Builds Another Prado in Montana (2 Viewers)

[SnowVersion]

Another piece of the cooling system puzzle fell into place the other night. I was driving back from town with the coolant hovering around 200-207ºF, and suddenly it jumped to 264º! Needless to say I immediately looked for a spot to pull over and check things out, and when I looked back at the gauge it was reading 973ºF. I gave it a couple of gentle smacks and the reading dropped back to 188ºF, and since then the coolant temperature hasn't gone over 196º. I checked all the connections on the back of the gauge, but nothing was loose or faulty, so I'm not sure what was going on, but it would appear I don't actually have a cooling problem. So relieved!

Glad to hear that your cooling system seems to be functioning well.

I have an Auber unit in my cruiser (hooked up to a pyrometer probe) and it definitely gives faulty readings from time to time. When it’s sub-freezing outside, I occasionally see negative temperature readouts while driving (very unlikely for pre-turbo exhaust temperature!) and occasionally see temperatures well in excess of 2500 degrees. Usually those inconsistencies are accompanied by ticking noises from inside the Auber or “EEEE” flashing on the display.

I like the Auber units for the most part, but I have to wonder how trustworthy they are.

 

[fjdiesel]

Glad to hear that your cooling system seems to be functioning well.

I have an Auber unit in my cruiser (hooked up to a pyrometer probe) and it definitely gives faulty readings from time to time. When it’s sub-freezing outside, I occasionally see negative temperature readouts while driving (very unlikely for pre-turbo exhaust temperature!) and occasionally see temperatures well in excess of 2500 degrees. Usually those inconsistencies are accompanied by ticking noises from inside the Auber or “EEEE” flashing on the display.

I like the Auber units for the most part, but I have to wonder how trustworthy they are.

I had a similar experience with a SpeedHut gauge for my EGT's. Erratic readings only sometimes..

I decided to order a new probe from The Sensor Connection. They listed separate ones for diesel or gas. So far the gauge has been steady ever since installing a diesel one... Not sure what the difference might have been.

 

[AirheadNut]

Over the last few weeks I had been noticing the transmission was getting harder to shift, and I finally narrowed it down to the clutch master cylinder. After getting the engine running for the first time I had tried to bleed the clutch system only to find out that the seals in the master cylinder were shot, so I had replaced them with a used set from a T100 cylinder I had lying around. That worked for a while, but those seals slowly gave out also. I ordered a new Aisin master cylinder from Partsouq and it finally arrived a few days ago.

I lost no time getting it installed:

While I was at it I removed the heat shields from the brake and clutch cylinders and gave them a quick cleaning in the solvent tank. They had been sooted up pretty bad during the short time I drove with no exhaust and a little brass brush action made a huge difference.

However, with the new clutch cylinder in and the system properly bled, I can't get the clutch pedal rod adjusted properly. I followed the instructions in the manual, but even with the linkage backed all the way out to the last couple of threads the pedal still bottoms out on the floor before the clutch piston reaches the end of its stroke. Before I installed the new cylinder I compared new and old, the threaded rod was the same length on each. I could remove the cylinder again and lengthen the rod, but I feel like I might be missing something since the OEM master cylinder should work without modification.

 

[AirheadNut]

Here's a quick video of the trip @SnowVersion and I took this spring searching for more mines to explore. Most of it is underground but there is a bit of Prado/deep snow action

 

[AirheadNut]

I revisited the clutch issue again and decided that I should probably replace the slave cylinder, since the one I was using was a used version of unknown history that came with one of the transmissions I bought. With the new slave installed I found a piece of wood that was just the right size to allow me to bleed the system by myself.

The fresh slave cylinder made all the difference, and I now have a fully operational clutch that feels pretty good underfoot.

I also took a little time to install some new clips on my fender well skirting, as several of the original ones had broken or fallen out during the swap.

Much better!

 

[AirheadNut]

Another small job I knocked out was a new mount for my IPF Super Rallys. The light mounting points on the ARB bumper are too high and too far forward for this big of a light, so I had to make a bracket that moved them down, closer to the grille and closer together.

Several coats of paint later it was ready to install.

Now I just need to find some waterproof 3-pin connectors to wire them up.

 

[AirheadNut]

Well, a couple of weeks after replacing the slave cylinder the clutch totally failed again without warning. I can no longer get the transmission into any gear with the engine running, and starting in gear, even with the clutch pedal fully depressed, will move the vehicle. At this point I'm pretty sure it is a matter of improper bleeding technique. I have put quite a lot of fluid through the system trying to bleed it, but I probably need to pull the master cylinder again and properly bench bleed it. I have been told that failing to soak the seals and bench bleed the master cylinder can lead to failed seals, so I have a rebuild kit on the way. I figured while the Prado wasn't drivable I might as well tackle some of the other projects I need to wrap up, so yesterday I pulled the entire cooling system in preparation for making new radiator piping.

I also plan to tidy up some of the hoses and wiring that have turned my engine bay into a rat's nest:

Removed the front bumper to allow better access to the front of the engine while I make new radiator lines. While I have it off I need to make some shim plates to lift the bumper a bit to clear the headlight beams better.

 

[fordyota]

Is that a Volvo 130 hiding back there?

 

[AirheadNut]

Close! It’s actually a 122S 4-door, 1965.

 

[SnowVersion]

Close! It’s actually a 122S 4-door, 1965.

Rescuing a Barn Find Volvo 122S Amazon

 

[AirheadNut]

Been chipping away at the cooling system over the last couple of weeks, and have finally gotten it all buttoned up. The first order of business was to solder up a pinhole leak in the bottom of the radiator where it had come into contact with a sharp corner of the panhard rod mount.

A little ugly, but not bad for my first time soldering a radiator. As long as it doesn't leak I'm happy!

Next up was bending up some new pipes to connect the radiator to the coolant ports on the engine:

And then welding them together:

I then soaked them in vinegar to remove the oxy-acetylene welding scale from the inside:

 

[AirheadNut]

The plan initially was to electroplate the coolant pipes to prevent corrosion on the inside. I started with a small test piece, which looked ok but had a very thin coat of copper that wore through easily.

I tried nickel plating as well, but couldn't get decent results with that either; the pipe flash rusted when I took it out of the plating bath.

So I resorted to taping one end of each pipe shut and pouring paint down them.

 

[AirheadNut]

While the engine bay was all torn apart @SnowVersion helped me install the PCV catch can I bought earlier this year. It fit nicely on the fan shroud just under the intake piping.

I also (finally) made a bracket to hold the VW N75 vacuum valve that controls the turbo vanes.

A little finagling and a bracket made with a makeshift dimple die allowed me to fit the VW coolant expansion tank in place of my inline radiator cap and Toyota overflow reservoir, which is a much better solution and simplifies coolant hose routing.

 

[AirheadNut]

After spending a couple of days watching paint dry the cooling system was ready to reassemble:

Hoping to fill it up and test for leaks tomorrow!

 

[AirheadNut]

In a further attempt to fix the clutch issue (while still waiting for the master cylinder seals to ship) I pulled the new master cylinder out, bench bled and reinstalled it. I also dug out the old accumulator that was in the system originally and gave it a light rebuild. The gasket was toast and the cylinder bore had a light ridge of buildup in it, so I touched it up with a brake cylinder hone.

The steel components got a paint job and I cut out a new gasket.

Ready to reinstall!

 

[Shyrock]

There is a small bracket for the mudflap that screws into the bottom of the rocker there, I think the rust starts in that hole and works its way out. The bracket was completely disconnected on that side.

I was storing the crank rods for my bottle jack in that side pocket, after seeing the size of hole in the bottom I decided they are probably not safe there!

How did you end up dealing with the trim on the rear quarter panels with the new bumper? I'm trying to figure out what to do with that now.

 

[AirheadNut]

How did you end up dealing with the trim on the rear quarter panels with the new bumper? I'm trying to figure out what to do with that now.
View attachment 2744517

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to do anything with that yet, but at some point I’d like to make some quarter panel protection pieces that tie in with the bumper and attach to the frame just behind the wheel.

 

[AirheadNut]

My front bumper came with indicator lights installed, and I would like to figure out how to wire them in without disconnecting the factory front indicators. The bumper lights have short pigtails with male terminals on them, but no plug housing:

The factory indicators have a 2-pin plug right below the light:

Is this a common type of plug? My hope is to make a short harness section that plugs in between these and branches off to a plug for the bumper indicators, but that would require another male and female housing for each side.

 

[AirheadNut]

In other news, I filled the cooling system and took the Prado out for a test run to try and burp the bubbles out. Everything seems to be functioning fine with the exception of the clutch, which will still randomly cease to work occasionally. One of the times it quit I shut the engine down and restarted it and the clutch worked again . No idea why that would have any effect on the clutch, but it seemed to.

 

[Honger]

My front bumper came with indicator lights installed, and I would like to figure out how to wire them in without disconnecting the factory front indicators. The bumper lights have short pigtails with male terminals on them, but no plug housing:
View attachment 2745490

The factory indicators have a 2-pin plug right below the light:
View attachment 2745491

View attachment 2745492

Is this a common type of plug? My hope is to make a short harness section that plugs in between these and branches off to a plug for the bumper indicators, but that would require another male and female housing for each side.

Check out @Coolerman's offerings... he has plug housings, plug leads, terminations, etc. The 2-pin latching connector on his webpage, here, seems to be what you're looking for.