Vermont Photo Hunting Rig

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PoindAxster said:
No. Definitely considering it. Haven’t begun the research yet. Any advice?
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No, just curious because 3k seemed high. I have 275/70s, so not much smaller tires. Stock gears. I can do 90+ well under 3k. Maybe it's the elevation and hills? I am in flat ass Texas haha.
 
PoindAxster said:
Heavier rig?
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Ahh. Yeah, good point. I haven't paid too much attention when I'm weighed down. My GX was sucking wind when I took the family through New Mexico and Colorado last year fully loaded.

I'm jealous of that LRA tank though. I feel like I need it for my weekly commute haha!
 
Rough news about the rig just came in. In the B.S. thread, I had mentioned an engine misfire issue. After hunting this thing down, the leading theory is a lifter in cylinder 8. That means pulling the engine, then taking a bunch of things apart.

The shop is recommending a straight engine replacement instead of spending a ton of time on a teardown for a diagnosis that could still lead to the engine replacement. Have had a few people take a look, and this seems like the swiftest way to get the truck running again.

We found an engine with 63,000 miles, so we will at least get one with 40K fewer miles.
 
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@Rednexus was a big help in the other thread. Unfortunately, the knocking noise is pointing to the lifter, not something as simple.
 
Sorry to hear it's probably a lifter, but just about any low-compression issue in a cylinder is going to be in the head, block, or between the two, any of which will require at least a partial teardown to fix :(. Glad you were able to find a low mileage engine, however.

Hopefully you can get some core value our of your old 1UR.
 
Rednexus said:
Sorry to hear it's probably a lifter, but just about any low-compression issue in a cylinder is going to be in the head, block, or between the two, any of which will require at least a partial teardown to fix :(. Glad you were able to find a low mileage engine, however.

Hopefully you can get some core value our of your old 1UR.
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If I'm not mistaken, I believe the price of most all replacements, e.g.: engines, trans, alternators, starters, etc. already have the core priced in, the assumption being that one will be bringing the old in. Although, they always charge the full price, until they get that core back.
 
r2m said:
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the price of most all replacements, e.g.: engines, trans, alternators, starters, etc. already have the core priced in, the assumption being that one will be bringing the old in. Although, they always charge the full price, until they get that core back.
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No core exchange in this case. Fortunately, it isn’t as expensive as I expected it to be. Still stings.

The old engine will eventually be torn down and repaired to be sold. Assuming it isn’t worse than a lifter replacement.
 
The "new" engine arrived, and the work began yesterday. Cosmetically, my 100K old engine looks way better than this 63K one. Once the troubled engine is out, we will make some calls on what to transplant.

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Out of curiosity, is that from a US or JDM salvage vehicle? I see a lot of those used JDM engines and have always wondered how legit they are or are not - their prices are certainly attractive.
 
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Rednexus said:
Out of curiosity, is that from a US or JDM salvage vehicle? I see a lot of those used JDM engines and have always wondered how legit they are or are not - their prices are certainly attractive.
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I don’t know. With all that’s going on in life, I just wanted to get the truck running again.

I’m happy to say it is and it is amazing how smooth it is now. It also holds gears longer on hills which leads me to believe the other engine was slowly developing an issue over thousands of miles. A full tank of gas has gone through it, but I haven’t emptied the additional fuel tank yet. Waiting to roll through that before gauging if gas mileage has changed. However, that question may have to wait a while as the weather has been a rollercoaster. Going from 50 degrees to 7 degrees with rain, ice, and snow in between has to affect gas mileage.

Had a little scare yesterday with the car entering limp mode and throwing MAF codes. We cleaned the sensor to no change and then replaced the EGR valve with the one from my old engine - perfect! Back to normal. So my 63,000 engine now has a very clean 105,000 mile EGR valve.

As life and the weather cooperate, I will find some time to button-up a few other items that need finishing.
 
After a month with the new (to me) engine, things are still going smoothly under the hood. A new issue is becoming noticeable, and I think it has to do with the lower control arms. 100,000 miles on them, with enough of those miles wearing out a set of Bilstein shocks the previous owner installed. Going to get a second opinion on Friday. Symptoms:
  • Pull to the right when accelerating
  • Pull to the left when braking
  • Jumping around after hitting a bump
I have been checking the temperatures around the brakes to see if something is sticking, but I haven't found any temperature differences. This is what led me to the LCAs. The truck has a fresh Dirt King 2.0 kit and Upper control Arms, so it seems reasonable to assume other old-stock components are under more stress.

Got a few other items to adjust/fix now that we are moving away from the sub-0 weather.
  • TPMS light due to new sensors not taking
  • Splice backup lights from the MetalTech bumper so they work in reverse, along with my Garmin
  • Adjust seat belt - bought a new one, and it still isn't retracting right
  • Move the Starlink further from XM satellite antennas - I think Starlink is disrupting the radio signal... or the Prinsu rack bar is
  • Move the Garmin backup camera controller box because it doesn't connect solidly
  • Reconnect the CarPlay adapter that was disconnected during the engine swap
 
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@PoindAxster you know it’s those small details that become monster jobs. I have never been totally free of those gremlins and some of them I live with today. It’s gonna take me a special mood to go out and set them straight. On the other hand, I have been reading everything you’ve posted and I love the work you have done AND those places your driving. I’d been thru one or two of them back in the late 1970’s. Good luck!
 
There are a few hundred miles on the Superpro LCAs now. It is time to say the truck is much more planted. I can't say how much of a difference the Superpros are in comparison to a new set of OEM LCAs, so the pictures can speak to the beefiness of the bushings.

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it looks like you used new LCA cam hardware. were the old ones seizes, or did you "might as well" replace them? OEM LCA cams and bolts are quite pricey.
 
llm said:
it looks like you used new LCA cam hardware. were the old ones seizes, or did you "might as well" replace them? OEM LCA cams and bolts are quite pricey.
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They came with all new everythings. And they were beefier too.
 
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