Hi, my name is Daniel. My grandfather recently passed down a 1974 FJ40 that has been sitting for about 13 years. I’m currently working on getting it back on the road.
History:
I don’t have a ton of history on it; however, I know my grandfather bought this 40 on eBay from Washington State around 13 years ago and had it shipped to NC, where it’s been ever since. He drove it twice and then parked it for some reason. He never really talked about it and always said it was a sore subject, so it just sat.
I bugged him for years as a kid to work on it with me and hear it run, but it never happened. Recently, I asked him again (like I do every time I see him), and he just up and told me I could have it. To say I was excited is an understatement.
Since then, I’ve been working on it almost every day trying to get it running. I’m in my early 20s, so all of this is pretty new to me. I’ve worked on plenty of cars before and I’m comfortable wrenching on early 2000s vehicles, but I had zero carb experience. There’s been a lot of learning over the past few weeks, but I’m almost there I even drove it down the road yesterday for the first time
Specs:
Things I’ve replaced:
Recently, I was able to get it running and running well (after pulling the carb off about 1,000 times). Carbs are insanely confusing the first time you mess with one without any help, lol.
I even took it for a short drive around the block yesterday, went through all the gears, and everything seemed to work properly other than the issue I’m about to describe. No misfires, and the engine did fine under load.
Now for the issue that’s been driving me crazy, and the reason for this post.
It’s electrical (surprise, surprise).
Main issue: battery is not charging.
It has a brand-new battery, new alternator, and new voltage regulator. I had both the alternator and battery tested. I also did a quick test by jumping a wire from the F terminal on the alternator to the positive terminal on the battery, and it immediately started charging once the alternator was excited with 12V. Because of that, I suspected the voltage regulator and replaced it.
Here’s what I installed: Import Direct Ignition 12V Voltage Regulator 29-0168
It’s listed as compatible with my vehicle, but I’m getting some really weird behavior when it’s plugged in. As soon as I plug it in, it instantly blows the turn signal fuse (so there’s a short somewhere) and still doesn’t charge the battery. If I unplug it, the turn signal fuse doesn’t blow anymore, but then the headlights stop working.
I also spent about four solid hours checking and recleaning every ground I could find.
At this point, I’m kind of stuck and not sure what to check next.
Is there something obvious I should be testing between the alternator, voltage regulator, and fuse box? Could I have the wrong style regulator even though it’s listed as compatible, or maybe a wiring mismatch from an older Chevy alternator setup? Since the turn signal fuse blows as soon as the regulator is plugged in, does that point to a shared circuit or a short inside the regulator connector itself? I did confirm that its a reman Toyota stock Alternator.
I’m also wondering if this could be related to the dual-tank wiring or something tied into the ignition circuit that I’m missing. I’ve checked the grounds multiple times, but I’m open to the idea that I’m overlooking something simple.
Any guidance on where to start testing next (or what I should be looking for with a multimeter) would be greatly appreciated. I’m still learning as I go, so even basic suggestions help a lot.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. It would be really sweet to get some more information on it or to find the old owner (Ik unlikely) I would really love the story on it.
History:
I don’t have a ton of history on it; however, I know my grandfather bought this 40 on eBay from Washington State around 13 years ago and had it shipped to NC, where it’s been ever since. He drove it twice and then parked it for some reason. He never really talked about it and always said it was a sore subject, so it just sat.
I bugged him for years as a kid to work on it with me and hear it run, but it never happened. Recently, I asked him again (like I do every time I see him), and he just up and told me I could have it. To say I was excited is an understatement.
Since then, I’ve been working on it almost every day trying to get it running. I’m in my early 20s, so all of this is pretty new to me. I’ve worked on plenty of cars before and I’m comfortable wrenching on early 2000s vehicles, but I had zero carb experience. There’s been a lot of learning over the past few weeks, but I’m almost there I even drove it down the road yesterday for the first time
Specs:
- 1974 FJ40 Land Cruiser
- Engine: Chevy Goodwrench 350 crate motor (unknown mileage)
- Carb: Quadrajet w/ divorced choke
- Transmission: Toyota 4-speed
- Axles: Stock with stock gearing (not totally sure). Drum brakes front and rear
- Transfer case: Stock
- Mileage: Cluster shows 60k, but it’s gotta be at least 160k, maybe even 260k
- Paint: Used to be green, now white
- Dual tanks with an inline fuel pump and a fuel sender (I think) to feed the rear tank
Things I’ve replaced:
- Starter
- Ignition module
- Distributor cap and rotor
- Main coil
- Spark plugs
- Plug wires
- Battery
- Alternator
- Voltage regulator
- Oil
- Transmission fluid
- Fuel pump (electric, inline)
- New fuel filters before and after the pump
- Full carb rebuild
- Fuses
- Coolant flush
- Brake fluid
- Tires
Recently, I was able to get it running and running well (after pulling the carb off about 1,000 times). Carbs are insanely confusing the first time you mess with one without any help, lol.
I even took it for a short drive around the block yesterday, went through all the gears, and everything seemed to work properly other than the issue I’m about to describe. No misfires, and the engine did fine under load.
Now for the issue that’s been driving me crazy, and the reason for this post.
It’s electrical (surprise, surprise).
Main issue: battery is not charging.
It has a brand-new battery, new alternator, and new voltage regulator. I had both the alternator and battery tested. I also did a quick test by jumping a wire from the F terminal on the alternator to the positive terminal on the battery, and it immediately started charging once the alternator was excited with 12V. Because of that, I suspected the voltage regulator and replaced it.
Here’s what I installed: Import Direct Ignition 12V Voltage Regulator 29-0168
It’s listed as compatible with my vehicle, but I’m getting some really weird behavior when it’s plugged in. As soon as I plug it in, it instantly blows the turn signal fuse (so there’s a short somewhere) and still doesn’t charge the battery. If I unplug it, the turn signal fuse doesn’t blow anymore, but then the headlights stop working.
I also spent about four solid hours checking and recleaning every ground I could find.
At this point, I’m kind of stuck and not sure what to check next.
Is there something obvious I should be testing between the alternator, voltage regulator, and fuse box? Could I have the wrong style regulator even though it’s listed as compatible, or maybe a wiring mismatch from an older Chevy alternator setup? Since the turn signal fuse blows as soon as the regulator is plugged in, does that point to a shared circuit or a short inside the regulator connector itself? I did confirm that its a reman Toyota stock Alternator.
I’m also wondering if this could be related to the dual-tank wiring or something tied into the ignition circuit that I’m missing. I’ve checked the grounds multiple times, but I’m open to the idea that I’m overlooking something simple.
Any guidance on where to start testing next (or what I should be looking for with a multimeter) would be greatly appreciated. I’m still learning as I go, so even basic suggestions help a lot.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. It would be really sweet to get some more information on it or to find the old owner (Ik unlikely) I would really love the story on it.
