Dave's Cruiser Questions

[FJ Noob]

Reading through the FSM, it seemed like a pretty straight forward project. The a/c doesn't work right now b/c the compressor is pretty crusty and seized up. I picked up a new Denso compressor on rockauto, along with the expansion valve and accumulator/drier. I'm all in under $200 for the parts, but the quote I got was for $1500 to install them and charge the system. Thanks for the offer.... I may take you up on the gauges and vacuum or I'll end up unable to resist the urge to get more tools!

 

[AJR]

Don’t forget o rings, maybe a pressure switch too, just because. 1500 is crazy, I guess they were going to throw your parts in the dumpster and buy all new oem parts.

 

[FJ Noob]

Yep, grabbed a pack of o-rings too. Good call on the pressure switch...might as well “while I’m in there” right!!

 

[ROBsSON]

Yep, grabbed a pack of o-rings too. Good call on the pressure switch...might as well “while I’m in there” right!!

If you don’t mind I’d like to come by when you do this I need to do the same on my 60, sure it’s not exactly the same on an 80 but seeing the process will help me out I’m sure.

 

[FJ Noob]

If you don’t mind I’d like to come by when you do this I need to do the same on my 60, sure it’s not exactly the same on an 80 but seeing the process will help me out I’m sure.

Absolutely...anybody is welcome to come hang out anytime to learn/watch something, give advice, turn wrenches, lightly heckle, or even just take up space consuming oxygen and/or beer in the driveway.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Late to the party, but AC systems either have an expansion valve OR an orifice tube. They do the same job, restrict flow to allow the gas to expand past the device. Most (if not all) newer cars have orifice tubes, so they're probably just using language they're familiar with.

 

[FJ Noob]

TIMING QUESTION....FJ60 2F

Ok, dumb question, but I've confused myself trying to think this one through. I'm trying to adjust my timing to see if it is possibly contributing to me getting higher engine temps at highway speeds recently.

I've got a timing light with a dial adjustment on the back. When I am setting my timing, do I leave it on 0 degrees or set it to 7 degrees to line up the "BB" on the timing mark?

 

[roadstr6]

TIMING QUESTION....FJ60 2F

Ok, dumb question, but I've confused myself trying to think this one through. I'm trying to adjust my timing to see if it is possibly contributing to me getting higher engine temps at highway speeds recently.

I've got a timing light with a dial adjustment on the back. When I am setting my timing, do I leave it on 0 degrees or set it to 7 degrees to line up the "BB" on the timing mark?

Either set the gun at 0 and adjust to the BB or set the gun at 7 and adjust to the TDC timing mark. It's easier to set at 0 and adjust to the BB because the BB gives you a better visual than the TDC mark does. BB is easier to see.

Check your fan clutch and your radiator. I'm running my 2F's with 10-12 degrees advance and no overheating issues. The last time I had an issue with a truck running hot on the highway, clogged up radiator was the problem.

 

[FJ Noob]

Either set the gun at 0 and adjust to the BB or set the gun at 7 and adjust to the TDC timing mark. It's easier to set at 0 and adjust to the BB because the BB gives you a better visual than the TDC mark does. BB is easier to see.

Check your fan clutch and your radiator. I'm running my 2F's with 10-12 degrees advance and no overheating issues. The last time I had an issue with a truck running hot on the highway, clogged up radiator was the problem.

Ok, I was right then... I set to 0* and adjusted to the "BB".... It's worse than it was before though .

When I first checked, I couldn't even see the flywheel marks in the inspection window. I adjusted to 7* BTDC (with vac adv hoses plugged), the RPMs dropped some, and the idle got a little bit rough so I made some slight carb adjustments to smooth it back out. Everything seemed good so I headed out to grab some welding gas. I could immediately feel a significant loss of power, the engine was struggling to reach 2K rpm (at least according to the tach), and the temp gauge showed it getting hotter than before so I headed back home.

When I got back, I reconfirmed 7* BTDC and then went ahead and did a carb adjustment from scratch, per the FSM just so it was running smoothly. Took it back out to see if anything changed; no dice....

- still no power
- only reading about 2K on tach, but "sounds" higher and can only get to about 50-55mph
- running hot according to the temp gauge (not into the overheating zone, but close...HOWEVER...shooting up and down the cylinder head with an IR gun, I'm showing 178* +/- 3* across the board
- fuel level seems to be dropping faster than normal; like I actually saw a noticeable difference after just idling for a few minutes and then doing a 5 mile test run

I replaced the water pump, fan clutch, and radiator about a year ago...not saying they couldn't be bad, but they are lower on my list of possible culprits.

At this point, it's the significant loss of power that's concerning me. I'm guessing here, because things only took a turn for the worse once I touched the dizzy, but....failing dizzy advance internals/vacuum advance possibly?

 

[roadstr6]

Take the vacuum advance hose off the carb. Wipe it off and suck hard on it. Slide your tongue over the hole in the hose and see if it holds suction. If it does, pull it off your tongue and listen for a muffled click inside the dizzy. If the diaphragm holds suction and you hear a click, your dizzy is good to go. It is probably missing the nylon stop pin bushing, but that’s okay. It sounds like your timing was set really high and setting it back down at 7 degrees sapped some power. Knocking the timing down to 7 did not help your overheating issue, so put the timing back close to where it was...10-15 degrees to get your power back. Then start troubleshooting your overheating issue. Don’t rule out a bad head gasket. 2F’s are not prone to head gasket failure, but it does happen. Check for bubbles in the radiator overflow.

 

[FJ Noob]

Take the vacuum advance hose off the carb. Wipe it off and suck hard on it. Slide your tongue over the hole in the hose and see if it holds suction. If it does, pull it off your tongue and listen for a muffled click inside the dizzy. If the diaphragm holds suction and you hear a click, your dizzy is good to go. It is probably missing the nylon stop pin bushing, but that’s okay. It sounds like your timing was set really high and setting it back down at 7 degrees sapped some power. Knocking the timing down to 7 did not help your overheating issue, so put the timing back close to where it was...10-15 degrees to get your power back. Then start troubleshooting your overheating issue. Don’t rule out a bad head gasket. 2F’s are not prone to head gasket failure, but it does happen. Check for bubbles in the radiator overflow.

After stepping back and thinking about it over dinner, I went out and did 2 things...

1) Checked for HG failure using a chemical test to check for exhaust gasses in the coolant....negative results for a failed HG

2) Advanced the timing a few more degrees. Ran it out on the road and power was back closer to normal. Temp wasn't AS bad as before. Like you said...retarded timing wasn't helping. I advanced it another degree or so and will test drive again in the morning. On deceleration under compression, I am getting a little popping or mild "backfire" I can hear around the exhaust manifold; not an actual tailpipe backfire.

I'll check the diaphragm like you described next.

Now my question is...what would cause the factory timing spec to be too retarded? I'm pushing 215K miles on the engine. Is it just age and wear?

 

[roadstr6]

Bad vacuum advance diapragm can create the need for more initial advance to compensate. Is your truck desmogged? If so, was the dizzy recurved? Which port on the dizzy is hooked up to your carb, inner or outer?

 

[mtweller]

Spray carb cleaner around all your intake and vacuum hoses. YOu might have a vacuum leak causing a super lean condition - could explain overheating and loss of power.

 

[FJ Noob]

Bad vacuum advance diapragm can create the need for more initial advance to compensate. Is your truck desmogged? If so, was the dizzy recurved? Which port on the dizzy is hooked up to your carb, inner or outer?

No, not desmogged; all original still. It's connected to the inner (closest to the dizzy cap) port, with the VTV in-line on the vacuum tube.

 

[FJ Noob]

Spray carb cleaner around all your intake and vacuum hoses. YOu might have a vacuum leak causing a super lean condition - could explain overheating and loss of power.

Uggghhh....I hope not....I just replaced the intake gasket and switched all the vacuum lines to new silicone ones (about 6 months ago). I don't want to think about getting back in there again any time soon!

 

[FJ Noob]

On a separate note, I went ahead and did a compression test while I was under the hood. Haven't done one on this engine because, quite frankly, I wanted to remain blissfully ignorant. The numbers weren't amazing, but within spec with less than the acceptable 14psi difference between cylinders per the FSM.

Maybe this weekend I'll get in there and check the valve adjustment, possibly even pull a spring and sample the free-length. That's something that's been lingering in the back of my mind for a while.

 

[FJ Noob]

@roadstr6 if I understood you correctly, I should be able to attach a piece of vacuum hose to the inner port on the vac adv on the dizzy, suck air out, cover with my tongue and feel suction....release and listen for a click?

If that's correct, then it looks like the diagram is shot...nice free-flowing stream of air as I'm hyperventilating in the driveway!

 

[roadstr6]

@roadstr6 if I understood you correctly, I should be able to attach a piece of vacuum hose to the inner port on the vac adv on the dizzy, suck air out, cover with my tongue and feel suction....release and listen for a click?

If that's correct, then it looks like the diagram is shot...nice free-flowing stream of air as I'm hyperventilating in the driveway!

Yep. Diaphragm is toast. You are only getting mechanical advance at best. Vacuum pot is NLA. @4Cruisers has reverse engineered a single stage advance diaphragm for your dizzy that will work for you, but the HAC system (outer advance port) will be inoperable. Contact him if you want to go that route. Not much else you can do.

 

[FJ Noob]

@roadstr6 thanks for recommending a solution. I'm going to check the dizzy from my project truck first, but if it's inop too...well then @4Cruisers, I'll be in touch!

 

[roadstr6]

I’ll add this. If you decide to open up the dizzy to replace the vacuum pot, check that the mechanical advance plates are moving freely and not rusted up. You will also want to come up with a solution for the old advance stop pin bushing that has most likely cracked and fallen off. I used a $.50 aluminum bushing from the hardware store. Just tapped it onto the stop pin.