Fluid Leak on rear of engine (1 Viewer)

[lazy]

Reinstalled starter and the vehicle fired right up. Tested again, fired right up. Turned off, reinstalled wheel, put some tools away, tried again and no crank. I'm going to try the fusible links, but the cruiser may need to stay home this trip. Unfortunate because life is always more fun with an 80.

What's the relay people replace? Maybe try that? I've convinced myself it's not a starter, battery or power lead problem....

 

[lazy]

There is no relay to either of the wires to the starter in case anyone is wondering....

 

[WCBlueSky]

If it doesn't start in Park, will it start in Neutral? Could be the NSS.

 

[lazy]

Starting now and consistently. Before i replaced the fusible links it was starting. I'm thinking it is heat related as it has cooled off with nice cloud cover.

 

[BILT4ME]

The fact that you're hitting less than 12 .5 volts is a problem. You should not have that kind of voltage drop to the starter.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Check your grounds. Clean them. This could be another source.

 

[lazy]

The fact that you're hitting less than 12 .5 volts is a problem. You should not have that kind of voltage drop to the starter.

Im either an idiot (likely) or my mm is broken. Even after testing my battery at like 13v i can't get the stupid thing to read a known low voltage. I have to set it to output max and it's like using a megger, even between the terminals. Works for 120v though and it's not like my old one where you had to set it to high or low voltage.

Edit: as suspected, I'm an idiot. I figured out the mm....

Truck is starting though, I'm nervous taking it on a trip since i haven't pinpointed the issue. All i know is battery is good, starter is good and fusible links have been changed....

Edit 2: with my new found multi meter skills, 12.59 v between battery posts, 12.59v on power lead at starter....

 

[Rush]

My newly-rebuilt 91 (3FE) took the wife and I high up into the mountains last weekend.
Great power, ate hills happily.
Until I tried to start it again when we wanted to get home.

Mine did the exact same thing, but it took about an hour of sitting to start this time... Not the 5 mins of beauty rest it usually requires. I'm ordering a denso reman starter and letting it prove itself before I trust it to that degree again.

 

[lazy]

Check your grounds. Clean them. This could be another source.

I did this. Mainly because my valve cover replacement job i undid the harness and the ground and forgot reconnect it. I was at one point today optimistic this would solve my problem. Do i checked the grounds, took some wires from a wire brush under the fingernail swearing it would be worth it and the answer to all my problems. My balloon was popped as soon as i tried starting it back up.

I do think it is the fusible links....going for a test drive now to get it nice and warm and see if there are any issues.

 

[051009]

Saw it mentioned up above too, when mine wouldn't start it ended up being the neutral safety switch. After a while the copper contacts in the NSS start to get grooved and don't maintain contact as well.

You can try shifting the shifter back and forth a few times PRNDL up and down and try again in either P or N. I also had luck just turning the key over and and over again.

Eventually took NSS apart and smoothed down the NSS copper contacts so the grooves were gone and problem disappeared.

 

[lazy]

Going down the nss rabbit hole now since i cant get it started. I got all the lights you're supoosed to, right?

 

[lazy]

got the thing undone from the NSS and flipped over to the driver's side. I can't figure out how to remove the white retaining clip???

 

[WCBlueSky]

Stuck NSS connector...HELP!

Hello Great minds of the 80 series community. I’m trying to disconnect the barrel shaped connector that connects my NSS to the harness. I’ve wedged a dental pick under the small retaining clip, I’ve tried to pull this thing apart and I can’t seem to do it given it’s akward location. I’ve even...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[051009]

Not sure about that link, my NSS connector didn't look anything like that.

My NSS connector looked like this:

Neutral Safety Switch and Starter Problems

After a month of reading a gazillion threads on starter issues on my 95 LC, I finally was able to narrow down my problem to a corroded wire end (black with white stripe) at the neutral safety switch (NSS) connector located on the transmission housing. Keep in mind that I am not even considered...

forum.ih8mud.com

Which reminds me, you should also check those two big wires in the NSS, 2nd picture in the link. I had to replace both of the corroded pins on the larger black/red and black/white wires going into the larger connector. They were both corroded and had fallen apart.

After replacing those with brand new parts I still had the no start problem and eventually took the whole NSS apart to do the copper contact cleaning/sanding flat like I mentioned above.

 

[051009]

To troubleshoot it in the meantime you can try pulling those two larger gauge wires from the connector and connecting them together for now. That will bypass the NSS for starting (everything else will work as far as gear shifting/neutral/backup lights) but just be absolutely careful you don't try to start the car in gear cause connecting the black/white black/red wires together will bypass the safety the NSS is meant to provide.

I would try connecting them for now just to see that your no start issue goes away, that way you will know for certain your no start issue resides somewhere in the NSS or NSS connector/pin terminals.

 

[051009]

See posts 54 and 55 in this link, if you are talking about the white clip on the NSS connector the retains the pin terminals for each of those wires, it just lifts up to an unlocked position, it doesn't get removed all the way.

Starter or Neutral Safety switch

Sorry to hear that Brett. I had a similar issue with a different cause a while ago: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/73390-80-wont-start.html If I recall from looking at where the NSS harness plugs in, it isn't so much fun to get to that connector. Man Brett, with all the problems...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[lazy]

See posts 54 and 55 in this link, if you are talking about the white clip on the NSS connector the retains the pin terminals for each of those wires, it just lifts up to an unlocked position, it doesn't get removed all the way.

Starter or Neutral Safety switch

Sorry to hear that Brett. I had a similar issue with a different cause a while ago: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/73390-80-wont-start.html If I recall from looking at where the NSS harness plugs in, it isn't so much fun to get to that connector. Man Brett, with all the problems...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks. I was reading through that last night, but u just needed to step away since things were being read, but not processing.

So, it looks like the white part flips up or pulls out? Once i get them out, i can just tape together and see if that fixes the problem. If so, i can at least narrow down to that part of the circuit - either a contact issue with the connector/pins or an issue with the switch (grooved copper).

I'm going on vacation for the next week. I'm going to try and forget about all this.....

 

[051009]

Hey I apologize as I needed some time away to think about this more too... I may have been wrong about the NSS connector/pin removal. The white clip lifting and not pulling out may have been another connector I was thinking about. Thinking about it more, I admit I can't remember how the NSS connector pin terminal retaining clip works, you may be right that it pulls out from inside the connector and is removed entirely.

 

[lazy]

Well, some times taking your own medicine is the hardest thing to do. I got home this evening and grabbed some wire to jump battery to solenoid. I figured I'd try the key route and i stopped even getting the click from the starter. I remembered i had unplugged the nss and fed over to the driver's side of the tranny.

So, i said, "lazy, be lazy. And check the connectors before you plug that bad boy back in so you dont have to unplug it again " I finally figured out how the lock comes out. Spoiler, it slides out. I used a pick to get it going and then took the whole thing out with some pliers. My connectors look like new.

Hmmm....i said to myself, might as well pull that nss off and check those contacts while your chubby self is sliding around under the truck. You need a 12mm and 22mm sockets. I finally got that off. Yes, my truck is dirty and I'm pretty sure my valve cover was leaking pretty good for quite some time (see op in this thread).

So, it's all cleaned up, copper contacts are sanded down flat. I checked continuity at the 2 solenoid wires at the connecter holding the copper across the nss copper rail things - 0.1 ohm. I assume that yellow stuff is dielectric grease?

Questions:

1) clean the contacts by sanding or some vinegar?
2) stuff with dielectric grease?
3) just buy grease at napa or what?
4) any other checks with the thing open?
5) where in fsm is the service of the nss?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[051009]

I've never seen anything in the FSM about servicing the NSS. I just took went down this path seeing someone else try it too but I ended up doing a little more (sanding contacts, pulling on the spring, checking continuity)

Take a picture of the wiper side with the two tiny little copper contacts with springs underneath, if there are ridges on the two copper pieces you want that piece to be completely flat. You'll see what I mean if there are ridges created by riding the "rails" of the NSS that you have pictured above. If the copper pieces aren't making good contact you won't have good continuity between the rails that connect the black/white and black/red wires when the shifter is in PARK or NEUTRAL.

I don't think you need to sand the contacts on the curved rail side that you have pictured but post the picture of the wiper side first. I used dielectric grease but I believe the original stuff is a different compound that probably serves the same purpose.

I even slightly stretched out the two little springs that push the copper contacts into the rails, not too sure if that was a good idea or not but so far it's held up.

The goal here is just to make sure there is good contact between the rails that carry the black/white to black/red when in P or N.

Did you ever try just jumping the wires together and seeing if your starting issues go away first?

---EDITS----

Sorry, reread and missed the part where you had sanded the contacts already. Hopefully you only did it until it was flat and didn't remove too much material. Goal is to make sure the springs/contacts form a good contact between the rails (I know I already stated this). In another thread I saw someone mention the yellow stuff is some lithium based dielectric grease, I didn't have any of this so I just ended up using some clear Superlube I had laying around, I put some all over the inside and around the small springs and contacts as well. Put it all back together and moved the wiper a few times to let the wiper/contacts get settled in first.

0.1ohm sounds like it's making good contact to me..

---Sorry EDIT EDIT---

I couldn't follow where you were taking the resistance measurement from, how and where were you measuring it?

(Thinking about it more before diving into the NSS, jumping the black/red and black/white together would've definitively told you if the NSS needed to be serviced, but you're already past that)