Builds CLARK - FJ62 docu-series thread (2 Viewers)

[toy_tek]

Good news (parts collection) / Bad news

Scored a nice set of 2014/2015 BMW 3 series seats, full electric, off Marketplace. Cleaned up, motors tested, order pending for some Torfab brackets because it's 108 in the shop and I don't feel like cutting, welding and grinding for a few months.

CL find, unused set of 4+ sliders. I swear... nothing Dave builds isn't extreme duty! I was on the fence about installing sliders, but now I'm pretty stoked.

Going to move from the iKamper to this Maggiolina I picked up from another local 'Mudder . Ok not just any 'Mudder, pretty much the most solid dude ever, BWesty. Going delete the roof rack in favor of crossbars I think, and the tent is going to get a coat of Raptor Liner in Desert Tan. Autohome tents are built really well.

But the crap thing is today I discovered the recently rebuilt CSF radiator is leaking... again. Glad I installed the remote drain!

 

[BurntToast]

Good news (parts collection) / Bad news

View attachment 3666870
Scored a nice set of 2014/2015 BMW 3 series seats, full electric, off Marketplace. Cleaned up, motors tested, order pending for some Torfab brackets because it's 108 in the shop and I don't feel like cutting, welding and grinding for a few months.

View attachment 3666871
CL find, unused set of 4+ sliders. I swear... nothing Dave builds isn't extreme duty! I was on the fence about installing sliders, but now I'm pretty stoked.

View attachment 3666872
Going to move from the iKamper to this Maggiolina I picked up from another local 'Mudder . Ok not just any 'Mudder, pretty much the most solid dude ever, BWesty. Going delete the roof rack in favor of crossbars I think, and the tent is going to get a coat of Raptor Liner in Desert Tan. Autohome tents are built really well.

View attachment 3666873
But the crap thing is today I discovered the recently rebuilt CSF radiator is leaking... again. Glad I installed the remote drain!

Have you measured the voltage potential in the coolant? @dbbowen saw his radiator go to crap because of it

 

[toy_tek]

Have you measured the voltage potential in the coolant? @dbbowen saw his radiator go to crap because of it

I hadn’t. Just checked, negative battery post to coolant shows -0.22vdc then starts dropping as long as I hold it there. I’ll need to research this a bit, never dealt w it before. Thx for the heads up.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Have you measured the voltage potential in the coolant? @dbbowen saw his radiator go to crap because of it

I think Brian was running an aluminum radiator though, and this is a brass one. I dunno, maybe a voltage can present itself on a brass one too.

 

[BurntToast]

I think Brian was running an aluminum radiator though, and this is a brass one. I dunno, maybe a voltage can present itself on a brass one too.

Agreed, it’s just a sign of voltage potential, the galvanic problems directly correlate with increasing potential. But your right, it could be something else

 

[dbbowen]

I think i read when i was doing my deep dive into this that on copper/brass radiators the actual solder joints can cause galvanic corrosion which is kind of insane. If it makes you feel any better, my old IS300 had a CSF radiator and it leaked exactly like that one.

 

[CruiserTrash]

I think i read when i was doing my deep dive into this that on copper/brass radiators the actual solder joints can cause galvanic corrosion which is kind of insane. If it makes you feel any better, my old IS300 had a CSF radiator and it leaked exactly like that one.

Not being a smart ass here, honest question: how did the original radiators not have the galvanic issues and last 30-40 years??

 

[dbbowen]

Not being a smart ass here, honest question: how did the original radiators not have the galvanic issues and last 30-40 years??

Your guess is as good as mine. My fj60 oem rad lasted 30 years and 200k miles. My FSR Rad lasted 1.5 years before leaking. My is300 OEM radiator lasted 20 years and 240k miles and the CSF one in it lasted about a year as well. It cant be as simple as they dont make them like they used to

 

[CruiserTrash]

Your guess is as good as mine. My fj60 oem rad lasted 30 years and 200k miles. My FSR Rad lasted 1.5 years before leaking. My is300 OEM radiator lasted 20 years and 240k miles and the CSF one in it lasted about a year as well. It cant be as simple as they dont make them like they used to

Maybe, maybe not. Sure is strange though. 41 years out of my original radiator. I bought the CSF used - Tucker ran it for one year in his 60 before going LS. Let's see how long it lasts for me.

 

[toy_tek]

It cant be as simple as they dont make them like they used to

It could be… or perhaps more likely *where* they make them.

Also I wonder how much of a difference any changes in antifreeze has here. I never gave AF a second thought 20-30 years ago now I’m second guessing it every time I have an issue (ie too often).

 

[CruiserTrash]

I know it’s spec’d for newer Toyotas but I’ve been running the Toyota red and mixing it 50/50 with distilled water. Not sure why, but that’s the route I went.

 

[toy_tek]

I know it’s spec’d for newer Toyotas but I’ve been running the Toyota red and mixing it 50/50 with distilled water. Not sure why, but that’s the route I went.

I did too for the last 5 years. See the above leakage pic. Hopefully you’ll have better luck. I’m flushing now and going to Prestone green next.

 

[toy_tek]

So the radiator leak ended up being one little spot where the tube meets the lower core plate. You can see the extra globule of solder here, I asked them not to paint it after the repair. They pressurized it in the dunk tank while I was there and verified no leaks. Got it installed, and so far so good during the 3 heat/cool cycles and test drive. Time will tell. He did tell me the internal condition of the tanks and tubes were good, so fingers crossed maybe it'll last awhile. Since I live in AZ, external salt corrosion on the fins is not a concern.

Removing the radiator is such a PITA with the stock mounting. The upper two bolts go in from the front of the core support, and accessing them really requires removing the bolts for the AC condenser to pull it forward. Well I have my winch contactor mounted in front of the condenser, so this requires removing the grill. Which requires removing the light bezels. All for access to the 2 upper radiator bolts.

So I decided to mod mine so the bolts could go in from the back side of the radiator.

This wasn't all that difficult, I cut the square nut off the rubber mount sleeve/washer part and welded a nut onto the front side of the core support. Then I got a 3 year old to spray some paint on there. It's me... I'm the 3 year old.

Not sure if that'll be helpful for anyone else, but it sure will be for me. Between this and the split shroud, should be able to get the radiator out in under 20 minutes now.


Some engine temperature commentary... At this point I *think* I have a pretty thorough understanding of the 3FE temps, been working on and observing mine for about 7 years in the Phoenix summers, commonly at 110-118 deg F ambient. Having an external temp gauge is really key here, I have an electrical Autometer plumbed into the top radiator hose (which measures the hottest water in the system). At one point I had also measured that the radiator outlet (at the bottom) was about 30* cooler than the inlet, although it's been awhile and I don't think that was done in the middle of summer.

Partly due to a comment OSS posted on a temperature discussion awhile back ("what's wrong with 210*?" if I recall correctly), I realized per the Toyota FSM that the 190* t-stat isn't even fully open until 210*. That realization changed my mindset on what is "normal" for this engine. This isn't groundbreaking information of course, but I think so many of us (me included) somehow were/are under the impression that anything over 200 is an issue. Anyway, after my H55 swap I'm seeing about 190-200 during "around town" use in 110 degrees ambient and AC full on. I'll report back here after getting on some of the long highway uphills in the summer heat.

 

[toy_tek]

Albright contactor left, Amazon knock-off right

Mounting strut

Contactor detail

Looking from driver side

Looking from passenger side, grill installed.

Probably 7 or 8 years ago I ditched the Warn M8000 solenoid bank in favor of an Albright "style" contactor on my 4Runner. Honestly it worked fine, however I never really subjected it to any strenuous use. Now that the Warn winch has found its way to the LandCruiser I decided to upgrade the contact to a legit Albright thanks to @PIP. I had already had the knockoff mounted, so much to my delight, the Albright bolted right up without any further modifications.

The mount is a section of L angle that is mounted to the front of the two lower AC condenser bolts. I made a stud in the middle of the mount that attaches to the vertical grille support (visible in the driver side view above). It's super solid and out of the way. I installed the winch controller plug into the vertical support, it requires the hood to be opened to connect, but that's an additional measure of safety if needed.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@toy_tek Here’s the thing that gets me about coolant temps, and maybe I need to rethink things.

Both of the 60s I’ve owned and daily driven have had an upper radiator hose temp gauge - I also chose the Autometer electrical gauge. Both have had the stock thermostat, radiator, and either red or black fan clutches. And in that state, both were pretty locked in at 185-190* at all times, under any conditions. Shoot, even wheeling in Moab in August when it was 110*, my truck never went above 190*.

On my current 60 I replaced the original radiator, which sprang a similar leak to yours, with a CSF. Temps now get to 210-215 when I’m pushing the motor on mountain passes, and ~205-210 on flat highway running 65mph. 33s and 3.71 gears require about 80% throttle for me on relatively flat ground.

I hear you say that the thermostat is only fully open at 210* and that we need to rethink the operating temps we’re comfortable with, but why did both of my trucks in stock form never go above 190*? Not saying you’re wrong. I’m genuinely puzzled. Penny for your thoughts.

 

[toy_tek]

On my current 60 I replaced the original radiator, which sprang a similar leak to yours, with a CSF. Temps now get to 210-215 when I’m pushing the motor on mountain passes, and ~205-210 on flat highway running 65mph. 33s and 3.71 gears require about 80% throttle for me on relatively flat ground.

I hear you say that the thermostat is only fully open at 210* and that we need to rethink the operating temps we’re comfortable with, but why did both of my trucks in stock form never go above 190*? Not saying you’re wrong. I’m genuinely puzzled. Penny for your thoughts.

It's a good question. Is it due to the CSF? Perhaps. Does the above remain true for the summer duration? I just drove 300 miles from Jacobs Lake yesterday which has two very long and steep grades, I was definitely in the 210-215 range for those, 3rd gear around 50 mph. Kinda sucked. But never overheated. Seems to be par for the course in the summer here. Normally around town (non-highway) it'll be in the 190-200 range when it's 110* outside. BTW I was seeing 225-235 on those hills with the automatic trans in the past. Huge improvement with the H55.

 

[toy_tek]

Been slacking on the updates here. Got the BMW seats installed, I think the best "bang for the buck" upgrade going honestly. 300+ mile trip yesterday pretty much nonstop, and the seats are just comfy and perfectly adjustable. They came from a 2015 325i. Torfab brackets because cutting and welding steel in a metal shop in the middle of the Phoenix summer would just suck. The brackets are beefy!

I had removed the rear heater assembly for the Tuffy console install, so the 30A heater circuit was in the perfect place to tap into and re-allocate to power the seats. I didn't bother with the can bus trickery, but I did wire in a power switch that switches the existing 30a relay on/off, which in turn provides direct power to both seats. The switch is a lighted pushbutton, you can see it lit in the lower corner of the console here. Green light comes on when the seat power is on.

Also visible is the Yeasu FTM400DX head unit mounted on a Ram ball which is bolted to the Tuffy cupholders. Pretty clean, and so far pretty happy with the positioning. The suction cup Ram is my old phone mount... I'll probably install a permanent Ram ball there at some point.

 

[toy_tek]

Inaugural camping trip w the Autohome Maggiolina up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A couple of poser pics...





The trail

The view

The forest

The Commander of Carne: BWesty

The gang

The Moonrise

The pooch

 

[toy_tek]

Quarterly update here. Got out camping in southwestern AZ for a couple days over 2024-2025 New Years break. On the way home the death wobble that had occurred a few times in town reared its ugly head to the point that I had to take sidestreets home in Phoenix. It was bad on the highway. It was pretty infrequent and visual inspection didn't reveal anything obvious.

I still drove it to work a bit, and one morning in February, it wouldn't start (in the garage thankfully). Found the fuel pump running, but no flow or pressure. All the fuel pump trials and tribulations are detailed on this thread.

In conjunction with the fuel pump replacement, I installed the Long Range America 40 gallon tank that I had ordered at the end of 2024. This in itself was pretty straightforward - the instructions are quite clear and aside from draining the original tank via the drain plug, it was painless. If you're considering this, don't let the job discourage you.

Here's the new pump and the modified pump hanger before installation:

So the fuel pump test drive went ok, but I could still tell the front end wanted to get funky at any opportunity it could. I finally dug into that issue, and removed the front springs to inspect the parts, bushings, and also install the 4Plus Products U-bolt flip kit.

---

Death Wobble

I had noticed awhile back that I had a few issues with my Dobinsons front springs.

• The first issue was the passenger side spring seemed to be twisted (thread here).
• The second issue is that the military wrap was not centered, and was contacting the rear spring hanger on both sides (post here)

After I removed the springs, I could tell a few of the bushings were ovaled out. I could see nothing bent on the truck, hangers, or the shackles. I inspected the springs and used a digital level to check for any twist - one of them had about 1.1 degree of twist and the other has 2.1 degrees of twist. Honestly I'm not sure if that's critical or not, but in the future any time I receive new springs I'll measure this before installation.

Here's a pic of the front spring passenger side rear hanger where the military wrap had been in contact:

Above is the passenger side spring military wrap, the red circle is where it was contacting the hanger. The green circles illustrate that this spring is not splayed, but you can clearly see the military wrap isn't centered on the spring eye. This is poor manufacturing if you ask me. But, I was able to swap the drivers side spring and the passenger side spring and due to the way the rear hangers are formed, there is now no contact. If you're installing Dobinson's springs, pay attention to the military wrap and make sure to install the springs so it isn't contacting (since the front springs aren't marked driver or passenger). I didn't install these springs the first time BTW.

So I believe that (possibly) the spring contact on the hanger caused the spring eye to lean to one side, perhaps leading to the perceived "twist" at the front shackle. Not 100% sure on that, but the "contact" issue is resolved now by the spring swap.

Since it was pretty clear after less than 3 years on this spring kit that the Dobby's bushings were basically shot - I ordered up a set of OME poly bushings from Cruiser Outfitters . Of course those guys are great, they said they weren't sure if anyone had installed OME bushings on Dobbys springs, but gave me the bushing dimensions and that sounded like it would work based on my measurements. 36 hours(!) later I had the bushings in my hands and confirmed they fit perfectly. The OME bushings seemed quite a bit stiffer/harder than the sub-three year old Dobby's. Got everything installed & torqued up, and there is a noticeably positive difference in feel with the front end (not entirely unexpected). There is no added harshness given the (perceived) stiffer compound of the OME bushings, I'm glad I chose that option (not to mention the OME bushings are about $30 less than the Dobby's).

Good news is the death wobble issue is solved.

 

[RevISK]

Dobinsons have gotten the last dollar from me.
Far too many issues and far too few F’s to give.