Finally making my debut to the truck scene!

[illipino_]

Whats up everyone.

I posted in the introductions section about finally getting a pick up truck to build, since I've been with nothing but japanese cars my whole life as an enthusiast. I've been wanting an old pickup for a while, it was always a contemplation between the old tacoma or mighty max/d50. I finally got a deal, picking it up for only 800$ on craigslist.

Here's the link to the introduction page: http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/5756-Greetings-from-the-FNG!

Next, I'm posting this thread to consolidate my questions and get some inputs and opinions, as far as maintenance and cosmetics (which would be the last of my priorities). I originally picked this mighty max up a few nights ago, did a quick inspection for the regulars, and then it started to get dark out, so i had to quickly minimize what i wanted to look for. Cell phone flashlight was no help, however, i was still pretty satisfied on the condition i got it in, for how much it was. SO many people are posting here in vegas for older trucks for like 2000$ and up and still looking ratchet. For 800$ and the condition it was in, well worth it.

Here are some pics from craigslist:
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Issues with the truck from the inspection were:
-Rusted coolant
-Leaking thermostat housing
-Dash lighting was out
-Tail lamps were inop
-each rear wheel had ONE missing lug nut. lol

[illipino_]

So yesterday, i started getting into it. Got my 18 month old to nap, and i was able to go outside and mess with a few things.

- I drained the antifreeze into a bucket, collected what looked like a bathing tub for pigs in the ranch. I then flushed the system 3 times just with my garden hose, knowing that i was going to discharge all the water anyways, so distilled water was out of the picture. The 4th time flushing, i picked up some flushing agent from AutoZone and did it with distilled water, ran it for a good 15 minutes. All fluid flushing was done in idle, but had to hold the throttle in place for it to pick up rpm because with the heater on full blast, it was having issues maintaining idle, maybe TPS is bad, i even adjusted the throttle cable so it didn't have so much play. I then filled the system up with 50/50, burped the system and called it a day, no overheating.

- Replaced the thermostat and gasket
- Replaced PCV valve
- Inspected vacuum hoses
- Inspected ALL belts for frays, cracks, and excessive play

The majority of my work yesterday was to getting the cooling system done, just to prevent over heating.


Today, i went outside in this 110 degree dry heat weather, and seen some leaks below the truck. From what i noticed was that it was coming from the thermostat housing. When i replaced the thermostat and gasket, i noticed the housing did seat properly, so i sanded both mating surfaces (t-stat housing and t-stat mount) and tightened the two bolts snugly. Yesterday when i mounted it, i felt it was good enough to stay in place.

So today, it looks like i have to replace the thermostat housing rather trying to salvage it. 20$ at parts store, so its not so bad. I do want to replace the o2 sensor because the previous owner told me it had emission issues, which i want to get out the way so i can get it registered. He didn't want to leave the classic plates with me, bummer, i could have skipped the smog process.

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And this photo is some kind of stability bar i noticed when i went under the car, completely broken.
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Plans for this month are:
- Brakes and Rotors replacement, flush brake lines
- Fix broken bar or replace THEN alignment
- REGISTER the vehicle lol
- Replace spark plugs, probably gonna keep the same coil packs, they look like they're in good shape
- Compression test

[illipino_]

lol, how do you edit posts? i must have uploaded my RSX by accident and the image for the broken bar needs to rotate 90 degrees to the right.

[royster]

Off to a good start, Ronne!

That stablizing bar broken like that is concerning. I hope you can get one from a junk yard to replace it...or...I wonder if it could be welded? (You'd certainly want to remove it for welding).

From the photos I'd say you might wanna replace the distributor cap and wires...they look fairly aged.

And the edit functions aren't available to regular members: you need to be a contributor to the site. Fear not: it isn't a scam, because a $10 donation will get you into "Donator" status. (Plus you get a really cool MightryRam50 sticker to sport on your truck, should you want to).

$800 is a good price, and the two-tone paint is way cool. Likely the truck has not had the care it needs...few of us found a "loved" MM/D50...but these trucks really DO respond well to the care you give 'em. Be sure to check the differential oil.

And be sure to keep those photos comin'! I wish I had taken pics when I first got my truck, but I didn't. I'm grateful for the website here to have a permanent record of the upgrades I made over the past couple of years. (Gallery)

EDIT: Interesting: someone put a D50 grille on the truck: that's not a Mighty Max grille!

[geezer101]

The broken bar is the adjuster for the forward caster and also prevents the control arm bushes from being loaded up. Don't weld it - just get another one from a yard. Easy enough to replace.

[illipino_]

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decided to take a pic of the engine for everyone to see what i open the hood to and think to myself.. "where do i start" lol

The breather pipe for the air intake was purposely removed because I've been taking it off to get to the thermostat housing and such, the 3 bolts that hold the intake housing is only finger tight. Previous owner decided to run a two 10" subs and an amp thats why you see that large red wire from the battery. Unfortunately, he removed the stereo and the speakers, so I'm stuck with headphones to my iPhone for music lol.

[illipino_]

Also, there is an alarm system in the engine bay, that i do want to disconnect, just incase he has a spare key and is able to unlock it through the alarm system.

Geezer, what other vehicles is the forward caster bar compatible to? is any year MM or d50 compatible? I hope they're not too hard to find, i won't be able to get a good 100% alignment done without caster being able to zero out.

[geezer101]

You're gonna be stuck with sourcing another one from the same model. And it would be advisable to swap the caster end bushings as well. It is unlikely that they will simply tear out (even though I had it happen on a FWD hatch I owned) but they would be plenty tired from 25+ years of service. Once they go brittle the control arm bushes start to get loaded up even more and that's when everything falls to pieces.

Oh btw - I am loving the way that heavy gauge amp cable was just left dangling across the engine bay like that, what could go wrong? The PO needs a smack on the knuckles and a bus ticket.

[royster]

It seems to me you can get that part on model years spanning from late 87 to 95...members who know, please correct me if that's not true.

[royster]

As it turns out...I just went to look...I have both of those rods: I cut off the front end from my parts truck before I scrapped it and they're still attached to the frame I kept. (All the A-frame etc.).

Look around to see if you can get one locally, but if push comes to shove, PM me, Ronne, and we'll get the part to you. It'll probably be cheaper to get it locally.

[illipino_]

I just did a quick inquiry from the many junkyards around here. I also tried searching autozone's database to see if they one, no luck. Lol

[royster]

If I'm correct, that's the driver's side, is it not?

The ones I have are from an '89 2.0, so it should work on your truck. Again, any member who can show I'm wrong on this, please let us know.

Here's the detritus...

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[illipino_]

When I get home from work, I'll take a panoramic picture of the chassis so we can both see if we're on the same page.

[illipino_]

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Heres a pic of it, taken in front of the driver side front tire facing to the rear. I had to snap the image from my iPhone since I didn't have my camera handy. It looks like it's connected to the driver side lower control arm and the part that's broken connects to some kind of bushing that's on front left side of the subframe.

Royster- im trying to find justification of that image you sent, and see what angle it's in and see if the part I need is on your parts truck.

[illipino_]

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Im having issues uploading the image, but I did a quick edit on my phone to circle the piece, if I'm correct, this should be it.

[royster]

Yeah, you're right about it being the same part. I'll get to dismantling it for you and give you a PM. I've had issues with buyers on this site so I am always cautious about committing to shipping a part. (One guy still owes me for a shifter I sent a year ago).

Your photos show that part as having being dealt with in recent years: it looks like the washers are "new", and possibly the bushings. The shiny area indicates some sort of rubbing or contact going on there. Wonder what the issue was, and what caused the rod to snap? I suggest you get under there and do some investigation, if only to assess any hidden damage.

Our next step...probably not necessary, but better safe than sorry...is to measure the rod and see if our measurements agree. Geezer, please feel free to add any insights you have, as I highly respect your experience.

[royster]

Here's the part, in all its rusted, filthy glory:

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It was easy to remove, and should be simple to install. As you see, an overload pad is attached to it. It's held on, below, with two 17MM bolts. The large end bolt is 22MM. There is no chance of anything springing off or hitting you in the face...it's really just a stablizing bar.

In looking at the frame I have, it is more than likely that shiny spot is from the tire rubbing there...indicating to me a little tryst with a curb or a parking bump-thing. [EDIT: Or maybe just from flopping around, bumping against the tire]So, again, check and see what kind of other damages there might be. An impact hard enough to break that bar is something to look into. The good news is: you're well on your way to making a good repair that will last a long time!

[illipino_]

That definitely looks like it. I believe it's coming from tires rubbing. Has ALOT of play, so I can only assume that once the truck is fully turned to the right, it rubs on it.

[illipino_]

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Update:

just st replaced the thermostat housing aka water outlet. Fixed the small leak coming from the collector, even with a new gasket and sanding both mating surfaces down. But gladly the part wasn't too pricy, I managed to get it shipped over night. Burping the system now as I'm typing this update, and so far so good. Coolant is still rusty but with continous flushing I should be ok. I want to move on to other things at this point.

i do notice that the idle rpm is inconsistent sometimes, where can I find the IAC valve? I want to clean that out while I'm here.

Also what is aftermarket piece that replaces the intake with just like a squared looking filter? I can't seem to find it anywhere. I don't like the housing, I prefer that cool looking intake filter mount. I'm not looking for a short ram intake, just like the actual filter that seats above the throttle body.

Thats all for now folks. Til next time.

[illipino_]

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Should i I also mention that I now know instrument lighting!

I know, I know... I'm pretty good lol I'm jk, it was just a loose terminal clip behind the instrument panel.

Ok ok that's all for now. Lol

[royster]

Congrats on your forward progress.

I'm sending you a PM regarding the strut bar. My concern right now is that the one flopping around is damaging the mounting holes in the lower pivot arm. Maybe check that out, when the 18-month-old isn't demanding college tuition :)

Also: did you remove the radiator for the flush, or are you just doing circulation flushes, for now?

Fer kicks, here's the parts truck dismantling process. http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=420It
It took some six hours (and five metal cutting blades) to do the dismantle, and two or three trips to the scrap yard...where I only got $44 for the scrap. The yard has since gone out of business, scrap metal is no longer worth the effort. I saved the differential and the front end, also doors and front fenders.

[geezer101]

The bottom has fallen out of the scrap steel market. We were getting $0.02 per kilo - not even worth the effort of taking it in for scrap sale. Roy has been very prudent in stockpiling parts and panels. They always come in handy (normally about a week after you've gotten sick of falling over it and sent it off to the dump) and stuff for our trucks is only going to get harder to find.

[illipino_]

Roy, I got your pm, I responded through the email u sent in the pm, as you requested. It's funny you mention the college tuition thing going on. He'll probably have to suffer with me investing in my many projects lol, all for giggles. It is a long process, but in due time, it will get to where I want it. For now, the main goal is passing emissions for registration. I'd have to definitely find a smog place that only charges if it passes.

Like I mentioned before, the PO told me it had emission issues, so without a check engine light (which, do we even have one other than the maintence required) I can't really diagnose the issue other than driving to a parts store and see if they can do any OBD1 testing.

[royster]

Thanks, Ronne. The part should arrive sometime late next week. I'll let you know when I get confirmation.

Noahwins is a smog guy in California, he might be able to help you with some suggestions.

I'm not sure the difference after '90 for the code read-out, but the connector is under the fuse compartment, and regardless of a working CEL or not, would give you some sort of report. You might do well to remove the instrument cluster and see if you can get all the lights up to par. If memory serves me correct, the Check Engine Light is one of those tiny ones, ya gotta really look for 'em at Pep Boys, or a parts store with a large selection. My guess is that the PO pulled it out, or it finally burned out from neglect.

We're here to help, so ask when you need it. I'm not a fountain of good answers, but I can at least tell jokes until the EMTs get here.

:ambulance:

[royster]

Hey, Ronne: what's the latest on this project!?

[illipino_]

Alright, pretty darn busy this past 2-3 weeks. I finally received the BRAND USED parts from roy!

So the part was the caster adjustment rod, not sure quite exactly the PROPER term for it, but roy and i managed to figure out which exact part it was, and i finally got to installing it today.

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So as you can see the less rusted item is what was on my pickup, versus the more rusted item that was sent from roy. i have yet to pressure wash the under carriage of the truck, I'm having a really small oil leak from somewhere but i can't tell exactly with all the oil residue from below. After pressure washing, i can probably break it down and isolate where to start searching for this oil leak.

[illipino_]

So, since I'm in the middle of making small fixes and such, i went ahead and started taking photos of the majority of the interior. Just to show you guys what I'm working with and what issues the PO left me lol.

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I went ahead and plasti dipped the front end, just awaiting my chrome bumper replacement then ill probably leave it chrome.

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Here's the door panels, I'm trying to find a way to make a custom door handle since the passenger side is kind of messed up, unless i find one in a junkyard or something. I do plan on redoing the door panels into something else. I found someone here that did a board and carbon wrapped it. i think I'm gonna do that style. Another thing is, why do i see that some people have speakers on the door panels? did mine come without it because its a base 2.0 model?

[illipino_]

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Heres side shots of the interior. Does anyone know if my steering wheel is 5 bolt or 6 bolt? because I'm seeing both types in a lot of google photos. I wanna buy an aftermarket steering wheel setup because my horn doesn't even work, and the leather is coming off the wheel.

Long term plans for the interior is that, i really want to do black dash, with everything else interior black.

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Heres one of my biggest concerns. The radio bezel is broken. Im looking for a way to remove the whole bezel even the part that comes around the HVAC controls and vents. My question for you guys is that, if i put an aftermarket single din radio in there, will the bezel kit fill where its broken? or will i have to trim the half broken pieces on the edge and fill in the sides with something? Or will i have to find a whole new bezel somewhere.

[illipino_]

So i found some answers to my problems. I found some door handles on eBay for 40$ as well as the radio bezel for about the same price. i think I'm just gonna bite the bullet and pay for them later down the road. at least this way, i have an answer. Only issue is that its coming from Thailand, probably gonna take about 3 weeks to get here.


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as for the door panels, i managed to find a thread here on the forums where Roy started a door panel fabrication thread, and i came across this design. I just took my door panel off at an attempt to fixing my door latch issue on passenger side, and i pretty got the idea how this member was able to pull this off. So I'm going to somewhat replicate this design here in the near future.

[geezer101]

Does anyone know if my steering wheel is 5 bolt or 6 bolt? because I'm seeing both types in a lot of google photos. I wanna buy an aftermarket steering wheel setup because my horn doesn't even work...

The factory wheel has an integrated mounting boss and rim held onto the steering shaft by a single 17mm nut and spring washer. When buying an aftermarket wheel you need a mounting boss that is compatible with your model of vehicle. What kind of wheel will determine the boss as well (5 or 6 bolt pattern). Getting the factory wheel off is easy enough - remove the horn plate, partially undo the retaining nut and yank on the wheel until it unseats itself, then remove the nut completely and remove the wheel. If you take the nut off completely first try and yank on the wheel there's a good chance you'll lose a few teeth and break your nose...

[illipino_]

If you take the nut off completely first try and yank on the wheel there's a good chance you'll lose a few teeth and break your nose...

i literally LOL'd.

I see how it makes sense now. I have a couple steering wheel setups for my car which i wanted to use, but i don't think i have any mounting boss kits (AKA hubs, its the term i call the part) i'll probably just order one from eBay.

[pennyman1]

grant wheels are 5 bolt, most others are 6 bolt hubs.

[geezer101]

If you've got a deep dish wheel you can use a narrower offset mounting boss. It's a major PITA when your wheel is too close to the wiper and indicator stalks. Keep it in mind when you order a mounting boss kit.

[illipino_]

Update:

clutch cable decided to snap early this morning. Didn't really get a good chance to see if anything else fell off. But from what it looks, the clutch pedal is chillin on the floor, no pressure and on the other end, the cable isn't connected to the trans at all. I'll post more updates once I get in depth with it. Any pointers from you gurus could be helpful. I just got a replacement from parts store. Just didn't get a chance to get into the pickup yet.

[illipino_]

So yesterday, I found a small window for me to install the clutch cable, piece of cake. The wear in the cable occurred on the actual pedal bracket where the female end latches into the the hook bracket. And then last night at a drive thru, I noticed some serious white smoke from the exhaust pipe. I am gonna do some troubleshooting this weekend on what's going on with it. Any pointers are highly appreciated

[geezer101]

If it's doing it constantly, it smells sort of sweet and you're losing a bit of coolant - bad news. Sounds like you have a cracked head. There is a really minute possibility that you have a coolant breach in the inlet manifold, but normally they corrode from the plenum and out through the base plate that is welded into the underside of the manifold. You'll have to remove and inspect them both for issues.

[illipino_]

Hmm. Sounds worst than just simply replacing he head gasket lol. I've done head gasket replacements and this engine seems like it's easier than the other engines I've dealt with.

ill check my coolant level tomorrow to see if I loss any fluid, if so, then your theory may be correct.

[illipino_]

in the process of doing a compression test, i can't seem to find the fuel pump relay. According to haynes, the fuses don't even link up to the fuel pump circuit. so I've been stuck for the last hour trying to find which connector to disconnect, this includes researching the haynes and forums as well as searching the truck.

any help would be HIGHLY appreciated!

[illipino_]

Moving forward. Wasn't able to do compression test for now. White smoke still present, and smells rich. (I am getting really bad MPG) I cleaned the carb and didn't make much of a difference, replaced plugs, and waiting to pick up a new distributor cap and rotor once it comes it. Just to be safe. I wanted to get the basic tune up stuff out the way before actually opening the engine up and checking head gasket and head for cracks and such.

I could definitely use some inputs.

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Heres the old spark plugs which don't look too bad, in my opinion, but I'm sure you gurus have better inputs.

Thanks!

[geezer101]

First plug in your image looks suspicious (well, to me anyway...) Whatever is going on there will be an indicator of where to start. Try doing a purge on your carb as it might have a clogged jet, then adjust your mixture.

[pennyman1]

unless someone put an electric fuel pump on it, you don't have one. The 89 g63b is a mechanical pump next to the carb. plug #1 is showing residue from something, possibly burning antifreeze - other plugs look ok.

[illipino_]

I should have definitely noted that the plugs are from 4-1, so the suspicious looking plug would be coming from fourth cylinder.

Do you guys have any other tactics of running a compression test since the fuel pump isn't a route I can take. I'm going off the Haynes manual and it's saying to remove the fuel pump fuse and then refers to me to the fuel and exhaust chapter that doesn't state anything of the fuel pump fuse. Did some researching for a relay and physically looked in every possible area, I can't really tell where to block off the fuel side for me to start testing for compression.


Try doing a purge on your carb as it might have a clogged jet, then adjust your mixture.
Any notes on how to do this?

[geezer101]

Purging your carb is an easy enough to perform - here's a link to one of my posts giving a run down on how to do it

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/5005-Carburetor-issues-xp?p=43424&viewfull=1#post43424

[illipino_]

Purged the carb and it definitely helped it with the white smoke.

New problem occured today, and I'm better off compiling my issues on my build thread rather making new threads for every possible problem. So I was on the freeway, and I heard a weird crackle sound. So I decided to accelerate and switch lanes, however no acceleration. So as I was in the shoulder lane, I'm trying to figure out what happened. Turned the engine off then on, and tried accelerating, still nothing. It does go into gear, but no acceleration. Im guessing it's the slave or master cylinder? Any inputs?

[pennyman1]

does the clutch pedal have resistance like before? since you have a cable clutch, you don't have a master / slave setup. either the arm for the throw out bearing snapped, or you have internal tranny problems.

[illipino_]

does the clutch pedal have resistance like before? since you have a cable clutch, you don't have a master / slave setup. either the arm for the throw out bearing snapped, or you have internal tranny problems.

there is still pressure/resistance in the clutch. It engages into gear without grinding and clutch pedal depressed, but I can easily release the clutch and it won't stall out in gear. Now, for the past few days, it's been grinding on the reverse gear. I'm not sure if that'll point it into any direction but just wanted to add that in there in case it's a sign of anything breaking.

is it difficult to drop the trans on these pick ups?

[geezer101]

Nope. Pretty straight forward job. The hardest part is the most obvious - aligning the input shaft and clutch plate. But that's standard on any manual trans install...

[illipino_]

I'll attempt this following the Haynes. Any inputs are definitely appreciated.

[geezer101]

Purged the carb and it definitely helped it with the white smoke.

New problem occured today, and I'm better off compiling my issues on my build thread rather making new threads for every possible problem. So I was on the freeway, and I heard a weird crackle sound. So I decided to accelerate and switch lanes, however no acceleration. So as I was in the shoulder lane, I'm trying to figure out what happened. Turned the engine off then on, and tried accelerating, still nothing. It does go into gear, but no acceleration. Im guessing it's the slave or master cylinder? Any inputs?

Normally when a brake cylinder fails it doesn't lock up, it just stops working. Did you smell hot metal or clutch/brake pad?

[camoit]

stuck parking brake. Water in the brake lines.

[pennyman1]

Someone's missing the question - he is having transmission trouble, not brake trouble. He was referring to clutch master / slave, which an 89 MMM does not have - he replaced the clutch cable recently. Or do I have it wrong?

[geezer101]

Maybe we're missing some info. So no acceleration - but engine revs fine? Any grinding from the drivetrain? I would be getting the rear end up off the ground and checking the gearbox and differential. No output from the gearbox = blown input/output shaft. Transfer from the gearbox to the differential but nothing to the wheels = blown differential gears.

[geezer101]

...other option is loose pressure plate bolts (or maybe broken by now). Clutch don't work if it can't clamp against the flywheel.

[illipino_]

Pennyman pretty much covered the issue. I am having transmission issues not brake issues.

When I was on the freeway, I was rolling pretty much in neutral after that weird sound occured. So I engaged the clutch, moved out of gear and back into gear, and attempted to accelerate and get myself out of the middle lane and move my way towards the shoulder because when the sound occured, I wasn't able to accelerate. It's as if the flywheel and clutch did not separate and I was just revving the engine.

once I was in the shoulder lane at a complete stop, I tried proceeding forward with no brake engaged but no acceleration occured. Again, in first gear, it was as if I was in neutral and just revving the engine.

[illipino_]

I still haven't been able to get under it and see what's really going on. It's still really hot out, and I've been working a weird schedule so my free time is invested towards my wife and kids rather auto projects.

[geezer101]

What does the gear shift lever feel like? It is sloppy or still feels like it's shifting through the gates correctly?

[illipino_]

It's smooth from neutral to any 5 gears, but sometimes grinds going into reverse. I have to find the right timing for it not to grind.

[hesfalling]

Bump for the question on compression test for engines with mechanical fuel pump. Is there an easy way to block off fuel while turning the engine for compression testing?

[camoit]

Bump for the question on compression test for engines with mechanical fuel pump. Is there an easy way to block off fuel while turning the engine for compression testing?

There is no need to worry about the fuel pump or fuel.
Just pull the plugs and jump at the starter wires so you do not have spark.
+ side of the battery to the starter solenoid.

[hesfalling]

Thanks, camoit! That helps.

On the starter, I see two terminals:
(1) with two wires coming to it (plastic bracket connection), and
(2) single, thick wire (looks like I can easily jump by clamping to the bolt holding it in place)

Which one do i jump to + side of the battery?

[hesfalling]

Sorry -- been looking at a wrong thing. Apparently, I can't tell alternator from a starter :-).