Hello,
Sorry for the long post but I'm hoping it provides enough detail...
I have a 1977 FJ40 that sat in my garage for 20+ years with the engine pulled while waiting for me to find time & $$$ for a dream V8 conversion with an Advance Adapters kit, Ranger transfer case, power steering ...etc. I finally settled last summer on just having the original 2F engine rebuilt by a machine shop a couple hours away. Then later, I discovered a closer Land Cruiser shop & let them do the re-install. The very day I got it back, I didn't notice the temp gauge climbing and it got seriously hot to the point the local shop had to replace a couple valves and resurface the head but even after that, it continues to have overheating problems and the local shop is out of ideas. In cooler weather (50ish & lower) it runs fine with the temp needle settling between the first & half marks but when the weather warms up & within just a few miles the gauge climbs steadily & will go over the 3/4 mark if I don't pull over & let it cool or coast downhill in neutral. On one trip, the gauge was nearing the 3/4 mark and I was looking for a place to pull off when I noticed it settle back down suddenly so I thought AHA, the thermostat was stuck & finally opened up. So when I got home, I replaced it with a new 190 degree stat but the problem continues. There are no visible leaks and the coolant stays filled to the brim. During the engine install and later during my process of elimination, pretty much all the cooling components have been replaced - thermostat, hoses, water pump, fan clutch, radiator cap. The radiator itself is an unknown to me since it was replaced by the installer with a boxy aluminum one after he found an un-repairable hole in my original. He also found cracks in the exhaust manifold and replaced it with a header but since it runs so close to the engine, I'm wondering if that might be contributing to the overheating. So I'm hoping some of you might have ideas before I try a new radiator (closer to original style), sending unit & gauge to round out the possible component replacements. Also, does anyone know what actual temperatures the marks on my original FJ gauge correspond to?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
Sorry for the long post but I'm hoping it provides enough detail...
I have a 1977 FJ40 that sat in my garage for 20+ years with the engine pulled while waiting for me to find time & $$$ for a dream V8 conversion with an Advance Adapters kit, Ranger transfer case, power steering ...etc. I finally settled last summer on just having the original 2F engine rebuilt by a machine shop a couple hours away. Then later, I discovered a closer Land Cruiser shop & let them do the re-install. The very day I got it back, I didn't notice the temp gauge climbing and it got seriously hot to the point the local shop had to replace a couple valves and resurface the head but even after that, it continues to have overheating problems and the local shop is out of ideas. In cooler weather (50ish & lower) it runs fine with the temp needle settling between the first & half marks but when the weather warms up & within just a few miles the gauge climbs steadily & will go over the 3/4 mark if I don't pull over & let it cool or coast downhill in neutral. On one trip, the gauge was nearing the 3/4 mark and I was looking for a place to pull off when I noticed it settle back down suddenly so I thought AHA, the thermostat was stuck & finally opened up. So when I got home, I replaced it with a new 190 degree stat but the problem continues. There are no visible leaks and the coolant stays filled to the brim. During the engine install and later during my process of elimination, pretty much all the cooling components have been replaced - thermostat, hoses, water pump, fan clutch, radiator cap. The radiator itself is an unknown to me since it was replaced by the installer with a boxy aluminum one after he found an un-repairable hole in my original. He also found cracks in the exhaust manifold and replaced it with a header but since it runs so close to the engine, I'm wondering if that might be contributing to the overheating. So I'm hoping some of you might have ideas before I try a new radiator (closer to original style), sending unit & gauge to round out the possible component replacements. Also, does anyone know what actual temperatures the marks on my original FJ gauge correspond to?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!