Ok, I know the history of the 2LT being a total POS, so no flames, if you please.
The biggest problem with the 2LT, I believe, is that it was too small of an engine to power a 70 series 'cruiser, awful heavy vehicle for a 2.4l engine. So, I put a 2LT (not 2LTE or 2LT-II, old style rocker-roller valvetrain) from a ~1985 LJ71 into a US model 1982 LN pickup to replace the anemic 1L engine. I figured in a much lighter vehicle, alnog with some redundancies and mods, it should scoot along pretty good. And it does. So, a bit more history with a list of said mods:
-recore rad to three core "racing style" (increase coolant capacity).
-Davies-Craig electric water pump. In compound with OEM pump, triggered by thermostatic switch to prevent "heat soaking" on the head.
-Aux. electric fan, also on thermoswitch
-2.25" exhaust. EGT stays under 1000°F even when I push it a bit.
-intercooler.
-Turbologic wastegate controller (BoostController.com LLC - America's Source for High quality turbo boost controllers, silicone hose, and more performance products - 877-836-6155- precision boost control. Turbosmart Warehouse Distributor) for $60, it beats the hell out of a hokey "grainger valve" system. Peaks at 12psi for about 0.5sec (the value at which the red light comes on in the LJ)
-New head from www.allhead.com.au with the "steam bleed-off" kit.
-Remote bypass oil filter. Better filter and increase oil capacity.
-Total rebuild, bored, new pistons bearings etc. Done by best pro shop I could find. They also did the short-block assembly for me, so the ring-gaps etc. should be spot on.
Broke it in real nice. Got a load on, ran it for 1 hour, low speeds, no highway driving or sustained constant RPM. Oil+filter change. Ran it for about 1,000 mi. Same deal, back roads uphill downhill, no sustained highway speeds. Oil+filter change. Ran for 3000mi with some moderate highway driving ~60mph. Oil+filter change.
All the while, little oil leaks kept springing up everywhere. The vac pump hoses went bad, as did the vac pump O-ring. The oil line fitting on the alt. turned out to be half stripped. The half round plug on the back of the head kept leaking (use "The Right Stuff the first time!). Long story longer, It was hard to tell how much oil was actually being consumed as opposed to simply leaking. Now that I have all the leaks stopped, the damn thing is burning 0.5 litre every 2-3 days! And it seems worse on highway driving.
I realize that some oil consumption is normal during break-in, but this seems excessive at 7,000 mi. I haven't done a compression test yet, but the unit seems to run beautifully. Lots of go, holds it speed going downhill, the compression seems good just driving it. There doesn't seem to be excessive blowby out of the valve cover, a bit of oil comes out but nothing huge. Oil press. runs about 19-25psi at idle and 45-50psi driving. Temp runs between 175°-195°F.
I may have made a mistake though. Not really reading up too much first, I have been running Amsoil SAE30/10W30 syn. diesel oil. After the fact, I read some articles that claim due to syn. superior lubricity, it can cause the rings to "glaze over" and not seat in properly. But there are many conflicting reports on this. I asked my own mechanic (specializes in import diesels, hard to find down here), and he said that there is some truth to that, more that the engine will take longer to break in properly, and not to panic just yet just keep it topped off and run it through the winter and see how it goes.
I really hope I'm not looking at a re-ring, that would suck with two straws. What else could it be? Crappy valve guide seals? I'm stumped. This is a great little truck, I'm not redy to give up just yet. Sorry this post is a little on the windy side, any ideas?
The biggest problem with the 2LT, I believe, is that it was too small of an engine to power a 70 series 'cruiser, awful heavy vehicle for a 2.4l engine. So, I put a 2LT (not 2LTE or 2LT-II, old style rocker-roller valvetrain) from a ~1985 LJ71 into a US model 1982 LN pickup to replace the anemic 1L engine. I figured in a much lighter vehicle, alnog with some redundancies and mods, it should scoot along pretty good. And it does. So, a bit more history with a list of said mods:
-recore rad to three core "racing style" (increase coolant capacity).
-Davies-Craig electric water pump. In compound with OEM pump, triggered by thermostatic switch to prevent "heat soaking" on the head.
-Aux. electric fan, also on thermoswitch
-2.25" exhaust. EGT stays under 1000°F even when I push it a bit.
-intercooler.
-Turbologic wastegate controller (BoostController.com LLC - America's Source for High quality turbo boost controllers, silicone hose, and more performance products - 877-836-6155- precision boost control. Turbosmart Warehouse Distributor) for $60, it beats the hell out of a hokey "grainger valve" system. Peaks at 12psi for about 0.5sec (the value at which the red light comes on in the LJ)
-New head from www.allhead.com.au with the "steam bleed-off" kit.
-Remote bypass oil filter. Better filter and increase oil capacity.
-Total rebuild, bored, new pistons bearings etc. Done by best pro shop I could find. They also did the short-block assembly for me, so the ring-gaps etc. should be spot on.
Broke it in real nice. Got a load on, ran it for 1 hour, low speeds, no highway driving or sustained constant RPM. Oil+filter change. Ran it for about 1,000 mi. Same deal, back roads uphill downhill, no sustained highway speeds. Oil+filter change. Ran for 3000mi with some moderate highway driving ~60mph. Oil+filter change.
All the while, little oil leaks kept springing up everywhere. The vac pump hoses went bad, as did the vac pump O-ring. The oil line fitting on the alt. turned out to be half stripped. The half round plug on the back of the head kept leaking (use "The Right Stuff the first time!). Long story longer, It was hard to tell how much oil was actually being consumed as opposed to simply leaking. Now that I have all the leaks stopped, the damn thing is burning 0.5 litre every 2-3 days! And it seems worse on highway driving.
I realize that some oil consumption is normal during break-in, but this seems excessive at 7,000 mi. I haven't done a compression test yet, but the unit seems to run beautifully. Lots of go, holds it speed going downhill, the compression seems good just driving it. There doesn't seem to be excessive blowby out of the valve cover, a bit of oil comes out but nothing huge. Oil press. runs about 19-25psi at idle and 45-50psi driving. Temp runs between 175°-195°F.
I may have made a mistake though. Not really reading up too much first, I have been running Amsoil SAE30/10W30 syn. diesel oil. After the fact, I read some articles that claim due to syn. superior lubricity, it can cause the rings to "glaze over" and not seat in properly. But there are many conflicting reports on this. I asked my own mechanic (specializes in import diesels, hard to find down here), and he said that there is some truth to that, more that the engine will take longer to break in properly, and not to panic just yet just keep it topped off and run it through the winter and see how it goes.
I really hope I'm not looking at a re-ring, that would suck with two straws. What else could it be? Crappy valve guide seals? I'm stumped. This is a great little truck, I'm not redy to give up just yet. Sorry this post is a little on the windy side, any ideas?
