Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Oil pressure sender
1st impressions of my 40's maiden voyage - concerns (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter redeye
- Start date
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redeye
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Thats it. Check that it is solidly on, which is all it took to fix mine
sounds like you've got a good plan for your 'cruiser. If you're stopped, you should be able to put it into 1st. I never had to drop into 1st on a hill climb, but I can see how that would be a pita. I've got an old canvas top on mine & will probably get the trollhole pvc top instead of canvas as mine sits outside year 'round. the canvas has faded in the sun & it seems to be a pain to keep looking good.
cheers!
ty
redeye
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #46
Ok. I pulled gauge cluster because it looked like the speedo cable wasn't connected. Sure enough, it was not. I connected it. For some reason I had a real heck of a time getting the truck to start this afternoon. The only things I did over the weekend besides connect the speedo cable was to install LED headlights, front marker & turn signal lights, and rear side marker lights. I also pulled the air cleaner off to inspect the filter. Was fine.
Anywhoooo, I pulled it out of the garage and drove it to the end of my driveway. Not far, but noticed the speedometer jumped to 10mph, then looked as if it would've increased as speed increased. I'm sure there was a reason a PO disconnected the cable, but I'll have to figure that out once the salt has been washed from the roads.
I tried to tighten up the connection to the temp sender unit. It's definitely not a very solid connection. Still doesn't work, but I did notice that the temperature rises all the way to HIGH when I turn the vehicle OFF. If I put the key in and turn to ACC, the temp gradually goes to COLD. It'll stay at COLD when running. Weird.
Not sure if I noticed before or not, but the oil pressure gauge also doesn't work. Poop.
Anywhoooo, I pulled it out of the garage and drove it to the end of my driveway. Not far, but noticed the speedometer jumped to 10mph, then looked as if it would've increased as speed increased. I'm sure there was a reason a PO disconnected the cable, but I'll have to figure that out once the salt has been washed from the roads.
I tried to tighten up the connection to the temp sender unit. It's definitely not a very solid connection. Still doesn't work, but I did notice that the temperature rises all the way to HIGH when I turn the vehicle OFF. If I put the key in and turn to ACC, the temp gradually goes to COLD. It'll stay at COLD when running. Weird.
Not sure if I noticed before or not, but the oil pressure gauge also doesn't work. Poop.
There IS a reason the PO disconnected the speedo cable. Drain the transfer case, unscrew the speedo cable casing connected to it, pull the cable from that end of the casing and give it a good inspection. I just did that with mine. It wasn't broken or bent, so then I shot WD40 through the casing, cleaned the cable real good and gave it a light coat of lithium grease as I pushed it back into the casing. Hooked it back up and took it for a drive - no bouncing speedo needle!
Wonky gauges can be a ground problem on the back of the cluster, or the gauges themselves. Learned the hard way, teflon tape on the threads of the oil and water sender can affect the ground potential of the sender and affect gauge. They operate off resistance, so increased resistance to ground can mess them up. The gauges in the cluster itself may need ground to move properly, I can't recall.
You can pull either one from the block without much mishap, clean them up good and stick them back in. The temp gauge has detailed testing in the factory service manual involving hot water and multi-meter measured resistance.
No need to drain the transfer as I recall to remove the speedo cable. I think it screws in and enters the case above the actual static oil level. Cable is easy to pull out and check for clean rotation. New one from NAPA is affordable, been working on mine for years. Get the 4 speed cable (75 and up) if there is any difference at purchase, longer, easier to route with gentler curves.
Speedometer can be spun by hand or a drill, there is writing hidden on the face that says something about RPM and "x" MPH, I assume it is a calibration spec, or standard. Either way, variable speed drill could be used to confirm the speedometer turns correctly at least.
You can pull either one from the block without much mishap, clean them up good and stick them back in. The temp gauge has detailed testing in the factory service manual involving hot water and multi-meter measured resistance.
No need to drain the transfer as I recall to remove the speedo cable. I think it screws in and enters the case above the actual static oil level. Cable is easy to pull out and check for clean rotation. New one from NAPA is affordable, been working on mine for years. Get the 4 speed cable (75 and up) if there is any difference at purchase, longer, easier to route with gentler curves.
Speedometer can be spun by hand or a drill, there is writing hidden on the face that says something about RPM and "x" MPH, I assume it is a calibration spec, or standard. Either way, variable speed drill could be used to confirm the speedometer turns correctly at least.
redeye
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #49
@MoCoNative - will I need to drain the coolant to install the temp sender and drain oil to replace the oil pressure sender? I started to unthread the temp sender and coolant began to seep out.
I did end up splurging on a Dakota Digital dash, and I'm excited to get it installed. No need for a speedo cable now - I added the GPS speedo option. I plan on baselining all fluids and checking the steering components around that time. Drove it to a friend's house about 5 miles away and it definitely wanders like it did before, so not a fluke. It needs new tires, so I feel that stock sized tires are more appropriate.
What is the stock tire size for a 71? It's a 15" steel wheel, and I found a thread a few weeks back where a Mudder found nice, skinny tires from a place I'd never heard of. Will search for that thread again....
I did end up splurging on a Dakota Digital dash, and I'm excited to get it installed. No need for a speedo cable now - I added the GPS speedo option. I plan on baselining all fluids and checking the steering components around that time. Drove it to a friend's house about 5 miles away and it definitely wanders like it did before, so not a fluke. It needs new tires, so I feel that stock sized tires are more appropriate.
What is the stock tire size for a 71? It's a 15" steel wheel, and I found a thread a few weeks back where a Mudder found nice, skinny tires from a place I'd never heard of. Will search for that thread again....
You will probably need to drain at least SOME of the coolant to change the temperature sender - the coolant pretty much fills the entire block and radiator and gets heat-pressurized and pumped when the truck is running, so as you discovered, there will be coolant behind the temp sender when you remove it.
With the Oil sender you might be able to get away with not draining the oil. When the truck sits for a while, the majority of the oil drains back into the oil pan, so there may not be oil in the passage the sender is in. I say “May” because I’m not super familiar with the location of the oil pressure sender on the stock F/2F, but if it’s in the head or toward the top of the block you should be fine.
I believe stock tire size in the early 70’s was something like 28 or 29 inches - there are a couple threads buried here discussing this. Coker tire brings back a bunch of old “stock” tire types and probably has something. That said, they’re probably bias ply tires (not modern radials) - do a search on that too an make sure bias ply tires fit your uses for the truck.
Your speedometer and odometer issues are likely related, and easily solved - I know you got the Dakota dash but it still might be worth inspecting the speedo drive gear in the transfer case - both the speedometer and odometer are driven by a cable connected to this gear. Not sure how Dakota gets around that.
I am in just out side of philly chadds ford pa. If your ever out this way let m know.
redeye
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #52
@RWBeringer4x4 - this is great info, right along the lines of what I was thinking. I'm going to change the oil as soon as Napa ships my order, so replacing the oil sending unit will happen then. I'll try draining some of the coolant to install the temp sender.
@calsum2 - would enjoy meeting up, but to be honest, I feel like I white-knuckle this truck even on a very short drive. I find the combination of no visibility (dead gauges) + steering wander + braking issues to be hair raising. I've really got to get this truck dialed in to feel more comfortable driving it farther than 10 miles from home. I really look forward to taking the truck to car shows and meeting up with local Mudders.
@calsum2 - would enjoy meeting up, but to be honest, I feel like I white-knuckle this truck even on a very short drive. I find the combination of no visibility (dead gauges) + steering wander + braking issues to be hair raising. I've really got to get this truck dialed in to feel more comfortable driving it farther than 10 miles from home. I really look forward to taking the truck to car shows and meeting up with local Mudders.
Very common feeling! I've been white-knuckling my truck around for years - it is just now FINALLY getting to the point where I've been through all of the critical systems and I'm starting to have a bit of faith in it. My only advice - keep it methodical. Based on what I've read:
1. Get the gauges working so you have some real-time feedback as to what's going on the in engine. Before you put TOO many miles on it, it might be worth hooking up an external oil pressure gauge and just making sure you have good pressure. It will tell you a lot about the overall health of the engine, and more importantly, if the engine is in rough shape (low oil pressure) it will keep you from locking it up and creating a lot more work for yourself.
2. Focus on safety: Make sure your brakes are in a good working order, if you haven't already. My truck had original (40+) year old brake lines (rubber and steel) when I bought it. I have no idea how they were holding pressure - several snapped when I tried to remove them.
Focus on small, easy to accomplish tasks and check off the boxes one-by-one. You'll have it road worthy before you know it! Wharton State Park seems like a good place for a shakedown run once you're comfortable driving it an hour or so! I've driven some of the fire roads there in a buddy's Xterra - super easy/low key place to make sure everything works.
Try just putting light pressure on the gearstick towards first as you are slowing down without using the clutch. When the gearsets are synchronised it will just fall straight in
