HDJ100 - Body off renovation, now with a hot dip galvanised frame *Picture Heavy*

[GremlinMobile]

I have a similar issue with my AHC fluid looking like yours, with so much air entrapped in it. My theory is that even if the globe is leaking nitrogen, at some point it will all leak out and stop. Hasn't happened yet, so I'm theorizing that there is air getting into the system somewhere. Perhaps where the reservoir attaches to the pump, there's a little o-ring that might be letting air in? I'll be very curious to see when you replace your globes what the outcome is.

Hats off to you for sticking with it. There is something to be said for just switching to springs and shocks and having that peace of mind when you're embarking on such a long and distant adventure. But there's also something to be said for the convenience of a properly working AHC. But that 8 hour troubleshooting spree to solder one wire is quite the testament against it.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Hats off for sticking with AHC and dealing with all the unpleasantness !
As much as I love AHC, I would've ripped it out in a heartbeat the first time it game me trouble.

 

[2001LC]

Hummm...

AHC FL (front circuite of system) kept filling with air and then FL shock (ram) busted.
Could it been the LF global was shot, and driven on so long on bumps, the LF shock took to much stress!
Possibly, internal leak in ram, sucking air on extension. I'd think a sign/clue of this, would have been, fluid leak at FL shock.

I've found issues with undercarriage wires, as have others. That puts AHC into failsafe OFF:

Andy ( @suprarx7nut ) found what may have been same wire bad, as you did. He just ran a jumper, bypassing it.

I found, with help of your frame off pictures. Corrosion inside, a rear 1/4 tip DS undercarriage wire housing block. Result in increased resistance depending on moisture content of the day. It would work some days wet some days dry, confusing the issue further. Using FSM diagnostic tree lead me down a 8 hour rabbit hole. It was Andy that suggested I check the wires. He was right!

A second one in failsafe, I ignored diagnostic tree. Just went straight to undercarriage wiring. I found a bust wire on accumulator. It looked as if rodent chewed, all but a few strains of copper wire, which they later broke. It's become my standard procedure to check these wires

Good luck!

 

[Moridinbg]

@2001LC I suspected bad globe, that's why I replaced them all with known good ones from a different truck. Shock broke right after, so don't know if that resolved the aeration issue.
Ride was not harsh as with ruptured/bad globes and I was getting some ~9 graduations, so don't think it was that which got the shock.
For the air, I have a suspicion it might be the grommet between the reservoir and pump assembly, as mine was chipped ages ago.

@GremlinMobile yeah, I have been in cruisers with the suspension swapped and they ride either too soft or horribly hard for my liking and without being able to adjust according to situation. I guess I can get something adjustable like Icons or Kings, but even after I replace everything on the AHC, I would still be left with some money, compared to switching everything to conventional.
Also when driving through Patagonia, I really appreciated that there is just so much oil in the AHC that it barely gets warm after driving for hours over washboards at speed.

 

[Mike NXP]

Wow you're a mad man, glad to see you are still having fun out there and seemingly not letting anything slow you down in regards to keeping your truck adventure worthy.

Dude, that tire falling off. I think you saw my other thread with the same s*** that happened to me. I'm pretty careful about tightening down my lugs as I imagine you are. Any ideas of why that happened ?

Same exact symptoms for me except my axle seal was leaking first. I drove 2000+ miles like that before all the sudden the tire felt out of balance but only at like higher speeds..... I totally convinced myself it was from mud as I ignored it and drove slower.....Then it got worse and worse and luckily I stopped right before it gave out. Seems like you had the balls to push it further lol.....Weird part was, when I stopped I watched a snapped off stuf go rolling by and the lug is still like super tight on it. hmmm, anyway life goes on

Have fun out there!

 

[100ovrlndcrzr]

What an Odyssey. I can totally relate to the feeling of tiredness through the middle and end stages of a build of such epic proportions! Its actually pretty funny, thinking back, that we did similar things around the same time. I started with that piece of scrap metal of a hundred series in 2019/2020 and kept going since. Anyway, my deepest respect on what you did and happy for you that you ultimately made it to South America.

Going through your posts I would like to know if you could share a few more details on the modifications to the headlights as well as the engine rebuild. If I understood correctly you had the injectors redone in the UK and the rest of the engine somehwere close to Sofia? Was that Garage31, you mentioned who did this?
With the problems you described in the aftermath, would you have them do it again?

The reason I am asking is, that I only got to somewhat rebuild the rear and still have the front that needs a good amount of work. With almost 500k km on the clock Im also considering a engine rebuild. With the prices you mentioned I could imagine myself doing a holiday trip to Sofia in the near future.

And of course, I would do so many thing differently, if I would do it again. So how about you, what would you have done differently?

Again, thanks for sharing your story with us!