My BJ60 is possessed! Intermittent leaks, but clutch cyl OK, 1200 km road test nxt wk

[peterdouglas]

Just an update on my 1984 BJ60. I'm back in Ontario now and have been driving my Cruiser for a week. In all, about 250 (mostly city) kilometers. The good news: the clutch slave cylinder seems OK. I know it will need to be replaced eventually, but it may last for a while.

The bad (?) news... the truck is possessed! Yes, that's right, the leak gremlins tend to pay a visit from time to time. When my father was driving the BJ60 while I was away, he would find large puddles of engine oil, transfer case oil and coolant on the ground (and I saw the cardboard blotters underneath for proof). He stopped driving it. Since I've been driving it, sometimes it leaks a bit of engine oil, and sometimes it doesn't leak ANYTHING! Sometimes from one spot, sometimes from several. And once in a while, for a special treat, it will even leak some coolant! The clear honey-like oil my father was seeing (possibly transfer case oil) does not seem to be leaking now. It doesn't seem to matter for how long or short a period of time I was driving.

I cannot see where the coolant could be leaking from. It all looks dry, including in and around the new thermostat I put in. If I had to guess, maybe the water pump? As for engine oil, my friend and I replaced a bunch of gaskets, including the rear main oil seal. Not sure if we goofed up on one of them, or missed changing one, but sometimes there's just one oil leak, sometimes several and sometimes none.

In any case, I've decided that the truck seems roadworthy enough for the 1200 km trip to Montreal and back next week. For good measure, I'll pour in a bottle of Wynn's engine stop-leak into the crankcase. Just in case of breakdown, I've got a premium CAA membership that gives up to 320 kms of towing. Not sure if I'll drive it to BC after that, there's a few variables.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I finally took some new pictures of my BJ60 with the upgraded suspension, new Hella H4 lights, etc. I posted them in the 60 series forum since it's more general, just click here for the post.

[canucksafari]

I'd be more concerned about the coolant leak. If you overheat the engine because of a coolant problem, its pretty likely you will be doing a costly head job at a minimum.

If it is from the water pump you should have it dribbling out of the weep hole. The weep hole is a warning devise to tell you that the seal is shot and the bearings are about to go. Don't ignore this warning. Go out for a run and get it hot so that the cooling system becomes pressurized. Come back and first check the weep hole by touch (careful not to burn yourself) or by one of those tools with a mirror on a small pole. If the coolant isn't comming from there, check your rad and all the hoses.

[peterdouglas]

Thanks John, I'll give that a try. What's the best way to let it get well warmed up and pressurized? Some stop and go traffic for a half hour or maybe an hour highway drive?

The rad looks not too old, and it appears dry, as do the hoses. I'll re-check them though, and especially the water pump.

[canucksafari]

Twenty minutes of highway driving at 100 kmph should be enough to bring it up to operating temp and pressurize the system. Give her a good section of revs at least of 2600. The water pump turns as fast as the engine turns. Once the thermostat kicks open you want it to have a good 20 minutes to be pushing coolant around. That way you will see any hose leaks and or water pump leaks.

Also, check the level of the coolant in your rad and expansion tank before you go. Make sure the rad is topped up and the expansion tank is on the max line (just helps measure any significant decrease. After a hot run there should be a bit more than what you left with in the expansion tank. As it cools off, it will vacuum that coolant back into the rad. When it is cold, it should be right where it was before you left on the run.

[peterdouglas]

Thanks, I'll do that. I've missed several good opportunities already to try that. The good news is, since I've come back and been driving the BJ60 this last week, I haven't seen any significant coolant leaks, if any. There was one night where I went on the highway at about 100 km/hr for about 10 or 12 mins, followed by about 25 or 30 mins of fairly continuous driving at 50 to 60 km/hr (it was late at night with very light traffic and few red lights). The next morning (as I do every morning now) I checked under the truck. I don't recall if that was one of those time there were no leaks or just small leaks, or even if there was any coolant leaking, but it couldn't have been that bad or I'd have remembered it.

Still, I'll try that experiment of 20 mins of highway driving and make a special point to look at the water pump when I get back. Thanks