Builds LJ78 Build: "The Space Whale" (1 Viewer)

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Joined
May 25, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
75
Location
Vancouver
Hi everyone;

After much futzing around with Delicas and a lemon of an Isuzu Trooper, I finally bought my friend's 1991 JDM Land Cruiser Prado LJ78, now dubbed "The Space Whale".

Herein, I'll be documenting my build progress. My plan is to do things in order from most to least necessary, starting with an overhaul of the essentials, and eventually making my way to a full overlanding rig. After, driving around for a couple of months, I've realized that the LJ78 is the perfect vehicle for my lifestyle. It's not fast, but it's fast enough for highway driving and it's faster than a Delica, it's not too bad on fuel, and I absolutely love the boxy 5 door LWB wagon platform. It's long enough for me to sleep in the back at 6'0" with one of the rear seats pulled. It's big enough to carry large objects like toolboxes and such around, it has more than enough off-road capability for my current needs, and it's absolutely beautiful. I've already managed to pack my whole apartment into it twice, gone off-road camping a few times, and managed to save a few weeks on rent by sleeping in it for a few weeks.

This particular LJ78 has a pretty worn out interior and 261 k kms, but it runs very well and, most importantly, the body is rust free and pristine. When I got it, it had a crappy ebay turbo, which wasn't working properly, all the chrome was spray painted black (badly), and it had an incredibly loud straight pipe exhaust. The friend who sold it to me is a mechanic with a workshop, so we've been working on it together there. We are also scrapping a 1994 Hilux Surf, from which I've bought the head and plan to pull any other useful parts.

The old Samurai awakens:
20200712_132546_samurai_emerges_blurred.resized.jpg

Surf:
20201124_192042_surf1.resized.jpg


Here's what we've done so far:
  • replaced ebay turbo with OEM Toyota turbo from the Surf
  • stripped paint from the chrome
  • welded a proper muffler on
  • replaced all fluids + new fuel filter
  • new stereo + partially installed rear speaker boxes from the Surf (they're just sitting on the floor right now)
  • replaced valve cover gasket
  • replaced 3/4 glowplugs (one glowplug is busted and stuck in there (I'll have to fix that soon))
20200819_101640_blurred.resized.jpg

20201127_144454_engine.resized.jpg


I am currently preparing for yet another move, this time across the Rockies into the snowier climate of Alberta, so I am preparing the LJ78 for the winter. I will have to pack all my belongings into it and drive across the mountains. Fortunately, I've rented an apartment with a heated outdoor garage, so I'll have a place to store The Space Whale to protect it from hail storms and to work on it in the winter time. Today, I swapped on a new set of wheels with grippier tires off my buddy's troopy:

20201126_210637_new_wheels.resized.jpg


Here's what I'm definitely going to finish before the trip over the mountains:
  • Fuel injector rebuild
  • replace timing belt, water pump, and thermostat
  • add projectors to the bull bar
  • replace lightbulbs for indoor lighting
  • fix passenger side window motor (it works intermittently)
  • fit a block heater
And here's what I'd like to finish before the trip over the mountains:
  • Fit air/air FMIC
  • Roof rack + thule case
  • fully dialed in sound system
Anyone interested, please let me know if you've got any general comments or suggestions, or, in particular, suggestions for things that should be taken care of before the trip over the mountains.
 
It sounds like you've got your priorities straight. Don't push it too hard going over the mountains. Were you and @GTSSportCoupe able to meet up for some advice?
 
It sounds like you've got your priorities straight. Don't push it too hard going over the mountains. Were you and @GTSSportCoupe able to meet up for some advice?

We were indeed able to meet up! Seeing his LJ next to mine really makes me want to get to that lift job quicker!
20201109_004604_meetup.resized.jpg

I have already driven The Space Whale over a few mountain passes. I put it in the slow lane and keep an eye on the engine coolant temperature, but it seems to do pretty well at around 80 km/h. This time, the truck will be much more heavily loaded down though, and it will be my first time driving it through snow. I am pretty confident that it will do fine once it's running, but my main worry is that I'll have trouble starting it up in the colder climate. That said, I think my cold start issues are mostly due to leaky injectors letting air into the fuel lines. It has improved a lot with the new glow plugs. We will see how it starts once I install the rebuilt fuel injectors!
 
Enjoy the better weather of BC while you can, and hope to see your rig on the streets of Alberta (Calgary?) soon. ;)
Are you driving it in winter, too? With Calgary salt that won't go very well... :-(
 
Enjoy the better weather of BC while you can, and hope to see your rig on the streets of Alberta (Calgary?) soon. ;)
Are you driving it in winter, too? With Calgary salt that won't go very well... :-(

Personally, I dramatically prefer the winter weather of AB to BC. BC winter weather is horribly depressing.

This is my only vehicle, so I don't really have a choice, but I have rented a place with a heated garage to store it in. I don't usually commute by car (the point of the vehicle is to use for recreation on the weekends, like hiking and skiing), so the plan is just to use it irregularly in the winter and always power wash it before storing it in the garage. The other counter measure I'm taking is to coat it with Krown (I couldn't find a Waxoyl place in Calgary). They have a hard coating that gets sprayed inside the panels and then a softer coating for the underbody that's re-done annually. I'll see how things go after the first season and then decide whether I'd like to continue winter driving it next year. If it seems like it's going to be a disaster, maybe I'll buy another Isuzu Trooper for my winter beater, but as of right now, I can't justify owning two vehicles.
 
That’s definitely a good course of action. From what I have read Corrosion Free is better than Krown, but I trust you’ve weighed the pros and cons yourself (one of the latter being that only CT does applications of CF in Calgary). Cheers
 
Nice to see you've started a build thread!

When I last saw your truck I felt your fuel injectors were actually in fine shape. It's just the missing copper/aluminum washers on the fuel return rail were causing you lots of grief with fuel/air leaks. Might be worth just buying a whole set of the injector seals (ones in the head too), replace them all with proper torque, cleaning, and see how it does. This will save you 100's of dollars in injector rebuild cost. Money that you can put towards an intercooler?

It is possible to remove the broken glow plug tip without removing the cylinder head. Mine had this same problem when I first bought it, and I followed a procedure (on these forums somewhere) that worked well. Basically threaded a home-made 'puller' tool into the broken tip. I can find the guide to this if you want.

Did you sell your LS400?
 
When I last saw your truck I felt your fuel injectors were actually in fine shape. It's just the missing copper/aluminum washers on the fuel return rail were causing you lots of grief with fuel/air leaks. Might be worth just buying a whole set of the injector seals (ones in the head too), replace them all with proper torque, cleaning, and see how it does. This will save you 100's of dollars in injector rebuild cost. Money that you can put towards an intercooler?

I did buy a set of copper/aluminum washers from the JDM place in Victoria, so in principle I could do that, but I'm not to confident about removing the fuel injectors myself without damaging the fuel lines. Are there any tricks I need to know to do this? As I recall from last time we removed the fuel injectors, the needles were pretty worn out. You don't think it would be worth getting the rebuild done just for good measure?


It is possible to remove the broken glow plug tip without removing the cylinder head. Mine had this same problem when I first bought it, and I followed a procedure (on these forums somewhere) that worked well. Basically threaded a home-made 'puller' tool into the broken tip. I can find the guide to this if you want.

I was thinking I might just wait to remove it until I get around to swapping in the 1994 cylinder head. How bad would it be to just keep driving it as-is? The 3 glow plugs seem to work pretty well, but it does cold start pretty harsh. But I was thinking that that was due to the leaky fuel injectors. I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to get it to cold start at all once I get into/over the mountains. Should I be installing a block heater right away?

removed the fuel injectors, the needles were pretty worn out. You don't think it would be worth getting the rebuild done just for good measure?


Did you sell your LS400?

Not yet. The LS400 got its tires slashed in Calgary and it damaged the rims, so I ended up having to replace all 4 wheels. I drove it al the way to Montreal and then put it up for sale, but because it had brand new wheels, I wanted a higher price for it. Worse yet, it didn't pass inspection in QC, so it's going to be really hard to sell. I left it sitting at my dad's place and listed it for $3.5k, but the best offers I've gotten so far are for $2k. Right now I'm trying to decide whether I should just take the $2k or leave it sitting until springtime and then go back to Montreal, fix it up, and put it up for sale again. It's definitely not the kind of vehicle people in QC would want to buy in the winter.

1606769802106.gif


1606769802158.gif


1606769802206.gif
 
I did buy a set of copper/aluminum washers from the JDM place in Victoria, so in principle I could do that, but I'm not to confident about removing the fuel injectors myself without damaging the fuel lines. Are there any tricks I need to know to do this? As I recall from last time we removed the fuel injectors, the needles were pretty worn out. You don't think it would be worth getting the rebuild done just for good measure?

The ones I saw leaking (totally missing actually) don't require removal of the injectors. So you could just remove the fuel return rail and install the washers there. Download the manuals and just follow the steps carefully. You will have to undo the injector feed lines, and undo the little rubber holders on the intake manifold. Careful not to bend the lines too much, but this should allow you to install your washers. Here are the manuals: Help!

Injector needles don't perceptibly wear out, so what do you mean? One thing that you can inspect is the nozzle body, it will appear a bit 'cratered' around the needle as it wears out.

I'm going strictly by how well your engine was running when I saw it. This indicated to me your injectors were working just fine. But if you have the funds, sure get 'em rebuilt.

I was thinking I might just wait to remove it until I get around to swapping in the 1994 cylinder head. How bad would it be to just keep driving it as-is? The 3 glow plugs seem to work pretty well, but it does cold start pretty harsh. But I was thinking that that was due to the leaky fuel injectors. I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to get it to cold start at all once I get into/over the mountains. Should I be installing a block heater right away?

If it were me, I would just keep the spare head as a spare until you actually have a problem. Almost guaranteed your LJ78 has already had a new head put on it. There is no point in going to all the effort if the motor is working just fine. The Hilux head is probably new too. But who knows which really has the least kms or wear? "don't fix it if it ain't broke"

The broken glow plug tip can likely be removed from the outside. My concern is what happens if it gets drawn in at some point? Don't put it off.

You definitely need a proper operating glow system with four good glow plugs! No if ands or buts! Especially in moving to a cold climate.

Having put a block heater in my motor (when I had the motor out), I don't think I'd recommend that route. Get an oil pan heater or a coolant hose heater instead. Or park indoors (heated garage or parkade).

removed the fuel injectors, the needles were pretty worn out. You don't think it would be worth getting the rebuild done just for good measure?

Can you post a picture?

Not yet. The LS400 got its tires slashed in Calgary and it damaged the rims, so I ended up having to replace all 4 wheels. I drove it al the way to Montreal and then put it up for sale, but because it had brand new wheels, I wanted a higher price for it. Worse yet, it didn't pass inspection in QC, so it's going to be really hard to sell. I left it sitting at my dad's place and listed it for $3.5k, but the best offers I've gotten so far are for $2k. Right now I'm trying to decide whether I should just take the $2k or leave it sitting until springtime and then go back to Montreal, fix it up, and put it up for sale again. It's definitely not the kind of vehicle people in QC would want to buy in the winter.

Sorry to hear!
 
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Unfortunately, my mechanic friend isn't going to be available to help me for the next while, and I've got to get at least enough maintenance done to be confident that the truck will get me 1000 kms to Cow Town, so it looks like I'll be on my own for some pretty serious jobs.

The ones I saw leaking (totally missing actually) don't require removal of the injectors. So you could just remove the fuel return rail and install the washers there. Download the manuals and just follow the steps carefully. You will have to undo the injector feed lines, and undo the little rubber holders on the intake manifold. Careful not to bend the lines too much, but this should allow you to install your washers. Here are the manuals: Help!

Injector needles don't perceptibly wear out, so what do you mean? One thing that you can inspect is the nozzle body, it will appear a bit 'cratered' around the needle as it wears out.

I believe we replaced those missing return washers (those are the aluminum ones with two holes right?), as I bought the washers from the shop in Victoria right after we met, and I gave them to my mechanic friend to install when I got back to Vancouver, but I don't remember for sure, as he did everything for me at the time.

As soon as I can find a well illuminated spot to work on it, I'll take some pictures for you (hopefully tomorrow!).

I'm going strictly by how well your engine was running when I saw it. This indicated to me your injectors were working just fine. But if you have the funds, sure get 'em rebuilt.

The engine runs fine once it's all warmed up, but the problem is startup. When you first start it up, there is a sort of "hiccup" for a while as it gets air out of the system. I'm hoping this is just due to those missing washers, as I'd really like to avoid having to get the injectors rebuilt before I leave for Calgary. If anything, I guess I could just order a set of new injectors from Australia if I have plenty of time to wait for shipping. The problem is just that the repairs/maintenance I've got to do before the trip across the mountains is time sensitive, as I need to move within the next week or so. I just need to get the Space Whale running good enough that I don't have to worry about it not starting once I get into the cold, going over the mountains. Plus, once I get to Calgary, I will have a garage to work in.

The broken glow plug tip can likely be removed from the outside. My concern is what happens if it gets drawn in at some point? Don't put it off.

Is this the thread you were referring to when we spoke about it? If I understand correctly, @Rummat81 drilled a small guide hole in the top of the broken glowplug tip with a long, thin drillbit, then he somehow affixed the end of a deck screw to the threaded top part of the broken glowplug and then twisted it in along its thread so as to screw into the broken tip, and then I guess twisted it back out to pull out the tip.

At the beginning of that thread, some posters mentioned that they had been able to remove broken glow plug tips just by turning the engine over. Do you think it would be a good idea to try that out before moving on to anything more complicated?

You definitely need a proper operating glow system with four good glow plugs! No if ands or buts! Especially in moving to a cold climate.

I fully agree! The question is whether this is something I have to do before the 1000 km drive, or something I can do once I get my new garage.

Having put a block heater in my motor (when I had the motor out), I don't think I'd recommend that route. Get an oil pan heater or a coolant hose heater instead. Or park indoors (heated garage or parkade).

I actually will have a heated garage, but I definitely need the option to warm it up when it's not parked in the garage. What wattage oil pan heater would you recommend?

So the main general maintenance jobs to get done ASAP are:
  • remove broken glowplug tip & replace 4th glowplug
  • get injectors to stop leaking air into the system
  • replace timing belt & water pump
  • Install oil pan heater
If you only had a limited amount of time to prepare the vehicle before a 1000 km trip through cold conditions, which of these jobs would you prioritize? The timing belt, tensioner, and water pump are arriving tomorrow morning, but I watched this video on replacement of a timing belt on a 2L-TE and it kinda seems like too big a job for the time I have available.

Another thing: It seems like the steering has got a little too much play. I can't tell for sure if this is something new that's cropped up since I left it sitting for two months or if it's just that I got really used to the tight rack & pinion steering on my LS400 and now the box steering feels loose, but I want to double check. What would you check first?

Sorry to hear!

Thanks! I'm not too worried about it. It seems like there is a bit of an LS400 trend going on right now, and mine is pretty clean, so I'm sure it's going to sell soon enough. I've gotten plenty of interest already. If it doesn't sell in the winter, it'll sell in the springtime.
 
Unfortunately, my mechanic friend isn't going to be available to help me for the next while, and I've got to get at least enough maintenance done to be confident that the truck will get me 1000 kms to Cow Town, so it looks like I'll be on my own for some pretty serious jobs.



I believe we replaced those missing return washers (those are the aluminum ones with two holes right?), as I bought the washers from the shop in Victoria right after we met, and I gave them to my mechanic friend to install when I got back to Vancouver, but I don't remember for sure, as he did everything for me at the time.

As soon as I can find a well illuminated spot to work on it, I'll take some pictures for you (hopefully tomorrow!).



The engine runs fine once it's all warmed up, but the problem is startup. When you first start it up, there is a sort of "hiccup" for a while as it gets air out of the system. I'm hoping this is just due to those missing washers, as I'd really like to avoid having to get the injectors rebuilt before I leave for Calgary. If anything, I guess I could just order a set of new injectors from Australia if I have plenty of time to wait for shipping. The problem is just that the repairs/maintenance I've got to do before the trip across the mountains is time sensitive, as I need to move within the next week or so. I just need to get the Space Whale running good enough that I don't have to worry about it not starting once I get into the cold, going over the mountains. Plus, once I get to Calgary, I will have a garage to work in.



Is this the thread you were referring to when we spoke about it? If I understand correctly, @Rummat81 drilled a small guide hole in the top of the broken glowplug tip with a long, thin drillbit, then he somehow affixed the end of a deck screw to the threaded top part of the broken glowplug and then twisted it in along its thread so as to screw into the broken tip, and then I guess twisted it back out to pull out the tip.

At the beginning of that thread, some posters mentioned that they had been able to remove broken glow plug tips just by turning the engine over. Do you think it would be a good idea to try that out before moving on to anything more complicated?



I fully agree! The question is whether this is something I have to do before the 1000 km drive, or something I can do once I get my new garage.



I actually will have a heated garage, but I definitely need the option to warm it up when it's not parked in the garage. What wattage oil pan heater would you recommend?

So the main general maintenance jobs to get done ASAP are:
  • remove broken glowplug tip & replace 4th glowplug
  • get injectors to stop leaking air into the system
  • replace timing belt & water pump
  • Install oil pan heater
If you only had a limited amount of time to prepare the vehicle before a 1000 km trip through cold conditions, which of these jobs would you prioritize? The timing belt, tensioner, and water pump are arriving tomorrow morning, but I watched this video on replacement of a timing belt on a 2L-TE and it kinda seems like too big a job for the time I have available.

Another thing: It seems like the steering has got a little too much play. I can't tell for sure if this is something new that's cropped up since I left it sitting for two months or if it's just that I got really used to the tight rack & pinion steering on my LS400 and now the box steering feels loose, but I want to double check. What would you check first?



Thanks! I'm not too worried about it. It seems like there is a bit of an LS400 trend going on right now, and mine is pretty clean, so I'm sure it's going to sell soon enough. I've gotten plenty of interest already. If it doesn't sell in the winter, it'll sell in the springtime.


Hey gannex, I think you've got the right priorities, but unless the timing belt is WAY overdue, I'd recommend just leaving it for now. That is too big a job given the time you have, and it's not something you want to be rushing.

Work on the glow plug and the injector leakage issue as highest priority. Definitely do those washers if they have not been done!

I'm not sure what to recommend for oil pan heaters - maybe do some research on these forums to see what others have used.

And yes, the thread you linked to above is what I followed when I removed my broken glow plug eons ago. I think I made a slightly better removal tool; but it was exactly the same concept and it worked well. You could try starting the motor and seeing if the piece shoots out - but I doubt it will (didn't work for me).

You could consider taking your truck to EBI Cruisers in Vancouver and have them do some of this work. I *think* that one or both of the mechanics that used to work at the ATEB shop work at EBI now. They are 70 series Prado EXPERTS as they owned and heavily modified their Prados. You can trust them to do a good job. John Voo is the name that comes to mind? Could call and ask. The work you're talking about would be simple for them and shouldn't take long (cost much).

Steering has always felt loose on my LJ78 compared to modern sedans (like your LS400). But if there is definite play, it could be any of a number of things: loose wheel bearings, heavily worn kingpin (knuckle) bearings, tie rod ends, poor alignment (caster, or toe), worn radius arm or panhard bushings, etc.

One last thing; change to a 5W40 oil (Shell Rotella) for the Alberta winter.
 
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Can you post a picture?

OK so I bought some tools today. I didn't have time to take the injectors out yet, but I removed the turbo to manifold pipe and the glowplug power rack and inspected the broken glowplug tip.

OK so the broken glowplug tip is on cylinder 2 and the previous owner just plugged the hole in the cylinder head with a bolt:
20201204_173702-glowplug-bolt.resized.jpg


I pulled the bolt and took a photo of the hole:
20201204_174616-glowplug-hole2.resized.jpg


I measured the depth with a chopstick:
20201204_175106-glowplug-hole-depth.resized.jpg


It's not too deep in there, so this makes me think it's a pretty long section of the glowplug element that's stuck in there. Since it's a big section and not very deep, I figure it should be pretty easy to access, so I'm thinking I might just drill a pilot hole, then screwing a deck screw into it and pulling it out with pliers without fabricating any special tool.

I pulled the bolt and took a photo of the hole:
The ones I saw leaking (totally missing actually) don't require removal of the injectors. So you could just remove the fuel return rail and install the washers there. Download the manuals and just follow the steps carefully. You will have to undo the injector feed lines, and undo the little rubber holders on the intake manifold. Careful not to bend the lines too much, but this should allow you to install your washers. Here are the manuals: Help!

How did you see that the aluminum fuel return washers were missing? I can't see whether they're there or not because they're obscured by the fuel return rail. I want to remove the fuel return rail to check, but I'm worried about breaking the fuel lines and/or replacing them with the wrong torque. Do you know what the torque settings are for these nuts? Or does it only matter for the big 21 mm injector nut itself? Either way, I can't find the torque settings in the 2L-T manual and "Fuel". Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

I'm going strictly by how well your engine was running when I saw it. This indicated to me your injectors were working just fine. But if you have the funds, sure get 'em rebuilt.

The thing is, the engine runs great once it warms up, but it cold starts really harshly. In this weather, it takes me 2 or 3 tries with about 10 seconds each, and always a little bit of revving, and it makes a big cloud of nasty, white, diesel-smelling smoke. After 5 minutes of idling, everything is fine. I've read that this is either due to insufficient heating or air leaking into the fuel system, either due to the injectors or the pump. I guess in my case, it's likely both. You're right. I would like to see how it starts with all 4 glowplugs + confirm that all the washers are there before I get the injectors rebuilt. Another concern is whether the glow plug relay is working correctly. I've noticed that the "pre-heat" light on the dashboard only comes on for a few seconds.

While I was poking around today, I also noticed that there is a vacuum tube not connected to anything:
20201203_131743-unconnected-hose.resized.jpg

20201204_165946.jpg

I can't find it in the manual.
Do you know where this hose is supposed to go?

Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt to remove the glowplug tip, and I'll pull the fuel return rail and check the aluminum washers.
 
Injection Nozzles / Nozzle seats - 51ftlbs/69nm
Washers & Leakage Pipe - 36ftlbs/49nm
Injection Pipes - 18ftlbs/25nm

That was on page FU-12 of the Original 2LT Manual.
May not be the exact same as the newer 2LT, but "probably" pretty darn close.

Just curious what your RPMs are after your 2-3 Attempts of 10 seconds each?
The temps here just dipped down to 32F/zero C yesterday morning.
My RPMs seem to be bit lower during the colder mornings and I'm idling at 750 rpm initially.
Put your foot on the accelerator to get them up into the 950 rpm range and it will smooth the idling right out.
(personally, if the engine doesn't turn over by 5-6 seconds of cranking, I'd let it rest a bit)

I'm sure once you get that broken glow plug sorted that will help things immensely as well.
 
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Go look on Megazip at the LJ78 drawings to figure out your vacuum routing.

Note that there is a VSV controlled butterfly in the throttle body. If your emissions is not hooked up right or working right, this valve will be closed at startup (when it should be open). This will starve the motor of air, and can very well cause the horrible startup issue you're having.

Best option is to remove the main butterfly, and remove all emissions VSVs entirely. Then your motor will get all the air it needs, and it improves performance in many ways.

I'm ultra busy and can't point you to all this today. But there are a number of LJ78 build threads that detail removal of these emissions items. And the Megazip info is easy to find.
 
Injection Nozzles / Nozzle seats - 51ftlbs/69nm
Washers & Leakage Pipe - 36ftlbs/49nm
Injection Pipes - 18ftlbs/25nm

Thanks!

Just curious what your RPMs are after your 2-3 Attempts of 10 seconds each?
The temps here just dipped down to 32F/zero C yesterday morning.
My RPMs seem to be bit lower during the colder mornings and I'm idling at 750 rpm initially.
Put your foot on the accelerator to get them up into the 950 rpm range and it will smooth the idling right out.
(personally, if the engine doesn't turn over by 5-6 seconds of cranking, I'd let it rest a bit)

Mine is pretty much exactly the same as you. It's just about 0 C here (usually around 5 C) and it idles round 750. In the summer, it idled closer to 1000 (maybe 900?).

This is exactly what I do. I crank for 5 seconds, let it rest, crank for 5 seconds, let it rest, then on the third try, it catches and I usually rev it to around 950, then let it idle for 5 minutes before driving. After it warms up the smoke goes away.

I'm sure once you get that broken glow plug sorted that will help things immensely as well.

I really hope so!
 
Go look on Megazip at the LJ78 drawings to figure out your vacuum routing.

Note that there is a VSV controlled butterfly in the throttle body. If your emissions is not hooked up right or working right, this valve will be closed at startup (when it should be open). This will starve the motor of air, and can very well cause the horrible startup issue you're having.

Best option is to remove the main butterfly, and remove all emissions VSVs entirely. Then your motor will get all the air it needs, and it improves performance in many ways.

I'm ultra busy and can't point you to all this today. But there are a number of LJ78 build threads that detail removal of these emissions items. And the Megazip info is easy to find.

Thanks for the info! I didn't know about the diagrams on megazip!

I wonder if this is what's going on! The emissions stuff seems to be completely absent, but the VSV is still there.
20201204_182606.jpg


It is currently hooked up like this:
2L-TE-vacuum-piping-megazip-modified.png


Maybe the emissions system hasn't been deleted properly?
 
Here is an expanded view of the vacuum routing in case that helps.

2lteVacuum_zps22141f2d.jpg
 
Thanks for the info! I didn't know about the diagrams on megazip!

I wonder if this is what's going on! The emissions stuff seems to be completely absent, but the VSV is still there.
View attachment 2516384

It is currently hooked up like this:
View attachment 2516386

Maybe the emissions system hasn't been deleted properly?


The key think is to make sure that disconnected emissions throttle plate in the intake is sitting open by default now that it has been disconnected. Pull the intake neck off (piece bolted to throttle body) and visually inspect to make sure the small throttle is open. Maybe use tie wire to keep it open using the remains of the linkage on the outside. You don't need a gasket when you put the intake neck back on. Just use a thin film of automotive silicone.

I've removed all those emissions VSV's on mine. I also removed the large throttle plate in the intake. And I removed the whole EGR system and capped it off. Lots of people have done all that and there are lots of great threads with good pictures. Just do some searching in the 70 series section and Diesel section of mud. Stuff will come up. If you don't have much luck, use google to search instead using the term "ih8mud" in your search parameters.
 
@gannex , You said, "so I'm thinking I might just drill a pilot hole, then screwing a deck screw into it and pulling it out with pliers without fabricating any special tool."

I like the idea of drilling a pilot hole, but not so much the idea of screwing in a deck screw and pulling. You may destroy/damage your threads on the head for the glow plug by pulling. There is a "special tool" called an Easy-Out Extractor and it is pretty easy to use and not very expensive. Get a known brand name extractor like Irwin or Bosch or comparable. Use a quality drill bit as well for your pilot hole. I wouldn't go less than 1/8th and probably at least 3/16th for the pilot hole. Use the largest bit you can compatible with the extractor size. Put some oil in the hole prior to drilling. You do not want to snap the drill bit in there or you will have additional problems extracting that broken glow plug. Just take your time here and drill true.

Here is a video on the general idea of how to "extract a broken fastener":

 
@gannexI like the idea of drilling a pilot hole, but not so much the idea of screwing in a deck screw and pulling. You may destroy/damage your threads on the head for the glow plug by pulling.

With a great deal of effort, I was able to get the element out of the threaded jacket of one of the old glowplugs.
20201205_195625-glowplug-jacket.resized.jpg

I was thinking I could screw in this old jacket and use it as a guide for the deck screw, like in this thread, but I guess that wouldn't be compatible the idea of using an easy out extractor. The other thing is that the inside of the glowplug tip is ceramic, not metal, so I'm not sure if that's what the extractor is designed for.
 

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