Anyone remember off the top of their head which way the seals go into the hubs?... Is it with the lip towards the bearings?
I might have kinda forgotten. Lol
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Anyone remember off the top of their head which way the seals go into the hubs?... Is it with the lip towards the bearings?
I might have kinda forgotten. Lol
Had to fight with every single part, but I got it all back together finally...
The hub took just over an hour of working with a file to get it back to round, the edge had mushroomed out from being beaten with a hammer. After cleaning both hubs thoroughly, I got all of the new bearings packed and installed and got the new seals tapped into the hubs.
Next I decided to clean the spindles up a little bit, replaced the rusted and stripped phillips head screws holding the rotor guards on with stainless steel 10mm bolts. Once I got the hubs back onto the spindles I had to fight with the lock nut socket trying to get it to seat correctly and get them torqued down... The two pins on the socket kept slipping out of the holes in the lock nuts, but after about an hour of fighting with it I got them torqued properly to about 125 ft-lbs, loosened and re-tightened until the fish scale read about 4 lbs of force. It turns out I only needed one shim from the kit, I didn't have a dial indicator but both sides have the same amount of play, which feels like about 3-4 thousandths. I feel like it's good enough.
I had to take a round file to one of the calipers, the bottom slide pin hole was too small for the new pin and boot, but after that the rest of the brakes went back together pretty quickly.
The old parking brake cables were a fight to get out of the rear drums, but the new ones went in easier. I did have to fight with them a little in order to attach them to the lever, but it's all back together and the parking brake does keep the truck from rolling away on its own... If I push our pull the truck it'll still move, so I'm gonna need new drums next, but it'll be fine for now.
The rest of the electrical system is mostly finished, I need to go get another switch for the lights, but everything works.
I'm going to roll the truck into the driveway and work on getting it tuned up, then another test drive just to verify that everything functions as intended.
SUCCESS!!!! The truck is back on the road, and everything functions as expected. Ish.
The brakes are better than last time, but they still take quite a while to bring the truck to a full stop. I know I need new drums, and the brake booster doesn't seem to be doing much in the way of boosting...
But they're good enough for short drives. Tomorrow morning I'm going to start driving this thing every day, because I know the front brakes will get better with use, and the rears will work much better with new drums.
The throttle is still touchy, but it's better and I have wide open throttle now. I haven't gone wide open yet, because about half throttle broke the tires loose at 35 mph in second gear... This truck is pretty damn quick for only having 100 or so horsepower stock. Either this engine has been rebuilt and bored over, or the few small mods I've done have greatly improved the power output... Either way, I'm impressed by how this truck performs so far.
I'm also very impressed at how cool the engine is running, it didn't get above 1/3 on the gauge for the entire time I was driving.
I'm mostly just happy that it's done and driving.
Great job, Stryker! Congratulations on getting the truck back on the road.
You've done a lot, I'm impressed by all the hard work and perseverance, and I'm sure you will continue to make it better.
Btw, I agree on the engine running cool. I was worried about not having a fan shroud and thought that I needed to get one before it got hot out (I got the truck this past winter). I recently noticed that it actually runs relatively cool, even when it's stupid hot out. The needle never gets past the middle of the gauge, and haven't noticed it being hot otherwise. Still looking to get a shroud though , but now it's more out of a desire to "have the complete set" than because I need it to stay cool.
Anyway, keep at it, I look forward to your progress. And how about some pictures?
I get nervous with brake stuff for the obvious reasons. Check the booster hose from the intake manifold is nice and firm on the hose barb and the hoses on the check valve and booster are firm as well. It could be a small leak caused by a loose fitting hose (maybe the 38DGES has altered manifold vacuum? Those big throttle butterflies won't make much torque down low but will open her lungs up from midrange onwards...) Good power delivery, engine is behaving itself - you've done everything right. The throttle probably feels sensitive due to how non responsive it was before you worked on it and you've got the ignition tune nailed down. Good stuff :thumbup:
I checked for vacuum leaks using starting fluid and spraying everything, no jumps or drops in RPM tells me no leaks.
I think my sensitive throttle issue might come from how long it's been since I drove a standard, and how little experience I had previously.
Pictures will come eventually.
Awesome that it's on the road! One word of caution on running cool. It's a 30 year old gauge, with a who knows how old temp sender, possibly corroded connections. I hooked up a mechanical temp gauge on my truck. Took out one of the emissions temp senders and retapped the manifold for 3/8NPT. I like having a mechanical gauge that I made sure was calibrated in a pot of boiling water. It gives me peace of mind, especially with all the work that went into making the truck run better.
I noticed this morning that the engine RPMs change when pushing the brake pedal, so I think the booster might still be functioning... I'm going to replace the brake drums first, then the brake hoses, and then if there isn't enough improvement I'll either replace or rebuild the master cylinder, and finally, if necessary, the brake booster.
The temp sensor is brand new, so it could be the gauge... I've got a long list of things that I need to do, but I'm much more motivated to work on it now that it's running and driving.
After I get the brakes working better I still have to replace the oil pan gasket, clean the engine bay, change the gear oil in the axles, change the engine oil... Lots of little stuff.
Interesting observation, makes sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giovanni89
Are there any temperature test that can be performed to somewhat get an accurate reading without replacing the sender/gauge? I don't mean continuous accurate readings, like if you had a new sender/gauge, but a specific test you can do. Like running the engine hot and measuring the temp of the coolant, or something like that, and then comparing that to the readings from the gauge.
A point and shoot temp gauge. I got one for like $20 at the home despot.
Neanderthal tech - put a thermometer on the top tank when it's hot (peak normal operating temp) and see what the surface temperature is like. Not super accurate but it'll put you in the ball park. Even an infra red reader will be better than a guesstimation.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPaco
Sounds like something I can handle.
And what are some of the temp ranges to look out for? What temp is running too cold, proper or too hot?
Normal operating temps are 195 - 220 degrees F (95 -110 C). Less than 185 is running cold and over 235 regularly is indicating there might be something up. Be aware that most temperature senders and gauges can be a bit 'iffy'. It doesn't always come down to how much you've paid for them...
And this is measuring the actual coolant? you mentioned the top tank, is that the radiator? the reservoir?
Thank you, this is helpful.
Its the radiator. I am not endorsing this as an accurate indicator but it will at least let you know if it's in the right zone temperature wise. Installing a gauge with increments isn't really necessary. If it's gonna bake, you're going to find out when it's doing it and not before. I kind of beat this dog on a regular basis but the factory clutch fan isn't great in any vehicle and it's worth installing electric thermofans (even more so if you have A/C) The benefits will pay for themselves. Better insurance policy than an aftermarket temperature gauge IMO.
Well for me there's no obvious signs of overheating, but I do have another concern... After driving it in the morning, letting it sit all day and driving it back there's some smoke when coming to a stop and going again. At first I thought it was just my lack of skill and that I was burning up the clutch, but after looking at it again in the daylight I'm not so sure.
I'm pretty sure the rear main seal is leaking, and I think the clutch is getting covered in oil every time I drive it and that's what is causing the smell of burning oil and clutch material...
I am not excited about dropping the trans and t-case to do a clutch, but I don't think the clutch will survive much longer. I'm going to have one of my coworkers drive the truck since he has been driving a standard for much longer, and if his driving doesn't make the smoke then I know it's my lack of skill that is burning up the clutch. (he already knows that the brakes are terrible, and I'm helping him rebuild his little '86 S10 so he owes me a favor or two)
I planned on eventually replacing the clutch, but not quite this soon. I'm going to pull the inspection plate off later today and get a better look at the clutch, hopefully it's not completely wasted yet.
Fingers crossed it isn't a rear main seal. I'd be a bit worried about obvious smoke coming out from under the cab. The clutch may have already been toast. This truck has had no love for a long time and with all the grief you've had with it, I wouldn't be surprised if it was worn out part it's serviceable life. If you have clutch slip, you can be pretty sure it's tired - it'll be exaggerated by a ton of new found torque and power being pushed through it. You shouldn't have passed the threshold of clamping pressure from the clutch assembly yet. Don't forget that the brakes haven't been worked for ages and the smell might be from them.
Do what I do, light a cigar and you won't notice the smoke coming from the truck :grin:
But in all seriousness, clean up the area and try and find the source of the leak. When I went up to help Pennyman load Scott's truck, I blew about 2 quarts of transmission fluid out of my Crown Vic. Pretty sure after chasing my tail a bit I fixed it. The o-ring for the dipstick tube was shot. ATF was blowing up as I drove down the road making it look like it was puking out of the top of the dipstick. Once your driving down the road, oil can and will blow in crazy directions with the wind. And if it is rear main seal/clutch, that's a bummer, but you'll basically have a totally serviced driveline when you're done. Keep fighting the good fight
So the clutch is mostly fine, the smoke was from oil getting on the exhaust because I haven't cleaned anything yet...
I realize now that I always jump to the worst possible scenario, but I feel relieved when it turns out to be something much less severe.
Hopefully I should have the new tires on the truck today, and new drums should be here today to hopefully help with the lack of brakes.
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best... good philosophy to have in my book ;)
New meats on the truck.
Attachment 23175
It took a little while, but I'm starting to get much better at driving it. Practice, practice, practice...
I got the new drums yesterday, I'm going to fog them black before putting them on the truck. I'll be ordering the hoses soon, just have to wait for certain bills to come out first.
I temporarily fixed the temporary fuel tank strap I made, the two screws I used before had started to strip out so I just drilled a hole and put a bolt in. I'm going to actually fix it eventually, but for right now it'll hold.
I changed the oil, because it was already almost completely black. I'm going to keep an eye on it and I'll change it one more time once it's turned black again. After that I'll just change it at regular intervals.
I'm just going to keep crossing things off the list.
use a quart of Rislone in place of 1 quart of oil in your next oil change - it will help clean out the gunk gently and help the truck run better and quieter.
I haven't ever used Rislone, but I know a cup of diesel or kerosene right before an oil change will clean out quite a bit.
I got the drums painted with some leftover duplicolor caliper paint, I've got a new toggle switch to install for the off-road lights and new hood pin retaining cables, tomorrow morning I'll be installing everything.
I'm just waiting on a check to come in the mail before I order the brake hoses, and hopefully more of the parts I have left over from my last car sell so that I have a little bit more cushion just in case.
I found a flaw in the truck... While driving, if I put a little bit too much throttle into a shift, the engine will rock sideways just enough to pull the coil wire out of the distributor. The engine mounts aren't falling apart, so I think it's just the coil wire is a bit too short. I have a longer one that came with the plug wire set, I'll just toss that one on later.
I started digging through the A/C wiring, there's one relay, a thermostat and thermistor, a low pressure switch and a coolant temp switch. I bypassed the coolant temp switch to eliminate that as a variable while troubleshooting. I made a jumper wire to bypass the thermostat and thermistor, but when I started tracing voltage I didn't get very far. I had the truck parked in the driveway and the sun started to get to me pretty quickly. I pulled the relay out in order to test it, and when I get more time I'm going to start the troubleshooting (again) by testing all of the wiring between the switch, the relay, and the connections in the engine bay. I'm just trying to get +12v up to the compressor clutch, so that I can see if the clutch works, then I'll be able to tell if the compressor works. Then I can check for any leaks, check if the A/C is actually getting cold and recharge it if necessary. I'm determined to have this A/C system working.
The drums are on, I did have to wind the adjusters back quite a bit to get them on but the parking brake works much better and the brakes are a little more effective... Still not quite where I would like them to be but they're getting better.
The brake hoses should be here tomorrow, and Friday I'll be installing those and bleeding the brakes again. I also ordered a new pop-out lighter that "should" fit and work properly, the adapter to put a regular 5-1/8" air cleaner on a Weber carburetor, and a 2-1/2" to 2-1/4" header collector reducer with an O2 sensor bung.
I don't plan on doing much with the exhaust until later, but I am planning on getting a universal 10" air cleaner to replace the tiny Weber filter. Later on I can either put a snorkel hat on it or get another stock air cleaner and modify it for the 5-1/8" neck.
Thanks for reading!
Attachment 23211
Got the adapter on (with a little modification) and a 10" round air cleaner (with a little more modification)
I had to file the K&N brand adapter just to get it to fit onto the Weber, and I used the original mikuni carburetor's air cleaner stud with the adapter's bracket.
I know the air cleaner says Edelbrock, but that was the only one I could get on short notice.
I put the longer coil wire on it, but I haven't gotten to replacing the brake hoses because I'm soaking all the connections in the special sauce just to avoid potentially ruining the hard lines.
Today I'm working on figuring out the A/C wiring, and I might get around to doing the brake lines. Maybe.
It looks like an engine fresh out of the crate :thumbup:My biggest question is - how to set the idle up for the A/C? I've had to rewire all of the aftermarket A/C harness as it literally fell to pieces, but I'm not ready to take the next step and look at installing my 34DATA Weber which uses vacuum assist to idle up the engine (my guess it was intended to operate the A/C)
I honestly don't know... But I did finally get the original A/C wiring to function. I can press the switch on the dash and it sends voltage to the magnetic clutch, but every time I turned it on with the engine running it would pop the fuse. I even tried a 35 amp fuse, it worked for about 4 minutes until that fuse ended up blowing.
Right now I have it hooked up to the relay and switch for the off road lights, and it works just fine on that wiring... I'm going to add one more relay and use the original switch to trigger it, because for some reason the original wiring simply can't handle the load of the magnetic clutch anymore.
It does cool the air slightly, but not very well and I think recharging it will help a lot. But it works, so I'm happy.
if its blowing a 35 amp fuse its drawing way too much current! something is shorted to ground somewhere or the clutch coil has some shorted turns in it. i would ohm that out then ohm the wiring if the clutch coil tests within tolerances. you will want the factory ac circuit too work to keep the evaporator from icing over solid and the low pressure switch to protect the compressor from destroying itself.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
if your 85 is in any way similar to my 87 the idle up is wired in parallel with the ac compressor coil. it may have a dedicated ground for the idleup solenoid that is controlled by the ecu. the idea being that once the engine reaches about 2000 rpm the ecu cuts the ground path to this coil to disable it for cruising but since you would be doing away with that simply grounding at the carb or elsewhere would be fine. the FSM for my 87 specifies the idle up to be set at around 800-850 rpm so about 100 rpm above idle.
that last post was meant for geezer101 btw.
thanks :thumbup:I have a feeling all they did to accommodate the A/C on my Gen 1 was ramp the idle as it was added in the dealership.
...and thread successfully hijacked :lmao:
haha oops hopefully this helps warstryker too!Quote:
Originally Posted by geezer101
I'm going to keep the stock wiring, or at least the original function of the stock wiring...
I just needed to get the system running to make sure I didn't have a much bigger problem, like a bad compressor or a big refrigerant leak.
So the new brake hoses are in, they helped quite a bit. Now that the pedal feels firm, I realized that there was quite a bit of free play. So I pulled the master cylinder off and adjusted the booster pushrod out.
That adjustment helped even more, but the brakes still didn't quite feel like I wanted them to.
In my mind, swapping out random components seemed like the best option. So I pulled the check valve out of my old booster and swapped it with the one on the truck.
It didn't seem to change much, until I tried pumping up the brakes with the truck running... It finally feels like I have a brake booster. I'm guessing that the check valve wasn't holding vacuum in the booster before, but now as long as I pump up the booster the brakes actually work decently.
I probably should get a new booster eventually, and maybe rebuild or replace the master cylinder and front calipers, but I'm totally ok with it the way it is. I got it to work, maybe not the way it technically should work, but it works nonetheless.
Oh, and I was wondering if the load sensing valve over the rear axle should be bled, and if so how would one go about doing that?
After driving the truck for a few days, I'm starting to think that it's just the rear wheel cylinders being pumped up instead of the booster, because the proportioning valve may not be holding pressure in the rear drums. I'm going to start searching junkyards for potential donors, but until then I think I'll at least try to bleed that valve and see if that helps... I'm reasonably convinced that it isn't completely dead, because both front rotors are showing signs that the calipers are actually clamping down on them, which it would not be if the valve wasn't at least somewhat functional. I'm going to go through and bleed the entire system AGAIN, just to be sure. And to try and get every last bit of old brake fluid out...
As for the booster, I'm going to try "testing" it, but I don't expect it to be functioning properly. I'm going to try the three "tests":
Holding pressure on the pedal while starting the engine and seeing if the pedal drops.
Running the engine for a couple of minutes, turn the engine off and pressing the pedal several times slowly. Starting the engine and pressing the brake pedal, then turning the engine off with the pedal still pressed and holding it for 30 seconds.
I use quotations because those are subjective tests.
I went ahead and bought a Thrush Turbo muffler, 2.25" offset inlet, 2.25" offset outlet. I'm going to try and toss that on tonight, if I have time after getting home from work. I decided to go with that one because it was on sale at AutoZone and I'm wanting it a little quieter than I previously thought I would after driving the truck in normal traffic.
I'm still wanting to re-do the exhaust properly, but I'm going to have to modify the header a little and figure out the bends I'm going to need in order to clear all of the crossmembers. I'm also going to need to add in some hangers, and I want the exhaust to dump right behind the axle, so I'm going to hold off until I can either get a welder to use or get the truck over to a shop that'll do it for cheap.
I need to get a vacuum tester and timing light, because I've got the idle mixture and timing as close as I can by ear, but I would like some numbers that I can use to either compare with others, or ask questions and potentially get clear answers. I leaned out the idle mixture screws a little, but I haven't adjusted the timing since then and I'm not 100% sure that the distributor is functioning the way it should.
I've had a few times where on a cold start, the truck would idle rough as if it had a vacuum leak. It would act like the timing was either retarded too far or advanced too far, and I had to rev it to 2k -2.5k RPM in order for it to smooth out. Then it would idle at 650-700 RPM and run smooth.
That would also happen if I stalled the truck out at a stop sign, and it went away as soon as I hit 2k -2.5k RPM.
I'm wondering if I need to pull the distributor back apart and clean/lubricate the mechanical advance... The issues have been getting much less common, almost as if the sticky bits are working themselves loose again and the truck is self-healing. I still want to get a timing light on it just to see what the timing is at right now, because I'm concerned that the distributor might be off by a tooth and the vacuum advance is the only thing letting the truck run. I say that because I can only find one vacuum port on the Weber 38/38 DGES and I'm not sure if it's above or below the throttle blades. Also, when I was setting the timing by ear I don't think I got it as close as I would have liked, because I had just turned the idle screw until it hit 2k RPM and went from there, I think I could get it much closer if I had someone actually holding it at 2k RPM.
It runs pretty well as is, I'm just wanting to get it as close to perfect as possible. I still have to get an AFR gauge and wideband o2 sensor, so I can see where the carburetor is and order the correct jets if necessary.
One weird thing I noticed is the truck is popping fuses randomly. Last week it popped the reverse lamp fuse, a couple of days ago it popped the turn signal fuse, then one day later the radio fuse, and this morning it popped the tail light fuse. At some point the fuse for the extra 12v outlets popped. Most of them seem to be related to exterior lights, and I'm thinking I might have to go back and re-fix the tail light harness. I had pulled out the terrible attempt at trailer wiring, but there might still be some wires that aren't properly isolated. That doesn't explain why the radio fuse popped, or why the fuse for the extra outlets popped because that one is on a completely separate fuse block from the rest of the truck.
Eventually I'll be done doing stuff to this truck, right? lol
So I took the truck on a road test... Or at least attempted to.
I was heading to a junkyard about 50 miles away to help a coworker get some parts he needed for his '86 Chevy S10, but as soon as I got up to about 45 mph the brakes started dragging. By the time I had pulled off the highway I could smell them, and when I rolled into a gas station parking lot they were starting to smoke. The pedal was rock hard.
I unbolted the master cylinder from the booster and adjusted the pushrod back in, then put it back together and headed back home. The brakes are back to where they were before, with almost 3/4" of freeplay in the pedal.
I've done some searching and I'm pretty sure my LSPV is actually broken. The lever isn't attached to the piston anymore, it looks like the shaft snapped at some point and the nut is missing. I'm going to look for one at the junkyard next time I go, and continue to search for either a new one or a good used one for sale.
Nothing like a real planned trip to shake out all the bugs! I have a Thrush Turbo on my Falcon in the Avatar. It hasn't been on the road in a few years, but I do recall liking the sound. You can hear it, but it's not obnoxious. My LSPV was totally frozen solid. When I replaced all of the brake lines on my truck, I bypassed it. I gave it a few hard stops, and it still was locking the front wheels before the rear wheels. Overall braking performance improved for me. Your mileage may vary, but my braking improved, and I couldn't find a replacement, so I said the hell with it.
I had some similar timing issues on my truck. The Mechanical advance was sticking. I'd set the timing with it stuck advanced, and then when It freed up and retarded it barely wanted to run. Other times it would stick further advanced and want to run away. If I snapped the throttle the advance would retard, but if the engine slowed down gradually it would stick. I replaced the distributor and still had problems. The vacuum advance unit that came on the new distributor was stamped with an 11.5. The one on the old distributor was stamped 10. I had a backup sitting on the shelf (standard motor products vc268, which was also stamped 10) and that fixed it.
She's getting there. Keep up the good fight.
My Ute doesn't have the lsbv either, no major issues with it
I'm a little surprised at how quiet the Thrush Turbo muffler is, but it sounds pretty good IMO. It's got a deep tone at idle and cruising, but it still sounds aggressive at throttle without being raspy.
I think I might have found a LSPV on Amazon that will work, it's for the L200 but it looks the exact same. I'm going to try the junkyard before ordering it... I would just delete it, but I don't want to take a week to make new lines and try to figure out junction blocks and valves. I don't feel like I have found all of the bugs yet, and I want to have all of the kinks ironed out that could potentially leave me stranded on the side of the highway.
I said previously that I thought that it was the LSPV that functioned as a check valve for the rear brakes, but after reading this www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/3974-87-MM-am-I-supposed-to-not-have-power-brakes?p=34792&viewfull=1#post34792 I don't think so.
My distributor had some form of red gunky buildup inside of it, along with some surface rust... I could take it back apart and clean it better, which I might still do, but your experience points toward the vacuum advance being the culprit. I'm going to tackle that after the brakes are fully fixed.
I'm hoping that I can get the brakes adjusted so that they don't drag, but still stop the truck... Just so that I can drive it up to the junkyard that (hopefully still) has a few Ram 50's and a Raider, and get the parts I'm needing (plus some extras). ;)
Sounds like you're almost there. I like a nice custom exhaust, it can really change the presence of a car if it's not obnoxious. I wouldn't be surprised if the vac servo on the distributor wasn't working. I struggled to find a working used one... I might still have a go at deleting the vac advance when I do my carb swap by using a distributor off a 4G64 and see how it goes.
My minor has no vac advance. Works best for cars with a binary throttle
My problem was the mechanical advance sticking. I replaced the distributor and had new problems (pinging badly under light throttle). It turned out that my new distributor had a vacuum advance servo that was pulling in way too much timing. Once I put the correct vacuum advance servo on the new distributor it was all good. If you read through 87Junker's thread I have some pictures that describe this better.
My opinion is that going mechanical advance only really doesn't make sense on a street driven vehicle. Timing needs are based off of rpm and AFR. A vehicle being run wide open doesn't need much timing. The fuel charge is fairly rich, and rich fuel charges have a much higher flame front speed than leaner mixtures. A vehicle running lean (light throttle cruise) can use way more timing. Cruising down the highway at light throttle, all in timing is quite often in the 30-35deg BTDC range. The ideal crank position for maximum cylinder pressure is about 15deg. ATDC. AFR (because of flame front speed) has a much greater effect on how much advance you need to get peak cylinder pressure at 15deg ATDC. That is why vacuum advance units will quite often give you 2-3X as much advance as the mechanical side of the distributor.
In real world driving, you spend the overwhelming majority of your time in the part throttle range. Not having a vacuum advance will just move your peak cylinder pressure well past 15deg ATDC reducing part throttle power and economy, putting extra heat into the engine and exhaust path, and building more carbon deposits.
That's why if I was going to delete the vacuum advance, I would modify the distributor to use an ignition control box like an MSD 6A box or something similar.
As it is right now, the distributor in the truck works more often than not, so I think I'm just going to spray some WD-40 into the mechanical advance inside the distributor for now. I'll look for a couple of spare distributors in the junkyard, but a new distributor is a long ways away.
A blast of WD-40 wouldn't go astray. As long as the ignition isn't running erratically it should still be fine.
Well I did get the chance to work on it today, and realized that I am totally blind.
Attachment 23327
My LSPV is not broken. I couldn't see that nut before, and the fact that I can grab the lever and move it by hand tells me that it's frozen... But it appears to be stuck in the halfway loaded position, so I'm gonna call it "it'll be fine". I did bleed it again, but this time I actually got all of the air out... It came out as foam, and after bleeding everything again just to be sure I reset both the brake and clutch pedal height and free-play. I've got about 1/8" play in the brake pedal, about 3/4" in the clutch pedal, and they're both at 7" height.
I then reset the carburetor to baseline, tuned it to lean best idle, set the idle adjustment screw at just barely under 1/2 turn and finally reset the timing.
It idles at 500 RPM now, any higher and it would be exposing the progression holes. But it doesn't diesel anymore.
While I was setting the timing, I noticed that it would start missing at the halfway point, and I could swing the distributor fully advanced and it still ran smooth... It could be off by a tooth, but I honestly don't know.
I did take it on a short test drive, but I haven't gotten it up to speed yet to see if the brakes at going to start dragging again... They are working like they should though, at least as far as I can tell at 25 mph.
I'm going to keep fiddling with the timing tomorrow, I really should get a timing light on it...
I ripped out all of the wiring that used to run the stock carburetor, the truck runs quite a bit better now that all of that crap is no longer connected to the ignition and acting like a parasitic draw.
I took it out on the highway today, got it up to 65 mph without any issues. I also, accidentally, peeled out of a parking lot trying to merge with traffic. It was fun. :)
...yeah, "accidentally" :lmao:
I honestly wasn't actively trying to spin the tires, but I will admit that I'm still learning how to drive a standard and sometimes I make little mistakes here and there... I'm getting much better the more I drive, and I've gotten the clutch and brake adjusted nearly perfectly. Or at least to the point that the truck drives exceptionally smooth according to two of my coworkers that can drive a standard.
I did manage to borrow a timing light last night, and after I run a few errands today I'm going to see what the timing is at on the truck. I don't know what the range is that these engines will run at, but I have a feeling it's a pretty wide range. I'm hoping so at least, because this truck feels a bit sluggish at higher speeds and it's taking quite a bit of effort to get it started once it's warmed up. It does start easier when it's cold, but part of me is wanting to convert it to manual choke so I can start it easier when it's hot.
I'm going to set the timing at about 8° BTDC at idle, then bring the RPMS up and see what it ends up at. From my understanding, most engines will want about 30° to 35° total timing, I'm hoping I can get this thing somewhere in that general vicinity.
On another note, now that the extra wiring is out of the way I found out why the A/C kept popping fuses... The two wires that go to the A/C compressor clutch and the low pressure switch have melted insulation and copper showing, right where they come out of the harness, next to the fusible links. I'm going to have to peel back the vinyl tape wrapped around everything and pull those wires out of the harness. I'm going to try and just replace those wires with new copper, if I can separate them from the rest of the harness and just put the entire circuit on it's own fuse in the fuse block I would be plenty pleased. Right now the stock location has it pulling power from the reverse lamp fuse, which is not a circuit I want constantly popping fuses. I'm wanting to try and add an extra circuit to the stock fuse box, but I think I'm going to need a second fuse box to pull apart and harvest the wire terminals... Another part to look for at the junkyard. ;)
Has anyone else has had issues with getting new 74 bulbs to fit and work in the sockets, or is it the brand of bulbs I bought that are just barely too big to fit? If there's a specific brand that people have had luck with, I'm all ears.
Buss is an old common brand of fuse. They make all the glass fuses and the new style too. There is a uniform size standard but you never know with some after market stuff.
EDIT- Doh! its Bussman not Buss. And yea now that I look you did ask about bulbs?????
I was talking about the tiny light bulbs in the instrument cluster and dash, not fuses... But I do appreciate the info. :thumbup:
The brand I bought is Phillips, and every other bulb I've ever gotten from them has fit just fine... But those tiny little 74 bulbs are near impossible to find locally, and if I order anything I'm going to want to order enough to make the shipping worth it.
Attachment 23351
Starter gear drive went out yesterday.
Yay.
Oh sh*t. Looks like the nylon split from age. First time I've seen one do that. Well, there's another thing that you won't need to mess with for a long time once you've replaced it :rolleyes:
The thing that bugs me is the fact that it's a manual transmission truck, with an automatic transmission starter. Plus this starter is actually not that old, it's a Remy Gold brand new starter.
I ordered a new ACDELCO starter, the direct drive manual transmission one, and it should be here by next Wednesday.
One step forward, three steps back.
Hmm, I was sure the auto vs manual starters were different (output drive gears on the auto are 9 tooth...?) so they couldn't be swapped. Then there's different throw-outs on them as well. Starter motors are one of the things that can catch you out on Mitsubishis...
It says 8 tooth on the '87 starters for both auto and manual... I think the biggest difference is direct drive vs gear reduction for this specific truck, and I'll have both to compare once it shows up.
Since I'm just sitting and waiting for the new starter to show up, I decided to take a look at the A/C wiring... There's more melted wires under the dash next to the fuse block, so now I'm pulling the dash again to see how far it goes.
While the truck is in the garage, I figured I'd take care of a few other things. I replaced the upper radiator hose, there was a pinhole in the side of the old one and I'm not taking any chances. I moved the ignition coil off of the inner fender, it's now mounted to the intake manifold on the EGR block-off plate.
I'm hoping that it's just the A/C wiring that is FUBAR'd, because I can replace that. I don't want to replace most of the wiring harness itself...
New starter is in, it turns over quite a bit slower but somehow starts easier.
I pulled the dash out and pulled the three wires that had melted all the way to the connector next to the evaporator, replaced them with heavier gauge wires I stripped from the FBC harness, and I'm running then all separate from the rest of the harness.
Other than the truck not wanting to start for a few hours after driving it around a little bit, I'm going to call it fixed. I think it might have just been a slightly loose cable somewhere, after getting the battery tested and reinstalling it the truck fired up no problem... I guess I'll just wait and see if it's a recurring problem, might need to upgrade the battery cables and/or the alternator.
Damn, why did this thing roast the wiring harness? I really should go back over your thread before asking this but - have you gone over the ground leads to make sure you've got good connections? Bad grounds do all sorts of weird stuff...
The grounds are all clean and tight, but I'm seriously considering replacing all of the battery and ground cables with 0 gauge cables. Mostly just to eliminate the possibility of one of those 32 year old cables being full of corrosion or having a loose terminal...
With the amount of oil soaked into everything, the cables might not have any corrosion at all in them... But I'm pretty sure heavier gauge would help A LOT with the starting, and probably charging... That and a 90 amp alternator would help quite a bit as well.
So, tried starting the truck again and it didn't want to. The battery has a full 12.5 volts, but it's acting like the battery is almost dead and the starter is cranking over extremely slowly. I might take it over to Advanced and have them do a current draw test on it, because if it's not pushing out enough amps then I can warranty the battery with those test results. Or just get a full refund and buy a bigger battery.
I'm also going to look at getting a heavier gauge battery cable to try and get all the power that I can to that starter.
Truck ran really well when it actually started this morning, though.
Starter is still not wanting to turn over fast enough... I replaced the battery cable to the starter, added an extra ground to the engine block, and cleaned every connection.
The only other thing I can think of is to pull the starter out and check it over, see if it's a clearance issue between the gear and the flywheel or the brushes not making full contact...
But I did get that toolbox for the bed (finally). Its too narrow to sit on the bed sides, but it was free so I'll either figure out some kind of brackets to mount it or trade it for one that will fit. Part of me wants to mount it to the wheel wells and just mount a spare wheel or two behind it , maybe build a roll bar with an integrated spare mount. IDK.
I assume the latest post means you have had the battery tested under load? That means when you are trying to start the motor. If not try that before removing the starter. Cause that is a PIA
Actually if you have a newer battery you know is good putting that in and trying to start will also tell you if the battery is bad or too drained.
I had the battery load tested, it had 708 cranking amps, it's rated for 650 at 32°F. That and it's only 3 months old.
I'm thinking that either your starter is binding (was the tooth count on the drive gear the same?), or that the new starter is junk. Not wanting to start for a few hours after driving around for a bit makes me think that there is possibly a shorted winding that gets worse with heat soak. Replacing the cables with heavier gauge wire is never a bad idea, but unless you had cranking problems before you replaced the starter, they are not likely the culprit.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
Alright, I'm going to offer a synopsis of the problem. The 9 tooth starter has a slightly wider overall diameter of output gear than the 8 tooth manual starter. The small difference in diameter means it requires more force to engage with the ring gear and that extra diameter needs to be offset somewhere. This is where the shattered nylon gear housing and the difficulty in turning over is significant - that is the effect of the incorrect starter motor being used as it is literally jamming itself to engage. There is another issue waiting to surface which is a bad one - the ring gear getting damaged from excessive wear. Source a used manual starter and test the theory, then decide if you need a new starter motor. Like I said, just a theory...
Found the issue...
Attachment 23484
Reman starter was junk right out of the box, one of the brushes were cracked and split in half.
I'm going to grab a starter or two or three from the junkyard, along with a couple distributors.
Gotta love when things just keep breaking...
Explains a bunch of things. No chance of claiming on the warranty?Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
^^^
these work very well if You are on a budget .
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/s...bm5xo&usqp=CAc
Volkswagen Generator brushes...
With the amount I found wrong with that starter, I'm never getting an ACDelco reman again.
Both mounting holes had helicoils in them, the solenoid had issues, and the insulation for the windings was falling apart and flaking off. But the motor and the gear drive both look damn bear perfect, so I'll keep that and the other parts from the old starter...
I'm planning on putting together as many good, working starters as I can from the two I have and whatever I can get from the junkyard, and hopefully I'll have two working starters by the end of this. One in the truck, and another in the tool box in case I have issues later on.
You can buy starter brush holder assemblies off ebay pretty cheap. Just need a starter motor with a good commutator that hasn't been roasted and clean it out. That is one crap starter motor overhaul - I do better jobs than that and I'm not even trained...
A small update on the truck, I got the bed box from my coworker finally, it was payment for helping him get his truck onto post and doing a little work on his truck.
Attachment 23509
I bolted it directly to the bed, because I'm not going to be building a roll bar or brackets for it any time soon. I did realize that with it sitting under the sides of the bed it's less visibly obvious, so there's less chance of someone trying to break into it or steal it.
I tried going to the junkyard today, but it's apparently closed. I did get a chance to look through the trees... The Raider is gone unfortunately, but there's still a few Ram 50s that I could see, along with a couple of 3rd gen Monteros. I'm hoping I'll be able to find a couple of starters and distributors, but I have a feeling I'll be lucky to find one of each. I am going to try and dig up some interior pieces, look for manual locking hubs, and anything else I can use.
It blew up. But first a little backstory.
Went to the junkyard yesterday, only found one starter. The Raider is gone, there's only 4 Ram 50s left, two of them were missing the engine and trans, one had just a shortblock, and the last one was missing the distributor and carburetor...
The junkyard starter is a Bosch remanufactured unit, it works really well. At first I thought the solenoid spring might be broken or just weak, because it sounded like the gear wasn't fully retracting once the engine was running. I had the same sound with the ACDelco remanufactured starter, and the solenoid spring was much thinner and weaker than the solenoid spring in the old gear reduction starter.
So when I started the truck this morning, the oil light stayed on for a few seconds after the engine started and the rattle that I thought was the starter gear was quite a bit louder. The oil light went off after about 10 seconds of idling, and the rattle stopped after I bumped the throttle to back out of my driveway. The oil light has done that almost every time I started the truck before, but it usually went off after 3-5 seconds.
I drove it across post, parked it for an hour, and when starting it the second time the oil light went out almost immediately. The rattle didn't stop until I started driving away, but I could still hear a little bit of what sounded like the gear catching on the flywheel a little when I started off from a stop, and I heard it a few times after shifting gears or around corners. I was planning on pulling the starter off tonight after work, but I needed to head to work and I felt like the truck was ready for a long distance road test. I had prepared as much as I could, I double and triple checked everything, and I headed out. This time the rattle was a little more pronounced, but it went away pretty quickly. The oil light went off after 5 seconds of idling, and the rattle was intermittent and random. It was running great, I was cruising at 55 mph for about 20 miles, and then suddenly the oil light came on, the engine was slowly dropping in RPMs regardless of what position the throttle pedal was at, and it stopped as soon as I let off the throttle to pull off on a side road. I coasted about 50 feet, turned on the hazards and sat there for a moment hoping it was just a wire that came unplugged or something else small.
I popped the hood, there was nothing unplugged but I did see a small wisp of smoke out of the breather. I looked at the dipstick, there was still plenty of oil in the engine and I couldn't see anything obvious on it. I tried starting it again and smoke started puffing out of the breather, but it started. It died again after a few minutes, and after that refused to start and it sounded like the starter was fighting to turn it over. I pulled the dipstick again and found sparkles.
So now I get to pull the engine, pull it apart, figure out what went wrong and where, and go from there.
YAY! :shakehead:
Dang! best of luck to you. I had my transmission fail on me last year and all the crap that went along with that so I know your pain! hopefully it will be something straight forward and fairly easy to deal with. someone will chime in and give some more pointers on things to check/evaluate but it may be a good idea when the dust settles to isolate where the engine has seized up. I think that it could be possible (someone correct me if im wrong) but these engines tend to seize up at the cam when they get low on oil pressure. by the symptoms you describe i have seen a g54b do that since the cam simply rides in the aluminum head near the top of the engine. i pulled the rocker arms off to find the cam all chewed up and if you remove the bolt holding the cam sprocket on you can try turning the crank shaft with a breaker bar back and forth to see if the bottom end is free (just don't turn it to far and let the timing chain jump a tooth). if it turns free you might just need a new head possibly. Again someone correct me if im wrong in this thinking. also the balance shafts and oil pump have there own chain to drive them separately from the timing chain so something could be wrong there however this is a single width chain that tends to just snap and starve the whole engine for oil if anything seizes on its path.
Due to the abuse this poor truck soaked up before you got it, I hate to say it but it's either engine swap or rebuild time. Don't know about seized cams in the 4G54 (this seemed to be a trait of 4G64's that have been cooked) but this might only need new bearings put through it, timing chains and guides, a light hone of the block and new stock rings. If you decide to pull it down hopefully you won't find the head or the crank chewed up. It looked like it was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, too bad it was an oncoming train... :shakehead:
The dipstick had some bigger pieces of bearing material on it, looked like aluminum flakes... So I'm pretty sure I won't be able to just swap the head.
Unless that metal has come from the oil pump (still not a good sign though) - the flakes could possibly be nothing more than white metal from bearings.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
I'd drop the pan and start shaking some con rods. Unfortunately, I don't think it'll be a fluke. My truck builds oil pressure faster than that at -10deg F. There is a possibility it's the balance shafts and balance shafts/oil pump timing chain. Could have started chewing up the chain and chain wheels if those bearings started locking up. I believe they are usually the first to go, and what leads to the untimely demise of many a 2.6
Attachment 23536
All that's left is unbolting the engine from the mounts and bellhousing and yanking...
I still need to figure out how I'm going to lift it out, I don't have a hoist available and I don't exactly have the time or money to buy one right now.
Anywhere you can hire one out? If you have all of the prep work done and it's just a matter of yeeting it out, you could book one for a day and get it swapped.
Eventually, once I actually get the engine out of the truck and get it apart, my plans for this block are as follows:
1. Clean and hot tank the block and head
2. Machining (if necessary, hopefully not)
3. Adding piston squirters (I believe the Starion blocks have these, which is probably one of the reasons why it's preferable to start with a Starion block)
4. Drill and tap for oil feed and return lines for the turbo
5. Balance shaft delete
6. New bearings, rings, oil pump, timing chain, and any other parts that got maimed or are showing signs of excessive wear...
I'm going to do some research on camshafts, I'm thinking something relatively "mild"... ;)
I'm probably going to do some porting on the head and intake manifold, and I'm planning on doing a blow-through carburetor setup for two reasons: A boost referenced fuel pressure regulator is cheaper and easier than trying to find a Starion EFI setup, get it working in this truck, AND tune it... And I'm a rebel.
As for swapping to a different engine, I'm not going to unless I find a 4D55T for cheap.
We had draw through 2.0 turbos here in Oz. They ran a CD175 Stromberg carb and a tiny bit of work made them fearsome. This has come up before and I posted this - http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin...ll=1#post44007
Draw through would be cool, but I'd have to buy more stuff and I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible.
I'm not looking for major power, just a little more... Plus turbo noises.
I'm also probably going to do a hater pipe, but it'll be off an exhaust cut-out so I can still drive the truck without hearing protection. Because tractor flappers straight out of the hood are awesome.
Oh, and when I pulled the balance shaft cover off the side of the block, there was zero evidence of any gasket material. Just a buildup of dirt and burnt oil. It didn't leak that much, surprisingly.
I want to try cleaning the block as much as possible before I decide whether it's going to a machine shop or not, and I'm just wondering if what I'm thinking makes sense...
Once the block is completely torn apart, I want to take a pressure washer to it and get as much of the built-up dirt and grease off of it as possible, and get as much sludge and varnished, burnt oil out of it as possible.
Next, I was going to set the block in a plastic tote big enough to submerge it completely and fill the tote with a mild acid, either hot water and powdered citric acid, vinegar, or whatever... I'm hoping to break up and dissolve as much of the rust as possible, and potentially dissolve some of the sludge that I have no doubt is coating the inside. I'm hoping that I wont have to, but if or when I do take it to a shop it will be less work I'd have to pay them to do.
I know that I could just clean the oil passages, replace bearings and slam it back together, but if I'm going through the trouble of pulling the engine I want it to look like brand new when it goes back in.
I will be deep cleaning the engine bay, and paying extra attention to the front crossmember, differential housing, and anything else still covered in sludge... And since I'm making the engine pretty, I might as well drop the trans and t-case out from under the truck and pressure wash those...
I am not going to do anything to the outside of the truck to make it look nicer, because I like the idea of that contrast between the rusty, beat up faded shell, and the gleaming, shiny new engine bay...
Also, should I make it a point to check for ring ridge or bore taper? I'm already planning on measuring the pistons and crank journals, but if they're over/under sized I need to know before ordering new bearings or rings.
If you're going down this path, get the bare block hot tanked. I did a 'dirty' block clean with oven cleaner and a small scrubbing brush and gave the bores a quick deglaze with a scourer ball on a cordless drill as there were no signs of cosmetic wear on the bores on this particular engine (I finished it off with spray can degreasers as hosing down the inside of an engine block with water is asking for trouble) . If it's got a lip on it, it'll need boring. Likewise if it has obvious cosmetic damage like scoring or gouges. But if the bores appear to be undamaged but worn smooth, my deglaze trick will work (I installed new stock size rings and polished up the pistons) This may be advantageous as a little extra clearance on the bores with a turbo install is helpful - boost will force the compression rings to seal tighter. An engine with already tight clearances will more than likely snap piston rings.
That's why I'm wanting to get the engine torn apart as quickly as possible, so I at least know what will need to be done.
And I'm a fan of the dingle-ball hone too.
I was already planning on opening up the ring end gaps a few thousandths, just as a precaution against chipping a piston.
I didn't use a dingle ball hone but something similar to this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-100mm-Abr...8AAOSweW5U-NPd
It's not very aggressive and I was able to use a spade bit extension on my cordless drill to get the whole bore with the crank still installed without fear of damaging anything. The honing stone tool I bought was way too aggressive and I just happened to run into these by chance.
Got the oil pan off, and found out what went wrong...
Attachment 23617
Floppy chain.
Attachment 23618
I'm going to say that chunk of metal looks like a bearing that fell out and got caught in the chain... and destruction ensued.
Attachment 23619
More shiny bits...
Attachment 23620
The sketch level here isn't as high as I would like. :lmao:
I still have to get the engine fully out and get it taken apart, but I've made progress and I'm claiming it as a win.
It would take catastrophic damage to the engine for a bearing to make it's way out of a journal. Could be from a balance shaft? :shrug:When they fail you get a huge drop in oil pressure which sort of follows what you experienced.
That's what I'm thinking, that it's a balance shaft bearing. Above that bearing there's a piece of the chain sitting in the pan...
...and all of the shiny mud in the sump are bits of cast aluminium from the timing cover as it got ground off by the chain. The question will be - delete or not delete the shafts? There's a good chance that at least one of the balance shafts is chewed up as a result of the bearing failure (my money is on the exhaust side)
Definitely delete. I'm not going to chance this happening again.
https://www.racetep.com/automaker/starion.html
I'm still looking, but I think I've found at least one place that offers some of the go-fast parts I'm looking for... I can at least ask them a few questions about stuff like their Montero turbo kit or head/block modifications.
I have over 60k miles on my balance shaft delete. Don't notice anything in the oil at drain, and I make 90psi running down the highway. Would probably be a good idea to balance the rods and pistons while apart, should minimize any vibrations.
If I cared enough, I would have it balanced... But I'm not worried about vibration.
I'm more concerned about ensuring that I have enough oil pressure and that there's enough oil flow, and I'm concerned about removing potential points of failure...
In my case, that point of failure fulfilled it's potential.
You don't need to take it into some high performance engine shop to balance your rods and piston assemblies. Buy a cheap set of digital scales, weigh each one 3 times to get an average weight for each assembly, record the average weight and take a die grinder to the heaviest one first and use the lightest one as your bench mark. You will literally be shaving off a few grams to get the balanced weight you're after. Anything that helps... Don't forget that turfing the balance shafts is going to improve throttle response plus ramp your oil pressure.
????
"turfing the balance shafts is going to improve throttle response plus ramp your oil pressure."
????
Turfing ????
Please, do explain ---thx.
Turfing: Deleting, removing, tossing in the trash, etc. lol
I'll weigh the pistons and con rods, if they're close I'll just leave them. I don't want to accidentally remove material from a potentially weak spot and lose a piston skirt.
Well then ,
Please forgive My intrusion on the 'Mutual Administration Collective ' super secret squirrel handshake society:shock:
LOL
I had never heard the term before myself, but I figured that was the gist of it.
:lmao:You have grasped the vernacular well, my apprentice...Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
I'm on my way to pick up an engine stand, and either later today or tomorrow I'll be renting an engine crane.
By the end of this weekend I should have the engine torn down and have an idea of what all it will need.