Build Welcome home Matilda - faded like your favorite pair of jeans

[CruiserTrash]

Whats your idle set at? Is your throttle blade not closing all the way?

Idle is at 900rpm because of my Delta cam.

But … I figured this out finally last night and it’s a weird one. I was kind of working off a gut feeling and ideas started coming to me. The last thing I did before the dieseling started was change the alternator Tuesday night. I never went for a test drive, I just drove to work Wednesday morning and that’s when the problem started - the first time I shut the truck off after swapping the alternator. The one I removed and the one I installed are both FJ80 units, but one was Rock Auto and the other Toyota. They have different plugs on the back, neither of which are the 2-pin connector in the 2F engine bay, so I had originally wired up a pigtail adapter with parts from Coolerman. When I changed alternators I had to de-pin the connector for the Rock Auto unit and repin into a different connector for the Toyota unit.

Of course I did that incorrectly. I missed the part of the 80 Series EWD where it says the pictures of the connectors and their pinouts are looking at the business end of the connector. I had assumed it was looking at it from the back, hence putting the pins in the wrong locations. I corrected the pigtail adapter last night and boom - no more “run-on”.

I have two theories:
1. The wrong part of the alternator was getting energized and actually providing rotation force after shutdown (I.e. somehow the stator was making the rotor turn instead of the rotor being spun by the belt and inducing a voltage on the stator). The alternator was providing rotational force on the belt which made the crank turn. Once one piston got to the top and squeezed fuel vapors it was hot enough to ignite, kicking off a chain reaction of other pistons compressing and firing.
2. Somehow the incorrect wiring was providing 12V on the wrong side of the ignition switch. The side of the switch that’s supposed to have 0V when the key is off was getting power, which provided power to the coil, igniter, dizzy, and spark plugs. This technically wouldn’t be considered “dieseling” because there is a spark ignition source for combustion, and it’s not happening purely from compression alone - better to call this one “run-on”.

Here’s what the pigtail is SUPPOSED to be doing:

Rather than having the jumper from the keyed ignition voltage source to the sense contact, I think I had originally wired it so the sense and charge light contacts were jumpered together.

@ToyotaTechnical
@POTATO LAUNCHER
@RodrigzCrzr
All provided me tech support last week before I chased this wild hunch. All are fine gentlemen.

@RDub I know you like weird problems and their solutions, check this out!

 

[klip]

Good find. Very interesting. All of the other circuits worked normally?

 

[CruiserTrash]

Good find. Very interesting. All of the other circuits worked normally?

Surprisingly yes. I’m still scratching my head.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Non Matilda related…

A long time Jeep-owning buddy of mine got in touch about getting rid of his nearly new Wrangler and picking up a used 4Runner as an daily driver along with maybe an old CJ or YJ as a project. I watch the market and think the 100 Series is the best deal going for not only used Cruisers but also used Toyotas at all, so I steered him that direction. We both started looking and heard about what looked like a good LX470 being sold off-market by a local enthusiast. Last night he did the deal. Because his Jeep is a little squirrelly to drive, I piloted the Toyota home about 60 miles.

Good lord, what a vehicle. To say I want one is an understatement. Coming from the 60 world that sounds like blasphemy … until you drive one.

 

[LazarusTaxa]

Ive got a 60, which is my baby, and a 100.. The 100 is very likely the best Land Cruiser ever produced.

I know people argue about 80s vs 100s and I always put it this way; the 100 is for people who need a Land Cruiser and sometimes go off-road. an 80 is for people who need a Land Cruiser and occasionally go on-road.

Except for the gas mileage, the 100 is such an excellent DD.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Ive got a 60, which is my baby, and a 100.. The 100 is very likely the best Land Cruiser ever produced.

I know people argue about 80s vs 100s and I always put it this way; the 100 is for people who need a Land Cruiser and sometimes go off-road. an 80 is for people who need a Land Cruiser and occasionally go on-road.

Except for the gas mileage, the 100 is such an excellent DD.

Having now driven both, I can see that description of the 80 versus the 100. The hundred is like a tank, a rocket ship, and a rolling leather couch in one, but still feels like it would nimble and strong enough on a trail. It felt like a work of art driving it.

 

[Chamba]

All this may be true, but speaking from pure aesthetics: the 100 is fugly. It looks like any other bloated, bar-of-soap SUV. It likely is the pinnacle of Toyota mechanicals, but what made us fall in love with Cruisers was not only the reliability and toughness, but the simple aesthetics and functional beauty. The 100 has neither.

The 40 is pure beauty: from its sharp lines to its rounded corner windows and fenders. The 55 carried this aesthetic perfection to a 4 door, and the 60 refined it to almost biblical perfection. The 80 pushed that envelope a little too far, but the mechanical perfection and off road prowess of it made it all worth it.

Then there came the 100. Too much of everything. They took the 4Runner, pumped it up on steroids and called it the Russian Women's Weightlifting World Champ of Land Cruisers.

 

[CruiserTrash]

All this may be true, but speaking from pure aesthetics: the 100 is fugly. It looks like any other bloated, bar-of-soap SUV. It likely is the pinnacle of Toyota mechanicals, but what made us fall in love with Cruisers was not only the reliability and toughness, but the simple aesthetics and functional beauty. The 100 has neither.

The 40 is pure beauty: from its sharp lines to its rounded corner windows and fenders. The 55 carried this aesthetic perfection to a 4 door, and the 60 refined it to almost biblical perfection. The 80 pushed that envelope a little too far, but the mechanical perfection and off road prowess of it made it all worth it.

Then there came the 100. Too much of everything. They took the 4Runner, pumped it up on steroids and called it the Russian Women's Weightlifting World Champ of Land Cruisers.

I'm inclined to agree, but that's part of what I love about the hundred. Hold that thought for a minute, I'll come back to it ... just as a qualifier and reminder, we're chatting on page 34 of my FJ60 build thread and I have a [slow] FJ40 build thread going too. Hopefully that speaks to where my priorities are haha. Anyway, I LOVE that the 100 looks like a weird soccer mom car. It makes it a sleeper. It's peak 1990s Japanese styling meant to appeal to people who had money at the time. It's perfectly at home amongst the glut of suburban boats dropping off little Timmy & Tina at baseball and lacrosse practice or waiting in the school pickup line, but then - even in stock form - can absolutely party hard on a tough trail with zero problems.

As a side note, if you put a 60 and an 80 next to each other and squint, they're the same body. Toyota just softened the hard corners of the 60 and made everything a little more rounded on the 80. Try it some time, I'm right! The 100 was the first totally new body design since the 55 became the 60.

Edit to add: I was born in the early 80s and grew up and went to high school in the 90s. There's something very nostalgic for me about 90s Japanese auto design, both the exterior and the interior.

 

[Chamba]

I totally agree on the 80 vs 60 and funnily enough, I've said almost exactly what you just said as well. But, refer back to my reasoning for the aesthetic perfection of the 40: the balance between rounded and square.

The 60 took this balance and really perfected it. In my opinion the 80 went a little too far in the rounded and lost that perfect balance by losing some of the sharp edges. I do love the 80, though I've never actually owned one.

But try the same squinting game with an '06 4Runner and a 100 and you'll have similar results.

I love your builds and your passion for the 40s and the 60s: that's why I posted my opinion here. I'd never post such things on a 100 series site or even on a thread where the author owns one.

 

[zeeklafreek]

I was going to mention the 100s 'fugliness' factor, lol. That overbite frontend ... it looks like it feel asleep, had a bad nightmare without its braces and headgear and never woke up.
I still think the 60 is one of the most 'handsome' cars ever built and why I can't quit it. lol
But, it's also a bit 'rustic' on long trips.

 

[70 FJ40]

As someone who now owns a 40, a 60 and a 100, I agree with most of what you guys say. Especially that fugly overbite front-end. That is why I've never got an aftermarket front bumper. They all make that part a lot worse. The 60 is fun and an absolute piece of art. The 40 is Iconic, fun and just really cool looking. I've yet to meat anyone, even people who could care less about vehicles, that doesn't think the 40 is a stunning rig. When th 100 first came out I didnt care for it in looks or that IFS. But 12 years later when I needed a family rig the 100 is what was the most practical choice when it came to cruisers. Bought this one 12 years ago with 110k on the clock for $15,000. It now has over 260k and has been an awesome family adventure rig. My wife will never hear of having anything else. And ya, it is so nice to drive even with all those miles. It has luxuriously taken us all over the West on the highways/freeways and then easily driven every trail I've asked of it without a problem, complaint or breaking anything. That includes 2 days of driving most of the roads in the San Juans. The looks have really grown on me over the year too. A few modest and tasteful mods and it looks great.

And because this is the 60 section.

 

[CruiserTrash]

At least we can all agree that the Lexus GX is the ugliest of them all, right??? The 100 looks like a beauty queen by comparison!

Now, I'm not saying I find the 100 beautiful like I do a 40 or 60, or heck - even a 55. I guess what I'm saying is that's fine enough when you consider how it's built and how it drives.

@70 FJ40 Might need a pin on that water fall if you're willing to share privately. Looks like Utah, and we might be out there in October. No worries if it's a family secret!

 

[CruiserTrash]

Back to Matilda ... we're leaving for Solid Axle Summit in the morning with @yarncruiser and @Fyffer. The truck hasn't really needed anything major - I tweaked suspension and rebuilt the knuckles earlier this year. New motor last year, transfer case rebuild and 4.11 diffs the year before than. Drawer system is ready to go. The camping gear is always ready to go.

What's been done:
Rotate tires
New air and fuel filter
Cleaned & vacuumed the interior

What's left to do tonight:
Check diff fluids and probably change the rear
Check transmission and transfer case fluids, probably change both (I might have the internal leak back again)
Replace spark plugs for fun
Double check suspension torque

After that it's 2.5 days of dirt driving ... as long as the San Juans doesn't keep getting crazy mudslides. Lots of road closures there over the last week. We might end up taking highways into camp on Sunday, but we'll see.

 

[Rockymtnreaper]

Safe travels, brother! Wish I could have extended my Colorado trip to see everyone at SAS!

 

[CruiserTrash]

Safe travels, brother! Wish I could have extended my Colorado trip to see everyone at SAS!

One of these days we’ll hang out in CO or CA!

SAS prep work done. Changed fluid in both diffs, transmission, and transfer case. All were over filled, and all but the front diff looked a little toasty. I’ve crossed water a few times this summer but the fluid didn’t look watery even after letting the truck sit for a solid hour before cracking a drain plug, I’m not sure how else it would have gotten over filled. I have an elaborate breather system with all new hoses, I hope the constant tension clamps on the axle and transfer case nipples are tight. Both diffs and the transfer case have long hose runs to an air manifold mounted high up on the firewall in the engine bay. The manifold has two brass air/atmosphere fittings screwed into it with 40 micron filters to keep dust out. Unless a clamp is bad there shouldn’t be water in there.

I also changed the spark plugs and screwed some L-tracks down to the new platform so we can secure gear on top of it. All the suspension was tight, but I did find a bent spring hanger on the front of the left rear spring - it’s not affecting anything though. The trail a couple weeks ago did have some big rocks. Greased the rear driveshaft while I was under there too. Front driveshaft got rebuilt recently and is good, and I greased the suspension a few weeks ago. It’s go time.

Got home and started packing the new platform/storage/drawer system. 5 bins or large bags worth of gear plus fluids and the air compressor all fit. That’s huge to me. The only things that didn’t fit are two bins (for tent & sleeping bags) and our personal clothes bags. Huge win, super happy. Wish I would have built something sooner.

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Safe travels! will miss you guys.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Safe travels! will miss you guys.

Thanks Jorge! Maybe next year my friend.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Tuco approves of the platform

 

[70 FJ40]

@70 FJ40 Might need a pin on that water fall if you're willing to share privately. Looks like Utah, and we might be out there in October. No worries if it's a family secret!
[/QUOTE]

I dont mind sharing but how about a trade of info? Can you share some more details and maybe some pictures of your D ring install in the cargo area? I need to do this soon.
Really, I dont think the place is any kind of a secret anymore. I found many videos on YouTube, its got a lot of info on ONX as well as local trail guids taking folks out there. Its Toquerville Falls. Really cool place. We went mid week and as you can see we had the place to ourselves for over an hour. You can cross the creek right above the falls and circle back a different way then you come in, but we were told by several folks that its much rougher and I didnt think my family was up for a bumpyer ride then we had coming in. The first 2 miles were pretty rough and a little challenging in spots but that made it fun.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@70 FJ40 Might need a pin on that water fall if you're willing to share privately. Looks like Utah, and we might be out there in October. No worries if it's a family secret!

I dont mind sharing but how about a trade of info? Can you share some more details and maybe some pictures of your D ring install in the cargo area? I need to do this soon.
Really, I dont think the place is any kind of a secret anymore. I found many videos on YouTube, its got a lot of info on ONX as well as local trail guids taking folks out there. Its Toquerville Falls. Really cool place. We went mid week and as you can see we had the place to ourselves for over an hour. You can cross the creek right above the falls and circle back a different way then you come in, but we were told by several folks that its much rougher and I didnt think my family was up for a bumpyer ride then we had coming in. The first 2 miles were pretty rough and a little challenging in spots but that made it fun.
[/QUOTE]

Happy to walk through the d-rings, but really all I could say is “M6x1.00 rivnuts”. Just install rivnuts. If you do it in the cargo area floor, beware the gas tank is directly below. Watch your drill bit depth!