destins 1964 fj40 FST restore thread

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A sudden ground problem comes sudden. had it ....
:hhmm:... maybe 20 years ago on my BJ43 , the Diesel engines shake, rattle & rock`n roll ;) a lot more than the gas engines, since I secured it no new problems
as Living in the past wrote a battery can die also sudden. My BJ43
eats batteries :rolleyes: * (24 V two in a row )
Cheers
Peter

* shake, rattle & rock`n roll
 
a.greenspan said:
A sudden ground problem comes sudden. had it ....
:hhmm:... maybe 20 years ago on my BJ43 , the Diesel engines shake, rattle & rock`n roll ;) a lot more than the gas engines, since I secured it no new problems
as Living in the past wrote a battery can die also sudden. My BJ43
eats batteries :rolleyes: * (24 V two in a row )
Cheers
Peter

* shake, rattle & rock`n roll
Click to expand...

Peter are both your battery's the same age and/or do you tap 12V from one of them?
These are besides a bad tuned regulator the main reasons for 24V Land Cruisers to run down battery,s.
 
waiting for time said:
Peter are both your battery's the same age and/or do you tap 12V from one of them?
These are besides a bad tuned regulator the main reasons for 24V Land Cruisers to run down battery,s.
Click to expand...

Normal they are in the same age but sometimes like this spring one battery was flat/dead ( could not recharge this one) the other was in good condition so I bought only one new.
Regulator isn`t the problem I think.
The quality of batteries became more and more bad over the years, produced in China and they don`t like shake, rattle and rock`n roll ;)
Cheers
Peter


..... forgotten I don`t tap 12V from one of them, I have a 12 V radio in the 43 but it`s dead since more than a decade ( only the fuse in the radio is broken ;) ) ..... need no radio :D
 
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If the battery is charged I going with the main ground cable. In the fuse block the ignition and lights are feed differently. The head lights/horn/brake lights/tail lights have power all the time. The coil/turn signal only have power when the switch is on. Seems funny the two would fail at the same time. All the lights had different grounding to the frame and I doubt they would all fail athe same time. Don't believe the fuseable link started until the mid seventies at the earliest. I know my 79 has fuseable links. Never had a reason to check my 76. Check to see if you have voltage between the positive termial on the battery and the frame. Check to see if you have voltage from the fuse block to ground after that. The large wire on the positive termial just feed the starter motor. The small wire feeds the rest. If there is a break in this wire it could cause all your problems.

This is what I like about working on these early cruiser is pretty simple to trouble shoot the wiring.
 
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hmm replace the fuses and nada

removed the heater form the fuse box jsut in case...

nada

should i go through and clean all the contacts on the fuse box?
What should i use to clean them>?

All the grounds to the frame etc seem good, no electrical across the board, no wipers, lights nada
 
Dielectric grease after cleaning contacts with small wire brush (disconnect battery first).

"battery is fully charged, no problem there. ( 12.2 volts by the meter )." That's not fully charged, 12.8 volts is after resting, 13+ volts immediately after charging. If you were driving it for a while, then somethings amiss with your charging system and/or your battery is going wonky.

What's the specific gravity of each cell in your battery (or voltage)? is your alternator putting out 14+ volts?
 
soooo after hitting every wire with a meter, and trying to figure out what the hell was happening....

guess where the system was being shorted? :D

The floor high beam switch!!!

The high beam wire came loose and was crossing with another bit causing everything to short out!

How the hell does that happen eh>?

Easy to bring the machine to its knees with a short eh?


middlecalf, running the stock generator with an electrical resister.

get 13-14 volts when running, but maybe i need to deep charge my battery or adjust the mechanical voltage regulator.

I know the generators are not as awesome as alternators, as at low idle the lights dim a bit until it refs a few rpms :)
 
Glad it was something so simple. I wouldn't say your generator is that much worst than the early low amp early alternators. On my 68 the lights dim at idle. It's really bad when running the front and back heaters. You can hear the fans slow down while idling.
 
destin said:
soooo after hitting every wire with a meter, and trying to figure out what the hell was happening....

guess where the system was being shorted? :D

The floor high beam switch!!!

The high beam wire came loose and was crossing with another bit causing everything to short out!
Click to expand...



Now that I think about it I would have a hard look at my wiring. That switch should only have power when the light switch is on. It can go to ground or turn both high and low beams at the same time. The ground should have blown the head light fuse. Both high and low on at the same time may blow a fuse also but not as qiuck. But in a properly wired vehicle it should not kill everything. Anything shorted so bad as to kill everything wires would be melting. If that wire had short there should be some kind of burn mark.
 
destin said:
yeah i am sure the previous owner did a number on the wiring here and there.

maybe down the road in a few years i can rewire it when i have more money :)

Just glad to have it running again :D
Click to expand...

Glad to see you're on the road again, enjoy :steer:, you've earned it.:grinpimp:
 
thanks guys :D

Hey any of you ever been out to cashmere/wenatchee/leavenworth WA area?
Wife was tentatively offered an awesome job there as a PA in a new medical facility...
She is also looking for jobs in the Portland area as well :)
I can work remotely so it is makes no dif to me. :)
If we move we would likelyrent our home we own here to cover the mortgage etc.

But damn those areas look to have bad ass outdoor s***e, like epic climbing and skiiing and offroading.
Anyone have any personal beta on the area?

Little off topic but just curious :D
 
Northern WA is rad...but Ih8rain! 10 years in pdx was enough for me! Thus the move to central oregon. Awesome here but not a lot of work!
Mt Baker=EPIC DEEP POW! Last time I was up there was after a 6 foot storm cycle. It was 8 degrees at the cabin down below the mountain. Snorkel city!!! You had to have a peeps and shovel just to get on one of the lifts!!! Thats no joke!!! ;-)

Glad ya got her goin again! Do give your wiring a serious look over. You dont wanna burn that beauty down! Carry a couple (would really suck to run out) fire extinguishers and install a cut-off on your battery! I roll with the stock harness in my 69 still but its in really good shape for 40 year old wiring! And I still carry 2 extinguishers and have a cut-off!
 
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fj404life said:
Northern WA is rad...but Ih8rain! 10 years in pdx was enough for me! Thus the move to central oregon. Awesome here but not a lot of work!
Mt Baker=EPIC DEEP POW! Last time I was up there was after a 6 foot storm cycle. It was 8 degrees at the cabin down below the mountain. Snorkel city!!! You had to have a peeps and shovel just to get on one of the lifts!!! Thats no joke!!! ;-)

Glad ya got her goin again! Do give your wiring a serious look over. You dont wanna burn that beauty down! Carry a couple (would really suck to run out) fire extinguishers and install a cut-off on your battery! I roll with the stock harness in my 69 still but its in really good shape for 40 year old wiring! And I still carry 2 extinguishers and have a cut-off!
Click to expand...

nice man :D

Seems to be a lot of PA work in eastern oregon as well ( smith rocks is right there as well )

Looks like the weather data says it rains less in that area ( Cashmere/wenatchee/leavenworth WA ) than in portland, but that may be older data ;)

hmmmmmmm, choices :D
 
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The shape of the wiring looks in good quality, it jsut the owner spliced some bits to add an electric fuel pump and some other crap it seems.

Yeah i should get up so speed on the wiring harness and see what i need to fix.
But damn at first glance that thing is a monster, so luck i manage to get it all connected back together properly :D
 
fj404life said:
... and install a cut-off on your battery!....and have a cut-off!
Click to expand...
Not a bad idea, have such a cut off in both Cruiser, we call them
"Nato Knochen" * .... if you search one, here we go
II201023a_Batterietrennschalter_Trost.jpg


Pelican Parts - Product Information: 0-341-001-001

Adress for such a switch in Europe /Germany:
KFZ Stecker & Adapter Batterie-Trennschalter 12V kaufen Sie bei WOICK

Cheers
Peter

* vintage style ;)
 
fj404life said:
It gets switched off when ever my 40 is parked for a while...
I like that one above as you could mount it inside the cab for quicker access and you can take the "key" with you...but would involve a lil wiring.
Click to expand...
I switch it off when ever my trucks are parked (good against surface leakage when parked for a while - no empty battery) & it`s a theft protection too.
Involves all wiring .
Mounted on the dash (the RED) near steering (right side) and on the little edge of the dash right to the steering wheel ( BJ43 *)

Cheers
Peter

* BJ43 part is for 24 V
 
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