As Johnny said before doing a test of your engine I would adjust your valve and check timing also. Do a compression test then after that a leak down after getting the internals adjusted to spec.
Cooking With The Crockpot
- Thread starter roadstr6
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #142
Johnny,
Your advice is sound as always. I will do the valve adjustment and flush and I will check the fins as well. Thanks guys! I'll report my findings.
Your advice is sound as always. I will do the valve adjustment and flush and I will check the fins as well. Thanks guys! I'll report my findings.
- Thread starter
- #143
Darin, I will do another compression check but I don't have a leak-down tester. Maybe I can "rent" one from Advance or Autozone. I'll check.
- Thread starter
- #144
This truck continues to baffle me. What I originally assumed to be a head gasket issue may have turned out to be nothing more than a sticky thermostat or a clogged cooling system. Still a little early to tell but I drove the CP to work yesterday with no hint of an overheating issue. Here's what I have done in the last couple of days:
1. Adjusted the valves: I pulled the air cleaner housing and drove a few miles to warm it up first. I then used the engine running method to check for out-of-spec valves and noted the ones that specifically needed attention. Then I used a ratchet on the alternator pulley and a little hand pressure on the belt to turn the engine over by hand. I watched for #12 to go completely down and then adjusted #1. Next, watching #11, I adjusted #2...#10 and #3, etc. until I got the valves for the first 3 cylinders adjusted. This took some time so I decided to plop the valve cover back on and run the engine for a few minutes to warm it up for the back three cylinders. Got them all in spec. None of the valves were off the chart in a bad way but several needed attention.
2. Flushed the cooling system: I read up on the muriatic acid flush and I was afraid to do it. It seemed a little too aggressive. I wimped out and got one of those Prestone flush kits from Autozone...you know the ones that you hook up to your garden hose. I installed the Prestone T fitting in the heater line and pulled the thermostat. The thermostat that was in there was an AUTORAD brand and I believe it was marked 195 degrees. It was a little taller than the factory thermo and there was no upper gasket on it. Anyway, I did the flush with no thermostat and lots of rust-colored water sprang from the radiator filler to stain my driveway and kill small thirsty animals. I poured in the Prestone cleaner and drove the truck around with no thermostat for about 15 minutes. Once I got home I did another flush to get the cleaner out of the system. I installed a new OEM Toyota thermostat, also using the correct upper and lower gaskets. Right now it is running on tap water and no coolant. I'll change it to 50/50 once I determine it's going to behave or before winter, whichever comes first. Yeah, I know...tap water is evil...yada yada. I'll change it long before it has time to calcify or cause scale problems. One more thing...I tested the old theromostat in a bowl of boiling water. It opened up as it should so I can't say with certainty that it was bad. It could have been sticking though...who knows?
3. I installed new plug wires: The truck had a very old set of wires on it and one had burned on my way to Hurricane Creek a while back. Luckily I had a spare in my tool bag. When I removed the old wires, a couple of them actually came apart and left the metal clips on the plugs. It was time. Beno brought me a new set of OEM wires when he was here for Logan's Run so I went ahead and installed them. Old cap and rotor looked good enough so I left them alone. Plugs are 3 months old and look great.
4. I fixed a carb problem: The truck was having trouble starting unless I stabbed the pedal three or more times before I turned the key. It also had an off-idle stumble that was starting to get annoying. Just messing around with the linkage, I found that the accelerator pump was stuck and would not fully depress or pull-out. Once I got it to break loose, it moved freely. I used a pick to pull back the little bellows and squirted a couple drops of oil down in there in hopes that it would make it down to the plunger. I think it worked.
5. Re-adjusted the timing. I had backed it down a few weeks ago thinking that detonation may be the cause of my overheating issue. It was still overheating even after knocking the timing down and it didn't have the pep that it did before so I dialed in a tad more advance. Less than initially, more than when I backed it way off weeks ago. The BB is just below the sight window now. You can see the very top of it peek into view with every few rotations (using a timing light, of course).
The truck drives the best it ever has in my time of owning it. Damn! It did not overheat on the highway at all. The temp gauge stayed steady on the cool side of normal the whole time. Maybe the only reason it didn't overheat is that yesterday was a cool day outiside (70's) but I doubt it. I think the overheating issue may be resolved! The throttle response is much better with a functioning accelerator pump. The idle is much steadier now and not as much lope in the exhaust, which I attribute to the valve adjustment. Overall it just feels better and much healthier. There is a tad more audible ticking going on under the hood now which is probably not a bad thing and doesn't surprise me much as I had to loosen up several valves to factory specs. This engine does have a bit of a tick though...always has since I've owned it. May be a bad lifter or who knows what? It runs decent and hasn't gotten worse so I'm not gonna' lose sleep over it.
I have not done a compression check yet, nor a leakdown test. I know that before I did the valve adjustment the #2 cylinder was way off at 110 psi. Thinking back, I can't remember even having to touch the valves on #2, so the condition of that cylinder may not have improved. I'll do a compression check and report back the results. The truck seems to be running pretty good at the moment...at least for a clapped-out 2F. I am pretty stoked!
1. Adjusted the valves: I pulled the air cleaner housing and drove a few miles to warm it up first. I then used the engine running method to check for out-of-spec valves and noted the ones that specifically needed attention. Then I used a ratchet on the alternator pulley and a little hand pressure on the belt to turn the engine over by hand. I watched for #12 to go completely down and then adjusted #1. Next, watching #11, I adjusted #2...#10 and #3, etc. until I got the valves for the first 3 cylinders adjusted. This took some time so I decided to plop the valve cover back on and run the engine for a few minutes to warm it up for the back three cylinders. Got them all in spec. None of the valves were off the chart in a bad way but several needed attention.
2. Flushed the cooling system: I read up on the muriatic acid flush and I was afraid to do it. It seemed a little too aggressive. I wimped out and got one of those Prestone flush kits from Autozone...you know the ones that you hook up to your garden hose. I installed the Prestone T fitting in the heater line and pulled the thermostat. The thermostat that was in there was an AUTORAD brand and I believe it was marked 195 degrees. It was a little taller than the factory thermo and there was no upper gasket on it. Anyway, I did the flush with no thermostat and lots of rust-colored water sprang from the radiator filler to stain my driveway and kill small thirsty animals. I poured in the Prestone cleaner and drove the truck around with no thermostat for about 15 minutes. Once I got home I did another flush to get the cleaner out of the system. I installed a new OEM Toyota thermostat, also using the correct upper and lower gaskets. Right now it is running on tap water and no coolant. I'll change it to 50/50 once I determine it's going to behave or before winter, whichever comes first. Yeah, I know...tap water is evil...yada yada. I'll change it long before it has time to calcify or cause scale problems. One more thing...I tested the old theromostat in a bowl of boiling water. It opened up as it should so I can't say with certainty that it was bad. It could have been sticking though...who knows?
3. I installed new plug wires: The truck had a very old set of wires on it and one had burned on my way to Hurricane Creek a while back. Luckily I had a spare in my tool bag. When I removed the old wires, a couple of them actually came apart and left the metal clips on the plugs. It was time. Beno brought me a new set of OEM wires when he was here for Logan's Run so I went ahead and installed them. Old cap and rotor looked good enough so I left them alone. Plugs are 3 months old and look great.
4. I fixed a carb problem: The truck was having trouble starting unless I stabbed the pedal three or more times before I turned the key. It also had an off-idle stumble that was starting to get annoying. Just messing around with the linkage, I found that the accelerator pump was stuck and would not fully depress or pull-out. Once I got it to break loose, it moved freely. I used a pick to pull back the little bellows and squirted a couple drops of oil down in there in hopes that it would make it down to the plunger. I think it worked.
5. Re-adjusted the timing. I had backed it down a few weeks ago thinking that detonation may be the cause of my overheating issue. It was still overheating even after knocking the timing down and it didn't have the pep that it did before so I dialed in a tad more advance. Less than initially, more than when I backed it way off weeks ago. The BB is just below the sight window now. You can see the very top of it peek into view with every few rotations (using a timing light, of course).
The truck drives the best it ever has in my time of owning it. Damn! It did not overheat on the highway at all. The temp gauge stayed steady on the cool side of normal the whole time. Maybe the only reason it didn't overheat is that yesterday was a cool day outiside (70's) but I doubt it. I think the overheating issue may be resolved! The throttle response is much better with a functioning accelerator pump. The idle is much steadier now and not as much lope in the exhaust, which I attribute to the valve adjustment. Overall it just feels better and much healthier. There is a tad more audible ticking going on under the hood now which is probably not a bad thing and doesn't surprise me much as I had to loosen up several valves to factory specs. This engine does have a bit of a tick though...always has since I've owned it. May be a bad lifter or who knows what? It runs decent and hasn't gotten worse so I'm not gonna' lose sleep over it.
I have not done a compression check yet, nor a leakdown test. I know that before I did the valve adjustment the #2 cylinder was way off at 110 psi. Thinking back, I can't remember even having to touch the valves on #2, so the condition of that cylinder may not have improved. I'll do a compression check and report back the results. The truck seems to be running pretty good at the moment...at least for a clapped-out 2F. I am pretty stoked!
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #145
Compression test before valve adjustiment (for reference):
Dry: 140,110,140,140,120,130.
New post valve adjustment compression numbers:
Dry: 135,135,140,145,120,130
Wet: 150,150,145,145,130,145
Not stellar but at least they are fairly even. Even enough that I'm about to rule out a HG failure. I guess we'll run it a while and see how it does. Note that #2 came up to 135 from 110. Valve adjustment made a big difference!
Dry: 140,110,140,140,120,130.
New post valve adjustment compression numbers:
Dry: 135,135,140,145,120,130
Wet: 150,150,145,145,130,145
Not stellar but at least they are fairly even. Even enough that I'm about to rule out a HG failure. I guess we'll run it a while and see how it does. Note that #2 came up to 135 from 110. Valve adjustment made a big difference!
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #146
The CP has been without heat since I took ownership. Adam gave me boxes of stuff, among which were the original heater and blower. Included were rebuild kits for both. With cooler weather coming here to NC I figured it was time to get some heat going. The wiring had been pulled loose from the blower resistor and I was fortunate to pick up a good used one from an FJ62 from coinoperated40. Thanks Shane! The pigtail is shorter but I got it to work by rotating the resistor mounting points on the fan top. Heater rebuild was uneventful. Core was in good shape. I just flushed it out and cleaned the fins real well. A coat of paint and new foams and it was ready to install. The firewall under the dash looked pretty nasty so I scuffed, primed and painted it before installing everything. Here's what it looks like now:
Heat works great!
Oh, one more thing...This truck is supposed to have the later cable actuated heater valve. It is MIA and the OEM replacement is pricey. I decided to plumb in a manual valve under the hood instead. I used a 1/2" brass ball valve and a couple of 1/2" x 5/8" fittings sourced from the local Lowes store for a total of $12. It works perfectly. I'm not too worried about losing the convenience of being able to operate the valve from inside the truck. I'm under the hood alot anyway and I would imagine that I'd only need to fiddle with it twice a year (spring and fall) to close or open it.
Heat works great!
Oh, one more thing...This truck is supposed to have the later cable actuated heater valve. It is MIA and the OEM replacement is pricey. I decided to plumb in a manual valve under the hood instead. I used a 1/2" brass ball valve and a couple of 1/2" x 5/8" fittings sourced from the local Lowes store for a total of $12. It works perfectly. I'm not too worried about losing the convenience of being able to operate the valve from inside the truck. I'm under the hood alot anyway and I would imagine that I'd only need to fiddle with it twice a year (spring and fall) to close or open it.
Last edited:
Glad it all worked out. I will see about pulling some wires as soon as I get back to the 62.
Shane
Shane
Something you might look into, and someday install, is a heater valve out of I think an older Ford pickup if my memory is working. It goes in the heater supply line and operates by way of a pull cable, like a manual choke. Anyway, if you spend any time in a pick-n-pull look through the older vehicles and see if you can find one.
Don
Don
- Thread starter
- #149
Thanks Don. I had seen a post about that and it looks like it would work great. I'll see what I can find. The current setup will get me by until I find something more convenient.
I have an OEM one you can have. Brand new. No cable for it though at this time but I might have it also if I look harder.
- Thread starter
- #151
Darin,
I have the cable and knob. Just missing the actual valve. I'll hook up with you at the Christmas Party if not sooner. I really appreciate it man!
I have the cable and knob. Just missing the actual valve. I'll hook up with you at the Christmas Party if not sooner. I really appreciate it man!
Cool. I will bring it with me then.
- Thread starter
- #153
The right turn signal indicator in the cluster has never worked. The cluster was full of dust and so I decided I would pull it out, clean everything and change out the bulbs. I did and the indicator still didn't work. I tested the bulb and it tested good. Hmmmm.... I then pulled the big round plug from the back of the cluster and figured out which pin worked the indicator. Jabbed a leather sewing needle through the insulation and attached a test light. Nothing.... Next was a three hour long disassembly of my heater ducting, ash tray and radio removal to get to the harness. I unwrapped the harness to find the end of the indicator wire laying at ends not connected to anything. After much head scratching I finally figured out that the turn signal wiring was wired to an unused emissions wire (blue white) on the plug on the back of the cluster. Clipped that connection and connected hooked to the indicator wire and viola! Blinky! Now that everything's back together I have a nice clean cluster, brighter lights, and both blinky arrows to look at. Life is good.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #154
I took some time this afternoon to do some general cleaning and tidying up inside of the CP. Scrubbed the floors with Simple Green and a tire brush. I also sanded and painted the (plenty strong but hard to look at homemade angle iron) seat frames.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #155
The CP's front turn signal housings were looking pretty rough. They did still function but they have been painted black at some point and the paint was chipping and the lenses were both cracked. I tried to remove the paint but the paint remover I used softened the plastic and created a slurry of goo that dried like concrete and wouldn't come off. I found a better set of used OEM housings for sale on MUD but the bases had been cut down to mount on the flat top of the fenders instead of the front angle. The price was right so I bought them, cleaned them, wet sanded with 2000 grit and polished with Novus plastic polish. I swapped the old bases over to these"new" housings. I must say the look is much improved.
Before (Left Side)
After (Right Side)
Before (Left Side)
After (Right Side)
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #157
The flares on my truck are from a Jeep TJ. I got them for $20 used at 4wheel parts in Charlotte. They were take-offs from a customer vehicle when they had some other type off flare installed. They had several sets stacked up. That has been several months ago tho.
I honestly think your truck would look better with the flares you've already got. The TJ flares are a tad wider than the ones you have. With stock wheels the TJ flares may be too much. I am able to get away with using them due to my wheel depth and offset and the 35's. I would honestly rather have those flares like yours but as I've said from the beginning, my Crockpot build is all about being cheap where I can. SOR wants a fortune for new flares.
I honestly think your truck would look better with the flares you've already got. The TJ flares are a tad wider than the ones you have. With stock wheels the TJ flares may be too much. I am able to get away with using them due to my wheel depth and offset and the 35's. I would honestly rather have those flares like yours but as I've said from the beginning, my Crockpot build is all about being cheap where I can. SOR wants a fortune for new flares.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #158
Dash knob refurb and new horns for the CP. The original low tone horn was dead. The Crockpot horn sounded just like my old Honda CT70 Mini Trail bike. Weeenk! Weeenk!
- Thread starter
- #159
I have always been surprised at how good the brakes were on the CP. It stops on a dime. However, the rears have a tendency to lock up a little soon in a panic situation. The rear axle is not stock. It has a custom offset Ford 9" rear with two big brake cylinders, one per wheel, not four small ones like the original set-up. I have always been suspicious that maybe the stock master cylinder is pushing too much fluid for the non-factory rear cylinder set-up. I ran across a post in the 40 Tech thread where a MUD member was selling a plug-n-play adjustable proportioning valve for the 40: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/brake-proportioning-valve.824723/ and decided to give it a try. First order of buisiness was to break all the connections loose. They were a little corroded and rusty so this took some effort. Once this was done I topped off the rear reservoir, covered it with a piece of thin rubber sheet (saran wrap works great for this too) and replaced the lid. Doing this will create a seal that will prevent the brake fluid from draining out once the lines are removed. Next, remove the lines and replace the old factory proportioning valve with the new adjustable one. The lines went right in with little fuss. The new unit comes with an 11mm stainless bolt and two nuts that attach it to the factory mounting bracket. Everything went back in easily. My wife, Amanda, assisted with the brake bleeding. I drove around the neighborhood, testing the brake function and making small adjustments to the knob. I found that the best setting for my particular vehicle was with the valve full out (the least amount of pressure possible). Truthfully, I wish the valve could be adjusted out a little more, but it is a huge improvement over the original non-adjustable valve. Overall I give this mod a thumbs-up for easy installation and effectiveness. It may be even more effective on a factory rear axle setup.
Last edited:
Thanks for the write-up. The pics look great (surely better than mine)! Yes, my own valve is also set at the low end of the pressure setting (Just 1 turn in my case). That seems to be the case with other adjustable valves folks have tried as well.
This valve has served me well on several occasions already. I used to get a loud slipping sound from my rear tires even for fairly moderate stops, sometimes creating drama for other drivers. Now days I'm not afraid to hit the brakes, and the car stops with a kind of composure I never had with the stock valve.
This valve has served me well on several occasions already. I used to get a loud slipping sound from my rear tires even for fairly moderate stops, sometimes creating drama for other drivers. Now days I'm not afraid to hit the brakes, and the car stops with a kind of composure I never had with the stock valve.
