Need advise on 1HDT tick/knock and recomendation on Calgary / southern AB diesel shop

[Malahki]

I just recently bought a 1992 Hdj81 out of Vancouver, it shows 205 000km on the 1HDT and it has a loud tick or slight knock to it. ATEB in Vancouver did a pre purchase inspection as well as compression test, they said it was 450psi across the board and ran strong. They tuned it at 16psi boost as the PO had it cranked up to 23psi (manual boost control). Also unknown to me at the time ATEB changed out several lifters for used ones for the previous owner trying to eliminate the tick. They told me later when I found out about it that I shouldn't worry and should drive it for 10-15k and see if it goes away. I am not comfortable with that.

The PO supposedly did a Turbo swap to Ct26 off of a Supra and rebuilt the head within the last year, which to me might be a sign he had bigger issues?? As well as changing the timing belt and BEB's. Their is some parts receipts that at least partially help to confirm his claims but I have very little faith in him or his work at this point as other unrelated work he has claimed to have done has been a lie completely and or done very poorly.

I have been doing as much research as possible on the 1HDT and the more I learn the more nervous I am about driving it and risking severe damage. At this point it's parked until I can determine the cause of the problem.

I'd like to get some input on the best coarse of action to take in order to determine the cause and baseline this motor without spending a small fortune. I would also like any recommendations on a good diesel shop / mechanic in Calgary or the southern end of the province??

 

[Douglas S]

Most of them have a tick at idle...does it still have the ACSD?

 

[Malahki]

I had not heard of the ACSD before until you mentioned it. I just did a quick search to find out what it is. So I don't know if it is removed or not?? Also I don't know if its related but the PO did add an inline electric fuel pump? Are you recommending it should be removed? Even though I live in a cold climate??

 

[pHarps]

Mine has a touch of what I thought was a tick but ATEB and a couple of other places said it was fine.

Fisher Diesel here in Lethbridge works on Denso pumps and 2 stage injectors... they had my truck before xmas. Of course, the turbo overboost light was flashing again yesterday after a 1000km trip through Montana, so my truck and their work may not be the best examples... I think they knew what they were doing.

It wasn't cheap but they didn't charge a couple of times when I brought it back for follow up.

I do still have the ACSD installed- they pulled it apart and inspected it and were reluctant to remove it because they thought it helped the timing.

If it wasn't a diesel issue, Gord at ToyoTech here in Lethbridge knows his stuff inside and out.

 

[Douglas S]

I had not heard of the ACSD before until you mentioned it. I just did a quick search to find out what it is. So I don't know if it is removed or not?? Also I don't know if its related but the PO did add an inline electric fuel pump? Are you recommending it should be removed? Even though I live in a cold climate??

They are known to fail. I removed mine, ticking disappeared and idle dropped to where it was supposed to be. Still starts up fine at -30.

 

[crushers]

ProActive, not cheap but very good.
Calgary

 

[BCR4619]

As mentioned above they all do random ticking... as for knock do you have a video of this "noise"?

Didnt notice it but has the BEB's been done?

 

[Malahki]

Most of them have a tick at idle...does it still have the ACSD?

Looked when I got home and it's been removed. Added pic just to confirm I am looking at the right thing

Mine has a touch of what I thought was a tick but ATEB and a couple of other places said it was fine.

Fisher Diesel here in Lethbridge works on Denso pumps and 2 stage injectors... they had my truck before xmas. Of course, the turbo overboost light was flashing again yesterday after a 1000km trip through Montana, so my truck and their work may not be the best examples... I think they knew what they were doing.

It wasn't cheap but they didn't charge a couple of times when I brought it back for follow up.

Without going into to much detail, let me just say I have used Fisher in the past and wont be using them in the future..... I will text or give you a call one of these days soon, I'd love to hear how your truck sounds compared to mine

ProActive, not cheap but very good.
Calgary

Thanks, I might just have to give them a call and get it up there. I'd rather spend some money now and have peace of mind then spend even more later and be kicking myself

 

[sailor]

Mine will occasionally tick. Been doing it for 80k. I had the boys at Ateb all over it, told me not to worry, I still worried. 3 years later I had forgotten all about it.

 

[finderscuba]

Mine ticks too. It has since I got it. It varies somewhat with different oil - it was more quiet with dino 15W40, louder with synthetic 0W40, and not too bad with synthetic 5W40. removing the ACSD had no effect on tick or idle. I think my ACSD was dead anyway (thermowax). Changed the BEBs and there was no difference in tick. Timing belt, tensioner - no difference.

Just learn to live with it I guess. You don't notice it when the turbo is spooling or decompressing!!

 

[Douglas S]

Post a video maybe?

 

[Malahki]

It is reassuring to hear that ticking is not uncommon in these motors. However the unknown and somewhat questionable history on this particular motor still has me worried enough that I want to investigate farther. The fact it has had the turbo replaced and some used lifters installed after what was supposed to be a freshly rebuilt head just doesn't sit well with me

As mentioned above they all do random ticking... as for knock do you have a video of this "noise"?

Didnt notice it but has the BEB's been done?

The PO "says" he did the BEB's himself but he is not a mechanic by trade and from what I have seen he likes to do things as cheap as possible. Which leaves me questioning the quality of his work and if he replaced the cap bolts. Correct me if I am wrong but it is my understanding they are torque to yield and should not be reused. I think I am just going to have them changed and cross it off the list of potential problems

Post a video maybe?

I will try to get a video up ASAP

 

[wrongway around]

Not to discredit anyone ,but i hear you .if ateb did the bebs call it good ,but otherwise do it again. Personally I've only changed the bolts once ,but I also do them every couple years, never had a stretched one. Thought all the work done on that truck was for helping out the previous owner, baselineing. You bought it off that guy . I will say it didn't sound bad when it left atebs shop. Did you pick it up from Vancouver ,has it gottin louder. And curious how that thing handles being so tall..hope its nothing to worry about,so you can spend your money on lockers. Who did the work on the head ,himself too.

 

[roscoFJ73]

It is reassuring to hear that ticking is not uncommon in these motors.

Is it there on a cold start,or does it come on when its warmed up?Is it louder at certain rpms?

I think the ACSD is more of a rattle than a tick.

If you dont trust the PO,then you will have to suck it up and have the BEB done again.

 

[Malahki]

Not to discredit anyone ,but i hear you .if ateb did the bebs call it good ,but otherwise do it again. Personally I've only changed the bolts once ,but I also do them every couple years, never had a stretched one. Thought all the work done on that truck was for helping out the previous owner, baselineing. You bought it off that guy . I will say it didn't sound bad when it left atebs shop. Did you pick it up from Vancouver ,has it gottin louder. And curious how that thing handles being so tall..hope its nothing to worry about,so you can spend your money on lockers. Who did the work on the head ,himself too.

"That guy" also told me it was original paint when the entire upper grey portion and flares have been repainted. He told me he rebuilt the diffs from the 3rds out and the knuckles were soaked by the time I drove it home from Vancouver, not to mention when I changed the gear oil it was the worst looking s*** I have ever seen. On the bright side the fresh oil eliminated the rear diff whining at coast that he had described as a very slight and occasional vibration "hardly noticeable". So needless to say he has lost all credibility with me and I need to baseline everything myself.

ATEB acknowledged that it does have an unusual tick to it and tried swapping lifters to eliminate it when doing the valve set. So theirs definitely something to it.

As for the handling it sucked!! It even failed the Out of Province Inspection because of it. I ended up lowering it in order to pass. Here is the thread I started on that:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/688209-6-ironman-suspension-failed-safety-inspection.html

Is it there on a cold start,or does it come on when its warmed up?Is it louder at certain rpms?

I think the ACSD is more of a rattle than a tick.

If you dont trust the PO,then you will have to suck it up and have the BEB done again.

I find the tick stays consistent whether cold or warm and I can hear it very loud and noticeable idling at 800rpm up to about 1200rpm. After that I am not sure if it goes away or I just cant here it over the 3" exhaust with no muffler??

I got my new bearings, bolts and manual today. So BEB's are next on the to do list.

Hope to get a video up tonight when I got someone here to run the camera

 

[sailor]

You know- it's interesting to hear your story as it parallels mine quite accurately. I bought my rig off a couple of photos from Japan- and because it had a 5.5" lift and 36 inch tires etc. Well the lift came out for the FOR 3.5" pretty quick because of the abominable handling and I went down to 295 BFG AT right away because those big tires were causing all sorts of issues. Mercifully, the truck was pretty mint engine, interior and body. I got screwed by the provincial inspector appointed by my importer- they were going to rubber stamp it with all sorts of faults but I took it to ATEB and they educated me pretty quick. Armed with their accurate written assessment of the vehicle which was seriously at odds with the bogus inspectors and accompanied by some 'colleagues' we stuck it to the importer a bit for a generous cash settlement.

So welcome to the lessons learned when buying a modified 81 club! If I did it again I would get a locked rig as close to stock as possible in the best condition I could.

 

[SHREDwagon]

If you're really worried - take your truck to an old timer machinist and have him listen to it with a stethoscope. Any reputable engine rebuilder should be able to narrow it down and tell you if it's a problem....

Have you had an oil analysis done? This will tell you if you have any excessive wear (BEB's, etc). Cost $20 + s/h to AGAT Labs in Calgary.

 

[Malahki]

So welcome to the lessons learned when buying a modified 81 club! If I did it again I would get a locked rig as close to stock as possible in the best condition I could.

I couldnt agree more. The two best vehicle purchases I ever made were purely stock. First a 92 Jeep YJ single owner, lady driven and spotless (I know Jeep right? but it was my first 4x4 and I rolled it, lol). The second was a 1969 Mercedes Unimog 404 straight from the Swiss army. Absolutely perfect condition with a service history most only dream of. Every modified vehicle I have ever bought ends with me fixing other peoples headaches and incompetence

If you're really worried - take your truck to an old timer machinist and have him listen to it with a stethoscope. Any reputable engine rebuilder should be able to narrow it down and tell you if it's a problem....

Have you had an oil analysis done? This will tell you if you have any excessive wear (BEB's, etc). Cost $20 + s/h to AGAT Labs in Calgary.

Thanks both great ideas. I sent a request off to AGAT but I am still looking for someone local that can take a listen to it for me. Which is one of the reasons I started this thread

 

[SHREDwagon]

You could call Pro-Active and ask which machine shop they use for their rebuilds? Or, try Frank at MDM Auto.... (probably the same)

 

[Malahki]

The much awaited video. Truck had been running a few hours prior and then parked in a heated garage. So not exactly a cold start but the best I could do today as the southern Alberta winds made doing it outside impossible.