DC to Mexico (am I crazy?)

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B

brianblack138

Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Threads
9
Messages
66
Location
Williamsburg, VA. USA
My 1982 BJ40 just came out of the shop after a full restoration and engine rebuild. I have about 300 miles on the engine breaking it in. I drove from Williamsburg, VA to Delaware and it did just fine on the highway. It’s got a 5 speed transmission from an FJ60 and a small turbo and it is comfortable at 65mph (though I’ve been varying the speed a lot and doing a lot of engine braking to break in the engine). It’s currently in Delaware, but I live in Monterrey, Mexico. I’ll be visiting some friends in DC this weekend, but am considering taking off to Monterrey on Monday.

I’m planning on driving south from DC to around Knoxville, TN on Monday (about 8 hours) and spending the night there. From there I will drive another 8 hours to Little Rock, AK and spend the night there. The third day I’ll drive about 9 hours to Austin and stay with some friends there. On Thursday I’ll drive the final 9 hours home to Monterrey.

Am I crazy? Should I just leave the cruiser in DC and pay to have it shipped to Laredo where I can pick it up and drive it south? Or should I make the trek taking a box of engine parts with me from my rebuild and handing them out like Santa Claus to ih8mud members along the way?

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Not crazy at all, really, depending on the depth and quality of the rebuild I suppose. Should be a good trip. Not sure how much fun it'll be to drive basically the length of Texas in a 3B though... I had a 5 speed in my 3B and it was very happy at 50 mph. The turbo scares me. Do you have an EGT gauge?

Lovely rig by the way. Great "stance" as they say.
 
Do you trust the shop? What do they think of the idea?
I had 600 miles on my furiously finished restomod and jumped in it and drove to SW Colorado, with an engine that should have been gone through but wasn't. At least the injection side of things.
People I met thought that was a little crazy.
2nd the EGT gauge.
 
Tennessee Jed said:
Not crazy at all, really, depending on the depth and quality of the rebuild I suppose. Should be a good trip. Not sure how much fun it'll be to drive basically the length of Texas in a 3B though... I had a 5 speed in my 3B and it was very happy at 50 mph. The turbo scares me. Do you have an EGT gauge?

Lovely rig by the way. Great "stance" as they say.
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I do have a pyrometer and boost gauge. The turbo is a small one that I bought from a gentleman on here who designed it and mapped it to the engine.

I bought this vehicle in 2018 in Colombia when I lived there and had the body restored there (they pressed a new body for it). I had the injection pump and engine rebuilt in America (and yes, I trust the shops). Disk brakes on the front end. New A/C installed. New alternator and battery. Dakota digital gauges. Transmission rebuilt in the US.

Edit: tomorrow I’ll post a list of B engine parts that I have (these are B engine parts, not 3B) in case anyone needs anything.
 
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Found one problem. The oil drain from the vacuum pump (mounted on the rear of the alternator) is plumbed into the oil filter. It should go straight to the sump. As a result, oil exiting the vacuum pump is under pressure and is leaking out of the hose clamp attaching the hose to the vacuum pump. Does anyone have a picture of how the oil line routing should go? I’m going to try to rectify this tomorrow so that oil drains from the vacuum pump into the sump under no pressure.
 
brianblack138 said:
Found one problem. The oil drain from the vacuum pump (mounted on the rear of the alternator) is plumbed into the oil filter. It should go straight to the sump. As a result, oil exiting the vacuum pump is under pressure and is leaking out of the hose clamp attaching the hose to the vacuum pump. Does anyone have a picture of how the oil line routing should go? I’m going to try to rectify this tomorrow so that oil drains from the vacuum pump into the sump under no pressure.
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3B Vacuum Pump.gif

My experience has been with the vacuum pump on the newer 3Bs and they are plumbed into the fitting that supports the oil filter. The oil leak that you are describing could very likely reflect that the hose and crush washers need to be replaced. I have found these hoses (+ crush washers) to be very prone to leaks and, they when they leak, they make a big mess fast.
 
LDowney said:
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My experience has been with the vacuum pump on the newer 3Bs and they are plumbed into the fitting that supports the oil filter. The oil leak that you are describing could very likely reflect that the hose and crush washers need to be replaced. I have found these hoses (+ crush washers) to be very prone to leaks and, they when they leak, they make a big mess fast.
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Thank you. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what is happening. It seems to be leaking from the connection that is attached by a hose clamp to the bottom of the vacuum pump. It’s certainly leaking enough to make a mess. I just replaced the hose and hose clamp yesterday but will have to run it some more and see if maybe it’s also dripping from the crush washer as well. I wish there was a better way to connect this fitting than a hose clamp, but sadly it seems like I can’t replace the nipple at the bottom of the vacuum pump. I might have to tie a rag around both connections for the time being and see which one is actually leaking.
 
brianblack138 said:
... dripping from the crush washer as well. I wish there was a better way to connect this fitting than a hose clamp, ...
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I may be keying off your wording too much. There are 2 crush washers at each banjo fitting; one on each side.
In the case of a new hose with 2 crush washers, there might be contamination in the mating surfaces which is resulting in a leak path or the nut was not tightened enough to crush the washers.

FYI These crush washers are close to SAE size (ID is key, the OD can be slightly larger), so the are available at well stocked parts stores. [i.e., you could get new washers and fix it today if that works for you]

Good luck
 
LDowney said:
I may be keying off your wording too much. There are 2 crush washers at each banjo fitting; one on each side.
In the case of a new hose with 2 crush washers, there might be contamination in the mating surfaces which is resulting in a leak path or the nut was not tightened enough to crush the washers.

FYI These crush washers are close to SAE size (ID is key, the OD can be slightly larger), so the are available at well stocked parts stores. [i.e., you could get new washers and fix it today if that works for you]

Good luck
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I brought the engine up to temp to inspect and I found the problem. Unfortunately, the hose that was used to replace the oil line from the outlet of the vacuum pump to the inlet of the oil filter had a hose clamp connecting it to the vacuum pump, and a crimped on metal end that connected it to the fitting that mated to the oil filter with the banjo bolt. It was the crimped on metal part that had failed. So I’m at my in-laws with few tools and no shop. I’m going to try my luck with a local shop that is open today and see if they can manufacture an oil line from hydraulic hose. The fitting circled in yellow is where the crimped on hose popped loose from the metal fitting.

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brianblack138 said:
I brought the engine up to temp to inspect and I found the problem. Unfortunately, the hose that was used to replace the oil line from the outlet of the vacuum pump to the inlet of the oil filter had a hose clamp connecting it to the vacuum pump, and a crimped on metal end that connected it to the fitting that mated to the oil filter with the banjo bolt. It was the crimped on metal part that had failed. So I’m at my in-laws with few tools and no shop. I’m going to try my luck with a local shop that is open today and see if they can manufacture an oil line from hydraulic hose. The fitting circled in yellow is where the crimped on hose popped loose from the metal fitting.

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So if it was the crimp clamp that failed, can you either get the band off and hose clamp it, or feel how long the barb inside is in the hose and put a hose clamp on above or below the failed crimp clamp?
Or maybe I'm understanding it wrong and it's more like a hydraulic crimp, not a narrow 1/8" band thing? But still if you could get it off or slid up you could hose clamp it maybe.
 
Ditcherman said:
So if it was the crimp clamp that failed, can you either get the band off and hose clamp it, or feel how long the barb inside is in the hose and put a hose clamp on above or below the failed crimp clamp?
Or maybe I'm understanding it wrong and it's more like a hydraulic crimp, not a narrow 1/8" band thing? But still if you could get it off or slid up you could hose clamp it maybe.
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It’s a hydraulic crimp, so I really have to have a new hydraulic hose made. I get the sense that this hose is under a lot more pressure than my original mechanic thought as the vacuum pump is pushing all of that oil to (and through) the full-flow filter.
 
brianblack138 said:
It’s a hydraulic crimp, so I really have to have a new hydraulic hose made. I get the sense that this hose is under a lot more pressure than my original mechanic thought as the vacuum pump is pushing all of that oil to (and through) the full-flow filter.
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I don’t know much specifically about the 2F but logic would say these pressures are in the 30-90 psi range, not the 2250-3500 psi range that would necessitate hydraulic crimps.
Not arguing to not fix it right, just trying to help you get by.
 
Ditcherman said:
I don’t know much specifically about the 2F but logic would say these pressures are in the 30-90 psi range, not the 2250-3500 psi range that would necessitate hydraulic crimps.
Not arguing to not fix it right, just trying to help you get by.
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I agree. I’m sure the 3B is not putting out that high of pressure, but it did just push the crimp off a hose rated for 300 psi, so I’d rather be safe than sorry.
 
I would drive it once you get the hose repaired to your satisfaction. I just drove my 75 from Princeton, NJ to Austin, TX. Did my first night in Knoxville too. It’s a nice ride and my trip was uneventful, save for the constant questions at every fuel fill up :). Completed the trip in 2.5 days:

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DrRock said:
I would drive it once you get the hose repaired to your satisfaction. I just drove my 75 from Princeton, NJ to Austin, TX. Did my first night in Knoxville too. It’s a nice ride and my trip was uneventful, save for the constant questions at every fuel fill up :). Completed the trip in 2.5 days:

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Beautiful truck! Hydraulic hose seems to do the trick. Repairs took longer than expected today, so I got on the road late. As a result, I only made it to Lexington, VA. The engine definitely prefers breathing colder air, and 55 - 60 mph seems to be the magic speed. The little turbo put together by Diesel42 hums along and I keep it under 13psi boost and 1300 EGT. As I’m breaking in the engine after a rebuild, my mechanic had changed the oil from break-in oil after the first 20 minutes of use. I changed it yesterday (well, I’ve been changing it constantly all last week, but I changed the filter yesterday) at 500 miles and I’ll change it again at 1500 miles. I’ve been varying RPMs and doing a lot of engine breaking to seat the rings, but now I’m letting the Appalachians do the work for me.

I think my problem came from an alternator replacement. My “rebuilt” alternator that I bought and had installed was only putting out about 12.4 volts due to a burned out charging post. I found an Isuzu NPR alternator when I was in Delaware and a mechanic who was willing to grind it to fit my bracket. However, the vacuum pump probably made more pressure than my old, worn-out, pump on the “rebuilt” alternator. Today I took the hose to a hydraulic shop and had them build me a hose that had a 3/8” hose to connect to the banjo bolt attached to the oil filter and a 1/2” hose to connect to the vacuum pump hose barb. JIC connections and heavy-duty, hydraulic hose clamps. That has done the trick so far. Oil pressure stays constant at about 20psi once I’m up to speed and cruising down the road.
 
Made it to Jackson, TN. Smooth sailing so far. Finding out the quirks (like the LED headlights with low-beams that randomly stop working when you go over a bump requiring a quick switch to high beams). Either the engine is breaking in and gaining a bit more HP, or the cooler, denser air is giving the engine a boost. I changed my oil at 500 mi of driving and I now have 750 mi on this current oil. I’ll change it at 1500 miles and then will be on regularly scheduled changes every 3000 miles.
 
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