Nantucket Rust Bucket

[MaineRunna]

Was it from Nantucket? Nantucket is FULL of what we call, F**k you money!

Yes, the 4Runner may have once belonged to one of "the beautiful people"

If you haven't decided on the engine yet, The Yota Shop in Washington state sells remanned long blocks for about $3500. Buying a low mile rusted out runner with a good engine might be a good idea as well.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Some Updates

Got the engine pieces back from the machine shop.

Tried my hand at powder coating. Did a little experiment on how clean the surface needed to be clean. The answer: pretty darn clean.

Started Patching the rust spots on the frame
Before

Now

Im waiting for a warm dry day to weld up the patch so I can have the door open in the garage venting the welding fumes.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Made really good progress yesterday with the help of some friends. Got the rear end all put together and on the ground. And got the front brakes and steering finshed up.

Unfortunately as we were getting ready to drop the front diff in the vehicle, we noticed that the needle bearings on the driver side output of the front diff was destroyed.

So now debating to rebuild or find a new diff.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Its back

After almost a year, the 4runner as finally moved out of my garage.

Didnt really document as much of the work as I was planning on. And I still have some issues to work out, but it runs!

 

[Serge627]

Cool build, nice seeing the rig brought back from what would have been the dead. Keep the updates coming

 

[DreadPirateJon]

I found a disconnected ground while redoing the camshafts because I had forgotten to pre load the exhaust cam gear.

I'm pretty sure it it's the alternator ground but can't figure out which bolt it's supposed to hook into. Does any one have a picture of the bolt. Maybe for the big 3 upgrade which I need get around to soon any way.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[STI_MECE]

If I recall correctly, you have a ground going to the alternator, then engine block right above the oil pan and below oil filter on drive side. Then you have the simple one from battery to chassis.

How was rebuilding the block? I'm considering doing this at some point.

The comments on rebuilding the engines amazes me. It's almost like you can't win. Buying a junkyard motor, crap shoot, buying jdm motor crap shoot, buying remanufactured blocks an expensive a la carte crapshoot.
And then you have the option of rebuilding the block yourself....after the machine shop decks it, and you rebuild per the manual. It doesn't seem so bad.

But there may be more bolt in people instead of engine builders on here which is why it's skewed. Maybe if people drove a less reliable car people wouldn't be so afraid of these engines lol

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Hey thanks for the info, i think I may have found where its suppossed to go.

Rebuilding the engine wasnt too bad. I had a machine shop give it a once over and despite 220,000 miles and who knows how much abuse the block and crank were still pristine. I actually have a set of slightly oversized OEM crankshaft bearings that i accidentally ordered from the dealer. I think the thing that most people are worried about is things like the oil pump where people claim that even the OEM replacement from AISIN isnt as good as what was originally installed. I actually reused the oil pump just in case. I've rebuilt 7M supra engines before and the the 7M and 5VZ are almost identical in technology despite the 5vz being a decade newer. So I really see no issue in rebuilding. I guess if you can get a junkyard engine for 800 and you know it has good compression that would be the cheapest bet.

 

[brillo_76]

Get your rockers replaced? are both the inner and outer rockers gone or did you luck out and only the outer was rusted away?

 

[brillo_76]

Got the engine pieces back from the machine shop.

Tried my hand at powder coating. Did a little experiment on how clean the surface needed to be clean. The answer: pretty darn clean.

Started Patching the rust spots on the frame
Before

Now

Im waiting for a warm dry day to weld up the patch so I can have the door open in the garage venting the welding fumes.

Yup typical snow belt frame arch...:-( Decent patch on the arch. How think of steel did you use?

 

[DreadPirateJon]

I dont recall if I used 1/8 or 3/16. I had gotten a stick of each and used the thickness that matched the frame better. I was planning on at somepoint welding another larger patch over the whole thing for even more strength, but am thinking that may actually promote rust if it holds moisture in.

 

[brillo_76]

I dont recall if I used 1/8 or 3/16. I had gotten a stick of each and used the thickness that matched the frame better. I was planning on at somepoint welding another larger patch over the whole thing for even more strength, but am thinking that may actually promote rust if it holds moisture in.

Understandable. Keep an close eye on it. Looks like a decent patch. If the rest of the frame in that area is good you are good shape. If the bottom and outside frame rail is really rusted, you run a chance of that bracket coming off.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

I jammed a screwdriver all around pretty hard and couldn't make a new hole. So I hope I'm good

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Overheating

So the truck is overheating as I drive it. I have to use full heat to keep the temp gauge happy. I had a Motorad thermostat from Rockauto at first, but this afternoon I put an OEM unit on. After burping the system and letting it get up to temp I closed up the system and drove a few miles over to a buddies place. About 1/2 a mile from my house I noticed the temp gauge climbing again.

So there is a new waterpump, a new OEM thermostat, and a couple of coolant flushes, but the previous owner had put stop leak in at some point I think.

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm now leaning towards getting a Denso radiator off of amazon for 100 bucks.

 

[brillo_76]

Go with a Denso Rad change. The OEM thermostat go in a certain way to keep the engine a few degrees cooler, but I doubt you could see that on a temp gauge. ( believe the jiggler goes in at 6 oclock but don't quote me on it)

Rock Auto has the Denso rad as well. Stop leak is hell on Engines. Possibly Plugged your rad up.. Can you see in cap area are the cooling tubes plugging. Bad water mixed with antifreeze to deposit the rads up too.

 

[Ryance39]

I’d recommend the same. I had a 2.7l in a first gen Tacoma that had very similar symptoms and definitely had stop leak in it at some point.

I went with:
Water pump
Hoses
Thermostat
New radiator
Heater core

Ran like great after that.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

So I now have a completely new cooling system and still having the over heat issue.
And to top it off I think I may have blown a headgasket while trying to diagnose the issue...

I have boiled the Tstat and know it is opening at the right temp. I also check in engine to make sure it was opening (Put a rad hose clamp plier on the lower rad hose and squeezed it, there was no resistance so I know the tstat was opened).
I have run without the tstat and the engine stayed cool. I even undid the top radiator hose and saw the engine start to push water out around 130F. Plus the Cabin heater works, really well, indicating that there is water flowing through the heater core.
So it seems like every part individually works, just not as a system.

So guess I am tearing the top of the engine apart again to check for a blocked passage somewhere.

 

[brillo_76]

So I now have a completely new cooling system and still having the over heat issue.
And to top it off I think I may have blown a headgasket while trying to diagnose the issue...

I have boiled the Tstat and know it is opening at the right temp. I also check in engine to make sure it was opening (Put a rad hose clamp plier on the lower rad hose and squeezed it, there was no resistance so I know the tstat was opened).
I have run without the tstat and the engine stayed cool. I even undid the top radiator hose and saw the engine start to push water out around 130F. Plus the Cabin heater works, really well, indicating that there is water flowing through the heater core.
So it seems like every part individually works, just not as a system.

So guess I am tearing the top of the engine apart again to check for a blocked passage somewhere.

So your radiator was changed and still having overheat issues??

Why do you think you blew the head gasket?? Do you have antifreeze in your oil?? Is Antifreeze leaking out the the head gasket area?

 

[DreadPirateJon]

So your radiator was changed and still having overheat issues??

Why do you think you blew the head gasket?? Do you have antifreeze in your oil?? Is Antifreeze leaking out the the head gasket area?

There was a lot of white smoke in the exhaust the last time i turned it on.

 

[brillo_76]

There was a lot of white smoke in the exhaust the last time i turned it on.

Oh boy... is there any antifreeze in your oil?? pull the dipstick and verify.. If so. get that oil out of the block.. Antifreeze is very hard on engine bearings.

I would agree that you may have a blown gasket. Didn't you have that head redone not that long ago?