First MJ(s)

[Salvagedcircuit]

Excellent! Now its a family project and learning experience!

The floor replacement is a messy job. I grabbed myself one of these uvex face shields and it was worth every penny. The abrasive wheel debris get everywhere.

[Awesome]

I have one of these and she's been using it a lot.

[Awesome]

Update: fixed the engine.

 

Found another broken vacuum line while poking around trying to adjust the timing (it's not adjustable). Replaced it and the engine idles really smoothly now and revs properly. Runs great!

[Awesome]

Video of engine running properly now: 

 

 

[Awesome]

Small update:

 

Daughter has been very busy and I picked up a new project recently and have also been busy. The truck stopped turning over a couple months ago and sat without anyone doing anything to it. A few days ago I got back to work on it. We replaced the starter and it turns over great, but won't start. I've traced the problem to the injector. The injector is getting a pulse through a circuit light, but the injector itself won't squirt fuel. I backflushed the injector, put it in my ultrasonic cleaner in B12 for a long time, along with other things. I can't get it to fire.

 

I have been having problems tracking down a reasonably-priced injector. The local injector shops say they can test it but can't do anything else. I'm sending it off to GB Remanufacturing in the morning on the off-chance that they can get it going. The only other injector I can find is a Standard Motor Products injector that they want nearly $150 for. I reached out to Collins Bros Jeep and am waiting to hear from them as well.

 

Before you ask, yes, the truck has spark. It runs on ether or the gas that gets into the intake after pulling the injector out.

[eaglescout526]

28 minutes ago, Awesome said:

$150

Good luck finding cheaper. The only ones who used that injector was AMC and GM. Maybe GM might yield ya a cheaper injector but that injector is a costly one regardless. I might have one or two, can’t guarantee they pulse like they should. 
 

What ya ought to do is hit a junkyard with a bunch of older Chevys from the 80’s and 90’s, the V6’s and 8’s used the TBI set up. 

[Awesome]

From what I understand, the AMC TBI Injector is set up in between the ratings for a 4.8 V8 Chevy and a 5.7 V8 Chevy. Or 5.0, not sure. GM used a 23psi rating on the smaller V8, AMC used a 24psi rating and GM used a 25psi rating on the bigger V8.

 

That's what I've found so far. So either you'd have the AMC150 running lean or have it running rich... I don't know if the Renix system can compensate much for air/fuel ratio. I know next to nothing about it. It seems pretty rudimentary. I also don't think AMC ever used it on the 258 or the 242. I know there was a fuel injected 258, but they were super rare so I dunno how much information is out there on those. Don't even know if they were TBI or if they were an early MPFI direct-injection system like the later 242 FI systems were.

[eaglescout526]

The Renix system can compensate based on two sensors. TPS and O2. If you adjust the TPS to put out less fuel or more fuel at idle which is voltage, it would be fine. But honestly it doesn’t matter for the PSI since the fuel is regulated down to 15psi into the injector. 
 

Course I don’t know much about those ratings unless they’re based on either how much pressure they can handle or how much pressure they’re outputting the fuel to. I can’t see there being a huge difference, but I’ve never known this till now so I do want to test this. 

[Awesome]

It would make more sense if the injectors were rated at lb/hr instead of psi.... which I think may be the case. I think the source where I got my information may have been off. Either way, the part numbers don't cross-reference.

 

I sent the injector off to GB Remanufacturing today. I haven't heard from Collins Bros. They may ignore my request since I mentioned it's for a Comanche and they only like dealing with Wrangler platforms.

[Awesome]

I received the new/rebuilt injector Monday (not sure if they sent me back mine or an entirely different one), and the truck starts and runs again.

 

Collins Bros did indeed ignore me.

 

Now to finally finish the floors in this thing.

[Awesome]

Daughter and I got a lot of work done today. I had an issue yesterday when I tried to start the truck to move it. I cranked it for a long time and it would cough, but not fire off. Finally, just before the battery died it started when I had the throttle floored. Then it was running like garbage again. Smoking, smelled terrible, not great throttle response.

 

Today, it started and seemed to be running great again, but has throttle lag and if you goose the throttle it stumbles. After running it for a while I realized the radiator hose wasn't getting hot. So, thermostat is stuck closed. Easy fix.

 

New one installed with bleed hole added.

 

Daughter got most of the rest of the driver's side floor cut out while I was working on engine stuff.

 

I'm missing an intake manifold bolt, which I believe is causing more vacuum leakage. The other lower intake manifold bolt was quite loose. I tightened it up. Gotta go find a new bolt now. 

 

I worked on the '88 today as well. I got the steering hooked back up. Ready to finally finish the brake upgrade.

 

I had a showerthought last night about the intake manifold on the '86. I wondered if maybe the coolant was leaking into the manifold and getting into the combustion chamber, causing the smoke and smell. I bypassed the intake manifold. I didn't think it really seemed to make a difference in the way it ran, but I thought the exhaust smelled different afterward. My daughter said she thought it was slightly less stinky. I dunno. I have a feeling I'm going to need to get a new intake manifold gasket and install it. It doesn't get very cold here so I don't see any harm in keeping the manifold bypassed.
 

[eaglescout526]

58 minutes ago, Awesome said:

I wondered if maybe the coolant was leaking into the manifold and getting into the combustion chamber, causing the smoke and smell.

The only way I see this happening is if something really acidic inside ate away at the coolant passage in the manifold to do this. A failure really unheard of for either engine really. And the aluminum manifold is a great heat sink so bypassing the manifold may or may not cause an overheating situation. Not sure as I have never heard of anyone doing this.

 

Could also have a rusted out headgasket on the 86 letting coolant into the combustion chamber.

[Awesome]

We-ell....... I may have blown the headgasket by overheating the truck because the thermostat was stuck closed. Not sure on that one yet. I'll have to run a compression test again.

 

I did some research and the manifold coolant passages can and do fail. I don't think the later 150ci engines run coolant through the manifold. Either way, this is just to check.

[eaglescout526]

57 minutes ago, Awesome said:

did some research and the manifold coolant passages can and do fail.

Really? Hmmmm. 

[Awesome]

 I'd assume it's rather rare, since people on this forum (and the Jeepforum) haven't really heard of it happening. But I did find some guys that had that problem. One site claimed it was fairly common.

[eaglescout526]

4 minutes ago, Awesome said:

One site claimed it was fairly common.

I can only see it being an failure if its not well maintained or their putting what they shouldnt be in the cooling system. I guess in your situation, I wouldnt knock it just yet. 

[Awesome]

New day, more work done on the trucks.

Daughter got almost the entire front floor removed. She would have finished but she wanted to ride her horse this afternoon which took up about half her truck time.


She found a nice mouse nest in the frame rail.


I worked on the brake booster upgrade on the '88.


The original rubber boot on the '88 was in perfect shape, as was the foam insert. The ones on the WJ's brake booster had crumbled away. Go figure. I had to shorten the booster rod by 3/4".


All put together and ready for install. My welds are not perfect, but I was trying to minimize heat input. I wrapped the shaft and boot with a wet rag, then covered that with foil. It worked, no meltage.
For the inspectors among you; yes, I realize I installed the brake switch backwards. I had to fix that in the truck.

All installed.

share images

[Awesome]

On the '88, I got the NiCop line looped, flared and hooked up.

 

Driver's side waiting for a new hose.

 

On the '86, I bought a bolt and a couple washers (they didn't have the cupped washer) and installed it. I put the "correct" bolt down on the bottom where the missing bolt was, since that one is much harder to replace.

 

I also found my missing suspected vacuum leak. The throttle body gasket is leaking and spitting out fuel in many places.

[eaglescout526]

34 minutes ago, Awesome said:

they didn't have the cupped washer)

I have a few of these if you want a couple. 

[Eagle_SX4]

2 hours ago, Awesome said:

they didn't have the cupped washer

Just for future reference they are called belleville washers.

[Awesome]

Now that I know what they are called (Thanks, SX4), I realize they are important.

 

Scout, I will try to find one locally. Probably not worth it to mail them to me.

[Awesome]

Could not find any locally. Will try next time I'm in Waco.

 

Today I finished up the brake lines and hoses on the '88 and got the system bled. It now has brakes for the first time since I've owned it. I also figured out a temporary fuel tank mounting solution until I get a flatbed built with a fuel cell.

 

Tomorrow - longer fuel hoses, motor mount, then start the truck again for the first time in at least 2 years. Maybe 3.

[Awesome]

Yesterday I replaced the heater hoses, the rotted heater-hose t-section, the upper radiator hose, plus took off the thermostat housing to find no thermostat at all. Cleaned up all the crap that was on there (no gasket), cleaned up the housing, and put it all back together with the proper gasket and thermostat. I replaced the passenger side motor mount while I was at it. Nobody told me how frustrating that would be, lol. Turns out if you jack the engine up a bit above the fender, you can get to the oil filter adapter bolt a lot easier.

 

Had a frustrating day today.

 

 

Could not get fuel pump to come on with key on. Truck would turn over fine, and was sucking a tiny bit of fuel. Just enough to cough a little bit. Dad came over and helped me try and figure out what was wrong. After a couple hours, finally realized I have no ground at the fuel pump. Traced the wire..... well duh, fuel pump grounds through the bed. I don't have a bed on this truck.

 

Anyway, while trying to find a good location for a ground, we realized the body ground wasn't connected to the battery very well. So while attempting to grind the paint off under the ground strap, I got into the wiring harness and cut 9 wires.

 

Got them all spliced back together and the loom cleaned back up. Added a fuel pump ground. Put the air box and vacuum lines all back together. Truck started right up and runs fine.

 

The transmission isn't shifting, and might be stuck in 3rd gear. Not sure. It slips a bit sometimes as well. Definitely needs a fluid change, have no idea what condition the torque converter is in. Brakes work fine. Engine sounds really good. Cooling system does not hold pressure and puked a ton of gross crap back up through the bottle. When I get time to continue working on this truck, I think I'll swap to a '91+ cooling system for simplicity's sake. Would love to swap to a newer computer system and get rid of all this crappy Renix wiring too.

 

Anyway.... the '88 runs again.

[Awesome]

Started up the '88 again this afternoon. Started up nice and easy. Went ahead and checked the transmission dipstick and sure enough, there's little to no fluid in it. Explains a few things. Gotta go get some, along with a filter.

 

Removed the throttle body from the '86 over the course of the day. Removed that UFO-looking thing for good measure. Pretty sure it's an EGR? Probably going to delete it. Tomorrow I'll finish removing the intake and getting the exhaust loose enough to replace that gasket, then put everything back together with new gaskets. Then do the valve cover gasket.

[Awesome]

Alright, I got the intake manifold pulled off and removed from the truck. I have the exhaust manifold unbolted and ready to be removed, but I can't get it off. The engine/intake bracket keeps it from pulling off the single center stud. I don't have another fine-thread nut to use to pull the stud off, so I'll have to wait until I can go to the hardware store to get a nut and take the stud out. Is there any reason to not replace the stud with a bolt?

 

I'm going to make a couple of block-off plates for the EGR system on my plasma table. The one I'm wondering about is the big hose that goes to the bottom of the air intake box. What the heck is that thing? Another EGR system? I might leave it intact in the air box but get rid of the hoses and weld a plate over the hole in the exhaust manifold.

 

Oh yeah, another one of the exhaust bolts was super duper loose. When I reinstall everything I'll make sure I clean the holes out really good, torque everything properly and use a dab of red locktite on the bolts.