Build Salt wagon My first fj40 (build)

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I would try and ID the problem b4 tearing it apart. Wet and dry compression and go from there. If there's a suspect cylder apply air when it's on its TDC on the compression stroke. Then listen if air is leaking.
 
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I agree with above. You may have a couple issues going on and best to figure them out before ripping apart. I personally, would figure out overheating/coolant issue first since it doesn’t look like there coolant in the oil or coolant burning during combustion. I’d start with new plugs (since those could be fouled from the old valve seals), pull the water pump belt and see if pump is seized, flush radiator with water.
 
pb4ugo said:
I would try and ID the problem b4 tearing it apart. Wet and dry compression and go from there. If there's a suspect cylder apply air on its TDC on the compression stroke. The listen if air is leaking.
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yaeh thats kinda my plan now. Going to wait on the compression tool and go from there. and actually cylinders 2-5 are really not as bad as I thought. I put them back in just for the time being. suity but not as oily. 6 and 1 are oily Honestly letting my emotions get the best of me. Ill get it figured out. Just gotta wait on a tool to ship. Wish I could just go and get the tool but its an all day maybe two day trip for me.
 
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Skreddy said:
I agree with above. You may have a couple issues going on and best to figure them out before ripping apart. I personally, would figure out overheating/coolant issue first since it doesn’t look like there coolant in the oil or coolant burning during combustion. I’d start with new plugs (since those could be fouled from the old valve seals), pull the water pump belt and see if pump is seized, flush radiator with water.
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I just checked the pump and it seems fine. Ill double check that it pumps water tomorrow. Unless the actual impeller inside can get seized separate from the pulley? its a new (4 month old pump) I am not running a fan clutch so I can just turn the fan to see if it moves. Yeah I am going to get compression readings and go from there. I Think I am going to flush the block like @RevISK said and try some corrosion stuff he mentioned and also flush the radiator while I am at it. It will 100% need new plugs. Luckly they are not too pricy and they probibly are oily from the valve seals.

I appreciate the input like I said I think I was letting my emotions and frustration get the best of me. My wife calls it Spiraling haha.
 
charliemeyer007 said:
Rome wasn't built or burnt in a day. Slow and steady wins more races and usually cost less than firing the parts cannon.
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My problem really is not the parts cannon its the taking it apart at a whim. I love taking stuff apart haha. But slow and steady I need to be now for sure.
 
If combustion chamber gasses are leaking into the water jacket, that would cause an overflow? But, could it be the radiator cap, or rubber seal on the cap?

On mine, I noticed a couple of things. The new 'OEM' cap that I installed with the CFS radiator was making quite a bit of rust at the valve seal. However, the truck came with a cap that looked original, based on the Japanese writing on the top, but has absolutely no rust. Also, the valve seal at the radiator cap conforms (makes an impression on the seal) to the lip on the inside of the radiator, for both the rebuilt OEM radiator and it's respective cap, as well as the CFS radiator and new 'OEM' radiator cap. The issue I've had is there is a lack of precise concentricity where the cap was seating, so by merely taking it off and replacing it, you get the old impression on the seal that may not line up with the radiator-lip on the most recent installation. I replaced it with a new Motorad non-venting cap, and am going to treat the radiator cas disposable, or one-use only. The Gates venting-type cap that I was using on my pickup wasn't rusting, and the two trucks use the same aftermarket caps, so that is how I got derailled into using aftermarket equipment.

I changed the coolant this spring; it was due after a couple of years. I used pre-mixed coolant. I have strong reservations against using tap-water in the cooling system; the stuff tastes like garbage, smells bad when you fill a 5-gallon bucket with it, and plants hate it. If I was doing a flush, I'd chase it down with a large volume of distilled water, likewise for mixing coolant, distilled-water, only. However, I can't find any information confirming the practice, but they do sell anti-scaling solutions. Scale Formation - Penray - https://penray.com/resources/cooling-system-tech-facts/scale-formation/
 
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Roastchestnuts said:
I need to take a step back and think on this for a day or two. If I dont the rabbit hole I am about to fall into is a mega deep one.
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Good approach.

If there isn’t water in the oil and you don’t have copious amounts of steam coming out of your exhaust then it’s not a head gasket. With the way your plugs look I’m not seeing anything suggesting you were getting coolant into the cylinders.

Focus on one problem at a time. The oil on the plug isn’t related to the cooling problem you started with.

What are the other reasons for coolant not circulating? You eliminated the t-stat. Is the pump doing its job, if it is what’s clogged it blocked?
 
Just another thought, wonder if the motor wasn’t fully burped and you finally hit a point where the coolant void ended up around the water pump causing cavitation and coolant stopped flowing, hence the empty upper radiator hose?
 
middlecalf said:
Just another thought, wonder if the motor wasn’t fully burped and you finally hit a point where the coolant void ended up around the water pump causing cavitation and coolant stopped flowing, hence the empty upper radiator hose?
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Thats a thought. I hope thats the case.

An update - My plan is to flush the block and refill with coolant and do the compression test. I ordered some stuff to flush the block its same stuff that @RevISK recommended. I also a compression gage. this stuff will be here thursday. Just Incase I need to buy the head gasket where does everyone recommend to buy? I am already going to purchase valve seals from cruiserteq. I beleive this is the toyota part number for a head gasket correct - 11115-61010
 
Roastchestnuts said:
Thats a thought. I hope thats the case.

An update - My plan is to flush the block and refill with coolant and do the compression test. I ordered some stuff to flush the block its same stuff that @RevISK recommended. I also a compression gage. this stuff will be here thursday. Just Incase I need to buy the head gasket where does everyone recommend to buy? I am already going to purchase valve seals from cruiserteq. I beleive this is the toyota part number for a head gasket correct - 11115-61010
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Not sure if you have one but a burp funnel is pretty much a must when doing a coolant system flush.
I got mine from Harbor freight (🤮) and it really helped keep the system free of air when refilling.

Also, on an unrelated note, I got the grommet tool you suggested and redid the corners on my soft top but I folded them back on themselves when grommeting and it worked great to eliminate the gap there…

IMG_2221.webp
IMG_2222.webp
 
RevISK said:
Not sure if you have one but a burp funnel is pretty much a must when doing a coolant system flush.
I got mine from Harbor freight (🤮) and it really helped keep the system free of air when refilling.

Also, on an unrelated note, I got the grommet tool you suggested and redid the corners on my soft top but I folded them back on themselves when grommeting and it worked great to eliminate the gap there…

View attachment 3716715View attachment 3716716
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Ian, what stuff did you use to flush the block?
 
RevISK said:
Not sure if you have one but a burp funnel is pretty much a must when doing a coolant system flush.
I got mine from Harbor freight (🤮) and it really helped keep the system free of air when refilling.

Also, on an unrelated note, I got the grommet tool you suggested and redid the corners on my soft top but I folded them back on themselves when grommeting and it worked great to eliminate the gap there…

View attachment 3716715View attachment 3716716
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Thats fantastic to know on folding that over. thanks for the tip there.
I never used one of those burp funnels. I normally just put the front of the vehicle on ramps till the system stops pushing the bubbles up. Maybe thats the problem haha.

Is this simmilar to the burp funnel you used :
https://www.amazon.com/ELEAD-No-Spill-Universal-Aplicable-Automotive/dp/B0BJDJG289?tag=ihco-20
KennyBob said:
Ian, what stuff did you use to flush the block?
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R74I5UY?tag=ihco-20

I think this is the stuff he said
 
Roastchestnuts said:
Thats fantastic to know on folding that over. thanks for the tip there.
I never used one of those burp funnels. I normally just put the front of the vehicle on ramps till the system stops pushing the bubbles up. Maybe thats the problem haha.

Is this simmilar to the burp funnel you used :
https://www.amazon.com/ELEAD-No-Spill-Universal-Aplicable-Automotive/dp/B0BJDJG289?tag=ihco-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R74I5UY?tag=ihco-20

I think this is the stuff he said
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Yes on both.

I too was “burping” with my hood in the sky but I was always chasing errant bubbles due mainly to the heater hose I think. When I have to do any coolant work again, I think I’ll add a valve at the high point in hose.
 
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