Pretty quiet in here... what are you working on?

[Pulgasari]

Trying to finish my rear locker wiring harness before Fall Crawl and unfortunately I’ve been running into some obstacles. The plan was to

1. Pull the pigtail for the actuator/sensor from the axle
2. Extend the 6/7 wires so that they are long enough to reach the 12 pin plug I need to add 6 pins to
3. Pull the seals for empty plugs and add the 6 wires to the 12 pin plug

Right now, I’m on step 2. I know which wires need to go where, and I measured out 6 segments of ~1.5m 18 AWG wire. However, some of the wires on the pigtail appear to be 20 AWG?, while others are 18 AWG? I’ve seen conflicting info on whether it’s okay or not to use a thicker wire to extend a thinner one.

The bigger problem I think I’ll have is that I don’t know how to depin/repin the connectors. I need to add 6 pins to a plug with 6 pins already connected to other stuff on the truck, and it seems like it would be a pain to remove that existing harness from the truck, so my plan was to just crawl under the vehicle, unplug it, and add the 6 pins from underneath.

I don’t really have any other pigtails lying around so I tried practicing adding a plug to the one unused pin on the pigtail, with no success. I can’t undo any of the plastic locks (if they even exist) with the picks I have, the plastic tabs holding the connectors in place won’t press down, and the connector won’t go in all the way if I just try inserting it…

I feel like I’m going crazy trying to depin these two plugs, let alone the 12 pin when I’m on the creeper under the vehicle.

Any advice on either the wiring/extending or the depinning ends?

 

[CrabCake]

Unfortunately I've never had great luck with replacing pins in harnesses, so I can't help you with that. I do have a set of the harness plug pliers which really help and also a pin removal kit that looks like a bunch of tiny lock picks. You are welcome to borrow both, but it seems like a stretch to get them to you before FC, unless you feel like a trip to Annapolis.

For the harness plug, I'm sure that it's full of mud that needs to be cleaned out...any grit in there and it will be really hard to get it to release (hence the pliers with better grip!).

Oh yeah, for that short run, I wouldn't worry about your wire gauge being an exact match...slightly heavier would be preferred for all, just make sure that you do high quality connections on the extension tails. Something with a solder joint and shrink seal would be preferred. I have a kit that works great...mini torch to heat it up, solder melts, and it shrink seals too.

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Provide a fast and reliable way of making connections in your home with SKYSHALO Heat Shrink Butt Connectors Solder Seal Wire Connectors Kit Electrical Terminals Insulated

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[kevin in okinawa]

Trying to finish my rear locker wiring harness before Fall Crawl and unfortunately I’ve been running into some obstacles. The plan was to

1. Pull the pigtail for the actuator/sensor from the axle
2. Extend the 6/7 wires so that they are long enough to reach the 12 pin plug I need to add 6 pins to
3. Pull the seals for empty plugs and add the 6 wires to the 12 pin plug

Right now, I’m on step 2. I know which wires need to go where, and I measured out 6 segments of ~1.5m 18 AWG wire. However, some of the wires on the pigtail appear to be 20 AWG?, while others are 18 AWG? I’ve seen conflicting info on whether it’s okay or not to use a thicker wire to extend a thinner one.

View attachment 4015018

The bigger problem I think I’ll have is that I don’t know how to depin/repin the connectors. I need to add 6 pins to a plug with 6 pins already connected to other stuff on the truck, and it seems like it would be a pain to remove that existing harness from the truck, so my plan was to just crawl under the vehicle, unplug it, and add the 6 pins from underneath.

View attachment 4015022

I don’t really have any other pigtails lying around so I tried practicing adding a plug to the one unused pin on the pigtail, with no success. I can’t undo any of the plastic locks (if they even exist) with the picks I have, the plastic tabs holding the connectors in place won’t press down, and the connector won’t go in all the way if I just try inserting it…

View attachment 4015023
View attachment 4015024

I feel like I’m going crazy trying to depin these two plugs, let alone the 12 pin when I’m on the creeper under the vehicle.

Any advice on either the wiring/extending or the depinning ends?

Liam, try to contact Ed ( @emorth ), he is our electronics guru and may have some insight to share. Good luck and hope you get it buttoned up in time.

 

[OTRAMM]

You're going to need to clean that connector really well before you'll have any chance of separating it. The lock won't release because it's packed full of mud. Once they're clean spray them with glass cleaner and they'll come right apart. No idea why but glass cleaner is magic on stuck harness connectors.

 

[Pulgasari]

Unfortunately I've never had great luck with replacing pins in harnesses, so I can't help you with that. I do have a set of the harness plug pliers which really help and also a pin removal kit that looks like a bunch of tiny lock picks. You are welcome to borrow both, but it seems like a stretch to get them to you before FC, unless you feel like a trip to Annapolis.

You're going to need to clean that connector really well before you'll have any chance of separating it. The lock won't release because it's packed full of mud. Once they're clean spray them with glass cleaner and they'll come right apart. No idea why but glass cleaner is magic on stuck harness connectors.

Thanks for the pointers. I have a pin removal kit and the heatshrink connectors (already used them to wire up my turn signals). My original plan was to crawl under the truck and add the pins there but it’s a lot more clear now that I’m gonna have to pull the sub harness with the connector I’m adding pins to, clean everything out thoroughly, and then add the pins and reinstall. I’ll be so happy if it works first try.

 

[ace10]

The rear bumper on my recently-acquired 1G Tundra was a mess. PO(s) clearly took the "bump" part of the name too seriously.
Took advantage of the sales at Serra and ordered a new one plus the plastic caps.
Interesting part was that Toyota is now applying a black coating to the backside.
And if you've ever dealt with chrome Toyota bumpers, you know that's where the rust attacks.
The coating was hard like paint, but much thicker. Appreciate the enhancement.

 

[Von Hayek]

I had a fun little adventure to get Halloween started.

After I picked up my two girls and two of their friends from school, I was driving them home for a Halloween party when I had to make way for a firetruck. I pulled off to the side of the road, which did not look like mud but it certainly was. Both driver's side wheels could get no traction on the pavement and I was very hung up. I felt like I was back at Fall Crawl. Fortunately, within minutes some good samaritans stopped and yanked me out with a chain. I had a blown front passenger tire which was not fun to change. Muddy, muddy, mud everywhere in places you could not conceive. Amazingly, the only damage I can find are some scratches on the running board. Looks like I'll be working at replacing it.

 

[76FJ40]

Is that a Jeep Badge of Honor trail?

 

[Von Hayek]

Is that a Jeep Badge of Honor trail?

Damn, you're right. I should have one made up. Firetruck Run.

 

[CrabCake]

Finally decide on how to tackle my front end rebuild indoors....I was far from excited to do this project outside, knowing that things come up, and the best laid plans can take a dump on you at any time when it comes to a "I think this should do it" scheme. I have a single, but fairly deed garage, but the kicker is the big ass brick chimney on one side. I finally did some measurements and figured how to squeeze the 80 in, get on jack stands, and be able to do this on my own schedule (rather than dictated by weather, sunlight, etc.). That said, I was also not wanting to leave the cruiser outside for a couple of weeks if things went wonky. I bit the bullet and spent a good several hours with the reorganization...now to find all of the stuff that i relocated in a year when I need it!

Prepping some space, I removed the shelves just inside of the side entrance door so I could get to the passenger side comfortably. I also stripped stuff back to the studs on the other side...

 

[CrabCake]

And getting the knuckles stripped down....first twist, a soupy birf! When I put the Longfield axles in a few years ago, I must have bunged up the oil seal installation as I found the passenger side soupy and re-built it again last year. The rebuilt one still looked good with no oil intrusion since and on 3 long weekend wheeling trips. Drivers side, not so lucky...it wasn't weeping (yet), but was obviously a mess once the first lower backplate bolt came out. It also looks like I've roached both spindles at some time or another, especially on the outer bearing faces...new spindles and wheel bearings coming....first hiccup that would extend this out waiting for a parts shipment.

Can you tell which axle had the oil seal leak...I hope so!

 

[CrabCake]

And for the money shot....or reason for this whole project! If you look closely, you'll see a hole at the bottom of the center missing tooth (largest single chunk missing)....this is for the ring gear bolt, not sure if it was a reason for the fatigue/break or not, but curious anyway. Also, I know that my gears are aftermarket since they are 4:56's...this one is a Nitro for reference. I have a Revolution kit in the rebuild, hopefully it'll do a little better!

I'll go ahead and get the spindles ordered today...probably another week before I can start messing with this again.

 

[Von Hayek]

After dunking Rhea's LX570 in the mud, I took it to the car wash and pressure washed what I could get to, which wasn't much--the suspension and axles etc. Then I got under it and removed all of the armor, which is actually quite a bit for a stock 200. Kudos to Toyota. There was enough mud packed under those skids to fill a 5-gallon bucket. Mud was still everywhere. So, @TRDdrew kindly invited me down to muddy his driveway. He even volunteered to muddy himself. The truck desperately needed it. Thanks Drew.

 

[CrabCake]

Gears and knuckles going a little slower than I like, but I'm taking my time to really double check all of my torques and cleaning everything well. Had one snafu that I got a set of front wheel bearings for the 100, not my 80...part numbers are almost identical, so I'll get the proper ones soon (mis-pull, I ordered correctly on my invoice). Good thing is that I'm not close to putting rotors back on yet, so it didn't hold me up for the weekend. I will say that it was not easy getting the diff up in place on my back...would have been a breeze, but the little copper tube for the ARB took some massaging for sure to slip it up in there without bending down and making contact with the gears. I can't see it, but with patience, visualizing, and not feeling any resistance, I hope I'm good. I guess absolute worst fail would be loosing the front locker actuation if it rubs a hole in the copper...

Also had a little issue with the inner axle oil seals...put the first in and noticed that it got a bit deformed, even when using the special proper installation driver. Went to the other side, and really took my time tapping it in...I sounded like a woodpecker in the opening of the garage with light but consistent fast taps to get it to ease in properly. Went back to side one, tried again...fail! Last chance and number 4 looks good. Fortunately I picked up 2 OEM seals at my local dealer, assuming that the "knuckle kit" would have inferior seals...fortunately they were all 4 OEM with matching numbers/manufacturer printed on them (NGK I think). Since I've had a seal failure on both sides, I wanted to be as sure as possible that they looked perfect on installation.

At this point, I have the diff in, both knuckles on with new inner oil seals, birf backing felts/etc., new pivot bearings, & HD studs & nut huggers. Next up is packing the cv's and getting the axles in, backing plates, and spindles on...final step will be getting the bearings in/rotors on, and buttoning up the dash side of the air compressor controls. And I'm really glad that I went to the effort to make this an "indoor" project in the garage...nice to be able to close the door and walk away when I'm finished for the day without feeling the need to rush.

 

[matzell]

Gears and knuckles going a little slower than I like, but I'm taking my time to really double check all of my torques and cleaning everything well. Had one snafu that I got a set of front wheel bearings for the 100, not my 80...part numbers are almost identical, so I'll get the proper ones soon (mis-pull, I ordered correctly on my invoice). Good thing is that I'm not close to putting rotors back on yet, so it didn't hold me up for the weekend. I will say that it was not easy getting the diff up in place on my back...would have been a breeze, but the little copper tube for the ARB took some massaging for sure to slip it up in there without bending down and making contact with the gears. I can't see it, but with patience, visualizing, and not feeling any resistance, I hope I'm good. I guess absolute worst fail would be loosing the front locker actuation if it rubs a hole in the copper...

Also had a little issue with the inner axle oil seals...put the first in and noticed that it got a bit deformed, even when using the special proper installation driver. Went to the other side, and really took my time tapping it in...I sounded like a woodpecker in the opening of the garage with light but consistent fast taps to get it to ease in properly. Went back to side one, tried again...fail! Last chance and number 4 looks good. Fortunately I picked up 2 OEM seals at my local dealer, assuming that the "knuckle kit" would have inferior seals...fortunately they were all 4 OEM with matching numbers/manufacturer printed on them (NGK I think). Since I've had a seal failure on both sides, I wanted to be as sure as possible that they looked perfect on installation.

At this point, I have the diff in, both knuckles on with new inner oil seals, birf backing felts/etc., new pivot bearings, & HD studs & nut huggers. Next up is packing the cv's and getting the axles in, backing plates, and spindles on...final step will be getting the bearings in/rotors on, and buttoning up the dash side of the air compressor controls. And I'm really glad that I went to the effort to make this an "indoor" project in the garage...nice to be able to close the door and walk away when I'm finished for the day without feeling the need to rush.

View attachment 4027513

View attachment 4027514

View attachment 4027515

View attachment 4027516

Next time use these....

HD EcoSeal Inner Axle Seal, FJ80

We have now sold more than 30,000 inner axle EcoSeals, so we thought we’d celebrate by writing an updated tech article! Please check out the tech article below, and help us celebrate this great…

www.marlincrawler.com

 

[CrabCake]

Next time use these....

HD EcoSeal Inner Axle Seal, FJ80

We have now sold more than 30,000 inner axle EcoSeals, so we thought we’d celebrate by writing an updated tech article! Please check out the tech article below, and help us celebrate this great…

www.marlincrawler.com

I thought they discontinued these? I see that they are still live on Marlin's site, I may actually give them a shot. I know that a lot of the complaints on the 80 were due to the AWD nature of the driveline, but I'm P/T, so only churning up front when locked.

Oh yeah, I'm trying to avoid "next time" any time soon!

 

[TRDdrew]

Rebuilt my lower driver seat in the 80

 

[NearJetties]

Finished the rear aux power setup

 

[CrabCake]

I had a chunk of time yesterday to work on the front end...new eco oil seals, spindles, wheel bearings, tie rod ends...

Per @matzell 's suggestion, I decided to give the Marlin eco seals a try...fun pulling the new seals back out, but I do really like the look of the new ones. Also did new wheel bearings and races since I was souped and definitely spun on the old spindles.

Lower down, the first seal is the OEM, second is the Marlin eco...they do seem much sturdier than the OEM in all ways, we'll see...instead of the tiny wound spring for tension, these use a ring type spring that is split to stretch. Rubber is much sturdier too and the flange is a nice touch with the Viton ring to seal any gaps to the housing when you tap them in.

 

[CrabCake]

Lots of fresh grease in the Longfield joints...I love having the gun drilled so you can just pump it in from the end to push out the old, and more importantly, gets the grease "balls deep" from the inside out. I need to finish the locking hub on one side, install the calipers, install the new tie rod ends, fill the diff with fresh juice, and it should be ready to roll. Still need to finish the electrical for the compressor up in the dash, but that shouldn't be too much trouble.