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Newbie build - 91 Eliminator


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Look underneath the truck while it's running and make sure no oil is dripping onto the exhaust crossover where the engine and transmission meet. It's possible that a small-enough-to-not-really-show-on-the-dipstick leak might be throwing a couple drops of oil on the exhaust and burning enough to where you can smell it. You might also want to check the CCV tubing parts on top of your valve cover. Take both of them off and give them a good spray with throttle cleaner or similar - they tend to clog up over time. Might help to avoid building up pressure inside the valve cover.

 

My truck drove MUCH better after I put in new lower control arms, upper control arms and bushings combined with an alignment. I don't think you ever said how many miles are on it, but if your suspension feels just "okay" that's a likely culprit. Mine looked like this:

r72gCvEl.jpg

 

KG01ywDl.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Was hoping to get some work done on the suspension this weekend but it was just too darn cold, winter finally arrived but it will be back in the 40's and 50's this coming week so will hopefully have time to get to it then. Weather's been so weird this year but it's worked out well, no way I would have gotten as much done any other year.

 

Did a little cosmetic work this week, replaced cracked and broken headlight trim with some unbroken black ones, I like the look of the all black front much better than black grille/red headlight trim but it's all getting painted at some point anyway - still not sure what though.

 

BkCsWQ0l.jpg

 

I also replaced the distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs. Plugs were pretty beat - cyl 4-6 look mostly like they were just old, 1 through 3 look much worse. Definitely some oil on 3. If anyone has a read on them based on the photos I'd appreciate it, all I have for reference is the photos in the back of the Haynes.

 

1, 2 and 3

tHgYBv0l.jpg

 

4, 5 and 6

9SrTK09l.jpg

 

The oil might be getting in from the valve cover leak, which I will be addressing ASAP. Minuit linked me to this Fel Pro gasket earlier in the thread but is there a chance it might not fit if my valve cover has been replaced at some point? I have reason to think it's not original and I think there might be a few differing types that might not take the same gasket, can anyone confirm and if so how do I tell which one I have? For reference, my CCV nozzles are the bayonet mount type, not just pull out/press in. And I did check and clean them, still need a gasket for one but otherwise look okay. One was very loose which was probably part of the problem.

 

Oh yeah almost forgot - part of the reason the suspension feels a little sloppy is probably the fact that one of the coil springs is definitely on it's way out. It's not broken but looks like it's close. Would this be a good replacement if I'm trying to maintain stock ride height?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C53ZSC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

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The bayonet mount CCV tubes means you have the factory valve cover (or at least one of the same era). The expensive blue gasket is the correct one. The push-in ones were a feature of the later 1996+ stamped steel covers.

 

Those are the correct springs.

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Came out today to see this

 

xruumOwl.jpg

 

What the hell man? That's the second time this winter one of my cars has gotten hit while parked, since someone sideswiped my WK a couple months ago. To be fair, it already had a pretty nasty ding in one end but still. Gonna pull it off this weekend and see if I can just knock it back into place. Two steps forward, one step back lol

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I feel ya, man! My poor Eliminator got hit twice in the year I've had it, once when someone ran the red light and hit me at 50MPH, and, my friend's next door neighbor backed into it when it was on the street! nice truck, by the way~

 

Jerry

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Thanks guys, yeah could be worse - at least there was no body damage. Or broken taillights!

 

Finally got time today to do an oil change, decided to try out Rotella based on the positive reviews on this forum. Wasn't sure which weight to go with but the engine already had a minor tick and I'd read the 15w40 could sometimes quiet that so that's what I got. Installed a high capacity Wix filter and filled it up and the tick is like way way louder now. Everything seems fine otherwise, idle is cool, oil pressure is normal, and actually it feels like it has a bit more power when I accelerate now? Not sure if that's related or if I'm just imagining things. Anyway, should I try running a different weight next time? Any additives? I need to get the valve cover off soon anyway to replace the seal, anything I can look for there?

 

Also I already dumped in half a bottle of MMO I had leftover, no change so far. Will drive it around a bunch this week and see if it gets better/worse

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If wherever your climate is doesn't consistently get too far below freezing, you'll be okay with the 15w40. If you see 0F pretty regularly you might want to go for 10w40. I run 5w40 in the winter, but I'm looking at -20F to -40 pretty frequently... and I mix my coolant for -60F to be on the safe side.

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Perhaps you could try a thinner oil next time? I briefly (had to change it after 500 miles due to the possibility of having aluminum shavings in the oil, long story) ran Rotella T6, which is a 5W-40 oil. At the time I had no working oil pressure gauge but it seemed to build oil pressure and turn off the idiot light significantly faster and slightly quiet my typical noisy 4.0 valvetrain. Naturally, you'll get 30 opinions from 20 people anytime you ask about oil, but T6 specifically comes highly recommended.

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Yeah I think I'm gonna run it for a bit but might do a change on the early side and switch it out for some 10w30 conventional and see what happens. I think it's probably okay, will keep an eye on it.

 

I've also noticed my temp gauge is running hotter than normal. Before it was ramrod straight at 210, now it's hovering around what I assume to be like 230? I know the gauge can be inaccurate and also that the needle's position between 210 and the red line doesn't necessarily indicate the temp I think it does. Gonna test it with an IR thermometer and see what it reads. I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be either the temp sending unit or more likely the wiring harness that's plugged into it, it looks like it's been chewed on by a rat for the past ten years so that may be causing some problems for sure.

koj3sIil.jpg

 

Gross. I've already done some research so I will go through the other obvious causes as well, rad cap, thermostat, fan clutch etc and try to figure it out!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Worked on replacing the shocks this weekend, not problems at all til I got to the very last nut on the rear lower mount:

 

Hs6eZevl.jpg

 

Booooo. I tried to be careful with it, hit it with tons of PB Blaster for over a week, torched it, froze it, guess it was just gonna break. What's the go to fix for this? Grind it off, drill it out then replace with... something?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

91Pioneer, thanks for the tip!

 

My original plan was to cut the old stud off, drill it out and replace with a grade 8 bolt. Got about halfway through drilling it and broke a 3/8" bit off in the hole. #*(%$@! So I used your video as my backup plan and relocated the stud a little over an inch forward. I used the Dorman kit since I already had it but if it doesn't hold up I'll either replace with a strong bolt or just have someone weld a new stud in the old location. Either way, it seems fine and the truck rides great with new shocks all around!!!

 

e4rWpRel.jpg?1

 

Also cleaned up the cabin a bit (a lot actually) and installed a new tape deck. There must have been an issue with the old head unit since it sounded like crap and only used one of the rear B pillar speakers (and neither of the door ones) but now I have power all around and it's AWESOME!

 

XTYogghl.jpg

 

Gonna replace front pads and rotors this weekend. Thanks to whoever posted in a thread about needing a 7mm bit to remove the calipers, I had no idea and I would have been PISSED if I got the truck up in the air and had to stop and get yet another new tool to get the job done!

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Those 7mm internal hex bolts are usually a nasty surprise to a first time MJ brake job doer, unless they've worked on GMs in the past :)

 

I JUST finished putting a tape deck in mine. For 20+ year old factory radios they sure do sound good

 

Does your truck not have AC? That's odd for an Eliminator.

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