Build 1st FJ40, '76 - SMOKEY - Puttin’ her Back Together
- Thread starter Vae Victus
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- #42
You think the starter was going bad or are they robust? Ie rebuildable?
the cylinder sitting on top of the starter is the solenoid, with the key left "on" its still sending current thru, but I cant imagine starter was engaging, that noise would of scared the crap out of you. electrical fires generally result in melted parts, I think your better off buying a new starter. As for loss of power and shut down, who knows what kind of crap is in the carb, especially with no air cleaner. As much as you wanted to drive her..above suggestions as to prior running should of been done before she went anywhere. lots of damage can occur with bad fluids, poor grounds, stuck switches and dry rot seals..be patient be through, learn to sip beer and contemplate. And never leave receipts laying around...she's gonna think you've lost your mind.
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- #45
Do you think it is significant that the shutdown occurred at the exact moment of the electrical fire?
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- #46
Mike, will do. Hope I have not damaged the engine running it too soon.
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- #47
By the way, Aisan makes carbs, Aisin does not. Otherwise you're in good hands
Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD at 85mph in an FJ40
Must be a common misspelling, it's all over the forum. Thanks. I'm a grammar Nazi (high school english teacher at an all boys prep school - it was a traumatic experience. I shudder every time I see a floating participle
)yes, and for that reason, plan on replacing lead wires off starter to coil and main from batt. you wont be able to tell damage under wire wrap
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- #49
Would shorting out the starter, kill the engine - ah, it just came to me, the spark would stop from the system shorting out. No spark, no combustion. Got it.
So, new starter? Refurb? Junker?
Where does one go to learn what's compatible, besides the fine folks here?
Scott
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- #50
Hey Chamba, she's between Melbourne and Geelong (whereever the heck that is). Any way you can help find one (Aussie air cleaner) in Mel?
What does the AU version of the air cleaner look like? Is it worth the trouble? I may have to wait 3 weeks for TrollHole's carb any way so it is worth considering.
Thanks!
Scott
Geelong is basically a suburb of Melbourne. I can likely get the wreckers in Adelaide to send to her cheaply.
Aussie 2F air cleaner looks a bit like the US F engine cleaner but larger. The advantage over the US 2F cleaner is twofold: no emissions rubbish to plug up (Trollhole carbs are non-emissions); and, the air cleaner assembly sits to the side of the engine rather than on top of it so it stays cooler and is out of the way for most maintenence items.
An incidental benefit is that it is easier to hook up a snorkle to the Aussie filter than its US counterpart.
Aussie 2F air cleaner looks a bit like the US F engine cleaner but larger. The advantage over the US 2F cleaner is twofold: no emissions rubbish to plug up (Trollhole carbs are non-emissions); and, the air cleaner assembly sits to the side of the engine rather than on top of it so it stays cooler and is out of the way for most maintenence items.
An incidental benefit is that it is easier to hook up a snorkle to the Aussie filter than its US counterpart.
Use the search function, there's more info here than you'll know what to do with, I started a file on part numbers and vendors, I look there first, then ebay,then local NAPA..Its an art. I always adhere to .."when in doubt..replace it" especially electrical. ask questions on this forum.Lots of VERY knowledgeable people here.
Steve
There's a "F" starter for $50 right now in classifieds..top of main page..then FOR SALE-PARTS..Boom like it fell out of the sky..
Welcome! Just read through your posts - really enjoyed them so far. What's a project car without a little smoke and fire? I'm in the early "drive it and figure out what breaks" phase of FJ40 ownership too. Looking forward to seeing both our problem children back on the road! 
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- #55
Welcome! Just read through your posts - really enjoyed them so far. What's a project car without a little smoke and fire? I'm in the early "drive it and figure out what breaks" phase of FJ40 ownership too. Looking forward to seeing both our problem children back on the road!
thanks RW. I'm trying to come up with a name for the truck. I might have found a topical area to search - fire. I think mine has been sitting for several years - not 10, but 3-5 maybe. It was last sold to the PO in '99.
How long you been working on your truck?
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- #56
Thanks Titan, that means you went and looked for it. Very nice of you! Contacted the seller.
I think mine has been sitting for several years - not 10, but 3-5 maybe. It was last sold to the PO in '99.
How long you been working on your truck?
I bought my 40 last July. It had only been sitting about 3 years. So far, my only "smoke" incident was a clutch slave cylinder failure that dumped clutch fluid all over the exhaust manifold - while stalled out at a red light with two friends in the jump seat. I've also had to replace the transfer case... Now in working on fixing the poorly installed power steering. Never a dull moment!
A fire name is good for your truck - particularly with the varying coats of red and yellow paint. Mine was dubbed "clustertruck" from day one, and it has lived up to its name.
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- #58
I bought my 40 last July. It had only been sitting about 3 years. So far, my only "smoke" incident was a clutch slave cylinder failure that dumped clutch fluid all over the exhaust manifold - while stalled out at a red light with two friends in the jump seat. I've also had to replace the transfer case... Now in working on fixing the poorly installed power steering. Never a dull moment!
A fire name is good for your truck - particularly with the varying coats of red and yellow paint. Mine was dubbed "clustertruck" from day one, and it has lived up to its name.
Ok, that made me laugh. ClusterTruck.
Give me tips on what NOT to do on Power Steering! I have the old huge steering wheel and some huge tires that are really hard to turn. Gotta do PS to make it usable.
Just lift more weights
And definitely keep the "School bus" wheel - even with Power Steering. It's part of the look!In all seriousness though - here is my thread-in-progress. First couple posts pretty well outline what not to do:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/719785-next-project-fixing-po-power-steering-debacle.html
In theory this is how a Saginaw Power Steering setup is done, but the execution by the PO was terrible. This has been done literally dozens of times with much better results.
If I was starting from scratch (manual steering) and I would probably have done the Toyota Mini-Truck PS conversion, since I don't plan on running anything larger than 33 inch tires. This conversion is apparently pretty underpowered for moving big tires when off-road.
Another good alternative to Saginaw, in terms of raw steering power, is the power steering from a 60-series cruiser. This is nice because you don't have to bore a hole in your front cross member, and you stick to all Toyota parts. There's waklthroughs in the FAQ about all these different conversions.
That said, even my ricketty-@ss, leaking saginaw nightmare gives me the ability to turn the wheels with virtually zero effort - we're talking steering with your pinky - so if hitting the gym is out of the question, power steering is probably one of best upgrades you can do to a 40.
Honestly, unless the manual box is on its way out, or the steering system is near catastrophic failure, this should probably be a long way down the list of fixes
Mine just took priority because it 1. it leaks like crazy and 2. it's downright dangerous.I would check the voltage at the battery once you get the truck running. I had a wire fire on an old tractor of mine (wire came in contact with exhaust manifold.... Poof) rebuilt the entire harness. I started her up and she ran like a clock... off to the field to do some mowing and 10-15 minutes later the battery boiled over. I think the electric fire had an adverse effect on the voltage regulator (or an unfortunate coincidence). but can't hurt to double check the voltage at the battery once you get it put back together. When you start to rebuild the wire harness make sure you clean up the grounds extremely well. Poor grounding can cause all sorts of problems with the starter and solenoid.