Builds Salt wagon My first fj40 (build) (1 Viewer)

[Grayscale]

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@0:58 - The "valve" that is described in the video, is loaded by a weak compression spring, yet it is critical to the cap functioning properly. The spring will open with vacuum within the engine-side of the system. Vacuum forms as the engine cools down, and it brings coolant back into the radiator from the expansion tank. If there is a bit of sediment under that "valve," then the cap can't hold radiator pressure, and coolant will overflow into the expansion tank without the system pressure required to raise the coolant's boiling point, or put pressure on the "gasket" to the radiator overflow. You can gently pull on the "valve" and see if the spring is working, or if it is laden with sediment. When I change my coolant, I also take the overflow tank out of the truck and rinse sediment that accumulates on the bottom, by the pickup/overflow hose.

 

[KennyBob]

Is that rust on the radiator cap? Did you get all the hardware installed on the water pump?
View attachment 3716875

I believe those are the bolts that screw in from the back to secure the metal plate to the pump.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I believe those are the bolts that screw in from the back to secure the metal plate to the pump.

yeah thats just the place where that metal plate is secured. I have all the hardware installed on the water pump

Is that rust on the radiator cap? Did you get all the hardware installed on the water pump?
View attachment 3716875

The cap seems fine Ill check it out. Of course its rusty though. everything rust here. EVERYTHING. I left a tool on my porch once and it had rust on in it the next day. its not bad rust or anything seemed to be functioning fine with the spring. But maybe ill check that little valve to be sure.

I think that picture is before I put bolts in the fan shroud though.
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[Roastchestnuts]

How could the thermostat housing be flooded, but the waterpump be dry?

Water pump was working. I tested that. was pumping fluid.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Maybe some sort of vapor lock type issue, maybe a blockage like the foil seals that are on top of the jug.
Good thermostats have a giggler so even when closed some fluid get threw.

Interestingly this is a OEM thermostat. No Giggler valve. I got this thermostat and housing + bolts from city racer as a kit I believe. actually the water pump too.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

We will find out soon enough whenever I get tools and parts in. just a waiting game now. Only a few things I can check without proper tools. I know most of you guys are thinking why dont I just go to harbor freight or a store to buy these: I live on an actual island that you take a ferry too. makes traveling to the store a day or two trip. I am waiting on a compression gage, the Thermocure, and a burp gizmo. Unrelated to cooling issue I am waiting on valve seals from Cruiserteq and spark plugs.

I can check the radiator cap more closely. never double checked but what is the PSI rating for the caps thats recommended? I think If I remember this one said 60?

Whats the valve spring compresser everyone uses doing the rope trick?

 

[KennyBob]

We will find out soon enough whenever I get tools and parts in. just a waiting game now. Only a few things I can check without proper tools. I know most of you guys are thinking why dont I just go to harbor freight or a store to buy these: I live on an actual island that you take a ferry too. makes traveling to the store a day or two trip. I am waiting on a compression gage, the Thermocure, and a burp gizmo. Unrelated to cooling issue I am waiting on valve seals from Cruiserteq and spark plugs.

I can check the radiator cap more closely. never double checked but what is the PSI rating for the caps thats recommended? I think If I remember this one said 60?

Whats the valve spring compresser everyone uses doing the rope trick?

I used a spark plug hole adapter to pressurize the cylinder instead of the rope trick. Can’t remember if you’ve got an air compressor though.

 

[Grayscale]

The OEM ones in my collection, both old and new are stamped .9-bar. That is 13-psi.
Let's see, 3x13(psi)= 39 degree increase in boiling point of coolant. 50/50 ethylene / water-mix glycol boils at 223 deg.F. 70/30 ethylene glycol / water-mix goes up to 235 deg.F., and it lowers the freezing point to -67deg.F. Ethylene glycol or propylene glycol doesn't transfer heat as well as water, so the trade-off for temperate climates is to use 50/50 mixes. I have a couple of freezing-point indicators for coolant testing. I don't have the pressure tester, but maybe I should?

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I used a spark plug hole adapter to pressurize the cylinder instead of the rope trick. Can’t remember if you’ve got an air compressor though.

I have access to a air compressor. But I dont own one. at least thats not a bad idea to do it that way way too. I am weirdly excited to replace these seals. I need to buy a valve spring compressor. The one I have is the big c clamp version that you need to have the head off for. Edit: aparently I already asked this question and got an answer... back when I first was taking the engine apart. bought this one - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F5HUUI?psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp.

The OEM ones in my collection, both old and new are stamped .9-bar. That is 13-psi.
Let's see, 3x13(psi)= 39 degree increase in boiling point of coolant. 50/50 ethylene / water-mix glycol boils at 223 deg.F. 70/30 ethylene glycol / water-mix goes up to 235 deg.F., and it lowers the freezing point to -67deg.F. Ethylene glycol or propylene glycol doesn't transfer heat as well as water, so the trade-off for temperate climates is to use 50/50 mixes. I have a couple of freezing-point indicators for coolant testing. I don't have the pressure tester, but maybe I should?

Looking at other caps It must be stamped 0.9 and I just read it upside down. I normally use the mix.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

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?

I really hope this is the case.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

If you end up pulling the head, I would be looking at the valves and seats, even if it was just lapping. Results from your dry/wet compression test would be a good guide.

Do the valve seats have to be machined out? I lapped the valves when I had the motor apart but its not a bad Idea to do all that If I am taking the head off. Edit: after doing my research if this is the case I may find a machine shop in eastern NC. If any North Carolinian knows a good machine shop east of Rocky mount NC let me know.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Not a expert here but no lead gas is hard on valves. They can machine heads and install hardened valve seats. If I was spending that much money I'd likely get different valves too. Lapping what you have is cheap. Pistons/rings is the other half of the compression question.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Not a expert here but no lead gas is hard on valves. They can machine heads and install hardened valve seats. If I was spending that much money I'd likely get different valves too. Lapping what you have is cheap. Pistons/rings is the other half of the compression question.

at a certain point I know where a low milage block out of a running fj60 is too... I Just bought a house I cant spend thousands of dollars on it right now. It ran really well before all this other than valve seals. Hopefully the compression gage gets here today and I can test that and go from there.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Compression tester came in the mail and I went strait to it after work. Numbers go as follows: 1- 155 2 - 140 3- 135 4 - 138 5 -140 6 - 160

Numbers are a little higher than when I had the engine out of the truck at least. I think average was around 138. Dont think this tells me much about the head gasket other than no glaring signs its failed.

Number 6 below

Number 4 below

thats all the pictures I took because I wanted to crank it out before it started raining here.


I am pleased with the numbers as I feel I have seen worse. lowest was number 3 at 135.
Let me know what you all think. could be some user error there.

 

[charliemeyer007]

I think the #'s are acceptable for an old tractor. Can you check them again with some oil (a few cc's injected into the sparkplugs holes).

 

[OlYellr]

Great - my 2 cents - and I see a post. Exactly. what @charliemeyer007 said.

You should not have more than 10% variance between high and low (160 v 135) - that is roughly 14-15 psi - your measurement is 25 psi.

Put some oil in #3 (squirt can not pour some out of a quart). and check again - if it comes up, rings on #3 are wearing out. If not - probably valves or head gasket. And like suggested, try on all 6 with oil

 

[rainingagain]

I think the #'s are acceptable for an old tractor. Can you check them again with some oil (a few cc's injected into the sparkplugs holes).

Great - my 2 cents - and I see a post. Exactly. what @charliemeyer007 said.

You should not have more than 10% variance between high and low (160 v 135) - that is roughly 14-15 psi - your measurement is 25 psi.

Put some oil in #3 (squirt can not pour some out of a quart). and check again - if it comes up, rings on #3 are wearing out. If not - probably valves or head gasket. And like suggested, try on all 6 with oil

Acceptable but the variance is not exactly bueno. Was this on a hot or cold engine?

 

[Grayscale]

When the engine is hot, the shape of the head and block are not the same, slightly. So, it is hard to tell from a compression test if combustion gasses are getting into the cooling system, under pressure from the compression stroke.

If you are burning oil, it could be from worn rings or worn cylinder surfaces, or even dirty, or stuck rings that don't wipe oil correctly off the cylinder wall. Polymerized oil could be increasing your compression, either on the valves, from leaking valve stem seals covering over pits, or on the piston rings. The greater the oil's viscosity, the greater the ring tension needs to be in order to wipe the oil away from the combustion side, and viscous oil doesn't hold-up as well with heat. Oil viscosity is determined by bearing clearances and ring tension.

I'd install a fresh radiator cap, the correct oil viscosity, and run a bottle of Chevron Techron thru the gasoline. Run the engine, and investigate for coolant loss. If you address burning oil, without a clean track-record of holding coolant, then you might be wasting your effort, depending on the problem. Otherwise you are getting kinda beyond shade-tree-mechanics, as a machinist can do far more with their equipment than we can by simple wrenching; running it hot, again, is not something you want to risk if you are going to spend a day and some dough replacing gaskets and seals.

These are probably the originals, they say '2F'- right. On the left are the aftermarkets. Is this what you are running from Cruiser Corps? Mine are from SOR. I don't see smoke from my exhaust, my compression numbers were slightly above spec. and my vacuum was slightly below spec. I'm at a much higher altitude, 6,800-feet. I think that driving this scrap-yard-engine with the Techron-additive, and regular, clean oil made all of my performance issues go sub-clinical.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Yeah the varience in compression numbers worried me. especially #3 being lower. It is interesting that the front and back cylenders had such high compression. I did realize that I forgot to get the throttle open. so maybe that will help a hair. it also was a cold engine because I dont have coolant in it right now. I can fill it back up and try a test then. additionally I am going to check the valve adjustment on #3 - 5.

I will check again this afternoon after work as its not raining this afternoon.

When the engine is hot, the shape of the head and block are not the same, slightly. So, it is hard to tell from a compression test if combustion gasses are getting into the cooling system, under pressure from the compression stroke.

If you are burning oil, it could be from worn rings or worn cylinder surfaces, or even dirty, or stuck rings that don't wipe oil correctly off the cylinder wall. Polymerized oil could be increasing your compression, either on the valves, from leaking valve stem seals covering over pits, or on the piston rings. The greater the oil's viscosity, the greater the ring tension needs to be in order to wipe the oil away from the combustion side, and viscous oil doesn't hold-up as well with heat. Oil viscosity is determined by bearing clearances and ring tension.

I'd install a fresh radiator cap, the correct oil viscosity, and run a bottle of Chevron Techron thru the gasoline. Run the engine, and investigate for coolant loss. If you address burning oil, without a clean track-record of holding coolant, then you might be wasting your effort, depending on the problem. Otherwise you are getting kinda beyond shade-tree-mechanics, as a machinist can do far more with their equipment than we can by simple wrenching; running it hot, again, is not something you want to risk if you are going to spend a day and some dough replacing gaskets and seals.

These are probably the originals, they say '2F'- right. On the left are the aftermarkets. Is this what you are running from Cruiser Corps? Mine are from SOR. I don't see smoke from my exhaust, my compression numbers were slightly above spec. and my vacuum was slightly below spec. I'm at a much higher altitude, 6,800-feet. I think that driving this scrap-yard-engine with the Techron-additive, and regular, clean oil made all of my performance issues go sub-clinical.


View attachment 3717976

@Grayscale My valve seals dont look like that. I just have the little metal ones oem style like this they are not oem. but the ones I just bought from Cruiser teq look like this as well and are toyota oem -

.

Ill buy some correct weight oil.
and get some Chevron Techron.

 

[Grayscale]

Yeah the varience in compression numbers worried me. especially #3 being lower. It is interesting that the front and back cylenders had such high compression. I did realize that I forgot to get the throttle open. so maybe that will help a hair. it also was a cold engine because I dont have coolant in it right now. I can fill it back up and try a test then. additionally I am going to check the valve adjustment on #3 - 5.

I will check again this afternoon after work as its not raining this afternoon.

@Grayscale My valve seals dont look like that. I just have the little metal ones oem style like this they are not oem. but the ones I just bought from Cruiser teq look like this as well and are toyota oem - View attachment 3718334.

Ill buy some correct weight oil.
and get some Chevron Techron.

Wide-open-throttle, or the fuel will concentrate in the exhaust or combustion chamber. It also helps to not have vacuum on the intake side to get the numbers correct.
Maybe, you were already running 'top-tier' gasoline? Top Tier Gasoline Worth the Extra Price, Study Shows - Consumer Reports - https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/fuel-economy-efficiency/top-tier-gasoline-worth-the-extra-price-a7682471234/