What is this thing...

[Russell]

It makes annoying noises when I turn my key to on... It does it in time with the seatbelt light?



What I need to know is if I'd be breaking more than my buzzer if I attempted to bust this thing open and stick my VATS Signal Generator into it... Its easy enough to pull out if I am going somewhere and leaving the truck in a parking lot or something, and not super obvious that a theif will immediately know they are trying to steal a truck that has something a bit more advanced than a carb on it...

Here is my signal generator, put beside a good ol' Canadian penny for size comparison...

[ocbaud]

that second pictures looks like its a serial port from a computer

[dswancutt]

Russell,

I think it is your seat belt warning buzzer, but I have never seen one with the leads like that. I checked the 80 wiring diagram I have, and it shows no leads off the buzzer. By the way, would you be interested in copies of the 80 wiring diagram? Let me know.

Doug

[Russell]

I've got a couple of those too, it didn't mention those extra leads, so thats why I asked you guys first.

I took it apart, and found that it is jam packed with electronics, so I couldn't be able to fit the VATS sig gen into there...

That is a serial port connector, Its called having lots of extra computers lying around, and not wanting to spend money on some other connector when you've got tons of em already... I gotta find something I can put the thing into though...

[plumbcut]

what exactly does this tone generator do and why do you want to put it into the buzzer?

pc

[Russell]

As you may or may not know, I am making the swap to TPI in my truck. I am running an 86 Corvette ECM, which means it has what is called VATS intergrated into it. VATS stands for Vehicle Anti-Theft System. The way GM did it was have a small resistor built into the key that you stuck into your ignition cylinder, it completed a circuit in there with the resistor between them, when the VATS module recieved this proper resistance reading, it would send a 5 volt square wave operating at 30hz to the ECM (computer) When the computer got this square wave, it'd start firing the injectors. I didn't want to bother playing with the VATS module, so I decided to bypass it by sending the ECM the signal it needed directly using this Signal Generator. I'll have it on a switch that I'll be hiding in the truck so it'll basically act as a really fancy kill switch. Best part is that if I am leaving the truck somewhere, I can pull this signal generator out, then even if the theif finds the kill switch, the truck won't start anyways.

I simply wanted to put it into the buzzer so I could have the setup looking as clean / factory as possible. I guess I'll have to go find a big relay, gut it, and put it all into there.

[plumbcut]

interesting! Id sure like to see the end result... is there a thread where you talked about converting to EFI? What parts do you have? Got pics? How are you going to do the fuel tanks?

pc

[Russell]

I don't really have any topic in specific, I've figured out most everything myself.

First thing I've learned -- Buy a complete, running TPI car. I've been nickled and dimed to death buying small things that the "complete" setup I bought didn't come with.

Second thing -- Say away from 85 if you want to go with a MAF setup. Its inferior, and unreliable... I'll be upgrading to the 86 ECM before I even install the setup.

As far as the fuel tank goes, I am installing a Blazer fuel tank from an 86 K-5 between the frame rails. I could stick with my single saddle tank, but its just too small (other tank rusted through and started dribbling my precious gas, I had a cup under it when I was at school, and someone stole all the gas that dripped into it ) It'll have a 100 PSI inline fuel tank attached to the front side of it, all being protected by a skid plate.

If you are seriously considering a TPI in specific, you need to read the following website, it has everything you'll need to know about the TPI system:

www.chevythunder.com