Recent content by ellington12

before replacing your cat, make sure your air injection system is in good shape. a few years back i tried to throw a cat on my truck hoping it would pass. end result? i failed again due to a stuck AIR check valve. air injection is key on the 2f and without it your chances of passing even with...

to all in california who fail smog...take advantage of CAP (consumer assistance program.) every smog tech who fails a car should be informing you of this program. if they don't, ask about it. basically the state will pay up to something like $500 towards any repairs needed to get your rig to...

i'd stick with the basics first: good battery and alternator, belts (properly tensioned,) fresh fluids if they are at all suspect, and make sure your braking system is tip-top. a basic tool kit for any emergency repairs. oh, and a nice, new up-to date road atlas!

ditto on double checking for vacuum leaks. does the surging happen in neutral at idle or only in 1st and 2nd while under load? a bad cat and/or cat temp sensor would be at the bottom of my list as far as surging goes. i'm a smog tech/mechanic out here in CA and generally speaking, surging...

i failed california smog miserably last year due to a dead smog pump; mine didn't seize but it wasn't putting out enough air to help the cat do its job. i too tried a reman aftermarket smog pump and it was definitely not the correct pump despite all of the instructions describing how to make...

bummer about the tree incident... couple of positive things come to mind: you walked away unhurt nobody else got hurt you get to get a "new" vehicle, (not to minimize the loss of "El Tractor.") a tree can't sue you and make your life utterly miserable sorry about the loss and...

...could be your gauge if you're still running the stock voltmeter. a while back my gauge started doing weird things, (showing readings much like you describe.) i hooked up a voltmeter to the battery like Tapage suggested, (and to the back of the alternator too,) and found that everything was...

depending on what kind of driving i'm doing, i get anywhere between 12-15 mpg. i'm running stock sized tires as well. somewhere on this board, somebody posted an original sales window sticker ( don't remember what year fj60 but it was for a fj60,) that listed the EPA city mileage as 10mpg! ouch!

here's a link to a good PDF article from toyota regarding booster operation. the second link is a great source for boning up on general mechanical principles etc. http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/brake05.pdf Autoshop101 - Automotive Technical Articles

oil leak ...just a suggestion before pulling the tranny. how's your PCV system working. if it's not up to par, your engine will build up excessive crankcase pressure and literally start pushing oil of out various seals, gaskets, etc. just something to check as replacing a plugged PCV...

since you've got the the emissions manual, study closely the spaghetti mess of vacuum lines. the integrity of the lines is important as is the proper routing but these things also have a bunch of vacuum control valves, vacuum switching valves, vacuum transmitting valves, bi-metal vacuum...

i asked the same question a while back and that was pretty much the consensus.

my speedo cable is the same way and has been since i bought the thing a few years back. i too have pondered why that plastic sleeve thing doesn't match up with the metal hanger. my guess is that the t-case was apart at some point and the metal hanger wasn't reinstalled in the correct location...

it's been a while since i've rebuilt one of these things but a couple of things come to mind: did you lube all teflon seals and o-rings with ATF upon reassembly? did you measure your total preload at the input shaft after everything was back together? the total preload isn't much. should...

i agree...USA made jacks are out there but you'll pay the price. here's a Hein-Werner, (owned by Snap-On) made in the USA but very expensive. Hein Werner W93642 - HW W93642 - "True Blue 93642" 2-Ton Hydraulic Service Jack i admit that as much as i would like to support US manufacturing...