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Do you use a block heater? Which model?
HJ60 in Winter: Help
- Thread starter Kalen Thorien
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Do you use a block heater? Which model?
TLC Norway
woodwelder
Yeah, battery charger. If I had access to a generator, I'd probably have a 12/24v battery charger handy, no need for a big bastard, but something that could revive/maintain the batteries if I planned to stay at a place for longer periods.
I use a circulating coolant heater, hooked to the small hoses that goes to the cab/firewall.
I plug it in when temperatures point towards 0F just to give the engine a better start of the day.
Below 0F I usually just leave it in over the night if I'm close to land power, because I baby my engine.
My heater has a thermostat, so it will not boil the water or use excessive amounts of power, when the water is at 50*c it keeps doing it's job, on and off.
About your glow system failure, check that the temp sensor is hooked up, I should be on the top of the block, near the front, or into the side of the manifold, above the fuel pump. A couple pictures of your engine would tell me what glow system you have.
The sensor could be disconnected, dead or just a bad connection.
If someone crawled around the engine it could have been tampered with.
The sensor is part of the guide for how long the full glow is activated, and for how long the afterglow (lower voltage) is activated.
How many volts do you read at the glow plugs? For how long?
Some glow systems have a spring loaded section of the ignition, just before 'start' position, look at your dash voltmeter when slowly turning the key to start, does it drop a few volts?
Is this video you can hear me using this feature, (relay clicks) having bad glow plugs, old batteries and the rig had been left for a week in the cold. No worries
Hey Kalen, so if the radio install guys cooked an entire radio, it's possible they cooked some fuses as well. Check the fuse box under the dash for s***s n giggles, though they're probably fine.
What I really think they might have cooked was one of the Fusible links- these are 3 fuses that attach right to the positive connection on the high side battery (passengers side battery) The fusible links are wire fuses - they are the thin short coloured (2 green , 1 yellow) wires that are attached to the connector and then go a short distance to a tiny black plastic box that contains screw links. They feed the glow system it's power. If the radio guys had tapped into that power source to wire the first radio, they might have blown that fusible link, which would cripple your glow system. So pop your hood and poke around with the coloured wires, if one of them is burned through, you'll have to fix it - you might be able to shorten the fusible link and repair it or you would have to buy new ones - which is a pretty easy fix.
Here's a wiring diagram for the System- the fusible links are the wiggly symbols just above the batteries- they also show the gauge (size) of the links, if you have to buy new ones - you can get generic links rather than Toyota ones...
On the subject of batteries, keep an eye on the Optimas, a number of people using them in 24 volt systems have had trouble with them dying prematurely, although the yellow tops have apparently been better than the reds- do a search on this forum for opinions, there are lots!
I don't have any sort of preheating system for my truck, but being in Vancouver, it's not super cold, so I haven'y bothered. I would probably put one in if it was as cold as Norway...
What I really think they might have cooked was one of the Fusible links- these are 3 fuses that attach right to the positive connection on the high side battery (passengers side battery) The fusible links are wire fuses - they are the thin short coloured (2 green , 1 yellow) wires that are attached to the connector and then go a short distance to a tiny black plastic box that contains screw links. They feed the glow system it's power. If the radio guys had tapped into that power source to wire the first radio, they might have blown that fusible link, which would cripple your glow system. So pop your hood and poke around with the coloured wires, if one of them is burned through, you'll have to fix it - you might be able to shorten the fusible link and repair it or you would have to buy new ones - which is a pretty easy fix.
Here's a wiring diagram for the System- the fusible links are the wiggly symbols just above the batteries- they also show the gauge (size) of the links, if you have to buy new ones - you can get generic links rather than Toyota ones...
On the subject of batteries, keep an eye on the Optimas, a number of people using them in 24 volt systems have had trouble with them dying prematurely, although the yellow tops have apparently been better than the reds- do a search on this forum for opinions, there are lots!
I don't have any sort of preheating system for my truck, but being in Vancouver, it's not super cold, so I haven'y bothered. I would probably put one in if it was as cold as Norway...
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hj 60
JT1W0HJ6000960839
Hi, For winter in the Netherlands I replaced the 6 glowplugs and never had a problem, one failing can make it difficult.
Poor hot water over the inlet if it does not start.
I have a heater and with timer it starts just as good as without but the blower heater is warm (not hot) so fast window defrost (if heater is full open in hot position the glass sometimes does not freeze at the bottom) and the engine idles nice, there are two places to mount 30 mm and 35 mm:
DEFA 411122 (Truck, 600 Watt) 30 mm, park so reverse is only way to leave to prevent damage...
This is 30 mm under the injector, and works fine:
Use a 35 mm block heater and mount that behind the EDIC, this is a better place as warm water goes up.
I have used a 30mm heater just below the injector, that works good, but the 35 mm might me better:
These are the two partnumbers for spare 35 mm plug if heater fails:
11431B 90331-35003 PLUG, TIGHT, NO.2 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK). PLUG, TIGHT, NO.2 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK) (08.1980-08.1987) 2H,12HT..HJ6*; OD=35,ID=14
11431A 96411-43500 PLUG, NO.1. PLUG, TIGHT, NO.1 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK) (08.1980-08.1987) 2H,12HT..HJ6*; OD=35
30 mm plug:
11116C PLUG, TIGHT, NO.3
96411‑43000 12HT, 2H..HJ6*, OD=30 12 € 5.01
This is the 35 mm location:
Poor hot water over the inlet if it does not start.
I have a heater and with timer it starts just as good as without but the blower heater is warm (not hot) so fast window defrost (if heater is full open in hot position the glass sometimes does not freeze at the bottom) and the engine idles nice, there are two places to mount 30 mm and 35 mm:
DEFA 411122 (Truck, 600 Watt) 30 mm, park so reverse is only way to leave to prevent damage...
This is 30 mm under the injector, and works fine:
Use a 35 mm block heater and mount that behind the EDIC, this is a better place as warm water goes up.
I have used a 30mm heater just below the injector, that works good, but the 35 mm might me better:
These are the two partnumbers for spare 35 mm plug if heater fails:
11431B 90331-35003 PLUG, TIGHT, NO.2 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK). PLUG, TIGHT, NO.2 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK) (08.1980-08.1987) 2H,12HT..HJ6*; OD=35,ID=14
11431A 96411-43500 PLUG, NO.1. PLUG, TIGHT, NO.1 (FOR CYLINDER BLOCK) (08.1980-08.1987) 2H,12HT..HJ6*; OD=35
30 mm plug:
11116C PLUG, TIGHT, NO.3
96411‑43000 12HT, 2H..HJ6*, OD=30 12 € 5.01
This is the 35 mm location:
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The best location for the block heater is the one next to the starter like in HJ60's last picture, you want it as low as possible so the heated coolant travels up and circulates everywhere.
Mine came with the truck from the dealer in 1987, I'm suprised you don't have one as all the canadian HJ60 I've seen had the same red plug block heater.
For the glow plugs, the stock system is great, when it works..
I got sick of chasing problems and didn't want to get stranded somewhere so I put a manual switch (search wilson switch) to simplify the system with NGK 21.5V glowplugs, it will work with stock 14V glowplugs but they won't last as long
Mine came with the truck from the dealer in 1987, I'm suprised you don't have one as all the canadian HJ60 I've seen had the same red plug block heater.
For the glow plugs, the stock system is great, when it works..
I got sick of chasing problems and didn't want to get stranded somewhere so I put a manual switch (search wilson switch) to simplify the system with NGK 21.5V glowplugs, it will work with stock 14V glowplugs but they won't last as long
I would really consider converting your glow plug system to operate completely off of a manual "push button" switch on the dash. You could spend a lot of money troubleshooting the factory system (which is a good system, but...it is getting old and it will give you grief sooner or later). I use a heavy duty solenoid mounted on the inner fender well. A heavy cable from the batter feeds one side of the solenoid, and an equally heavy cable on the opposite terminal feeding the glow plug buss bar, (the bar the goes from plug to plug). Then all you need is a low amp signal from a manual switch on the dash to trigger the solenoid, thus firing the glow plugs for as long as YOU decided to cycle or not cycle them. I am also an avid outdoors person and have had many old diesels and a few glow systems have failed when WAY WAY back in the bush, which now almost always leads me to convert to a fully manual setup on whatever vehicle, so it won't leave you stuck. I have never had an HJ60, just BJ60's (the 4cyl diesels) but im quite sure you could rig up an HJ the same way. Someone else will know better then me about the HJ's. Shouldn't cost you more then $40 and easy to do.
A little time and effort in ironing out little quirks like these will make you LOVE your cruiser. Another thing to modify is the fuel filter/water separator setup. Removing it from under the rig to under the hood, much easier to work on and keep an eye on. Again, im not sure if the HJ's had the water separators on the frame rail, but the BJ's did.
A little time and effort in ironing out little quirks like these will make you LOVE your cruiser. Another thing to modify is the fuel filter/water separator setup. Removing it from under the rig to under the hood, much easier to work on and keep an eye on. Again, im not sure if the HJ's had the water separators on the frame rail, but the BJ's did.
I get the reliability factor in a Wilson conversion, but in getting to know the HJ60's Superglow system, I've realized that it's doing some really good stuff. A wilson switch is kind of a brute force glow- get the cylinder really hot and then start the engine. The Superglow gives a shot of heat, then steps in down for the start, and then keeps another lower level of heat for the first 30 seconds of the truck running. It feathers the glow power nicely for a very smooth start. It also adjusts glow time automatically for different temperatures so you get the right amount of heat for the outside temperature. I think people get frustrated when their trucks get old and the cylinder compression drops and they get harder to start. The glow system gets blamed and then a Wilson switch gets put on for some forceable preheating of the cylinders.
Of course, there are a number of components to the Superglow and I understand that it could be pretty frustrating to keep it going if parts were failing- especially in the States where there's fewer parts for an HJ60. It just seems like a shame to pull out the Superglow because a single fusible link has blown- which is what I suspect has happened to the OP's rig.
As for getting stuck in the backcountry with a malfunctioning glow system, if you are carrying jumper cables you can disconnect the glow plug buss bar from the Super glow system and give the plugs a shot of power straight from the battery. I'd use one side of the battery and give it some 12volts for 30 seconds.
And if you are super paranoid, you could rig up an entire backup Wilson switch fairly cheaply and have it standing by in case of Superglow failure...
Of course, there are a number of components to the Superglow and I understand that it could be pretty frustrating to keep it going if parts were failing- especially in the States where there's fewer parts for an HJ60. It just seems like a shame to pull out the Superglow because a single fusible link has blown- which is what I suspect has happened to the OP's rig.
As for getting stuck in the backcountry with a malfunctioning glow system, if you are carrying jumper cables you can disconnect the glow plug buss bar from the Super glow system and give the plugs a shot of power straight from the battery. I'd use one side of the battery and give it some 12volts for 30 seconds.
And if you are super paranoid, you could rig up an entire backup Wilson switch fairly cheaply and have it standing by in case of Superglow failure...
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