broken down (1 Viewer)

[Devilmans Hand]

Hello everyone

The fj40 decided to stop on the side of 66 at the haymarket exit. Luckily i have a buddy that lives in haymarket.

While driving about 60mph the cruise suddenly started puttering and idle dropping. Being that my fuel gauge has never been 100% accurate i figured that i had just ran out of gas. After my little quest all over Haymarket for somewhere that sold a gas can i fired the cruiser back up.

I could only start the engine with the choke fully pulled and the idle would surge from 500 to 2000 back and fourth. The engine would die if i pressed in the gas peddle. After checking the vacuum hoses for obvious disconnections and wires not going where they're supposed to i shut off the engine. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Pumped the gas peddle about 10 times and the engine fired up without choke, but would die randomly.
Drove it 2mi to my buddy's house and it was very obviously running rich, knocking noise, and idle fluctuating from 500 to 1200.

The cruiser is currently parked on a street near my buddy's place in Haymarket.


Any ideas?

I replaced the fuel filter and rebuilt the carb last summer. I have most of the smog gear intact and the wires/vacuum lines all look correct in the engine bay.

Think i saw Tracy near the Sheetz, then got a call from Thornton.
I'll be accepting all help.

 

[76FJ40]

Sam,

I saw your 40 on my way home, stopped, but no one was there. I'd suggest an Oklahoma carb rebuild and check your dizzy with a timing light to see if the timing is wandering - could be the diaphram. Otherwise I'm clueless.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Thanks Bob. Yea, Tom said he got a call from someone that saw my bright green bezel.
Ill tinker with it tomorrow and search mud for a solution.

It was driving very well this week until it got weird. At least its parked in a somewhat safe spot.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

Coupla thoughts, is the idle solenoid working and connected?

Is the gas filter blocked?

Maybe the fuel pump took a dump?

Hope this helps, Dan

 

[Thornton]

Yes, check the idle solenoid. Steve had a similar issue and we went thru timing and he even put on a new trollhole carb. Turned out to be a blown fuse

 

[macattack_ga]

Need a tow/trailer ride home?

 

[John Smith]

x3 on the solenoid. It is usually the ground wire that goes bad. At least that was my issue when mine stopped working.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Need a tow/trailer ride home?

Mac,
At this point i dont think so, but i might in the future.

I thought it might be the fuel pump, but would that cause a surging idle, no fuel, then too much fuel?

Steve and Tom, where was this fuse that caused issues located? Tube type on the fuse block or an inline fuse somewhere?

I'll look up how to check the solenoid. Common part to buy?
Just wondering though, but wouldn't this only affect the idle and not necessarily the driving charistics i have and the running super rich problem?

Might be time to just desmog with a Trollhole carb. Then add a york compressor where the smog pump goes.



Could the hot weather have made such an impact to make the iddle mixture settings out of wack?

I'll prob head out to the cruiser this afternoon sometime.

My buddy thought that the pinging and super rich issue may have been that a cylinder may have gotten washed out. Those issues developed when i drove the cruiser the mile to his house.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

x3 on the solenoid. It is usually the ground wire that goes bad. At least that was my issue when mine stopped working.

Ha, damn ground wire. I hope this is just the case.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Coupla thoughts, is the idle solenoid working and connected?

Is the gas filter blocked?

Maybe the fuel pump took a dump?

Hope this helps, Dan

Dan, are you talking about the fuel sock i keep hearing about?

 

[Devilmans Hand]

forgot to mention that the cruiser would buck and quickly die if i didn't keep the engine at above 1200rpm or so. I had to slip the clutch to drive it.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

Dan, are you talking about the fuel sock i keep hearing about?

Nope, just the stock inline metal filter on the passenger side below the rear of the battery on the frame.

Your recent posts seem to point to idle solenoid. John's point of a bad ground is spot on, and may just be your problem. You may want to try a jumper wire to be sure. HTH.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

cool, i hope that is my only issue.
I replaced the fuel filter almost exactly a year ago after Mudfling at Gore.
I'll have to mess with this solenoid today.

 

[Devilmans Hand]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/426896-idle-speed-solenoid.html

white wire with red stripe is ground.

 

[John Smith]

When you get to your truck turn the key to the On position and listen for the click from the solenoid. It is very easy to hear. If no click, that is your problem. Jim C. says he almost never sees them fail. It is usually the ground wire that goes.

When it fails the truck will only stay running with the choke out and high revs as you have found. If the solenoid is working, which I doubt then it is time to start looking at other carb or fuel issues.

Let us know what you find.

 

[Thornton]

check the engine fuse. that was blown on Steve's

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Ok.
Engine fuse is good.
the only click I hear is the starter when key is in the on position. No noises coming from the Carb area.
How do I directly ground the idle solenoid? I only have one black wire coming out?

 

[TRFCSUX]

Fuse

Hey Sam, i would replace the fuse even if it looks good and clean the contacts up, this was my problem and left my truck useless for two months while i replaced half the parts under the hood. You will need to work on the solenoid next, have to hear the click, no clicky no worky ! Just take it apart and clean it up ,put it back together. Good luck, keep us posted. I will be back in town on Sunday evening and will be glad to come out and give it a look if you don't have it up and running by then.

 

[jcj_78FJ40]

Sam,
You may have a sticking needle valve. Check the inspection window on the carb. The gas line should be about halfway. From your earlier post, it sounds like the float valve may be stuck open and flooding the carb at low rpms. If it is a sticking valve, you can usually temporarily knock it loose by tapping around the float bowl with a wooden dowel.

Good luck

 

[Devilmans Hand]

No real progress tonight. I didn't check the forum again until just now.
Ill replace the fuse and take check the needle valve Sunday morning.
Tracy, ill try that solenoid jumper then as well.

I opened up what I think is the emissions computer, which is really just a simple card, and resoldered a couple of cracked solder joints.
I can fire up the engine now with two gas pedal pumps and the idle will be normal for about a minute, then the mix will get very rich. I'm thinking that I dont have a solenoid issue and I am just running uber rich. Ill take the top off the Carb and check the float and whatnot.