Builds 94 FZJ80 - Let the Adventure Ensue (1 Viewer)

[BILT4ME]

In other news, I drove my 80 a total of 150ish miles since I finished all my PM. This morning, I got the dogs loaded up to go on an adventure up to Peacocks Flats and I saw a faint wisp of white smoke out of the tail pipe. What does this mean? Head gasket? @baldilocks may have jinxed me.
I just sent in an oil analysis to Blackstone labs but that was before I ran my cruiser after all the PM. I have a feeling if it is the HG, it blew yesterday upon returning from the shooting range.
No temp spikes. No milky s*** under the oil cap. The exhaust smells a little sweet. The radiator doesn’t smell like exhaust or fuel. In the meantime I’m going to get one of those kits to see if I have a failure. I don’t want or need this right now but hey, it is what it is.

Wow!

You've done a ton of work in the last month! Nice job!

FYI:. Milky stuff under the oil cap means NOTHING other than you're not driving it enough.

Burning antifreeze smells like warm maple syrup out the exhaust.

I see the OCD paranoia has set in well!

Read on the DC shafts about differences between the suppliers. There was some talk on here about the ones using a Spicer brand hub/flange and it being much thicker than stock, so the hardware wasn't long enough.

Some if the vendors instruct to grease the DC shaft every 3000 miles. That may not be a big deal on the island, but for me that's twice per oil change.

I have personally seen a DC shaft fail (not mine, I don't have one) on the front and it was due to lack of grease. It blew up at 70 mph and took out the bell housing, the body of the transmission, some wiring, and beat a hole in the floor.

This is why they talk about part time on high lift rigs.

Great job on all you've accomplished!

 

[PNWTreeOctopus]

Wow!

You've done a ton of work in the last month! Nice job!

FYI:. Milky stuff under the oil cap means NOTHING other than you're not driving it enough.

Burning antifreeze smells like warm maple syrup out the exhaust.

I see the OCD paranoia has set in well!

Read on the DC shafts about differences between the suppliers. There was some talk on here about the ones using a Spicer brand hub/flange and it being much thicker than stock, so the hardware wasn't long enough.

Some if the vendors instruct to grease the DC shaft every 3000 miles. That may not be a big deal on the island, but for me that's twice per oil change.

I have personally seen a DC shaft fail (not mine, I don't have one) on the front and it was due to lack of grease. It blew up at 70 mph and took out the bell housing, the body of the transmission, some wiring, and beat a hole in the floor.

This is why they talk about part time on high lift rigs.

Great job on all you've accomplished!

These are the post replies that are so fantastic about this community. While it’s directed specifically at Pell’s rig, these helpful points of discussion are so beneficial to the rest of the 93-94 flavor crowd. Yet another reason why I love this thread.

 

[White Sheep]

Wow!

You've done a ton of work in the last month! Nice job!

FYI:. Milky stuff under the oil cap means NOTHING other than you're not driving it enough.

Burning antifreeze smells like warm maple syrup out the exhaust.

I see the OCD paranoia has set in well!

Read on the DC shafts about differences between the suppliers. There was some talk on here about the ones using a Spicer brand hub/flange and it being much thicker than stock, so the hardware wasn't long enough.

Some if the vendors instruct to grease the DC shaft every 3000 miles. That may not be a big deal on the island, but for me that's twice per oil change.

I have personally seen a DC shaft fail (not mine, I don't have one) on the front and it was due to lack of grease. It blew up at 70 mph and took out the bell housing, the body of the transmission, some wiring, and beat a hole in the floor.

This is why they talk about part time on high lift rigs.

Great job on all you've accomplished!

@BILT4ME knows so much about these rigs. We've had a few conversations in person, on MUD, and over the phone. Time after time, he's right

 

[FMC80]

Wow!

You've done a ton of work in the last month! Nice job!

FYI:. Milky stuff under the oil cap means NOTHING other than you're not driving it enough.

Burning antifreeze smells like warm maple syrup out the exhaust.

I see the OCD paranoia has set in well!

Read on the DC shafts about differences between the suppliers. There was some talk on here about the ones using a Spicer brand hub/flange and it being much thicker than stock, so the hardware wasn't long enough.

Some if the vendors instruct to grease the DC shaft every 3000 miles. That may not be a big deal on the island, but for me that's twice per oil change.

I have personally seen a DC shaft fail (not mine, I don't have one) on the front and it was due to lack of grease. It blew up at 70 mph and took out the bell housing, the body of the transmission, some wiring, and beat a hole in the floor.

This is why they talk about part time on high lift rigs.

Great job on all you've accomplished!

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words and the education. As many times as I've started vehicles in Hawaii, I've never noticed white smoke upon startup. This morning I went outside and started my wife's Acura MDX to see what would happen. I started it and smoke began appearing after about 69 seconds after the start. Then came a few water droplets and it made me feel better. I started mine up and the same thing, about 69 seconds after starting the same white smoke and a few water droplets. I am reassured and realize I was being paranoid.

I like the idea of having AWD so I think I will go with a Tom Woods DC shaft since there are so many favorable reviews here. Who knows, maybe I won't need it at all...

Edit: Let me specifically call out @BILT4ME for helping me from the very start. Thank you for helping a dude who had no idea what an AC line cap was to someone who was able to dive into this level of maintenance. I know I'm still a noob but it's great knowing we have guys like you out there willing to lend a hand.

 

[FMC80]

Took the cruiser back out to Kaena Point today to flex her new suspension. I didn’t get any good shots flexing but I did run into this little guy. He hissed at me and tried to bite me. He was pissed! He didn’t like being picked up.

 

[baldilocks]

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words and the education. As many times as I've started vehicles in Hawaii, I've never noticed white smoke upon startup. This morning I went outside and started my wife's Acura MDX to see what would happen. I started it and smoke began appearing after about 69 seconds after the start. Then came a few water droplets and it made me feel better. I started mine up and the same thing, about 69 seconds after starting the same white smoke and a few water droplets. I am reassured and realize I was being paranoid.

I like the idea of having AWD so I think I will go with a Tom Woods DC shaft since there are so many favorable reviews here. Who knows, maybe I won't need it at all...

Edit: Let me specifically call out @BILT4ME for helping me from the very start. Thank you for helping a dude who had no idea what an AC line cap was to someone who was able to dive into this level of maintenance. I know I'm still a noob but it's great knowing we have guys like you out there willing to lend a hand.

Be sure to specify that the DC flange be machined down to a max of .300” thick in the area of the stud holes. Any thicker and you won’t achieve full thread engagement of the nuts that fasten the DC joint to the transfer case output.

I always tell the builder to use the Spicer Life Series Joints in the DC joint. Besides being their best joint, they are maintenance free.

 

[FMC80]

Be sure to specify that the DC flange be machined down to a max of .300” thick in the area of the stud holes. Any thicker and you won’t achieve full thread engagement of the nuts that fasten the DC joint to the transfer case output.

I always tell the builder to use the Spicer Life Series Joints in the DC joint. Besides being their best joint, they are maintenance free.

Thanks for the advice! I always welcome the cast of expert's advice from Mud. I jumped on the Tom Woods' website and there are way too many options so I'm going to call them tomorrow and ask what in the hell everything means and what they need from me besides my cash money.

 

[baldilocks]

I’d stay with the stock joint at the pinion. Matsuba is the brand most places sell unless you shop at the dealership. Cruiser outfitters has the Matsuba joints for a good price. The Spicer life series 1310 is a good joint if that’s what they insist on using at the pinion.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Hmm, that lift looks good, now I have lift and Dinosaur(small one) envy from the same thread. That's rare on mud.

 

[FMC80]

What’s up the three of you who read this thread? Hope you’re all well.
I got my DVS arms in today and holy hell they’re beefy and beautiful. Like me

So the old arms came off without much drama. I’d soaked the nuts in PB Blaster a few times while waiting on the DVS arms to come in.
The install? Let me tell you something. I got my ass kicked for 7 hours trying to wrestle the arms in. The DVS instructions state to get the rear most bolt in and then the forward two bolts. I got the rear and the most forward bolt in but the middle bolt was nowhere close. My axle was clocked so badly that nothing I did worked. I used jacks in numerous areas of the cruiser trying to twist it. I used ratchet straps in all the weird places trying to get my diff to move downward so that the middle bolt would align. I read mud and found others turned the wheel and that helped them. No dice.

I cried uncle and emailed Dave @Delta VS and he gave some advice. He said to start with the middle bolt first. Well, no matter what I tried that middle bolt was off by at least 3/4 of the hole at best.

Then I cried uncle again and hit up @baldilocks because he’s a cruiser guru. He gave me some advice but man let me tell you nothing worked.

Then I cried uncle a third time and called my 240lb bro over and we wrestled with it for another 1.5hrs before we decided to try one more thing before I decided to take off my springs.
We unbolted the rear bolt of the OTHER arm but kept the two forward bolts in. We then used the aft portion of the arm as a lever to pull the axle down and that’s what helped align the other side’s middle bolt. After we got the USDS aligned, the USPS side was cake.
here is what 7hours of cursing looks like.

Here’s a shot of old bushings

One more thing: the USPS side was a little dramatic when it came to removing the aft bolt because the catalytic converter was in the way. Had to break out the dremel and cut that bitch in half for it to come out. I installed the new hardware with the bolt head inboard to alleviate that issue.

 

[baldilocks]

Good to see that you won....

 

[TYM4FUN]

Nice work. You earned a badge today.

It sucks to hit a wall like that. I'm glad it worked out for you.

 

[FMC80]

Nice work. You earned a badge today.

It sucks to hit a wall like that. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Thanks man!! I took several breaks, drank several beers, and wept quietly in the corner of my garage.
Tomorrow I plan to drive her to see about vibes but it’ll be telling after my alignment next week.

 

[FMC80]

Gotta keep my eye on the wear metals. First report so too early to tell trends. On the positive side, no traces of coolant in my oil!

 

[baldilocks]

I’m a delo 400 or Mobil Delvac guy myself. Delo has more moly.

 

[FMC80]

I’m a delo 400 or Mobil Delvac guy myself. Delo has more moly.

I used to be a mobile 1 guy but I read somewhere here that Shell Rotella is the bees knees. I don’t really care about brand so much as long as it’s a proven oil.
Is the brand called Delo 400? I never heard of it or the delvac you mention. I’ll have to check them out.

 

[baldilocks]

Chevron makes delo 400 and Mobil makes Delvac 1300. Both are 15-40 Diesel engine fleet oils in the same market as Rotella. I just don’t run Rotella because every joker and his sister does.

Valvoline Premium Blue is another one but doesn’t seem to be on sale nearly as often as the three mentioned above. Any one of them will serve your engine well but the one that’s on sale is best on that day.

 

[Feldrian]

Costco was always my go-to for Delo 400.

Managed to get 530k miles out of a gen 2 Chevy 350 with it.

 

[FMC80]

Sweeeeet. I’ll have to check out the Costco here then!!

 

[FMC80]

Got some leaks here and unsure how much oil I’m losing. I have no drips in my garage so it doesn’t leak statically. I am losing some oil but can’t really tell how much. Is the rear arch seal or rear main? I wiped this down last night and this appeared after a 30mile drive.
There are two gray lines above my starter that are wet and the starter itself had a few drops on it as well. Any ideas where it could be coming from? I might remove the starter to check things out.