Builds My '78 FJ40 "44" (2 Viewers)

[Weber Sarge]

The Harvard and Crystal Lake areas are far better than further to the west/southwest - it's pretty much a desolate waste land at best. Winds here are a real problem and they are erecting wind mills as fast as they can get the projects approved. I get a laugh out of post-apocolyptic movies - this area here could easily top those clips. My hatred for this area grows with age - many I knew years ago have moved for a reason and retired elsewhere just to get away from it or do nothing but travel as much as they can afford. Dead and desolate winters, insane heat/humidity in the summer - no real in between the two extremes except an occasional day or maybe a whole week every few years. Even quite a few of the farmers try to winter somewhere else - can't blame them for that.

Those post card pictures you guys put up keep us sane here, even my wife likes seeing them. I will say this - there is nearly nowhere on Earth that the weather can change from one extreme to another than here - our roads reflect that pretty well. What little time I've spent out in the southwest and the desert areas are so cool it was very hard to come back home, lol.

I just noticed - Gunner wasn't wearing his boots that day ?

Sarge

 

[tls3601]

Key word there Danny “whatever”. Where have the true Patriots gone? Great pics as always Danny!

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Thanks Tom!!

Sarge:

Its Chester... but Dianna and I call him Gunner all the time too... he’s become more and more like Gunner everyday... in appearance and mannerisms.

Chester really prefers to go barefoot... but, I make him wear boots when hiking an unfamiliar area or an area that I know has sharp scree.

The scree is ridiculously sharp in many of the areas... to the point of actually slicing his feet... that’s why I wear out a pair of hiking boots every year.

That was an area we’ve hiked many times... he’s used to it... and it’s not at all sharp.

Teddy’s puppy feet have to be protected though... so, he’s wearing boots.

I emailed UltraPaws, to order Teddy his own set of boots and they sent them to me, gratis, along with 2 new sets for Chester... but my dogs have been testing new products for them for several years.

Lisa, the owner, told me there is no place as destructive, for their boots, as Nevada. She loves to test them here.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I’ve been tracking a slight leak for some time... I snugged the oil pan bolts a month or so ago and eliminated the oil leak.

But, I noticed the tranny or tcase was also leaking somewhere.

I dropped the skid plate and couldn’t figure out the source of the leak.

But, I’m convinced the bypass hose is causing issues... not sure why...

I removed the bypass and cleaned the tcase and tranny and added UV Dye to the tranny and reinstalled the skid plate.

I’ve driven it twice since at 70mph on the highway and a bit slower off-road.

Yesterday, I crawled under, dropped the skid plate and shine my UV light on... a completely dry tcase and tranny!!

So, I’ll just check it after every trip... for a while and see what I see.

I’ve raised the tcase breather to a barbed fitting I added to the air cleaner. So, to be sure... I pulled it off the ac and blew it out yesterday. No blockage found.

But, I’m curious... Can anyone explain how the bypass hose, connected from filler to filler would cause a tranny and/or tcase gear oil leak?

 

[Helipilot]

I can't see how that would cause a leak other than maybe at the fittings since there is no "real" pressure between the two components.

I noticed a "wet" appearance and evidence of small oil drops on the floor beneath the mating surfaces of the xmsn and xfr cases on my 40. Running a clean rag under each surface confirmed the presence of oil. This is a fresh rebuild of all components and the body has not been replaced on the restored frame, totally reassembled with engine, xmsn, xfr, axles and ready to roll once the body is attached. I ordered a fresh set of gaskets for all the mating surfaces and will get on that project as soon as possible but before the body gets set back on the frame. It could just be left over oil from the rebuild. I also have the bypass hose installed.

 

[Weber Sarge]

I do that sometimes - Gunner was a cool dog. I agree - he sure seems the same in the photos every time I see them. I've had friends over the years that wheeled out in that sharp scree - you aren't kidding about how it cuts things ,espeically expensive tires. Pics of their rigs always showed chunks of the lugs missing - it was from those trips to Nevada . Nice you can test out the boots for others - it's a great proving ground and with the distances you hike I'm sure it's pushing them to the limit and beyond. I'd still like to test a set and the sister in law has some from that outfit for her Golden as he's quite adventurous in places he shouldn't be going into with metal at times - they work great. My GSD loves to play in the snow despite his age and those balls of ice build up and tear his paws pretty badly - leaving bloody prints around the house in the winters, need to stop that if he will leave them alone, lol...

Tracing gear oil leaks is usually easier - but most times it only leaks with serious heat high enough to thin it down and certain types of dust can hide the traces. The UV dye should show it eventually - probably just going to take time.

Maybe check the oil level in the tcase - it's possible the bypass is getting air locked or something and allowing it to overfill itself instead of pumping it back into the transmission ?

Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

@Helipilot

I can’t either, Roger... but, while researching potential causes for the leak, I came upon several threads/posts that complained of (not verbatim) “the bypass hose appearing to “work backwards”, causing exactly what it’s touted to prevent”.

Read through these

• Transmission to Transfer Case By Pass Hose Concern
• @Output Shaft 's post #14 --> Transmission/Tcase equalizing hose

I think there were other threads as well, but can't locate them offhand.

I recall a conversation I had with Georg... I don't recall why... He said someting to the effect, "I wouldn't run the bypass hose. It can hide real issues and the results could be catastrophic".

I don't recall why I elected to put the hose back on...

Probably because I like the idea of having a "chance" at preventing total loss of gear oil, by 'hoping' the hose prevents total seal failure.

I carry gear oil, but losing the seal entirely isn't something I can fix on the trail...


The breather on top of the tcase needs to be kept clear and working, to prevent overpressurizing the tcase... Or, eliminate it entirely, by raising it above potential water level.

Mine is raised to the air cleaner...

In 'talking thru this' my situation is probably different from most...

I think I could be causing the bypass hose to not function properly by venting my tcase to air cleaner WITHOUT the little cap the breather normally has... e.g. since mine is 'open' vented, rather than using any semblance of a 'relief valve', tcase pressure is probably not maintained.... And is not 'forcing' gear oil back to the tranny... Leaving the tcase overfilled and the tranny underfilled.

Does anyone know of a 'relief valve' I can add to my breather line, to simulate the OEM relief valve in the tcase breather? Caveat... I didn't realize the little breather cap was a relief valve.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Maybe check the oil level in the tcase - it's possible the bypass is getting air locked or something and allowing it to overfill itself instead of pumping it back into the transmission ?

Sarge

We seem to be thinking along the same lines... See my last couple of paragraphs in my reply to Roger, in the post above.

 

[Michael B]

Danny you could use an axle breather cap, 60 series are still available from Toyota. Although you have to buy it complete with hose an clamps.

 

[Helipilot]

On my rig the breather caps have a spring pushing down on a black disc that covers the breather hole when not venting pressure from the T-case. IMHO, it is a one way relief cap and will not allow the vented item from drawing air (or water) back in.

I bought the ARB kit and it does not have any kind of back flow prevention device as the OEM system but does have the filter to keep dirt from being sucked back in. Thinking along those lines, could the air filter assembly be pressuring the tube you have installed in it?

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Danny you could use an axle breather cap, 60 series are still available from Toyota. Although you have to buy it complete with hose an clamps.

Thanks!!

... could the air filter assembly be pressuring the tube you have installed in it?

It’s a possibility... I’ll mull this over, while watching for leaks and checking the gear oil levels regularly for a while, without the bypass hose installed.

You know me... wordy... I’ll certainly report back

 

[Helipilot]

Good Luck Danny!

 

[TheHardWay]

While we're waiting...

Danny, this is from post #29. The red hose connected from the firewall to the distributor - what's it for? I've got the same hose on my '78 firewall, and it's not connected to anything, but from its length and shape, seems like it should connect to the distributor cap. Don't have anything like it on my '77 - something to do with the electronic ignition?

 

[Solace in Solitude]

@LasCrucer

It supplies fresh (cabin) air to the oem dissy.

There is a second port, on the oem dissy that should be connected to a port that pulls vacuum.

If you connect the two, your oem dissy will be properly vented.

The 1978 oem dissy is designed to be pretty water tight.

 

[TheHardWay]

This is creepy - - I've been looking at previous Mud threads, and just now went to page 2311. RIGHT THERE -
Air hoses into Distributer Cap- What for?
OMG - THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION.

So, not only is this post technical, it's metaphysical

 

[TheHardWay]

Thanks Danny. I'm gonna get a new hose - because I think it's important to have a dry distributor.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Yeah, I misspoke... the smaller dissy port goes to the small port on the PS if the top of the air cleaner.

This ventilation also evacuates ozone, from the dissy, not the atmosphere ... less likely to have a dissy explosion.

Gratuitous picture out 44’s window

 

[Solace in Solitude]

The weather cooled off significantly, so we elected to drive and make short hikes, rather than camp out.

I just wasnt ready to face long, cold nights this time... especially with the wind blowing and the chill factor down low at night.

It was sunny, but quite chilly today... especially in shadows.

Not a lot of color in the areas we visited, but here you go...

 

[Solace in Solitude]

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Now for the good stuff... You'll need to zoom in on a couple