New FJ40 owner questions

[sandcruiser90]

New, to me, 1972 FJ40 with rebuilt, I think rebuilt, 1977 era 2F engine. Dakota Digital Cluster. Not overly automotive educated though I'm in process of restoring an unusual coupe. These are really newbie questions so bear with me.

What should the oil pressure be? Cruising in 3 rd or 4th it reads 52-55. When I stop at red light at idle it drops to 38 or so. Just did oil service and oil level full.

What should temp be when warm? Mine runs about mid 130's

Does the heater only have 2 speeds? What is the pull that looks like wind icon for?

It only came with one key for ignition and fuel lid. Local key specialty key shop says he has never seen one like this in over 30 years of business! Where can I get blanks?

What are the advantages of being Mud Silver or Gold?

I'll start with these. I'm sure more will come along that I can't find in the FAQ.

 

[Poser]

Welcome.

Oil pressure is fine.

Temp seems low; how long have you owned this/ran the truck for to get this temp? Driving extended distances or idling?

Blower motor, front heater is two speed. Post a pic of this other knob.

Key situation is normal. Decent hardware stores around here have older Toyota key blanks...
They can be found on line as well.


Getting rid of advertising and supporting something you are using.

 

[sandcruiser90]

Owned the truck a whole week! Ran it for over half hour after which temp ranged from mid 130's to 150ish.
Any links for online key blanks?
Here is knob pic.
Poser, can you also look at my question in engine registry forum?

 

[Poser]

That is your cowl vent control.



" ran it for a half-hour "


Down the road or stationary?


If you are not "working" the engine(driving it down the road, under load), it will stay cool....



"Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 key blank"

Google is your friend.

 

[NMC_EXP]

RE coolant temp: Thermostat could be stuck open. Thermostat could be missing - not uncommon for the t-stat to be removed if the car tended to overheat. I had thermostat sticking problems with both a new 78 Datsun pickup and a new 79 FJ40. Apparently the Japanese t-stat supplier made and shipped a bunch of bad ones. Took a long time to flush the bad ones out of the parts systems.

Do not know about your specific year but the t-stat housing on my 79 was aluminum. Steel bolt threaded into aluminum housing = galvanic corrosion = easy to break the bolt, at least for a dummy like me.

 

[sandcruiser90]

Ran it down the road to one stop then 10-15 more minutes to look for key. Then stopped for gas (boy this eats gas!), then home. Total driving about 30-45 min. Very cold here in SC this morning too-23 degrees when I started out.

What should normal operating temp be?

 

[scott fasken]

Owned the truck a whole week! Ran it for over half hour after which temp ranged from mid 130's to 150ish.
Any links for online key blanks?
Here is knob pic.
Poser, can you also look at my question in engine registry forum?View attachment 1612674

I drove mine for a year before I figured out the vent !

 

[sandcruiser90]

Couple more silly questions:
Got it up to 72 mph at about 2900 RPM in 4th on the highway going slightly uphill. Is that typical or good. Thought I could get a little more too.
Steering has about 1 1/2 inch loose play each side of center. Normal?
I think gas tank is 18 gal. Just that short 10-15 min trip on highway seemed to take about 10% of fuel (digital gauge). How many miles should I expect on the highway? What is the sweet spot for cruising? Do I need to take extra gas can.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Got it up to 72 mph at about 2900 RPM in 4th on the highway going slightly uphill.

 

[Jdc1]

Lets see some more pictures......

 

[Ming89FJ62]

Standard t-stat is 180 F. There are two gaskets - one between the top and bottom of the housing and an "O" ring that seals the thermostat to the top housing. Many times the "O" ring was either not used or has become deformed - in either case the engine will run cool.

 

[sandcruiser90]

JDF- pictures of what?
Ming- what implications of running cool?

 

[Jdc1]

JDF- pictures of what?
Ming- what implications of running cool?

The whole rig, that dash shot looks really clean. I will be installing a Dakota Digital dash in our 72 rebuild relatively soon.

 

[sandcruiser90]

JDC- I posted a bunch of pics on thread Looking for 1977 or older FJ40 near SC in classified forum.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Just peeked in the classifieds. Dang nice cruiser. Carb looks like it’s a 72 Aisan
Noticed they switched the rig over to a vac advance dissy, bonus! Hopefully it’s a genuine Japanese dissy. Everything I’ve read, the carb guru’s recommend porting the carb base near the idle mix screw for the vac advance upgrade. Heck, if it’s working good, might as well leave it for now.

 

[Ming89FJ62]

JDF- pictures of what?
Ming- what implications of running cool?

Fuel economy and rough running - and heat on a winter's day

 

[sandcruiser90]

Red Rocker- I think I did good with this purchase. Bought sight unseen and without test drive. Faith to a fellow MUD member. PO had 72 vids from the PPO restoration. I watched all of them and spoke to the PO's mechanic too. Tell me about Aisan and whats a dizzy? I'm still very green auto mechanic. Idles really smooth and seems to run well although its my first FJ40. More pics of engine. Stainless brake lines. Haven't done a deep clean of engine. This is how it came.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Nice! Full disclosure, I’m a 1 mechanic. Dizzy or dissy is the distributor. Which you probably know sends spark to the combustion chambers. My understanding is you want your vac advance hose where vacuum signal is low during idle. Mark’s Offroad can do the port mod should you decide to give it a whirl. Last I heard he’s cranking carbs out with a 2 week turnaround. I’m guessing right now the vac advance hose is coming off a port that has significant vacuum(suction) while the rig is idleing. This will send suction to the dissy at idle and unecessarily advance the spark. When dissy receives vacuum from the proper porting spot, if you stomp the throttle, vacuum goes way up, telling the dissy “hey this guy means business, light that cylinder sooner” Another tweak you can make in the future is installing Pertronixs in your dissy. Pertronix is electronic ignition, dwell is preset so you don’t have to become an artist at setting points gap. IMO, Best place to buy Pertronix is Mark’s of Burbank, CA because he will offer support and all he does is Cruiser’s. Also, good Karma to support Vendors who support us from a distance.

So the Aisan carb I believe I’m seeing is cable operated which likely means it’s your rigs original 72 carb. That’s good. Aisan is the Japanese carb designed for the cruiser. 72’s have mechanical secondaries, which simply means you have a rod connecting the primary throttle plate to the secondary. Secondaries reliably open when your foot gets close to the floor. 75 and later FJ40 Aisan’s have slightly greater cfm and went away from mechanical secondaries.

 

[sandcruiser90]

I think this is a 1977 2F. See pics. Seems the engine number is "missing".

 

[emac]

Welcome! Looks like a nice rig. I see you are in Central, I am not too far from you down in Abbeville/Greenwood. I have two kids at Clemson, I am sure they will give you a thumbs up if they see you! If you are ever down this way or need some help let me know.

I drove my 40 during the recent cold snap as well, it was slow warming up enough to get off the choke but otherwise ran great and always fun. I did notice that if I left it idling for several minutes before taking off, I could turn off the choke faster. I guess it would heat up the carb better idling.