Builds Hygge's Sawdust FJ62

[hygge]

Thanks @Randy88FJ62 yeah, never got to the point of the steam pouring out. If I saw a quick spike up to red, I would pull over. But yeah keep it running to keep the coolant flowing makes sense. Thanks!!

 

[joebattle1]

@hygge, My first thought is air in the cooling system... How did you refill? I used one of those cheap OEM tool fillers but then my neighbor brought this thing over. This thing insures no air in the system.

 

[hygge]

@joebattle1 I burped the system for sure. But no fancy contraption, so I am not surprised if there is some air in there. This cooling system vacuum looks cool.

I found some on Amazon for $40-75. If that's all it takes to fix my "overheating" issue than I am in for a sub-$100 fix.

Any other vacuum kits that others recommend?

 

[cruisermatt]

No vacuum kit. The whole burping thing and air in the cooling system is pretty overrated for these trucks. Just fill the top of the rad, squeeze the upper rad hose a few times, drive it for a few days, and top it off. Check again in a few days after that.

And you're adjusting your driving to keep the temp guage 1/3 from the bottom? It should sit smack in the middle of the gauge during normal operation.

Glad to see you using the rig and taking long trips.

 

[hygge]

@cruisermatt I hope its just fanciful gremlins that have been screwing with me. But it did make it from Point A in the SF Bay Area to Point B in Joshua Tree and Back with no issues other than the temperature gauge being a little feisty. So I'd like to think that it was burped fairly well. Its just annoying more than anything else. When I got back into the Bay Area on 580 (where it was about 15-20 degrees cooler than Central California I was able to fly on the freeway at 65-70mph and the temperature gauge stayed at or below the 1/3 tick mark.

If there was air in the system I would have expected more issues at the 70mph zone.

I think this is really the last major thing that I'd like to overcome with the 3FE. Ultimately it would be great to throw an LS in there ( but the funds are not going to be there for this). I also started reading through on 95-97 80 Series, if I could get one of those and not have overheating issues it might make these longer trips more tenable ( and my wife would actually join me).

If I crack the overheating issue and can cruise at 70 mph during the summer (with outside temperatures of 90 degrees) with AC on for my family - then all will be well in my FJ62 household.

I was not able to cruise at 70 with AC on in 90 degree weather last summer in the cruiser, but would love to do that this summer if possible. When you have a small child, pregnant wife it becomes super important to get to places quickly and with the car in a cool temperature range.

Would be different story if it was just me doing my own thing.

 

[cruisermatt]

From your description I don't see any indication that your truck is overheating.
Have you verified water temps with an actual gauge yet? The factory gauge isn't telling you anything that's really useful, regardless it should be at the halfway mark, not at or below the third hash.
I have never had a cooling with these trucks in +100 degree weather. One time I had my temp guage start to climb when I was rolling down the highway at 85mph at ~3300rpm for several hours straight when I had a non-overdrive 4-speed.

 

[hygge]

Open Question:

I’ve bought all the necessary parts and tools for the galley plug fix on my 3FE.

After reading a bunch of posts, I surmised that since the valve cover must come off, that I should replace the valve cover gasket.

I purchased a new gasket, new grommets and hardware for the cover, new PCV. And bought a feeler gauge since it sounds like adjusting the valves is something good to do while you’re in there.

Is there any other items or things I should plan on replacing or adjusting when I am in there? Nothing is broken or malfunctioning at the moment, so any additional work would be preventative.


What are people’s thoughts about painting the valve cover with high temperature paint?

@joebattle1 @Randy88FJ62 @mattressking @cruisermatt @Simcoe

 

[cruisermatt]

You don’t need to take the valve cover off to do the oil galley plug. In fact it’s possibly better to leave it on.
Regardless the valve cover gaskets are reusable unless it has a leak.
You can paint it if you want to I guess

 

[Simcoe]

^^^ What he said. I'd reuse that valve cover gasket unless it wasn't sealing anymore. Hows your valve cover look currently? If its in rough shape, I guess it makes sense to clean it up if you are taking everything off anyway

 

[SteveH]

If you have never looked under your valve cover, I would pull it and check the valve clearances and look for huge sludge or other oddities. I decided not to paint mine, as I figured half the paint would be gone by the time I wrestled the cover back under all the wires and throttle cables. The 3FE cover doesn't just pop right off the head.

 

[mattressking]

Pull v/c. Take gasket and use 0000 steel wool and clean with a light solvent. I like natural valve covers and use steel wool to clean it up. It’s jsut aluminum so pretty easy to remove the dirt and make it pretty again.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

3fe valve cover is aluminum?

 

[cruisermatt]

3fe valve cover is aluminum?

Nope

 

[Prairie Swamp]

Didn't think so

 

[hygge]

Wow what a nice looking valve cover @mattressking !

@cruisermatt - I read in one of the galley plug threads that I could simple turn the engine over and flush some of the shavings out (which would mean not taking off the valve cover). But then 1. Don't want any shavings in the motor 2. I am sure the valve cover gasket has never been replaced

Also, as I have been going through and fixing the engine compartment, steering components, etc I've been adding a little paint here and there. Nothing too flashy, just red or black. Does it do anything? Definitely on some of the parts that have rust or had rust, its a helpful inhibitor.

Anyway, appreciate all the help and advice.

I'll be heading out to the Mud N Yer Eye 2019 Frolic this weekend, so likely will not get the valve cover and galley work finished until the following weekend.

Been in full-on recovery gear mode the last week.

I don't have a winch, but started my recovery gear setup.

Here's what I have so far ( feel free to judge me - I am a noob at the actual off-roading aspect of things):

If I get a flat or stuck gear

- 60" Hi-Lift Jack
- Hi-Lift Mate (for jacking up the tire) - #LM100
- Hi-Lift Base

- 8 ton bottle jack
- 3,500 lb ratcheting straps
- Rhino utility tool shovel/pick
- Viaair compressor ( model 88P) - portable air compressor attaches with alligator clips to battery
- ARB E-Z Deflator (ARB505)
- ARB 10000011 Speedy Seal Tire Repair Kit

- 2 pack Rhino 3/4" shackles
- Smittybilt CC330 3" x 30' Recovery Strap ( 30,000 lb capacity)

If something bad happens

- First Aid Kit (326 piece)
- Fire Extinguisher - First Alert - Vehicle & Marine - White


Stuff I'd like to get eventually

- Snatch Blocks
- Tree Guard Strap
- Winch ( I can use the Hi Lift in a pinch) - would like to get a Warn 8274 eventually with a synthetic line
- Rear ARB Locker
- On-Board Air Compressor

 

[cruisermatt]

@cruisermatt - I read in one of the galley plug threads that I could simple turn the engine over and flush some of the shavings out (which would mean not taking off the valve cover). But then 1. Don't want any shavings in the motor 2. I am sure the valve cover gasket has never been replaced

You won't see those metal shavings in the top of the cylinder head. The oil galley plug is lower then the bottom of the valve cover. Turning over the motor won't generate enough the oil pressure to shoot them up, hell there's barely any oil up there with the engine running.

Drill the plug slowly with grease on the drill bit, you don't need to drill the whole thing, just enough to get an screw or something in it to pull it. Then grease the tap when you tap the hole. You'll be fine.

 

[joebattle1]

@hygge,

I've got a brand new valve cover gasket you can have if you haven't bought one. For some reason I ended up with two of them. One probably came with a kit and I probably bought one. Who knows... Pretty sure 60 and 62 is the exact same.

 

[hygge]

Thanks @joebattle1 for the offer, I splurged and bought some OEM parts (including the valve cover gasket) from Roseville Toyota. BTW - they seem to be pretty cheap (for a Toyota Parts Dealer), have discounts (like Free Shipping) and they are fairly local, so you get your parts fast.

@cruisermatt I'll let you know how the process goes when I drill the plug. I'll be out this weekend at Hollister Hills for Mud N Yer Eye 2019! Should be a hoot. Hope to get the galley plug done in the next few weekends. Excited and a little scared at the same time to work on my engine in this kind of capacity.

 

[hygge]

Pulled the trigger on a cheap digital temperature gauge. Early results look promising, but would like to do a 100 miles on the truck before I declare victory.

Main reason for doing this is that I don't really trust the stock OEM water temperature gauge. It seems to work most of the time, but whenever I go up any hills ( even if its only for a minute or two) there is a chance of temperature spiking. Considering that I have replaced nearly everything in the cooling system (including the T-Stat, O-ring, water pump, radiator, hoses, water temperature sensor, fan clutch).

Some folks believe there might be air bubbles in the system. This could totally be true. I don't know.

Anyway, with this extra gauge I feel more confident about what my real coolant temperature is, so that my "overheating" is hopefully just a thing of the past!

Parts:

Hotsystem 2" Digital Water Temperature Gauge - $20
Dewhel 38mm Joint Pipe Gauge Adapter - $10
Esupport 2" ABS Gauge Pod - $7
Add a fuse - $8

Materials:

14 or 16 gauge wire for ground, positive and negative
heat shrinking stuff
soldering
teflon tape

Tools"
wire stripper and crimper
soldering iron
knife/scissors
Circuit Tester - $7

Steps:

1. Most people will say drain your coolant. I was too lazy, so I cut into my upper radiator hose and let some coolant fall into some towels. I had to cut out about 3/4" section in order to place the joint pipe adapter.
2. You can put a little teflon tape around the temperature sensor before threading it into the adapter. Screw it into the adapter. Place the adapter (with two clamps) into the upper radiator hose. I angled my to the side so that the coolant will always be running over the sensor. If you place it at the inlet hose you are getting the coolant before it hits your radiator. So this is good approximation of the engine temperature. Some people will chose to add the sensor to the engine block or tap the thermostat housing. That's your choice.
3. After adding the Adapter to the hose, I started wiring everything up.
4. I added a ground to the adapter and grounded it onto the chassis.
5. I added a long line from the sensor past the firewall ( I used the firewall hole that the oil sending unit goes through).
6. Interior Work: Start by finding your switched fuse. I chose the "7.5 amp Gauge" fuse since you do not need a constant for the temperature gauge. I checked it with the circuit tester by grounding the tester to the door latch and turning on the ignition into "ON" - I didn't actually crank the truck on.
7. Add a fuse is pretty simple, just add the existing 7.5amp fuse and crimp in a line to the "add a fuse" and connect the length of line to the water temperature gauge's harness.
8. Next route the temperature gauge line that you brought in from the firewall ( and is connected to the gauge in the engine bay) and attach it to the digital gauge housing.
9. Lastly, ground the digital gauge, There should be existing grounds that you can unscrew and screw into under the fuse box area.
10. Turn on the ignition to see if your gauge turns on. Drive it around the block
11. After you have checked that everything is in order, you can go back to your connection points at the harness and solder them together and heat shrink the connections.
12. You will want to mount the pod somewhere. I am going to mount it into the plastic for the heater ducts.
13. Next, marvel at your work and clean up.
14. 

    Hotsystem Digital Gauge

    • hygge
    • May 7, 2019
    

    Test Wiring Setup for the Temperature Gauge

    • hygge
    • May 7, 2019
    

    Digital Gauge vs Stock Gauge Reading

    • hygge
    • May 7, 2019

    This is what the stock temperature gauge reads, when the digital is saying its 180 degrees

 

[Simcoe]

Great write up! My OEM temp gauge is always in the same range as what you showed in your pictured. Always makes me wonder if its anywhere close to accurate lol