i have a n 81 elcoamino that just went through an entire engine swap..It is no longer computer controlled...I just want to know, does the ecm just take care of the emissions stuff..or does it manage other things as well.

It controls the carb., dist.,and the tranny lockup. Thats alll i know off the top of my head i'm sure others will know more.

it doesnt control power windows, or things like that..just engine managment type stuff right..what controls the speedometer.

The ECM only "controls" the mixture control solenoid dwell for the carburetor, timing advance/retard for the distributor, EGR valve, and transmission TCC lockup on some Elkys.

what controls the speedometer.
A speedometer cable coming from the transmission.

Since I pulled the computer controlled carb on mine, the cruise control doesn't work either, as well as ignition timing (so I threw in a handful of initial advance the old fashioned way--back off when it pings), and torque converter lockup.

so you think i should advance the ignition some?

so you think i should advance the ignition some?

If you still have the computer controlled distributor, that will definitely make it run better as an interim measure till you get to your final solution.
In my case, the carb is a temporary thing, and something to play with on the way to a TPI 350.
If you're going to stick with the carbuerator, you'll need an earlier distributor using centrifugal and vacuum advance.

I just bought an 81 two weeks ago and I was shocked when I found it was computer controlled. The only thing I've learned so far is it's called a "three C" system. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about this and will get back to you soon.

My elky has a 400 with the original ECM setup minus the EGR valve. It runs OK but I am getting black smoke and the transmission shifts from 2nd to drive real quick. I don't know if these are computer related or not.

Did you run into any problems changing motors and deleting the ECM?

I would be interested in your old parts if you still have them, carb, ecm, egr, oxygen sensor.

AFAIK C3=Computer Controlled Carb, where what we knew as a power valve is replaced by a solenoid valve driven by the computer. As the discussion above states, the computer also controls emission valves like EGR and air pump into the exhaust, ignition timing, and also the lockup torque converter. And since my cruise cntrol doesn't work since putting on a plain old carb, I'd suspect the computer has its fingers in that system also. When It's all working right, it's OK, but there's a lot of things to go wrong. Mine ran fine for almost 20 yr with no real work. Then the carb packed up, and it was hot rod time... :-)

Hey dugmaze, If the black smoke is present during cold engine operation only, it is probably the resuflt of: 1) too rich choke setting or 2) malfunctioning choke pull off solenoid. If it smokes after the engine reaches normal operating temp, pull the breather off the carb and make sure the choke butterfly is in a fully vertical position which is normal for a hot engine.

The most likely cause of the quick tranny shift is a misadjusted kickdown cable. The adjustment takes less than 60 seconds once you learn how to do it. I would pay a mechanic to do it first (while you watch), then you will know how to do it next time. Alternatively, you can look up the procedure on the internet.

AFAIK C3=Computer Controlled Carb, where what we knew as a power valve is replaced by a solenoid valve driven by the computer.
CCC or C3, stands for Computer Command Control. The main difference is that the A/F mixture in the primaries is controlled through the ECM by varying the dwell of the mixture control (MC) solenoid which in turn controls the fuel flow through the primary jets. The longer the dwell the leaner the A/F mixture. The shorter the dwell the richer the A/F mixture.

The first 5th gen El Camino to have an ECM was in 1979. It was used for the 231ci V6 with the California C4 system. (Computer Controlled Catalytic Convertor). It was only available in California, and only came on the 231ci V6.