- Thread starter
- #621
Got the adapter plate installed on the engine, all bolts torqued to spec with thread lock. Installed the flywheel, clutch and pressure plate.
Builds Another Prado in Montana (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter AirheadNut
- Start date
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Nothing worse than a land cruiser in the shop waiting for parts... fingers are crossed that the new adapter plate aligns everything perfect for you and she runs and drives better than ever! Nice work, as usual!
- Thread starter
- #623
Transmission is in! Huge shout out to @MTsoul for coming by and helping me wrestle it into place, I could not have done it by myself.
Everything seemed to line up pretty well, with the exception of the upper bell housing dowel pin that was a little reluctant to seat in the adapter plate. Once we got the upper bell housing bolts started it popped together just fine though. Judging by the ease with which the input shaft seated into the pilot bearing I think the alignment is pretty spot on. The first time I mated the engine to the transmission with the original adapter plate it really fought me on the last half inch, I think the input shaft was hanging up on the pilot bushing due to the misalignment.
While everything was apart I decided to strip the transmission crossmember and repaint it since the POR-15 I had applied originally was peeling off in big sheets. Not happy with that product, I used some rattle can paint this time so I can easily touch it up if necessary.
Everything seemed to line up pretty well, with the exception of the upper bell housing dowel pin that was a little reluctant to seat in the adapter plate. Once we got the upper bell housing bolts started it popped together just fine though. Judging by the ease with which the input shaft seated into the pilot bearing I think the alignment is pretty spot on. The first time I mated the engine to the transmission with the original adapter plate it really fought me on the last half inch, I think the input shaft was hanging up on the pilot bushing due to the misalignment.
While everything was apart I decided to strip the transmission crossmember and repaint it since the POR-15 I had applied originally was peeling off in big sheets. Not happy with that product, I used some rattle can paint this time so I can easily touch it up if necessary.
It was all the great prep work leading up to the install that made the install go smoothly! Glad I could help.
- Thread starter
- #625
A little more progress this evening, installed the starter, both driveshafts, the clutch slave cylinder and hooked up some wiring and the speedometer cable. A few things yet to put together but it should be running and driving within the next few days.
I did have a dream the other night that I had gotten everything reassembled and gone for a test drive, but had forgotten to put any oil in the transmission or transfer case. Not a great feeling, until I woke up!
I did have a dream the other night that I had gotten everything reassembled and gone for a test drive, but had forgotten to put any oil in the transmission or transfer case. Not a great feeling, until I woke up!
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But oh, the relief once you wake up and realize it was just a dream!!
- Thread starter
- #627
It lives! Spent a few more hours this evening wrapping up all the little bits and pieces (and filling both the transmission/transfer and the coolant). Turned the key and it fired right up, no strange noises from the clutch area and it goes smoothly into first and reverse. Was going to take it on a short test drive but I discovered that the brake fluid reservoir was nearly empty and the pedal went straight to the floor. No evidence of external leaks, which leads me to suspect the master cylinder is leaking into the booster. Always another thing to fix! I also need to clearance part of the adapter plate that is a little too close to the front driveshaft.
- Thread starter
- #628
I was able to bleed the brakes and get some life back out of the master cylinder, though braking was not spectacular. I've put about a hundred miles on it so far, just short trips to work or town and back and so far everything feels good.
Ordered a brake master cylinder rebuild kit from @cruiseroutfit, began disassembly this evening. As I suspected, the master cylinder has been leaking out the back:
The inside of the master cylinder was full of nasty gunk:
Pitting along the bottom of the bore; a quick rebuild isn't going to fix this:
Going to try honing the bore to remove the pitting, but failing that I may have to convert to an 80-series booster and master cylinder. I had hoped that I could get away with direct replacement parts, but it doesn't seem like that is ever an option on this thing!
Ordered a brake master cylinder rebuild kit from @cruiseroutfit, began disassembly this evening. As I suspected, the master cylinder has been leaking out the back:
The inside of the master cylinder was full of nasty gunk:
Pitting along the bottom of the bore; a quick rebuild isn't going to fix this:
Going to try honing the bore to remove the pitting, but failing that I may have to convert to an 80-series booster and master cylinder. I had hoped that I could get away with direct replacement parts, but it doesn't seem like that is ever an option on this thing!
- Thread starter
- #629
Honing was a no-go, would require too much material removal to get rid of the pitting. New 80-series master cylinder and brake booster are on the way. Once those arrive I will be able to make a plan for rerouting the brake lines to get everything hooked back up.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Is it an upgrade in terms of volume?
- Thread starter
- #631
Not sure if the master cylinder volume is larger, but the booster is a dual diaphragm rather than single and apparently provides better stopping power and improved pedal feel.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Even better. Fixes because it's broken are a necessary evil. But simultaneous upgrades AND fixes feel more like the former than the latter, eh? 
- Thread starter
- #633
Pulled the original booster this morning, a pretty quick task with the master cylinder already out. The clutch MC heat shield had to be loosened and the windshield washer tank removed to get enough space to get the booster out of the engine bay. Underneath it the inner fender was absolutely filthy with dirt, pine needles and oil caked thickly on everything. Several applications of degreaser later it was reasonably clean, so I installed the new 80-series dual diaphragm booster and master cylinder.
I have only read about these 80-series brake systems being installed in the HD 70-series, where modifications to the booster rod are necessary. Fortunately the Prado booster's pedal rod was exactly the same length and fitted up perfectly, as did the vacuum hose and the brake fluid warning plug. Even the original heat shield still fits, though it will need an additional bracket to support the end since the 80-series MC is shorter and lacks the threaded mounting hole.
I had planned to bend up a new set of hard lines to match the position of the ports on the MC, but there is so little clearance between the MC and the turbo that there is no room for a 90º bend in regular brake line. Instead I have ordered a pair of soft lines with 10mm banjo fittings to attach to the ports on the MC, and adapters to mate them with the 10mm inverted flare fittings lower down.
I have only read about these 80-series brake systems being installed in the HD 70-series, where modifications to the booster rod are necessary. Fortunately the Prado booster's pedal rod was exactly the same length and fitted up perfectly, as did the vacuum hose and the brake fluid warning plug. Even the original heat shield still fits, though it will need an additional bracket to support the end since the 80-series MC is shorter and lacks the threaded mounting hole.
I had planned to bend up a new set of hard lines to match the position of the ports on the MC, but there is so little clearance between the MC and the turbo that there is no room for a 90º bend in regular brake line. Instead I have ordered a pair of soft lines with 10mm banjo fittings to attach to the ports on the MC, and adapters to mate them with the 10mm inverted flare fittings lower down.
- Thread starter
- #634
Also forgot to add: the original booster was probably half full of dirty, nasty brake fluid that pours out the vacuum port when it is tipped.
- Thread starter
- #635
Well, the shipping update on my brake parts said they would be delayed until Saturday, but when I got home from work today they were sitting on the doorstep, a day earlier than originally expected! After dinner I headed out to install the hoses. Two 12" -3AN to 10mm banjo hoses, two -3AN to 10mm male inverted flare adapters, and two M10x1.0 banjo bolts. The 12" hoses were just barely long enough, but they fit great.
The original heat shield fits great with a couple of little bends in it, and a new, longer vacuum hose for the booster helps clear the windshield washer reservoir. It almost looks like it was meant to be there!
I need to make a new mount for the VW N75 turbo control valve and tidy up some vacuum hoses, but overall I am very pleased with the outcome. Still need to bleed everything, I can't wait to have it back on the road!
The original heat shield fits great with a couple of little bends in it, and a new, longer vacuum hose for the booster helps clear the windshield washer reservoir. It almost looks like it was meant to be there!
I need to make a new mount for the VW N75 turbo control valve and tidy up some vacuum hoses, but overall I am very pleased with the outcome. Still need to bleed everything, I can't wait to have it back on the road!
- Thread starter
- #636
I've fallen behind on updates here, been fairly busy at work. @2gbFlashDrive came by and helped me bleed the brakes, went for a short test drive and found that vacuum was in short supply. Turns out that the outlet port on the vacuum pump was loose (common occurrence on these VW vacuum pumps), so I patched it up with JB Weld and now have decent vacuum supply.
Even with good vacuum the brakes were not great, pedal feel was pretty soft and stopping power was mediocre at best. LSPV adjustments are in order, the front brakes feel like they are doing about 90% of the work. After a bit of driving the brakes improved a bit, but then something odd started to happen. Whenever I drive for more than about 10 minutes, all four brakes will start to stick on slightly. Not enough to stop the vehicle, but they get hot, the engine bogs a little and I can just feel them catch when rolling gently to a stop. After a few minutes they will randomly decide to release again. Anyone have any ideas what could cause this behavior?
A few ideas have occurred to me:
- Improper adjustment of booster to master cylinder pushrod
- Improper adjustment of pedal to booster pushrod
- Inconsistent vacuum supply (booster occasionally activates a little even when the pedal is not pressed)
Its been too hot out to do much wrenching on it for the past week so I haven't looked into any of these items yet, but if anyone knows a better place to start the diagnosis process I'm open to suggestions.
Even with good vacuum the brakes were not great, pedal feel was pretty soft and stopping power was mediocre at best. LSPV adjustments are in order, the front brakes feel like they are doing about 90% of the work. After a bit of driving the brakes improved a bit, but then something odd started to happen. Whenever I drive for more than about 10 minutes, all four brakes will start to stick on slightly. Not enough to stop the vehicle, but they get hot, the engine bogs a little and I can just feel them catch when rolling gently to a stop. After a few minutes they will randomly decide to release again. Anyone have any ideas what could cause this behavior?
A few ideas have occurred to me:
- Improper adjustment of booster to master cylinder pushrod
- Improper adjustment of pedal to booster pushrod
- Inconsistent vacuum supply (booster occasionally activates a little even when the pedal is not pressed)
Its been too hot out to do much wrenching on it for the past week so I haven't looked into any of these items yet, but if anyone knows a better place to start the diagnosis process I'm open to suggestions.
- Thread starter
- #637
Adjusted the pedal height according to the FSM, tweaked the LSPV and took a half hour + drive yesterday evening; no sign of the brakes sticking.
- Thread starter
- #638
A little behind on updates here! Brakes have been good, even though I haven't gotten around to bleeding them again. Went wheeling last weekend so in preparation I rotated tires and took care of a small coolant leak (loose hose clamp). Checked fluids and was ready to hit the road. My younger bother met up with me Friday afternoon after work, we threw our gear in the Prado and did some last minute grocery shopping. We met up with @ttFJC, @CCRider, @Saul Abel, and @geo5 and hit the road for Cooke City, MT.
After sitting through several Buffalo traffic jams in Yellowstone National Park we made it to Cooke City and met @45Kevin who had driven all the way from Calgary. Between rain showers we aired down and hit the trail, and it wasn't long until darkness started to close in. After a couple of hours of wheeling we arrived at Long Lake where @MTsoul was already waiting for us.
We pitched camp in the dark and ate a hasty dinner before hitting the sack. In the morning we awoke to wind and heavy rain; I checked the thermometer and it read 3ºC or about 37ºF. During a brief lull in the rain my brother and I rushed to cook up some breakfast: waffles and sausage cooked on vintage cast iron. By the time we finished our fingers were about numb! By about 9:30am the rain began to let up so we started breaking camp.
They sky began to lighten and within minutes the day transformed from cold, cloudy and very wet to bright and sunny. The views from our campsite were fabulous, but better was yet to come.
I put off packing up the tent until the last minute to give it the best chance to dry off. By 10am we were assembled and ready to roll out for a day of wheeling in some of the most spectacular country I've had the pleasure of driving through.
After sitting through several Buffalo traffic jams in Yellowstone National Park we made it to Cooke City and met @45Kevin who had driven all the way from Calgary. Between rain showers we aired down and hit the trail, and it wasn't long until darkness started to close in. After a couple of hours of wheeling we arrived at Long Lake where @MTsoul was already waiting for us.
We pitched camp in the dark and ate a hasty dinner before hitting the sack. In the morning we awoke to wind and heavy rain; I checked the thermometer and it read 3ºC or about 37ºF. During a brief lull in the rain my brother and I rushed to cook up some breakfast: waffles and sausage cooked on vintage cast iron. By the time we finished our fingers were about numb! By about 9:30am the rain began to let up so we started breaking camp.
They sky began to lighten and within minutes the day transformed from cold, cloudy and very wet to bright and sunny. The views from our campsite were fabulous, but better was yet to come.
I put off packing up the tent until the last minute to give it the best chance to dry off. By 10am we were assembled and ready to roll out for a day of wheeling in some of the most spectacular country I've had the pleasure of driving through.
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- Thread starter
- #639
Starting from our camp at around 9400' (2865m) we wound our way slowly up through small meadows dotted with alpine lakes. The wildflowers were still in full bloom, adding yet more color to the landscape.
The trail was fairly rough, requiring 1st and occasionally 2nd gear Low for almost the entire day. Not bad when the view out the windshield looks like this:
Around every corner and at the top of every hill was another picturesque lake:
Most of the driving was pretty straightforward, mostly keeping an eye out for any large rocks that would be inclined to snag an axle and picking a line that gave a reasonable ride, but there was the occasional hill or obstacle that required some spotting or a couple of attempts.
The trail was fairly rough, requiring 1st and occasionally 2nd gear Low for almost the entire day. Not bad when the view out the windshield looks like this:
Around every corner and at the top of every hill was another picturesque lake:
Most of the driving was pretty straightforward, mostly keeping an eye out for any large rocks that would be inclined to snag an axle and picking a line that gave a reasonable ride, but there was the occasional hill or obstacle that required some spotting or a couple of attempts.
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- Thread starter
- #640
Part way through the morning @mccracken caught up with us in his 60-series:
The landscape kept getting better and better, though the sunshine was rather short lived and ominous clouds started to gather again.
The landscape kept getting better and better, though the sunshine was rather short lived and ominous clouds started to gather again.
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