Project Guidance, fixing a Bunch O Stuff (1 Viewer)

[6894kevin]

First off I want to thank all the BAD A$$ SMART people on this forum for all the input and chat conversations that have given me the confidence to work on my own 80.


I’m going to give a run-down of my plans to fix/replace things and please feel free to give tips or directions as this is kind of a big deal for me and I’m a bit nervous….

Anyway, this is what I’m attempting to repair after slowly buying parts.

1. New OEM radiator from my local dealership with upper and lower hoses, thermostat, and block drain again from Wits’ End (saving hoses for spares)Oil pump seal is leaking so I got the kit from Wits’ End and the beefy tool from Otramm to get everything apart
2. Replacing Both Belts (just in case but saving old one for spares)
3. The oil pump seal is leaking so I got the kit from Wits’ End and the beefy tool from Otramm to get everything apart
4. Upgrading all the battery cables to a beefy set I got form Forerunner

So I think I’m okay with the radiator disassembly and oil pump seal breakdown after watching the Otramm video 47 times and reading about this repair all over the forums, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I can get everything off easy and back on. I do have Questions for anyone who has done this and had to deal with an ungodly amount of buildup oil dirt debris etc… My plan is to remove the headlights, grill radiator 1st, and saturate the area with simple green and let it sit, then maybe hit it with a pressure washer? Any suggestion for cleaning the muck off, I read that oven cleaner might work but I think it may be too hard on aluminum?? I was debating on doing this inside my garage but figure just outside might be better and it will be on a slight incline to drain the block and help when I refill. I’m still debating on switching to Toyota Red but there is a reason see below.

OKAY, I may be making this harder than it needs to be… I have a few more questions for the coolant flush part and I have read a ton on this but I need/want confirmation on if what I’m planning is the best way to go about this. My thought process is to do the oil pump 1st removing the old radiator makes it easier to get too and clean the area up. So I obviously don’t want to flush my old radiator into my block if I’m going to replace the radiator correct? So my question is after I do the oil pump what is the best way to flush just the block with the radiator removed (rear heat has been deleted BTW)? I’m thinking a garden hose to top hose with lower hose blocked off and the blocked drain flushing stuff. Or should I plug the blocked drain back and flush through top exiting through the lower hose? Remember I will be on a slight incline with the blocked drain being the lowest point? Assuming I figure out the best way, how do I flush with some amount of pressure with distilled water after I run the garden hose through it? This is where I’m hesitant to switch to RED like the Ghostbuster I’ve read that we (in Egon voice)“Don't cross the streams… It would be bad… Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light” except inside of my motor... So there is a possibility green could remain and that would be bad (see Ghostbusters). Should I just stick with Green and not chance it? I pretty much travel in GA, AL, SC, and maybe FL so temps can get hot but I’ve never had any issues in 10 years of ownership.

I think the battery cable install should be straight forward and might do that before I do the radiator but aren’t sure if it helps me in any way with the rad out of the way??

I also keep reading about belts being done wrong and thought that would be simple but apparently I’m mistaken any tips?

 

[jpoole]

Lots of different approaches/answers could be valid but here are my thoughts:

• Flush with your water hose with pressurized water into every port you can get it into. Plan to get wet, flush more than you probably need to, pull the thermostat, pull the block drain below the intake, etc. Then, use a shop vac with the hose on the outlet to push air through every port you can get it into. You can leave the vac blowing into a rad. hose while you do something else for a while and it should really get most of the water/fluids out of the block.
• Just stick with green is my opinion. Buy the 50/50 premix so that you don't have to worry about getting your ratios right, keep distilled water for that, etc. You can buy 50/50 premix pretty much anywhere and it performs great so I see no reason to spend more and then limit your access to replacement/fill coolant or increase your risk that someone else will put green in and cause sludge, etc.
• Don't forget the foam between the rad and core support/whatever body work. You can put this in after the fact but it's more easily done while the rad. is going in.
• Do the battery cables when you have everything out. Doable either way but more access is always good.
• Degreaser, various brushes and a water hose will go a long way towards cleaning things up if used repeatedly. The greasy sludge will smear the first few times you hit it most likely, just keep going. A pressure washer can be really useful, esp. with the larger chunks on a first pass. Avoid hitting rubber/plastic from up close and on full pressure with a pressure washer as you can damage it. The firewall and hood insulation is very vulnerable to damage from a pressure washer so don't hit it at all with pressure. If you get the hood insulating pad wet the hood will get heavy and the struts may not hold it up, a prop rod in advance may prevent a wet bonk on the head.
• Just use oe belts, matched for the double belt, and you should be good. Tension is the only other gotcha that I'm aware of but may be forgetting something.
• Give yourself plenty of time to take things apart slowly, take pictures as you go for reference later, use baggies for hardware as relevant and allot extra time for the cleanup/degreasing work as it will make the rest of the work much more pleasant. If you have time you can do extra cleaning beyond just the front of the engine as you have access which will make future projects more pleasant and will also help you diagnose leaks in the future.

Good luck!

 

[NLXTACY]

belts...

 

[6894kevin]

@NLXTACY fantastic!!! O and BTW, I'll be slowly getting parts for the front axle rebuild next !

 

[6894kevin]

@jpoole thanks man, you just gave me an excuse to get a shop vac... lol

SERIOUSLY you make some good points and I'll probably just stay with the green

 

[6894kevin]

Its 4 gal total capacity for the rad and block right,also should I add some to the overflow tank when I refill?

 

[jpoole]

Capacities that I have in my notes are:

• 13.7 L, 14.5 QT total capacity
• rad. only drain/fill just under 2 gallons

When you put it all back together you'll want to fill the overflow to the high line and then keep an eye on it through a handful of heat cycles until it stabilizes. When you first button the system back up there will be air in it. As you drive and things heat up coolant/air will be pushed out and then when the engine cools it will suck coolant back in. Expect the overflow tank to be low through at least a few heat cycles.

Pull the overflow tank out when you do the flush. Simply remove the cap and lift straight up on the overflow tank. Then get the tank as clean as you can, particularly getting any residue/crud out the bottom of it. Similarly replace or clean the radiator cap and the inlet valve on the center/bottom of it whenever the cap comes off. I just spray inside each with a jet stream from the water hose and it removes most of the residue. The inlet valve is the little silver colored metal cap in the center of the bottom of the rad. cap. You can lift it up a bit with a fingernail and then squirt a jet of water into it to flush out crud. If there's junk in your system it will build up here sometimes and prevent coolant from flowing back into the engine as it cools. A symptom of this will be a collapsed upper radiator hose when the engine is cool.

I did a big cooling system flush a few years ago but still drain and refill the radiator every year to continue the cleaning. When I do this annual drain/fill I also clean out the overflow and the cap. In spite of my pretty thorough flush a few years ago I'm still pulling rusty residue every time I do this cleaning. I think there are still bits of crud in the system that loosen up over time and end up either in suspension in the coolant or collecting in the overflow tank. That's why I note the rad. only drain/fill above. Different topic but I similarly drop 1 gallon from the tranny via the drain plug every year. It's not a full flush but over time both the coolant and tranny fluid are staying pretty fresh and these regular drain/fills are easier than spaced out big flushes in my opinion.

 

[6894kevin]

Anyone know if the OEM rad comes with a new cap? Should be ordering the rad at the dealership this week.

 

[NLXTACY]

Does not, edit: of course it does

 

[BILT4ME]

Does not

My OEM radiator did, but that was CDan was still doing it.......

 

[brockdeck]

My OEM rad came with a cap, one with the same warning indicator as the new trucks. Not sure that it was supposed to...

 

[OGBeno]

OEM rads come with radiator caps.

 

[6894kevin]

Going today to the dealer today, guess I'll find out.

 

[Azca]

Since you are taking the radiator out, you may wish to replace the power steering hoses now. With the battery and radiator out this will be so much easier. If you have to replace them later, you will not only kick yourself for not doing it now but upset the misses as the vast amount of foul language and overall bad attitude that will set in for a day or two...

 

[6894kevin]

Since you are taking the radiator out, you may wish to replace the power steering hoses now. With the battery and radiator out this will be so much easier. If you have to replace them later, you will not only kick yourself for not doing it now but upset the misses as the vast amount of foul language and overall bad attitude that will set in for a day or two...

Humm.... I know the power steering was suggested, I guess I need to see how hard of a job that is. You see I took it to ACC which isn't far from me for a full review and get suggestions on what needed to be addressed cause I knew I had some issues and I picked this project to start. Maybe I need to postpone and gather more funds and parts to do the power steering. They suggested replacing the power steering pressure hose, reservoir, o ring seal, hose trans oil cooler, hose clamps, port gasket pressure, and fluid. They also suggested doing the Power steering Pump assembly entirely which would basically replace everything and I know I don't have the funds to do that right now. well

 

[Azca]

Humm.... I know the power steering was suggested, I guess I need to see how hard of a job that is. You see I took it to ACC which isn't far from me for a full review and get suggestions on what needed to be addressed cause I knew I had some issues and I picked this project to start. Maybe I need to postpone and gather more funds and parts to do the power steering. They suggested replacing the power steering pressure hose, reservoir, o ring seal, hose trans oil cooler, hose clamps, port gasket pressure, and fluid. They also suggested doing the Power steering Pump assembly entirely which would basically replace everything and I know I don't have the funds to do that right now. well

If you are older, if you have big hands, and the radiator is in place... IT SUCKS! Plain and simple. If you are young, double jointed, have spindly arms, small hands and have great grip strength... it still sucks, just less. It is a very congested area. The hoses are spendy but, if they have not been changed, they are hard as a rock by now. Seriously look at it now vs later. I also would replace the transmission line hoses on the front of the radiator now as well, you are working on it anyway.

 

[6894kevin]

Thanks @Azca I'll start doing my research as I'm not necessarily old but I do have banana hands and tight places aren't, my friend

 

[6894kevin]

Looked up the 4 part numbers for the trans cooler hoses from an old post that Onur made a while back and the hoses are that expensive but also 2 are showing unavailable. That could be true or not as I haven't gone to the dealer yet, BUT I also read people were using regular auto parts store hose.... Thoughts??

 

[Tedward]

Auto parts store TOC hose for the low pressure lines. Its 3/8 ths and that is about 9.6 mm. Factory hose is 10 mm so it works fine.
I used two kinds yesterday. Taiwan made and U.S. made. The U.S. made was more flexible and easier to use.

 

[Azca]

Tans hoses should shown above should work. The high pressure steering line is the spendy one. Part # 44411-60430