Mechanic horror story, so...Mechanic recommendations in British Columbia?

[Fuentesfranko]

I purchased a 1973 FJ40 from a Mechanic friend of mine. Unfortunately, he had to move and couldn't give me a 100% working cruiser. I had to take it to a mechanic in Vancouver, Canada and I chose to go to Japanoid. I asked them to fix an air leak, which my mechanic and I believe came from the Intake manifold gasket after doing a spray test. They planed the intake manifold, replaced the gasket and $550 later they gave me a truck that was idling at 1,200 rpm, had the PVC Valve plugged to the air breather feeding oily air, was told that the throttle lever was the CHOKE, was told that there was still an air leak on the head and that it would have to be plained in order to fix it (head had just been plained to perfection), and lastly when I try to shut down the engine it's now running on.
They said this was the best they could do without taking the engine apart and let me drive away.
Since I'm new to FJ40s and just beginning to learn about mechanics, I took the truck and hoped for the best. I am now on Vancouver Island and in desperate need of QUALIFIED help. I called my mechanic friend and he begged me I take it to someone who knows and loves Land Cruisers ASAP and not drive it too much.

I'd really appreciate if anyone could point me in the right direction, I'm about 1 hour north of Nanaimo in Vancouver Island and I could call BCAA and get the FJ40 towed anywhere 150kms from here.

TLDR: Took FJ40 to mechanic who made everything worse, now I need a reliable Land Cruiser mechanic preferably in Vancouver Island or in Vancouver.

 

[spotcruiser]

I don't know if Rob at Radd Cruisers still has a shop open for business, but certainly he can help you. Start a conversation with Radd Cruisers.

 

[spotcruiser]

Additionally, if you post to the Vancouver Island Cruiser group and the Coastal Cruiser group in the Clubhouse section they should be able to help you.

CA.BC- Vancouver Island Cruisers

CA.BC- Coastal Cruisers

 

[bikersmurf]

I think John has RADD Cruisers... I'd give him a call, he's in your neck of the woods.

Also come over and say high ---->CA.BC- Vancouver Island Cruisers

 

[65swb45]

If the manifold has actually been planed [unfortunately that is not a safe assumption] then chances are you just need to attend to the carb and get the idle circuit working properly so they can bring the idle speed down. Then it won't run on any more.

Oh, and don't get to cozy with @bikersmurf or you could end up on the dark side! :

 

[bikersmurf]

Awe come on Mark... don't play all innocent, You've got at least one SBC powered Landcruiser. I've not encouraged anyone to go that route... 3B but not Chevy.

 

[White Stripe]

How far areyou from Ebl cruisers? They are in Canada I think.

 

[too tall]

EBI is on the mainland. Not worth a tow ride over there. There are lots of mechanics on the island who could probably help you out. I do not trust Radd Cruisers work (or billing) in general. I have heard and seen many things come out of there that make me cringe.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Another option is to figure it out for yourself. You can do it, you already had a carb guru (65swb45) give you a hint of what to do next. It's pretty simple to lower your idle. They either have your distributor too advanced or idle speed screw on the carb in too far or a combo of both.

To DIY you'll need a timing light and a vacuum gauge. Hook both diagnostic tools up and set timing to 7 degrees if you have an advance type distributor. If you have a retarding type, set advance to 10 degrees and cap off the vacuum connection at the dizzy and the port connecting it to the carb. To determine wheter your dizzy advances or retards when carb vacuum rises, apply suction to the dizzy's diaphram port. With dizzy cap off watch the points plate, when vacuum is present the plate will turn clock or counter clock. Counter clockwise plate rotation is an advance dizzy. Clockwise means you probably have the OEM retard unit that your rig came with.


I'm guessing your idle will drop some but now you'll need to adjust idle speed on the carb. Back it out some to close your throttle plate. This should lower your idle. My timing light is digital and has a idle rpm readout, which is handy. Take your idle down to 600-700. Now you can use the vacuum gauge to fine tune. Set idle mix screw to acheive highest vacuum. Shine a flashlight down your carb's primary and look for fuel spray. If your idle circuit is working it will be metering fuel through a hidden passage and your cab will appear dry. If your idle circuit is plugged you will see the carb compensating for a lack of idle fuel and visably spraying fuel from the venturi nozzle.

As for the "Run on", I would test that the idle solenoid is functioning. I had an old solenoid that was gunked up and didn't like to retract. So it wasn't stopping fuel flow when the rig was turned to off.

On your intake, I would check that they actually tightened all the bolts. A couple of them are a bugger to get at. You'll need a combo of sockets with extentions and determination. Hopefully you'll see your vacuum number go up after a retorque.

Here's a thread on some carb adjustment tips FJ40Jim gave.
Carb idenitification and help adjusting

 

[Fuentesfranko]

@sportcruiser Thank you for the recommendation, I'll give them a call today.
@65swb45 I kept thinking about that all night, I think I might try to adjust the idle myself.
@thebigredrocker Thank you very much for all the information, it's very helpful. I'll try to fix the problem myself and if I make it worse, at least I'll know what not to do next time