ROTM: January 2009

[rchalmers3]

Ducks,

The short answer is that she didn't like it.

The long answer is that I could not find adequate support here to affect rapid repairs for the various electrical things that would fail: Window motors, window switches, A/C control module, glow plugs and so on.

I acknowledge the 80 series trucks are nice. I'd get another one if I drove highways or was in a collection frame of mind. However I stand by the 60 series for a daily driver proven to be the best of the best.

There is one dealership in Costa Rica, Purdy Motors, S.A. They are good for A and B level replacement items, but if it's out of stock or a C level part needed, you must wait 45 days sometimes for parts.

The spousal unit and I looked at the impact of the elevated sophistication of the 80 series on our transportation needs and opted for something less "electrified": A combination of the simplicity of the 45LV, but with interior seating for 5.

The wifey was unaware of the 55, and I think they are too old and ugly, so I didn't consider those! The 70 series would be my choice, but the boss thinks they are too utilitarian looking, plus you can't get a 4 door wagon here for some reason. I know 4 door wagons are available new in Nicaragua, I saw a few on the road there. But even if there was a 70 4 door wagon available, I would have a hard time justifying paying big money for a depreciating asset.

I prefer to buy, repair and maintain fully depreciated assets!

Given all that, it's the 60's for us!

Hope that answers your question,

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

Excellent rig!

Can you elaborate on the on board air system?

GLTHFJ60,

The on board system on my truck is a air compressor from ARB that is designed to deliver much more than is needed to operate the lockers.

I will adress the on board system in a few days.

Cheers,

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

When the trucks arrived, a friend and I flew to San Jose to receive the trucks from the customs house and drive them the 6 hours back home. An unfortunate circumstance presented itself when we were all paid up and ready to leave: a customs worker had crossed the battery cables on the 24v truck, melting the lead battery posts into pretty but useless metal puddles lying on the top of the battery case. After some time there in the customs yard, I “engineered” a fix that got us going, but later after I got home I replaced the batteries and installed marine post clamps. I then soldered/crimped eyelets to the cables and painted grease on the joint between the battery post and case, to seal in any possible gas leaks at this juncture. I also took the opportunity to replace the battery trays.

 

[rchalmers3]

I found a solution to the intermittent charging system problem. The charging system would often fail, indicated by the brake, charge lamp and fuel sensor lights all coming on. The “Charge Lamp Relay” had a broken solder joint on the printed circuit inside the box. What a joy it was to affect a much needed repair by simply soldering a connection!

Finding the source of the severe surge was fairly simple. The problem was that I had taken a motor out of a truck with an auto transmission. The auto transmission has a spring loaded cable (known as a “throttle valve” or “TV” cable) that connects to the throttle lever on the injection pump. By removing the cable I had reduced the spring loading on the I.P. lever by about 75%. This allowed a very light pressure on the throttle pedal to move the throttle lever, setting up the surge.

 

[rchalmers3]

When I added another spring to the throttle lever, the surge was reduced. I don’t currently have a spring with sufficient pressure, so there is still some surge that will occur. Since I know what to do about the remaining surge, I have done nothing more. Driving to avoid the symptom has me lug the motor a little and not drive it in higher revs. I kinda like tractoring around at 700-1200 rpm!

 

[rchalmers3]

After pricing a used A/C compressor mount, I chose to deviate from my ordinary course of action. While I would have preferred to keep a Toyota motor all Toyota, this was one case where the extra expenditure was not justified. I bought a new 24v compressor in San Jose and fabricated a bracket for mounting the compressor and tensioner pulley. I positioned the compressor as far forward as possible, to clear the engine dipstick and to make room for a future turbo install. The crank and water pump pulleys were collected from Australia. I created a thread for the fabrication here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-...ssor-mount-fab-install-2h-motor-w-photos.html

 

[rchalmers3]

Then after mounting the compressor and selecting a belt to fit, I tested the compressor clutch power circuit and found it didn’t work. Discovering the A/C amplifier needed a gasser motor tach signal, I replaced the amplifier with a relay and adjustable expansion valve. This allows all the circuit and compressor protection of the original amplifier. When the wiring was working, I had custom hoses constructed and the system charged. The system works well and I have received zero complaints, which is good……
Tomorrow I’ll continue with more solutions and repairs.

 

[boots4]

Thanks for the AC link, I'll need to do something similar to my wiring since I've converted to a diesel as well, although I'm still 12V. I'll be picking you brain come summer time.

 

[Tapage]

Rick .. nice thread .. I never thought you have your 60 well prepared ..

How much time from Tamarindo to playa pelada .. ? seen your map .. looks like you have plenty of tourins development there .. plenty of bars and places.

 

[Dirtgypsy]

aaahahaha the ROTM is back!! Finally.

Very nice truck and right on with the choice for your family duties over the other options. I do disagree with you however and say the the pig is anything but ugly!!


How's the 4.88's with the diesel power? Over revved on the hwy?

Clint

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Nice ROTW
I dig all the pics!
Butt

 

[rchalmers3]

Rick .. nice thread .. I never thought you have your 60 well prepared ..

How much time from Tamarindo to playa pelada .. ? seen your map .. looks like you have plenty of tourins development there .. plenty of bars and places.

Gracias y Feliz Ano amigo!

Esta una ahora a Tamarindo durante el verano, y tres durante e
invierno. Si, hay bars y restarauntes, pero no hay mucho "vida la noche" acqui.

Most bars close about 10:00 pm.There is a disco in the pueblo that goes till 2:00am every Friday nite. Lots of crazy music, lights and action! So I'm told, I'm fast asleep.

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

Thanks for the AC link, I'll need to do something similar to my wiring since I've converted to a diesel as well, although I'm still 12V. I'll be picking you brain come summer time.

No worries mate. Lotsa ideas and experience here on Mud.

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

How's the 4.88's with the diesel power? Over revved on the hwy?

Clint

Hey Clint,

Yes, when the truck was being driven for a short period in SoCal, I was definitely sucking wind.

But here it's different. The legal highway speed is 80kph (50mph) most places. With 33's the truck is running 2100rpm at 80kph! Purfect!

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

Nice ROTW
I dig all the pics!
Butt

Rick

 

[rchalmers3]

For curing the ARB air locker system, I decided to upgrade to an on board air system. I bought the ARB 24v on board compressor and installed the compressor on the passenger (right) side firewall. To isolate the compressor I built a stand off plate with an open center. I suspended the compressor over the open area of the stand off plate on a piece of 3/8” reinforced rubber mat. While the compressor operation is still noticeable, I believe the troubles I went to isolate the compressor was worth the effort. The air lockers work flawlessly and I am grateful to have them when travelling on wet grass or when the clay/mud gets slimy.

 

[rchalmers3]

To add air volume for filling tires I welded 2 pipe bungs onto the rear tube bumper, one for the air fitting and another for draining the bumper. I used ¼” plastic tubing for running along the frame and added a 2’ whip up near the compressor for fitting a quick coupling. I estimate the bumper adds about 8 gallons of storage capacity. The compressor runs for about 2 ½ minutes to charge the system from ambient air pressure to 105psi. I now can air the tires up and down easily. In addition I purchased a tire repair kit and quick deflate tool from ARB. The repair kit came in handy yesterday!

 

[rchalmers3]

Replacing the 12v winch is not currently on the to-do list. I pulled the bumper and winch off to assess what it will take to build a replacement front winch/bumper combo. While it was off, I took a few moments to disassemble the winch planetary drive. Boy was that good luck: there was water in the housing. I cleaned and re-greased the planetary gears, then installed the solenoid pack high up inside the right fender. I connected the winch to the second battery and wired the switch into the dash ‘cause the remote handle was broken and ‘cause I had a hole where the choke cable used to be!

You might be thinking that you should warn me about the hazards of using one battery in the 24v system to operate the 12v winch. I’m aware of the possibility of pulling one battery too low. The winch has zero parasitic draw and I intend to operate the winch with the motor running. Furthermore, I use the winch rarely, usually to pull someone else out of a ditch. Because the thing can function when needed as is, I have decided not to worry about it right now.

 

[rchalmers3]

The truck always had a severe port list, about 1 ¾” measured at the rear. I pulled the rear springs and found a corresponding height difference in the spring packs. The part numbers were different as well. To make sure the problem was the spring difference; I swapped locations and drove the truck for about 1 week. Sure enough, the list was now to starboard. For a fix I ordered one HD rear spring pack from ARB. I also ordered 2 extra leafs for each front spring pack to cure tire rub and even out the jack rabbit stance. When the springs arrived, I matched the new spring to the old springs. The tallest of the old springs was a perfect match to the new one. As you can see from the photos, Red sits about perfect after the repairs. It’s even keel and there’s no more tire contact in the front wheel wells. I took the opportunity to clean out the grease pins and install new bushings. While the suspension is not new, it now works to its full potential and can be relied on in the future.

 

[rchalmers3]

I added one do-dad, an air filter restriction sensor and lamp. Fitting the sensor was easy, as the air cleaner was ready to accept the sensor, with a mounting tab and vacuum hose nipples. To wire the sensor, I pulled one wire through the firewall, matching the color of the sensor plug. I used a suitable ground for the other side of the sensor. To power the new warning circuit, I tapped the power feeding the fuel sedimenter warning lamp, using a diode to isolate the two circuits. Both warning circuits function normally, however, the small illumination bulb in the filter restriction lamp is obviously 12v, because it’s much brighter than the sedimenter lamp right next to it! If anyone has a source for small 24v bulbs, please let me know!