carb will need to be hooked up to a choke of some kind, and like "burnhedge" said you'll need to install an older distributor and coil too.

 

burnhedge,
Thank you for the help.
That sounds pretty easy to do. If I unhook all the computer plugs for the engine will it cause any trouble with the speedometer or gauges?
Or is it just the engine that is controlled by the computer? If it's just the tbi that don't seem to bad.
Would I be better off just to stay with the tbi and computer than go to a carb?
I just don't want something that's going to be pretty costly having to take it to the mechanic, because if I can't afford to take it there then it will end up just sitting.
Thanks again.
I haven't had this pickup for very long. About 3 years. The rest seems to be in pretty good shape.
If the co
[/QUOTE]


Better off sticking with tbi. Like Henry said, it's easier to work on than a carb.
If you can work on older vehicles their's nothing on a 89 you can't handle.

If you go carb, just leave the computer plugged in and the speedo/guages will work fine.

 

oilcanharry and burnhedge,

I think I will stay with the tbi if it's that easy to work on. If it gives me trouble that I can't fix later I can always put on a carb then beings it's not that hard.
I'm disabled and on a fixed income so I got to try and do my own mechanic work and save money.
I used to have a 97 silverado but it started shutting off going down the road. It would start back up, and sometimes if I let it coast It would start up. I couldn't figure it out so it sat for 2 years because I couldn't afford to take it to a mechanic. Not that the mechanic was overly priced or anything, it's just because of my situation.
So I'm trying to keep this one so I can work on it.

Thanks guys for all the help. I really appreciate it.

 

Better off sticking with tbi. Like Henry said, it's easier to work on than a carb.
If you can work on older vehicles their's nothing on a 89 you can't handle.

If you go carb, just leave the computer plugged in and the speedo/guages will work fine.[/QUOTE]


thanks burnhedge,
If I unhook all the computer wires that go to the engine and leave the rest of the wires hooked to the computer then all my gauges should still work?
That would be great. That was one of my concerns was the speedometer and gauges.
I may have to go to a mechanical temp gauge unless I can hook the original temp wire to the engine somehow. Do you think?

Thanks to everyone again.