Builds Grey Gardens FJ62LG-PNEA: An idiots guide to resurrecting a high mileage FJ62 (1 Viewer)

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17 Hg near sea level is fine for a high mileage engine, particularly if the needle is steady.
 
My 2F has 21" and is at 355,000 miles, but I've redone the head on that one and its spotless on the inside.

I've got a 3FE "racehead" that @CruiserTrash helped me find. Light port clean up, and huge stainless valves. Maybe I'll throw it on this one day.

This 3FE runs strong, doesn't smoke and idles nicely. I just need to drive it more and keep up with the fluids.
 
AC is charged. Wipers now work again and I can throw the linkage back in tomorrow.

We’re almost ready to put carpet back into it and daily it.

40* vent temps in 70* weather tonight. We had to charge it again with r134. I was ready to put r12 into it but I didn’t have the right tap for the can.

I also need to throw a new starter into it. It won’t hot restart unless I tap on the starter with a wooden pole. It’s done this before.

This will work for now. It gets a coffee shop run tomorrow if it doesn’t rain.

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I still need to clean the evap out. I can’t wait to see how much better it gets.
 
This truck is beating me up over the wiper fuse.

I had a slow motor on the wiper before, it would run a few times and then stop. The motor connector was slightly melted. I sourced a used wiper motor; bench tested it and just installed it after servicing the linkage.

It blows the fuse every time I connect the connector to the motor with the ignition on.

I've done a lot of searching and found threads from @John McVicker and others about how it was usually a chafed or grounded wire on the chassis harness by the transmission. I've unplugged all of that, and it still pops fuses. My reverse lights are also not working now. This is a common fault with a few documented cases (if you don't support mud, and you've ever googled something like "ih8mud fj62 brake fuse popping" this is your sign to sponsor this goldmine of info right now.

I've unplugged the body harness from the back going forward and I'm going to inspect it all inch by inch and re insulate it all. I also removed an old trailer harness (it's always the trailer harness, just not this time @red66toy), I also remade the starter to chassis ground since my connection point at the frame looked a little frayed. I found two exposed wires from the old Trans Temp sensor, and I covered those up.

I bought one of these, it will be here tomorrow, and I'll power the outbound side of the fuse block where the fuse blows with a jumper and the power side of this tool to see if I can locate the break/ground fault in a linear manner. I'm hoping it works like I think it will. I've used fancy versions of this to find breaks in instrumentation for my day job, maybe this will do it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BC4X28Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A lot of people say it's the Neutral Safety Switch on a 62, but with the H55F I'm using @cruisermatt 's harness to enable my rear lights.

I think the truck is fighting me because I'm so very close to getting to legally pass safety in Texas and I can start driving it daily. It's happy being the neglected 62 like @samc2447 says and being locked in the garage.

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I never would have found it. I had an old gray hair exotic car mechanic come over just now.

The wiper motor I installed as a new "good" used one was internally faulted. The contact points that allow the intermittent feature within the motor enclosure to work were folded over and caused an internal ground fault.

We trouble shot the wiring (I just sat back and watched, no speaking) and helped him gauge it all out. He bent the tabs back into place and it stopped blowing fuses.

Wipers work on all three speeds, now to charge the battery back up and go at it all one by one to reconnect it all.

Sometimes good parts aren't good. My mistake. Lesson learned.
 
Remade all my ground cables and added a few more.

I had some weirdness with the old frayed cables throughout. I could check voltage terminal to terminal or terminal clamp to clamp and get good numbers. But if I went from positive to the body ground point that the very same cable it’s attached to, it would sometimes show a lower number or no ground at all.

Used 0/1 gauge and crimped it myself to fit. It was nice to make sure all the ends were clocked and insulated properly.

Had to remove the ac compressor and bracket off (again) to get the main ground to block back on and off. Worth it.

I’ll install some braided ground straps in random places tomorrow and call it quits. I would like to run a thin gauge welding wire all the way back to the hatch area for a solid ground there. I think it would help the rear license plate light and hatch.

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I mean, I hope you realize how priceless using a wooden pole to start your cruiser is...that's just love.
 
I mean, I hope you realize how priceless using a wooden pole to start your cruiser is...that's just love.
Oh I’ve done it many times.

Although I’ve swapped on a starter I had on the shelf and it didn’t work in the process of doing all of this.

I tried hitting it with the pole in question. It spun but didn’t engage.
 
Two starters on my shelf. One I thought I bought new in box, the other looks like I pulled it from a parted down 2F and it has a denso remanned sticker on it. I put the new pretty starter in it and it clearly doesn’t work.

I get a spin, but no engagement.

I should have put the nasty denso in. Dang it.

The one that was in the 62 would run fine but hated a hot restart. It wouldn’t hot restart without a good smack from a wood pole, but I wonder now if that was the cables.

At least my ground cables look pretty.
 
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All three starters are junk.

One doesn’t do anything.

One smokes and doesn’t restart sometimes (was in the 62 when I got it)

One spins but doesn’t eject.

Lovely.

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Off to the Local rebuilder?
 
Unsure. I can get an OEM Toyota remanned for $150 ish.

$125 to get a local rebuilder but I live 80 miles from the big city where its located, so its two half day round trips to take them there and I have to wait a few days.

I can drive right now to a buddies house and get one, may do that tomorrow.
 
I’m really liking this truck. But it’s really a wife truck. She likes it too.

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I’ve got the original starter from my 40 still hanging about. Worked fine when I swapped in the GR one.
Not sure why I am telling you as I don’t know if it would even fit or where in Texas you live.
 
I’ve got the original starter from my 40 still hanging about. Worked fine when I swapped in the GR one.
Not sure why I am telling you as I don’t know if it would even fit or where in Texas you live.
I’ve got 2 of those, didn’t want to use or lift them. I appreciate the thought.

I did a 180 mile trip yesterday to go get another GR from my friend.
 

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