I was under the dash Replacing my Heater Core today and saw the Computer there. At Least, I THINK it's the Computer. Anyhow, I removed it since i have an aftermarket Carb and Vacuum Advance Distributer. My Car is a 1982 Sport Coupe. Are there any other things that this computer does that i need? I started the car after i removed the computer and it ran just fine. In the Pics that i have included, One is of what i think is the Computer and the other two are what i believe is the computer's harness. you can see in one of the shots that the wires are pretty thrashed. Can i remove this harness?

 

Off hand there's nothing I can think of the ECM is needed for besides the motor except the 700r4 does need it for the lock up function on the torque converter and unfortunately being an 82 trans (assuming its original) it truly needs the lock up function working unlike later versions which can get by without.

 

Well, the thing is, The 700R4 isn't the original Transmission in this car. It had a 200 or something. I know this for sure because the PO didn't change the Crossmember when changing Transmissions and it rubbed a hole in the pan. I had to order a Crossmember from UMI Performance. In fact, The Lockup wiring is just hanging free and disconnected. When i took the Car to the Transmission shop for these repairs, they looked in their book and it said that 700R4 wasn't available in 1982. another clue was that my Console shift selector didn't have an OD on it. Is there a way that i can see if my Transmission is one that needs Lockup wiring? Were the wires in my Pics the ones that lead to the computer? If i don't need the computer, would that mean that i could remove this harness?

 

Well to figure out the build year of your trans its stamped into the housing on a flat spot just above the oil pan. For the exact details on its location and decoding it a quick google search should explain it better than I could. If its an 82-84 version then you need the lock up. If its after that you can run without it though would still be a good idea to have it. As far as the wires its kinda hard to tell whats in that harness as it looks like the ac wiring is tangled up in that bundle too but basically the harness that runs down behind the fender does go to your ECM and only the ECM so it could be simply unplugged and removed as long as the previous owner hasn't tied anything else in with it.

 

There's just no telling. This car was hacked up man. I'm trying hard to sort all this out. It's already got more value in parts than what I bought it for or even what it's worth. I'll look at that Tranny tomarrow when there's light. I've got my fingers crossed.

 

The Transmission is crammed in there pretty tight. The Plate that i need to look at is obscured by the cross member. I do seem to recall that the Car does seem to be revving pretty high on the highway for the stock setup. It's about 3500-3700 RPMs at Highway speed. For a 700R4 that seems pretty high. From what i could see of the Wiring Harness, It was pretty screwed up. I don't think it would have Locked Up even if i had left the ECU in there and hooked it up. I removed the Harness today. It was worse than i thought it was. In alot of places, the wires were actually MISSING the Insulation for several inches. No black tape, no splicing, no NOTHING! Just BARE WIRES! If you look carefully at my previous pics, you can see an example of this. Summit has a kit to retrofit a Vacuum operated Lockup. I might get that. What do you guys think?

Retrofit Lockup Switch
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TCI-376600/

The Engine runs JUST FINE without the Computer. Since the Quadrajet is long gone and i just replaced the computer operated Dizzy with a Vacuum Advance one, i don't see any other purposes for the ECU. Does anyone know of ANY other reason why i should keep the ECU besides Transmission Lockup, Distributer, or Carburetor?