Since we need one.... The Club Chat Thread!!!

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Had a customer pulling out if his driveway with this contraption today. Looks bitchin! He said it didn't do well on hard packed snow but you could carve to the handle bars on powder!

20130322_142612_zpsbdf2e9a1.jpg
 
Had a customer pulling out if his driveway with this contraption today. Looks bitchin! He said it didn't do well on hard packed snow but you could carve to the handle bars on powder!

20130322_142612_zpsbdf2e9a1.jpg

#NEED

or maybe more

#WANT

:D
 
Well guys, just read the thanks but no thanks letter from the folks I was hoping would offer me a job. Not really happy as it was damn beautiful out there. I can easily see why you fellas like the area so much. Maybe sometime, if the gods smile on me I will get to meet some of you if I can make it out to Rubicon sometime.

I'm gonna go ponder now. Take it easy folks
 
Well guys, just read the thanks but no thanks letter from the folks I was hoping would offer me a job. Not really happy as it was damn beautiful out there. I can easily see why you fellas like the area so much. Maybe sometime, if the gods smile on me I will get to meet some of you if I can make it out to Rubicon sometime.

I'm gonna go ponder now. Take it easy folks

Bummer :(
 
Too bad, sorry to hear about that. Don't let it get you down. Remember, when one door closes the flies can't get in. Also- look at it this way- If you had gotten the job your new Boss probably would have been a total AZZhole so it's a good thing?? ;)
 
UPDATE... Free (MAN) to me TERCEL...
So, I finally got it back together- it runs good and I still have a few little things to do.
In summary: I found that two cylinders were dead and had low compression as they bounced around at 40-60 psi but didn't hold- I shot some oil in the holes and determined the valves were burnt or at least not seating. I couldn't get it to fire at all and pulled the head. The valves may have been starting to get hot but weren't burnt or damaged. The seats were beyond hand lapping- it may have worked but I wasn't going to push it. Pistons looked good but the oil scraper rings were packed with carbon. I researched and found these motors like to burn oil when the scrapers stop working, burn oil, foul plugs and burn valves- I saw evidence that the motor had been apart before, oil pan especially.. Hmmm. The automatic tranny filter looked good and the pan had very little metal slurry or fuzz on the magnets so hopefully there are no issues with it.
I had the head at the machine shop in GP for a month- I might shop around in Meddy next time. Regardless, they did a nice job. I pulled the motor and did gaskets, con-rod bearings (p-gaged at .002 when I was done vs. .003) new rings and other parts like 2 0f 3 engine mounts, tranny seals, etc. I tried to use high quality without getting gauged for OEM.
I finished putting it together and cranked it over. No Joy. I had soot in #1 and #4 cylinder and lots of fuel, #2 and #3 were clean- not much evidence of excessive fuel. Cleaned the injectors via a you-tube trick with carb cleaner and a syringe. Note to self-wear safety glasses ;). Reinstalled. Checked compression on all four jugs and was getting 185 to 200 psi. Checked the plug wires- Fired on #1 and #4 but none on #2 and #3, double checked, 2-3 fired, then #3 failed. More Hmmm, could this have been the main issue all along?
Cleaned out distributor again with electrical cleaner and checked the plug wires 25kohm- wait, my tester doesn't go that high. Connect 120v AC, two wires let 44 and 60 volts through and two let 119V through. I'm not sure how to calculate the ohms via drop without any current draw but seeing as they were #2&
#3 I knew they were done. I found Napa had a premium cap/rotor combo in stock for $46 vs. 116 @ wheeler to be ordered, drove to town, bought, came home, installed and PURRRRR.. Oil pressure hopped up to 60 psi and once warm went between 30 to 60+ between idling and revving.. I didn't touch the oil pump or H2O pump while I was in there as they seemed fine.
I'm at about $900 in parts alone. Then the question arises, "Could I have got this thing running with a new set of wires and a cap and would the valves have seated on their own?"
Sure the car might be worth $800 bucks but now- hopefully I get 100,000 out of it and over 30 mpg.. It was kind of gamble and I still might eat it . I don't think running it without all the PM would have been best for my intended use.
If I drive 15000 miles a year for work(which I normally do) and compare 23 mpg in my truck to 30 mpg in the tercel my fuel savings alone could be $560 figuring $3.68 per gallon. Economically it works out if the car doesn't have any major issues. No, it wouldn't have worked out if I paid a mechanic $1000 to do all of this..
Just thought I would throw this out there for wanna-be junk messiahs!!
 
Nice job! On a car as cheap as this one they are almost never flippable but if you got a reliable 1/2 rebuilt high MPG'er for less than a grand then I say mission accomplished. Now get your friggin 80 going!
 
Kief, have you ever rebuilt a 3fe ?? Mine runs good and smooth and reliable. It doesn't drip any fluid from anywhere. But it is "pooped". At 221K miles what would be your steps to try to improve the performance and MPG's...? Would a compression test be a good start? Doesn't that help point to-or eliminate certain basic issues?? Would a decent running non-smoking engine with low compression mean the valves aren't sealing well?? Smoking exhaust would more likely mean worn piston rings right?? I've also seen some interesting Youtube videos on fuel injectors that Aric told me about. If I rule out a piston ring issue how much work would it be to pull the head and do a valve job, replace what is surely a stock head gasket and reinstall cleaned injectors and everything else on the top end? I think I could do most of that myself but would feel better doing it, or helping someone else who knows the ropes do it themselves. I have occasionally noticed some oiliness in the coolant and there is an exhaust leak needing repair. How much did getting the head resurfaced cost you?? :meh:Chris.

BTW, congrats on getting your commuter vehicle up and running.
 
Kief, have you ever rebuilt a 3fe ?? Mine runs good and smooth and reliable. It doesn't drip any fluid from anywhere. But it is "pooped". At 221K miles what would be your steps to try to improve the performance and MPG's...? Would a compression test be a good start? Doesn't that help point to-or eliminate certain basic issues?? Would a decent running non-smoking engine with low compression mean the valves aren't sealing well?? Smoking exhaust would more likely mean worn piston rings right?? I've also seen some interesting Youtube videos on fuel injectors that Aric told me about. If I rule out a piston ring issue how much work would it be to pull the head and do a valve job, replace what is surely a stock head gasket and reinstall cleaned injectors and everything else on the top end? I think I could do most of that myself but would feel better doing it, or helping someone else who knows the ropes do it themselves. I have occasionally noticed some oiliness in the coolant and there is an exhaust leak needing repair. How much did getting the head resurfaced cost you?? :meh:Chris.

BTW, congrats on getting your commuter vehicle up and running.


Jon is a great guy. Met him at Moab. Here is some 3fe info and his website and PDF sutff here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/270758-general-3fe-tune-up-info.html
 
Thanks Ty. BTW, I also forgot to ask. I'm waiting to hear back from WCM but does anyone know whether or not they'll buy old railroad track? I know where there is a piece about 25' long and is easily accesible( I won't mention where). At around 200 lbs for a 3 foot piece that'd be worth picking up. I've looked at their site but can't find what they pay for steel. :meh:
 
Moby:
Smokey exhaust is not good- it could be valve guide seals or rings. Reference the spark plug color guides you find in most repair manuals. A compression test will tell you a lot. Adding some oil tells you if the rings aren't sealing with low compression. A rebuild will cost a lot. The 3FE I just sold had 200k+ on it. I told the buyer it needed a "refresh", mainly gaskets, check bearings, check cam, rings with a fresh cross hatch, and a valve / head check up. Then accessories if desired. He was determined to rebuild it, his machinist told him it was all within spec.. He rebuilt it all anyway. A thorough evaluation of the engine's condition before throwing parts at it is a good idea. An oil pressure check is an easy way to check out the bottom end condition.
Reguardless of what you do figure about $1500 minimum for fresh quality parts if you do a teardown, maybe another $1500 for machine work if you go that far. The main factor in saving money is you spending time figuring all of this out.
The 4-banger head that I just had cleaned up was $165, I was told I could have had it done for around $100. I'm happy with the quality of work I got and I didn't have to buy any valves or guides. Just to resurface and clean it would have been a lot less. There are a lot of hoses and do-dads on a 3fe that cost $$$. I'm surprised at how much stuff I have sold off of my FJ62 parts rig that people need. That tells me everyone's stuff is wearing out.
 
I met with and spoke for a while a guy named Dylan(4Longo on mud). He was showing me come BFG 33's on stock cruiser chrome rims he wanted to sell. He has a very nice looking 60 in grey with an OME lift. Very clean looking. When I invited him to look into our club and told him how to get on here and post an introdution he said the only guy he thought he knew was a guy named "Kief" out in Williams somewhere. I'd like to have those tires but until I'm done with the suspension upgrades with Georg and Jesse I told him I'd have to pass. I mentioned the wrenching party in 2 weeks and told him to join in on the fun! Sounded to me like he'd like to get involved and maybe join us for the McGrew Trail ride.

Anyway, about my 3FE since it doesn't smoke at all My thought was just to pull the head and clean it all up- maybe do a valve job, clean or replace the injectors and reassemble with a new intake/exhaust gasket and replace all the vacuum lines with new rubber. I have been slowly aquiring all the vacuum switches, tps, fuel pressure regulators, egr, etc- all that "stuff" you talked about. I figure if the head gaskets' stock it wouldn't hurt to replace it and then refurbish everything that goes back on involving the EFI. I know it goes against the old saying "if it works don't fix it" but I can't help but think it might help improve my MPG's and maybe improve the power output- and at the same time make me feel more confident that I've been into it that deep and am confident about the condition of all those components we R&R'd. Anyways, watch for Dylan to post up or go after him with more invites to come hang out. Seemed like a great guy to add to our ...................what do you call it...........our support group!! Kief, will you be at the wrenching get together on the 26th??
 
How many mpgs you getting now? Its a 3fe lc. If power and mpg is your goal.... sell it :flipoff2:
 
How many mpgs you getting now? Its a 3fe lc. If power and mpg is your goal.... sell it :flipoff2:

MPG's are less than 10. the EFI and valve train on that car are stock. I'd like to pull those injectors and get them working like new. Ty did you ever replace the head gasket on one rigs?
 
MPG's are less than 10. the EFI and valve train on that car are stock. I'd like to pull those injectors and get them working like new. Ty did you ever replace the head gasket on one rigs?

Never have. Couldnt get my crescent wrench on the head bolts.
 

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