New Drivetrain into '78 BJ40 (1 Viewer)

[seatosummit]

Hey Guys-

So I am getting started on a drivetrain swap into my 78 BJ40.

I managed to source an 83 3B from Canada, and got an H55F with t-case in the deal, also.

Shipped the drivetrain down from Lumby, BC to Santa Ynez, CA for cheap. Highly recommend as an alternative to the lonesome (albeit beautiful) drive that I have now done a few times up and down the West coast.

Going to get started later this week and into the weekend as I will have a window between projects at work.

Basic agenda:

• pulling the existing drivetrain
• assembling peripheral parts from old engine onto new engine
• verifying new engine functions
• mating new engine with H55F and t-case
• placing whole drivetrain into truck, dealing with adjustments to accommodate new trans/transfer.
  • drive shaft lengths
  • new hole in transmission tunnel for shifters
  • parking brake solution
• replacing pre-cups!

Looking forward to everyones feedback and recommendations!



Austin

 

[roscoFJ73]

Good upgrade. Keep posting. I think the easiest way to sort the hand brake is to use a later diff

 

[seatosummit]

Hi Guys-

Finally got around to pulling the engine. The tractor I am using is not really excited to lift the entire drive train so I ended up having to pull the trans from the engine, lift the engine out, and then drop the trans. All and all not too bad.

I have been cleaning up my donor 3B and h55f. Pictures below.

Questions for right now:

• From what I can tell, the clutch that was in my original drive train is good--beyond looking at the actual clutch disk, what else determines the health of a clutch?
• worth painting the block? After cleaning up most of it, it looks like there is some surface rust in spots. I can remove the rust, just wondering if a layer of enamel is a good call or not? I am not worried about it looking perfect, just want functionality.
• were there 12v 82 3B diesels imported into Canada? After scrubbing the gunk off the EDIC, appears to be a 12V variety...odd. I have all of my 24v components from existing running gear, but just curious.

Some photos:

Swapping oil pans, as the "new" engine had one that was damaged in transit.

Cleaned up fairly well, though some rust spots remain.

View from the passenger side. Swapped out the oiler filter mounting bracket from my original engine, as the one for the new engine was damaged in transit. Same case for the oil pan.

Are these glow plugs in the intake manifold? My original certainly didn't have these? Too bad they are the wrong voltage...

 

[seatosummit]

Oh, and one last thing for tonight. When I replace the exhaust manifold, do I go with a gasket, or is RTV ok? Many tractor/heavy machinery mechanics I have talked to prefer the copper RTV over gaskets, but unlike a lot of other Toyota OEM parts, this particular gasket isn't crazy expensive.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

So I am getting started on a drivetrain swap into my 78 BJ40.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you have a 3B in your 78 Cruiser?

 

[seatosummit]

@1978HJ45

ya I did. previous owner installed.

Dropped a pre cup last spring. you can read about its eventual demise here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/3b-death-rattle.803230/

 

[Gun Runner 5]

@1978HJ45

ya I did. previous owner installed.

Dropped a pre cup last spring. you can read about its eventual demise here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/3b-death-rattle.803230/

Thanks .....
Good luck with the swap.

 

[seatosummit]

Guys-

Worth replacing the rear main seal while I have everything apart?

Unknown whether it leaks or not, as the donor was drained when I got it.

I've heard it's a bit of a challenging task, but I would of course rather do it now than in the future...

Also, took my clutch to a mechanic friend and he confirmed that it was in like new condition, with plate thickness near factory spec. So saving some cash there.

Austin

 

[seatosummit]

Progress: Repainted frame rails in engine bay.

Reassembled clutch throw-out

Spent some time figuring out how to mate the whole package.

Transmission input shaft finally found the pilot bearing, and it slid in the final centimeter.

Carefully maneuvered into the truck. Crossmember removal was the ticket.


Couple hours later, managed to get it mounted in the vehicle properly, wired, and filled with water. Gave her a go...



Totally stoked!

She doesn't want to idle very smoothly, but sorta to be expected after 5 years of sitting. Hoping it just takes a little tuning. Otherwise, I have a injectors, fuel pump, etc. from the original.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Nice.

Getting it to clatter a bit is always a great feeling.

Sounds like just a little air in the fuel to me. I'll bet a little bleeding and she will tick over like a 3B should.

Dan

 

[seatosummit]

Good suggestion, Dan.

Hopefully it is as easy as bleeding the lines. I had a couple hours worth or struggle when I first bought the truck. I had swapped out one of the injector rails and loosened an injector in the process; would rattle for a while and die....took me an embarrassingly long time to diagnose.

Perhaps an issue with dirty injectors if bleeding doesn't cure it?

I'll keep you guys posted.

Austin

 

[lostmarbles]

If you slid this spline/shaft into your clutch covered in this much grease, sad to say, I think you may experience trouble with clutch juddering and/or slipping.

I think some is bound to get flung out onto the flywheel and pressure-plate clamping surfaces (and onto the clutch plate friction material).

BTW- I envy your space and I wish I had a tractor to lifts things around like that..

 

[Brewsterfire]

Did you have to remove your front bumper to drop engine in?

 

[seatosummit]

If you slid this spline/shaft into your clutch covered in this much grease, sad to say, I think you may experience trouble with clutch juddering and/or slipping.

I think some is bound to get flung out onto the flywheel and pressure-plate clamping surfaces (and onto the clutch plate friction material).

View attachment 1054357

BTW- I envy your space and I wish I had a tractor to lifts things around like that..

I removed most of it from the spline before installing. FSM and Haynes manuals had conflicting recommendations on whether to grease the splines, so I opted to go with a happy medium and place a little on there. That being said, any grease on the spline may lead to some of the symptoms you describe. Time will tell.

And yes, tractors are sure nice. That one in particular isn't the most powerful, so engine plus trans lifting was out of the question. Though with the nice tractor comes the headache of being in a hay barn, where a fresh coat of dust settles about every hour. And never mind if a bolt rolls off my plywood platform--literally a needle in a haystack.

On that note, anyone have a source for 3b clutch slave pushrods? Same as any other more common ones?

Austin

 

[seatosummit]

Did you have to remove your front bumper to drop engine in?

Yep.

No way it was going far enough in without it off. The hoist I was borrowing didn't have the reach.

Good opportunity to clean frame rails though.

 

[seatosummit]

OK, guys.

So quick update:

The rear driveshaft was shortened to accommodate the longer transmission. Got that put in the truck. Managed to find a temporary pushrod substitute--a bolt that fit nicely into the slave cylinder hydraulic, and the clutch fork dimple--put everything back together. Added some fluids, and took her for a test spin.

Before I get into the issues, let me first say that I am extatic with the pep of the new 3B, seems to have good compression and be more responsive than my last. Also, the 5th gear makes a huge difference for highway driving, and the new low gear is likely to be awesome for crawling.

Now the bad:

A fair bit of black smoke on acceleration. Hoping it is just a matter of swapping out injectors, and not something more involved like timing.

The transmission and transfer case make quite a whine at highway speed. Sounds like a bearing of some sort.

I rechecked the fluid levels, and fluid came pouring out of the transmission fill plug--makes me think the gasket between trans and transfer is bad. Need recommendation on an external hose for balancing these levels. I know terrain tamer makes one.

Also, maybe most problematic, there is thumping noise that seems to be coming from the bellhousing. With vehicle in neutral at idle sound is most pronounced. Increases cadence with engine RPM. Stops entirely when clutch is depressed. What am I looking at here, guys? I know gearboxes rattle in neutral, but this sounds a bit irregular.

 

[lostmarbles]

I think the noise (that disappears when your clutch is depressed) is likely related to your movement of oil from your transfer to your gearbox (and the chewed-out seal that'll be causing this) .... and also related to the "whine at highway speeds".

So I reckon it's likely your transmission needs an overhaul. (Worn bearings)

As for the black smoke ... someone may have tampered with the max-fuel setting on the IP. (Very likely I think .... especially if you're noticing a lot more power from this engine.)

 

[seatosummit]

Thanks, Tom, for the input.

So just to be clear, you are saying that a chewed out seal between the transfer and trans could account for all of that noise, that seems to be originating from the bell housing?

If so, I realize that a proper transmission overhaul is in order...but to be perfectly honest, I lack the resources to make that happen right now. How much additional damage can be done if I continue to run it? I imagine an equalizer hose will help with the fluid issue. I will also, apparently, have to replace the transfer case output seal, as that appears to be leaking like a sieve.

Appreciate the help.

 

[seatosummit]

Also, with respect to adjusting the max fuel setting. I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is not to be messed with if you lack an EGT gauge (which I do lack). Can I still safely reduce the max fuel setting? Is this something to try before swapping out injectors?

 

[lostmarbles]

...So just to be clear, you are saying that a chewed out seal between the transfer and trans could account for all of that noise, that seems to be originating from the bell housing?...

What I'm saying is that seals normally fail due to excessive play in bearings and it is likely that the excessive play in your gearbox bearings is what's causing the noise that disappears when you put your foot on the clutch (and also causing the whining-noise when you're at highway speed).

.... If so, I realize that a proper transmission overhaul is in order...but to be perfectly honest, I lack the resources to make that happen right now. How much additional damage can be done if I continue to run it? I imagine an equalizer hose will help with the fluid issue. I will also, apparently, have to replace the transfer case output seal, as that appears to be leaking like a sieve...Appreciate the help.

To fix the transfer output seal leak you'll likely have muck around with the shim thickness behind the speedo-housing (to eliminate play in those bearings).

So when you put together all your noise problems and leakage problems it seems to me that transmission overhaul should be high on your agenda.

As for running it as is, these land cruiser transmissions are pretty solid so it probably won't "fly apart" in the near future. (Instead it'll probably just get noisier and maybe start leaking at the gearbox input seal ... or something like that...)

Also, with respect to adjusting the max fuel setting. I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is not to be messed with if you lack an EGT gauge (which I do lack). Can I still safely reduce the max fuel setting? Is this something to try before swapping out injectors?

You can't do damage by lowering the max-fuel setting.

But if that setting has been increased by the PO and you're getting a lot of black smoke (which is a typical symptom of someone having increased the setting) then you'll be overfuelling and thereby creating high EGTs which makes engine-damage (such as dropping precups) more likely.