Need encouragement and elwctrical Advice

[joshlatour]

Hi All

Similar to Peter Douglas, I own a BJ60 (|1985|) with a 3.4 diesel which I purchased in January of this year. Also Similar to Peter, I have run into a spat of problems that have begun to erode my enthusiam for such a cool vehicle.

Now, I know that I can't expect the truck to be perfect as it is 23 years old. I also own a 83 civic wagon so I know all about old vehicle quirks and maintenance! However, I need this truck as a daily driver soon and I don't want to lose faith, as I have a lot of fun with it when it is not driving me totally crazy!!!! Enter like minded individuals who can give the downtrodden encouragement and help his fellow land cruiserer to not be disheartened!

On to my problems;

I won't list the problems that I have solved, just the ones I'm currently baffled by.

1st problem; We had a warm spell in late feburary here in Ottawa Ontario. When the weather crisped up again, I went to start the truck after letting the block heater warm for an hour or so. The truck wouldn't start and I traced it to the fuel cut off relay which is on the front passenger pillar. I found that if I heated it with a space heater for a few minutes, the relay would function and the truck would start as it usually had. Has anybody had this problem with the fuel cut off relay? Does anybody have any schematics to describe what the box does? I have the Ellery shop manual, and it is to say the least is not the most helpful. When a diesel schematic from a book for Diesel landcruisers has wiring for a distributor and ignition system ON THE SAME schematic as wiring for glowplugs and fuel cut relays, one must question the value of the schematic!!!


The fuel cut solenoid problem I can live with, for now...... however the

Next problem is something I would like to solve sooner rather than later!


I shut the truck down the other day for just a minute. When I went to start it up, the battery light (or charge light I can't remember which) came on. Thinking it was just idling too low, I gave it alittle throttle and the light turned off. I thought no more of it and parked it until I went to leave work that evening. When I started it and turned the lights and heater on, the voltage gauge dropped to 6 volts. I thought that the Alternator packed it in like on Peter Douglas' BJ......

However I subsequently realized that there are other things that stopped working at the same time the truck charging systen stopped functioning..
The glowplug indicator light no longer works (however,sometimes it breifly flickers when you first turn on the key), the water sediment indicator light no longer comes on (Bulb is fine however). none of the idiot lights seem to work (but I am unsure if they were ever wired from the factory as there are actual guages for things such as voltage, oil pressure, temperature etc.)

I spent today picking through the trucks wiring with no luck as of yet.
All the relays that I could find (and subsequently figure out what they were for) worked This is aside from the previously mentioned fuel cut off relay quirk, of course. The max ellery book is pretty much useless for tracing purposes not to mention its' text is soooo small that I;ve been blinded by hours of squinting through a magnify glass!!!

Some questions;

1.does anyone know what is going on? (I know, I know, but it was worth asking ,right?)

2. Why does every thing have to have it's own relay???? Are they used for when a true 24 v system is used?

3 Does anybody know what is going on inside the Fuel cut off relay box? It seems like there are many more wires going into it than there should be.....
4. Does anybody know what is going on inside the glow plug timer relay box?
5. Are these relays easy to come by and are they expensive?
6. Why are there 4 wires going into the alternator?

7. (unrelated but) My truck's transmission mount is a chain wrapped around the tranny.....What should the mount look like? I bought one that I think is for a gas cruiser....Anybody need one?
8. Does anybody have a decent wiring schematic for a 85 BJ60 3.4L diesel??


Wow, that's a long winded post.

FYI, my rig is a 12 system (dual battery though), with an internal IC regulator- type alternator.....
ALL fuses are working


If you've made it through the entire post and you have any suggestions I would love to hear from you !


Oh, and Peter, I haven't completely lost faith yet, so I say drive your BJ Westward young man!!!

Sincerely,
josh

 

[cruiser_guy]

I'd check your altenator brush length. When they get a little short then strange things start to happen.

The fuel cut solenoid can get water in it that causes it to malfunction. It sounds like that could be your problem if a heater seems to solve it.

 

[brownbear]

You can repair your own alternator with a repair kit. 4wheelauto sells them in Edmonton. Might even need a new regiulator from them.

Have a look at the grounds for the edic box(fuel control). Make a good clean ground for it. Even maybe run a seperate ground wire all the way to the battery ground, or fender ground beside the battery.

I bet most of the problems are alternator related, with lights etc.

The timer for the glow plugs controls the relays, primary and secondary. Honestly disconnect the timer and throw it in the trash. Run your own power wire to a switch and then to the primary relay in the engine bay. Or wire it exactly like greg_b describes a wilson switch. Search his name and wilson.

In ottawa there is a cruiser club. My best suggestion is to join. Go on outings, talk tech in person and have fun. Cruisers are an addictions indeed.

Now that you've joined mud start talking about your issues as they come along. No need to be frustrated alone. Here on mud we talk about any problems.

On a side note about the edic, my edic was making clicking noise and being a pain. When I replaced my batteries and also made all new battery cables out of 2/0 gauge welding cable the edic has been working very nicely with no noise. Something like that might be a help to you. When you alternator goes it might make the batteries weak and die too.

 

[brownbear]

At the top of the page is Online manuals. Look for MattF's posts. Go to his site and download the 84 FSM for chassis and the B series manual for your engine.

 

[roscoFJ73]

?

7. (unrelated but) My truck's transmission mount is a chain wrapped around the tranny.....What should the mount look like? I bought one that I think is for a gas cruiser....Anybody need one?

josh

Make sure it wont fit before you give it away. The gassers use the same type of gearbox. Other diesels and gasser transmission mounts are interchangeable.

 

[Freewheel]

OK - everyone above gave you the good advice, so I'll chime in for the encouragement which you were also asking for.

Diesel cruisers are the coolest vehicles on the road and YOU have one! Stay with it - Electrical gremlins are a total pain, but they are better than needing an engine rebuild or having your frame break in half. You'll figure it out!

I like how tough the trucks are and the feeling that the time you put into them is worthwhile restoration of a vehicle that deserves it, rather than throwing money at a shoddily constructed vehicle stapled together with cardboard and plastic...

good luck...

 

[joshlatour]

Thanks guys and a few more!

Thanks everyone for the great advice

Brown bear; Thanks for the 4wheelauto tip! I'll get in touch with them to see what a set of brushes and a voltage reg. are worth...

I searched wilson switch but there was nothing specifically outlining how to wire it up.... Is it just a matter of powering the relay by a switch and unplugging the timer module? Also, despite not wanting to open an apparently touchy subject, J Galt suggested just disconnecting the themo sensor which goes to the timer unit. Is there any negatives to doing this? I mean if it's as simple as that, isn't that a 2 minute long fix as oppsosed to an hour long fix? Any Suggestions?


Does anyone have a pic of the tranny mount for a Bj60 (preferably on the truck?). I'm a little confused as I have gotten wildly differing prices. $14 for the one I bought at napa and ~$150 from a Cruiser rebuilder in BC I know that napa parts sometimes do not differentiate between Diesel and Gassers ..... I guess the biggest issue is that I have no clue how it would be mounted as there is nothing under the truck to go by except a chain wrapped around the whole tranny!!!!!


Thanks again!

josh

 

[cruiser_guy]

Josh, how about you post a picture of the tranny/transfer from your truck. I wonder if someone has pulled your tranny and put in something else.

For starters, do you have a 4 speed or 5 speed? ALL Canadian BJ60's had a 5 speed in '85. Your tranny should have four threaded bolt holes above the tranny crossmember where the mount bolts to. BJ40 trannys, which would bolt to your engine, do not have those bolt holes as they are supported off the bellhousing.

I'll try to post photos of my truck and the tranny mount a little later.

 

[brownbear]

Thanks everyone for the great advice

Brown bear; Thanks for the 4wheelauto tip! I'll get in touch with them to see what a set of brushes and a voltage reg. are worth...

I searched wilson switch but there was nothing specifically outlining how to wire it up.... Is it just a matter of powering the relay by a switch and unplugging the timer module? Also, despite not wanting to open an apparently touchy subject, J Galt suggested just disconnecting the themo sensor which goes to the timer unit. Is there any negatives to doing this? I mean if it's as simple as that, isn't that a 2 minute long fix as oppsosed to an hour long fix? Any Suggestions?


Does anyone have a pic of the tranny mount for a Bj60 (preferably on the truck?). I'm a little confused as I have gotten wildly differing prices. $14 for the one I bought at napa and ~$150 from a Cruiser rebuilder in BC I know that napa parts sometimes do not differentiate between Diesel and Gassers ..... I guess the biggest issue is that I have no clue how it would be mounted as there is nothing under the truck to go by except a chain wrapped around the whole tranny!!!!!


Thanks again!

josh

It took me 25 mins to wire around the timer for a manual switch. My light still works and fn timer is disconnected. The timer on them is a piece of crap. Also I do not like cranking with glow plugs still running like M John Galt does, but I think his BJ74 is different. My just cranked with the glows still going. He has a glow screen not plugs. I do not think it is the same.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/139271-wilson-switch.html

First post describes it well. Honestly it is a 1 banana job and all the wires are easy to get at.

Then you hold the button for 15-20 seconds and start up. As soon as you let off the starter re-engage the glow plugs for 5 seconds or as soon as it is holding it's own. I can start with out a puff of smoke everytime.

You may want to go to 10.5 volt plugs though, as they can handle the extra glow time better. 20 bucks at napa.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Does anyone have a pic of the tranny mount for a Bj60 (preferably on the truck?). I'm a little confused as I have gotten wildly differing prices. $14 for the one I bought at napa and ~$150 from a Cruiser rebuilder in BC I know that napa parts sometimes do not differentiate between Diesel and Gassers ..... I guess the biggest issue is that I have no clue how it would be mounted as there is nothing under the truck to go by except a chain wrapped around the whole tranny!!!!!


Thanks again!

josh

These 2 are from 5sp off a 3F and 1HZ from a 7* series but should be similar. As cruiserguy said ,they have 4 holes in the gearbox.