BJ60 cooling system overhaul (1 Viewer)

[rstl99]

Thanks, indeed, very satisfying to be able to take the time to do a job well, especially on something like the cooling system, which should prevent me (knock wood) from having to do field repairs on it at some point down the road, where I won't have such luxury of time, tools and working conditions... Gotta love preventative maintenance!

Wish I was a younger man though, I felt it in my muscles and bones all day yesterday, after spending all Saturday at the job. Didn't even have the energy to clean up the garage... Also a sign of being out of shape after a long lethargic winter.

Thanks to all for the advice and hope the information in this thread helps someone down the road. By the way, I got the rad hoses and thermostat/gaskets from 4wheelauto, which were very prompt in sending them to me. It's probably obvious, but removing both battery trays makes this rad replacement a lot easier (may not even be possible without that), and allows checking and addressing rust issues underneath.

 

[Granite Grinder]

Thanks, indeed, very satisfying to be able to take the time to do a job well, especially on something like the cooling system, which should prevent me (knock wood) from having to do field repairs on it at some point down the road, where I won't have such luxury of time, tools and working conditions... Gotta love preventative maintenance!

The other bonus, should something go afoul with the cooling system your not standing looking at the motor scratching your head. You know how it's put together and where all the hoses go.
GG

 

[cruiserjunktion]

Looks great!

Notice any difference on the gauge?

 

[rstl99]

To be honest, I hardly drove the truck after acquiring it in the Fall, and before I put it away for the winter, to notice any change in the temperature reading on the guage. WHen I started it up and let it idle to warm, the needle eventually got up to about 1/4 or so. I was trying to make sure the thermostat was opening up, but it seemed that the engine temperature at idle wasn't enough to get the coolant hot enough to kick in the thermostat (I didn't have the insurance back on the truck at the time, so couldn't take it out for a spin - will do so this week and see how it behaves, plus check again for possible leaks).

By the way, the guy who sold me the truck had taken it into a shop that works a lot of LC's, for a safety check, and they ended up having to do a lot of things (replace brake lines, etc.). One thing they did is bypass the metal heater lines that go underneath the truck to the rear heater in the cab, and installed rubber lines instead. They said they have seen more old Cruisers die because of an undetected rupture (through rust) of those metal tubes than anything else (ie. lose all the coolant, overheat the engine, etc.). So some of you driving an old rig with rust on it may think of doing the same thing... Cheap insurance...