Good idea or bad?

[Catahoula]

So i have this 72 fj40 that runs pretty good. The acceleration is a little slow and kinda bogs down when i give it a lot of gas from a start but its not terrible ... besides that it runs great. Other then some obvious cosmetics and new tires and wheels i want to get im wondering if you would suggest doing anything to my motor. Its all original and im just afraid if i start doing little things like changing the spark plugs it might throw some other stuff out of wack. Most of my buddies are telling me to just not to anything and fix things as they need rather then try and upgrade because i might run into more issues. what do you think?

 

[Mtrunner]

It depends on your abilities. If you are pretty good, then upgrading won't be so problematic. You have better perspective.

If you aren't the best mechanic or new, fixing as you go along could be the easiest situation. You'll learn as you go along and take things slowly, resulting in less stress and down time if you're new to wrenching.

 

[igotta40]

Are most of your buddies usually right about things? How well do their trucks run? Will they come to your aid if you break down after having taken their advice?

I would get a service manual and see that the engine is serviced to specs, like valve lash, new dist. cap & rotor, point gap/dwell angle, plug gap, ignition timing, idle mixture, pcv valve, etc. etc. Good Luck.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Changing the spark plugs should never have a downside

 

[Fast Eddy]

im just afraid if i start doing little things like changing the spark plugs it might throw some other stuff out of wack. Most of my buddies are telling me to just not to anything and fix things as they need rather then try and upgrade

There's a big difference between upgrades and maintenance. Do the air cleaner, fuel filter, plugs, wires, points, adjust the timing, dwell and valves, all after the brakes are perfect.

 

[makomark]

Besides the maintenance items mentioned by fast eddy and of course the brakes (most important) you can buy a $7.00 compression meter and $3.00 feeler gauge from Harbor Freight and adjust your valves (easy to do) and check your compression. This will give you an idea of the overall health of your motor and maximize the performance with little effort.

 

[creativ37]

In addition to what others have mention here, I would thoroughly check the air intake to the carb. You would be surprised what kind of garbage you can find in an air cleaner assembly. If your truck bogs down when you give it gas it's not getting enough of one or more of the following: spark, fuel, or air.

During your tune up, don't forget to check the PCV valve, especially if your truck idles rough.

Good luck to you!