Builds “The Dude”: New Owner w/ Basket Case FJ60 (1 Viewer)

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First highway drive under its belt! About 45 minutes so far... 60 on the speedo is 65 in real life. After sitting off, the temp gauge is “hot” and it’s a little hard to restart. Probably that solenoid on my carb that’s shot- and I have no idea if my carb fan works. Didn’t know that was a thing until a I looked it up a couple seconds ago.

Also, with headlights and blower motor on high the volt gauge is under 12. With just headlights it’s 12. Pretty weak charging.

I also think I need a clutch slave return spring. Hopefully it makes it home! (Oil pressure is probably good, the wire just fell off of the sending unit, I checked).

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Good stuff!
Prob a bit hard to start coz your alternator is knackered and you need ya lights on...so battery will be slowly draining.
What do you think is the go with the hot temp? Air lock perhaps?
 
Good stuff!
Prob a bit hard to start coz your alternator is knackered and you need ya lights on...so battery will be slowly draining.
What do you think is the go with the hot temp? Air lock perhaps?

It cranks fine, just feels like carb isn’t fully with the program until it’s been pumped a bit. Haven’t tried to choke it but shouldn’t be necessary for a hot restart?

I think so, probably need to add more coolant. Haven’t done so since I did the rear heater delete and replaced a hose. I think I drained more than it took. That and people said heat soak is pretty normal. Cools off once it’s been back on for <30 seconds, so I think it’s fine.

This thing is super cool!
 
Did you put ATF or PS fluid in the pump? It takes ATF and will make a terrible noise if you put PS fluid in it. I topped my truck off with PS fluid and it screams....rookie mistake from 2015.
 
It cranks fine, just feels like carb isn’t fully with the program until it’s been pumped a bit. Haven’t tried to choke it but shouldn’t be necessary for a hot restart?

I think so, probably need to add more coolant. Haven’t done so since I did the rear heater delete and replaced a hose. I think I drained more than it took. That and people said heat soak is pretty normal. Cools off once it’s been back on for <30 seconds, so I think it’s fine.

This thing is super cool!
No, shouldn't need choke for a hot start....maybe the carb fan like you say...
 
Did you put ATF or PS fluid in the pump? It takes ATF and will make a terrible noise if you put PS fluid in it. I topped my truck off with PS fluid and it screams....rookie mistake from 2015.

Its alllll ATF. Might need more now that it’s been circulating? But I topped off after some runs around the block. More of a “rocks in a washing machine” noise than a gurgling noise, but only at idle and only seems to slightly affect steering performance at idle. No leaks appearing under it either. Maybe something to do with the bearing that’s also causing the wobble..
 
After my dodge’s steering box failed on Saturday, the dude is now my official daily driver!

Day 5 and still going strong.

Yesterday a trip to Autozone addressed the charging issue, because it got so bad I couldn’t use my lights yesterday morning. So nice that you only need a screwdriver to swap the voltage reg out!

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A visit to the hardware store next door and a few minutes cutting and drilling a piece of sheetmetal and I’m now equipped with a slave cylinder return spring. It probably isn’t optimal but it’s working great! Clutch pedal went from the very top (fork camping out on the pressure plate) to probably 2/3 of the way down. I can now adjust my clutch hydros.

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I raised my idle yesterday because at 500rpm and less the distinct vibration/rocks in a washing machine sound appears, above that it’s smooth and quiet, and now the dieseling has come back. Thinking it’s the throttle/idle solenoid, will hopefully get a new one on this weekend. Might back the idle back down until then.

My door lock cylinders arrived yesterday but I didn’t have time to install, will probably grab a window crank clip removal tool after work and get those in.
 
Little progress on the dude this afternoon.

Got the rockauto door lock cylinders in, woohoo I can lock it now! It literally took 10 minutes per door.
Need to do the same with the hatch now...

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Started on the AC system overhaul by pulling the evap core or “front cooling unit”. Will clean out, replace expansion valve, then reinstall. Like everything else that can’t rust on this 120k mile truck, everything under the dash that hasn’t been butchered by the bad previous owner is in great condition. I have some head scratching to do, though. They ran a red wire straight to the AC compressor, bypassing who knows what. There were also various loose wires around the box, and the connector that goes into the plug in the last pic was nowhere to be found??

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A week of daily driving in the books, and I’m currently an hour from home with the dude on its first weekend trip.

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First fill up after almost a week of dailying; disappointed but not surprised. Should get a lot better once out of the tuning phase.

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The main drama from this week happened after I pulled into the driveway one day after work. I had just turned some screws on the carb, and I apparently did something wrong yet again, causing it to diesel. After it dieseled, I heard the all-too-familiar bubbling in the overflow. The overflow level was also very high, as if coolant was pushed into it. Took the rad cap off and at idle it was fine, but when I revved coolant geysered out. Great.

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I went ahead and did the washer trick + 100ft lb retorque. It seems to have fixed it, with the overflow level back down, and no visible bubbling even at RPM.

Once that was sorted, and I knew I could drive it to work the next day, I RnR’d the front cooling unit and got it and the blower back in. Had to use defrost the next morning so that was nice. Started right up at 32*!


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Then it started running worse and worse. I found and fixed 3 vac leaks (2 at PCV line 1 at my intake manifold PCV plate that I predicted would leak but am too lazy to link the orig post to).

I put more Teflon tape and some ultra grey around the threads of the leaking fitting, but I need to weld a bung to it to do it right.

At this point it runs fine but is gutless between 1500 and 2400 RPM and has a rough idle. Almost feels like it’s misfiring but I don't think it is. My idle control solenoid is 100% bad and I have a new one on the way, without it I can’t really get a good carb tune so I’m hoping that cleans up this things act. If not I’ll pop on a city racer carb.
 
Just installed some fresh wipers and did some poking around under the hood to try to figure out my rough-ish idle, and I made a discovery: the fuel level in my float bowl at idle is just about at the bottom.

Bad pic but you can tell it isn’t in the middle.

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I don’t have many tools but I’d like to try to figure this out before I drive an hour home.

It doesn’t buck or die under accel but it sure is gutless between 1500-2500rpm. This is probably why, huh?
 
I'd start by checking fuel filter, then check fuel pressure from the pump by removing the hose from the hard line to a gas can, have someone crank the motor while you watch. If that isn't it, then it's time to rebuild the carb. Today's ethanol gas is hard on fuel systems.
 
Yes indeedy, probably the cause of your rough/gutless running and difficult starting.
Further to the suggestions above, the carby could also be leaking internally, which could be causing the dieseling.
Time for a City Racer🤗🤗
 
I'd start by checking fuel filter, then check fuel pressure from the pump by removing the hose from the hard line to a gas can, have someone crank the motor while you watch. If that isn't it, then it's time to rebuild the carb. Today's ethanol gas is hard on fuel systems.

My pump is pumping, haven’t checked the filter (has 100 miles on it) but I think I’m just going to skip the headache and pick up a cityracer. Lol
 
Yes indeedy, probably the cause of your rough/gutless running and difficult starting.
Further to the suggestions above, the carby could also be leaking internally, which could be causing the dieseling.
Time for a City Racer🤗🤗

I think you and @HemiAlex are right. Ordering one tonight :)
 
Yes, do what's in your means. But working to the final goal is harder if the light at the end of the tunnel isn't clear. Think big! Easy for me to say when my daily driver has been down for 15 months,. My savior has been my granddad's 1980 pickup. Just try to avoid the expense of the steps between what works and what you really want. Fj60's are worthy of long term goals.
 

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