Pirate the '88 FJ62 Build

[taylorqj]

Hello all,

I have finally picked up an old(ish) cruiser.. properly named Pirate by my two year old son. Picked her up in Utah (Thanks Kris!) and drove her back home to Nebraska. I'll be the first to say, I am nowhere near mechanically inclined, but am really looking forward to jumping right in. Hoping to restore Pirate over a long time and wanted to keep a log for myself and for others.. the community here is great and I've learned a ton poking around various builds.. hoping I can contribute in some way.

She really didn't like being pushed above 3k RPM and would run super rough after doing so. Kept it around 60-65 most of the way and cruised 900~ miles home. The following days weren't much better, cold starts were fine, but it took a bit to turn over after warm. I started to smell fuel much stronger than before. Noticed a fuel leak directly on the exhaust manifold connecting to the exhaust.. I don't really like fire so decided to take this opportunity to refresh injectors, replace pulsation damper, fuel pressure regulator, and anything else I can find that isn't great with fueling. This will be the first job of many and I am nothing but stoked to be working on Pirate!

The full short list as of now:

• Oil leak around the rear main seal (could def be the oil pan)
• Coolant leak from bottom of radiator (looks relatively small for now)
• Coolant leak from hardline to hose around passenger door area
• Fuel leak from filter to engine
• Fuel leak around the cold start injector / pulsation damper dripping on exhaust
• Both diffs appear to be slowly leaking
• Steering is super loose, it feels as though there's a bunch of free play before engaging left or right, and felt a little dangerous at times. Can feel clunkiness in the steering shaft.
• Rear driveline area vibrating at highway speed (was recently rebuilt )
• Oil pressure gauge doesn't work
• Most gauges seem wrong.. speed and temp are definitely off.
• Little clunk in the trans getting in gear
• Warm starts are worse than cold starts

Again, I'm an absolute noob, so feel free to give as much input as you would like. Updates might be sparse due to life with little ones but I will definitely update on each and every job.

Appreciate all of you for keeping these things alive

 

[taylorqj]

Started on taking off the intake manifold to get to those injectors.. at first I was following the FSM religiously but started to feel a little silly when you can see everything it's connected to. The main problem I'm trying to fix was a fuel leak on the exhaust manifold / exhaust pipe connection.. it was dripping fuel. Most comments here point to the pulsation damper but I'm not seeing anything leaking there. In fact, it looks as though that was replaced along with the fuel pressure regulator recently (both are very shiny). There's wetness around a couple of the injectors (near the pulsation damper).

So, being a total noob and wanting to get into a little project I figured there's no better time to refurbish the injectors and most of the fuel system. I hit up @cruisermatt with a parts list I mostly picked-up from random threads and chat-gippity. I think I'll also take this opportunity to desmog. Ordered a kit from TLC and sourced some vacuum plugs.

Here we go! a shot of what she looks like in case I forget

What she looks like without all of that crap (forgot to get a pic with the fuel rail off)

Injectors after pulling them

 

[taylorqj]

They look pretty crusty, especially the rings, I think I'm happy I'm doing this. Hopefully I can swap these for a refurbished set or get them cleaned up. The close up of the two injectors are the rears where I suspected the leak might be.

Few things I found (and broke) while taking things apart:

• Oil or something in the air intake to the throttle body
• Wiring harness to the engine is in bad shape, super crusty, and some connectors are missing clips. The routing also seems not ideal for heat.
• Cracked the brake booster line trying to get it off
• Definitely want to replace the coolant lines from radiator to the throttle body

Overall things look pretty clean based on what I've seen here.. even the injectors themselves don't look horrible? I don't know--again first time.

Anyway, awaiting parts now!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Congrats on your new FJ62! Looks like a solid rig overall, and the items on your laundry list seem pretty typical for a rig of this age.

You might be able to find someone locally who can test and refurbish your injectors. If not, there are places you can send them. I think WitchHunter is out of business, but there are many others out there, I would guess. Usually ends up being a lot cheaper than buying new.

 

[taylorqj]

Hey thanks, it's definitely a solid rig. Not a ton of rust and was previously someone's daily. Good idea on injectors, I was intending to have them cleaned up and tested rather than buying new if I could help it. I've heard good things about Mr. Injector on here.

 

[taylorqj]

Picked up a Mountain Hatch tailgate cover from @cruiserpatch (thanks dude!)

I had one on my Tundra and it was nice to have a useable service for cutting food and not worrying about dragging things across the tailgate. Maybe I'll get around to a storage mod some day, but this should work well for now. It was definitely nice to pull something from a box, throw in a couple of clips, and call it done, lol.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Whenever I see a clean, rust-free tailgate on a 60-series, I can't help but utter an audible gasp.

That tailgate cover is cool, too. Great idea.

 

[toy_tek]

Kinda flashback thread for me - your truck looks identical mine when I got it (color, wheels, etc) and it also had all the same leaks. I just desmogged mine after about 8 years of ownership and it runs smoother than ever now. Mr. injector for the rebuild too, I’ve used him twice and no complaints. Call cruiser outfitters and get all the 555 steering bits and that’ll help up front. I’d say you’re off to a good start. Lots of good vendors here to assist too which is cool.

Congrats on the purchase, just prepare for the upcoming investment as it can seem neverending.

 

[onemanarmy]

Sweet looking rig!

After you change out the tie rod ends, you can adjust the free play in the steering box too, using the captive nut and flat head adjusting screw on the top of fit

 

[cruiserpatch]

I had one on my Tundra and it was nice to have a useable service for cutting food and not worrying about dragging things across the tailgate. Maybe I'll get around to a storage mod some day, but this should work well for now. It was definitely nice to pull something from a box, throw in a couple of clips, and call it done, lol.

I ruined my OE carpet before I got wise and picked up a mountain hatch. I use my tailgate as a work bench, cooking station...all kinds of stuff.
Glad I could help out and get this into someone's hands who needed it. Cheers

 

[taylorqj]

Kinda flashback thread for me - your truck looks identical mine when I got it (color, wheels, etc) and it also had all the same leaks. I just desmogged mine after about 8 years of ownership and it runs smoother than ever now. Mr. injector for the rebuild too, I’ve used him twice and no complaints. Call cruiser outfitters and get all the 555 steering bits and that’ll help up front. I’d say you’re off to a good start. Lots of good vendors here to assist too which is cool.

Congrats on the purchase, just prepare for the upcoming investment as it can seem neverending.

Thank you! My wife has definitely commented on the amount of boxes arriving to the house almost daily. Cool to hear you had a similar one, I really like the tan and stock bits.. it’s going to be hard to change but we’ll see where the truck goes. Too early to tell. Just need to push the reset button and get things tidied up for now.

Sweet looking rig!

After you change out the tie rod ends, you can adjust the free play in the steering box too, using the captive nut and flat head adjusting screw on the top of fit

The front suspension was mostly re-done with OME in the last couple of years, I’ll have to pull up the invoice and see what all was done.. things do feel tight and look relatively new down there. Plan to attack steering after all the leaks are handled. Thanks for the tip!

 

[taylorqj]

I’m still awaiting parts so still poking around and doing a thing or two here and there. Continuing with the desmog.. I’ve soaked that dang EGR exhaust nut for days and it will not budge.

I’m half tempted to pick up a 1/2 impact and give that a go.. makes me wonder though.. why not just cap this instead? Realized I also don’t have hex sockets and that’s a problem for the plugs I picked up the air injector holes. Yay more tools!

After removing the air pump and silencer I’m shocked at how much room there is without all that s*** in there, pretty cool.

Hopefully I’ll have everything back together soon so we can put some new wheels and tires on.

 

[toy_tek]

Don’t need an impact but definitely a half inch drive 6 point socket and probably a cheater bar extension (pipe) over a breaker bar… a good ratchet might suffice instead of a breaker bar but they’re not intended for super high torque needs like that.

If your smog stuff worked then bundle it up for some of the guys that need that stuff. I sold everything to a guy in California.

 

[Skniper]

Congrats on a really clean 62 to start with. Your laundry list is very typical of these rigs...actually yours is probably better than most.

Pretty big starter job for not being "mechanically inclined" LOL, but hell yea good on you for diving in! I did the same injector job early on in my 62's life, now it's due for another one, and a complete desmog this time. Did you get a block off plate for the EGR, or the press-in cap?
You might try hitting that giant EGR nut with a torch a couple times to help break it loose. If you don't have a torch, it's just another excuse to add another new tool!

 

[taylorqj]

Don’t need an impact but definitely a half inch drive 6 point socket and probably a cheater bar extension (pipe) over a breaker bar… a good ratchet might suffice instead of a breaker bar but they’re not intended for super high torque needs like that.

If your smog stuff worked then bundle it up for some of the guys that need that stuff. I sold everything to a guy in California.

Picked up a breaker bar and a pipe.. took a lot of work but it broke loose.. that sucker was in there. I was debating pulling the exhaust manifold while I wait for parts.. but not so sure now, lol. I’ll likely hold onto the smog stuff for a little bit just to see how the truck runs, there’s always a chance of our family moving around but we’ll see! Would love to help others.

Pretty big starter job for not being "mechanically inclined" LOL, but hell yea good on you for diving in! I did the same injector job early on in my 62's life, now it's due for another one, and a complete desmog this time. Did you get a block off plate for the EGR, or the press-in cap?

You know I thought the same, the whole deal with finally grabbing one of these was also learning how to work on trucks as a whole, I’ve done suspension stuff, and can point at some things but overall pretty clueless. No better way to learn than get in there and start tearing s*** apart. This also meant brand spankin new tools since I had none.

 

[toy_tek]

Yeah man, glad to hear you got that removed! Nice work... gotta love new tools too. Unless there's a problem w the exhaust manifold, leave it. Likely you'll break studs off and create a bunch of extra work (and headaches) for no reason.

 

[taylorqj]

I wanted to keep working on things while the injectors are getting rebuilt so I decided to replace spark plugs, o2 sensors, and do a hack-job painting the airbox.

The o2 sensors connector nearest to the driver side (non trans) looks like it’s been cooked a bit. Luckily just the sensor side and not the harness.

After a ton of soaking and bending that heat shield back all the way, I broke loose the nuts with a breaker bar. It wasn’t too bad!

Not entirely sure if these have ever been replaced. That gasket was cooked and this looks rough.

The other sensor was more involved and I wasn’t about to bust my knuckles going at it from below. I read here it’s easily accessible by the trans tunnel and you can get to that by pulling carpet back and removing the shifters. I decided to pull the seats too just to have more room.. only a few more bolts.

From here it was super easy! Direct access to the sensor with a couple 3/8 extensions.. maybe 12-18”? Connector itself sits just on top of the trans.

As for the airbox.. I pulled it to have an easier time replacing a fuel return line and just decided to spray some high temp paint on it. I really only have time to work on this in the evening and lighting in our garage is horrendous, so left some drips, and completely missed a few areas but it came out better than it was before.

Spark plugs were decent, gapping was mostly correct, although a couple of them smelled like fuel.. replaced with some fresh ones.

Since I removed the air pump I also needed to replace the belt. I’ve tried ordering the Dayco 22528 from Advance Auto Parts and Walmart and both of them weren’t able to fulfill the order so I grabbed a Gates TR22525 from O’Reillys and it fit with a bit of a struggle to get it tightened. Didn’t realize this is the short belt, which means you skip the alternator in the loop, so we’ll see how that goes.

There’s a thousand things to do but not sure what I’ll tackle next. After I replace most of the fueling stuff in the engine bay, I might focus on the cooling system.

 

[MWM1]

I’m still awaiting parts so still poking around and doing a thing or two here and there. Continuing with the desmog.. I’ve soaked that dang EGR exhaust nut for days and it will not budge.

View attachment 4082568

I’m half tempted to pick up a 1/2 impact and give that a go.. makes me wonder though.. why not just cap this instead? Realized I also don’t have hex sockets and that’s a problem for the plugs I picked up the air injector holes. Yay more tools!

After removing the air pump and silencer I’m shocked at how much room there is without all that s*** in there, pretty cool.

 

[taylorqj]

Everything is back together and running.. but not running well. I’m bogging, stuttering, and backfiring when giving any amount of gas while in gear. Park and neutral I can freely rev without any choking. I’m able to lightly give gas and feel constant pressure through the pedal until about 1.5-2K RPM and it starts to bog. No CEL.

(Shortened the FPR hose to intake and removed gasket from EGR block off after photo)

Parts that were changed:

- Fuel pressure regulator
- Pulsation Damper
- Rebuilt Injectors
- Cleaned CSI
- Spark plugs
- O2 sensors
- Air filter
- Complete desmog (exception of cat delete)

Things I’ve done since bogging:

- Checked for codes.. none
- Swap FPR to old one to rule at least 1 part out. No bueno. (Also snapped one of the 10mm bolts in the rail.. fml)
- Triple check vacuum lines.. can’t see any visible cracks
- Visually check all air from AFM -> Throttle body (will do a spray test today)

One thing that existed before the injector rebuild was poor electrical connectors to the water pump. Virtually all of them need replaced.

The water temp switch has exposed wire that might be shot and the water temp sensor is looking horrific. I’m thinking maybe the water temp switch is dead after messing around in there.

Going to start testing connectors at the AFM, TPS, and water pump to see what I get. Any other ideas? Fuel pressure gauge maybe?

 

[diesellibrarian]

The ECU does need reliable input from those sensors, but in the spirit of eliminating variables before going crazy with the parts cannon, have you:

- adjusted the valves?
- set timing?

Once your valve lash and timing are in spec, you can start to diagnose some of the other systems.