A lesson from living in Edmonton and Alberta

[jeffrey]

As well as my Land Rovers I also have a 1989 62 series Toyota Land Cruiser that I have had since 1991, a great offroading and camping truck, one of the best at the time it was made. It has a 3.9lit fuel injected gasoline engine, a huge block and slow but reliable. The trucks suffer from rust and I have spent the last year rebuilding the body (see pict) with some replacement parts.
The next step was overhauling the engine which took me about a year to complete.  She fired up easily, idled smoothly and then I went for a drive, only to discover that it would only do 40 km/h. I thought I had got the timing right as it has idiot proof timing gears on the camshaft and crankshaft with marking indicators. Then maybe it was the transmission as the oil had all drained out, so maybe a problem with the torque converter.  I got Dan and 4wheel auto to have a look and one of his former Land Cruiser mechanics went over it with a fine tooth comb, replaced some bits, checked the timing, but still only 40km/h. Next we replaced the transmission, had the torque converter rebuilt, but still only 40km/h. Was it a fuel problem so fuel pressure was checked, no issues. The fuel injectors were fine, and there is one ECU for the fuel injection so that was replaced, still 40km/h.
I was in New Zealand when Dan's son rang me and said that even after discussions with some Land Cruiser folks in the US they were still none the wiser. I also chatted to one of my niece's husband in Sydney who was a Land Cruiser mechanic, still none the wiser.
I gave up on the truck and thought just junk it for scrap, but after chatting with Dan decided to put a Toyota diesel in it with a turbo, so that was the plan.
I was back from New Zealand walking my dogs when I had a phone call from Dan all excited. He said "guess what" we have found the problem.  They were in the process of taking the old engine out, cleaning up the engine bay ready for a diesel transplant when they discovered that the air inlet from the passengers side vent into the air filter was stuffed full of pine cones from our friendly squirrels, so that was the problem all along, would idle fine but starved for air when under any load. Dan asked me if they should just put it all back together, minus the pine cones, but I had already moved on from the old engine, so now it will be a 62 series Toyota Land Cruiser with a 3.4lit turbo diesel engine, a real beast...... You cannot view this attachment.   

[binch]

go figure....it was just a squirrels nest LOL

[camo388]

I almost had a similar problem.  I started to do some work on one of my Lightweights that had been stored outside, under a tin roof.  Discovered the exhaust pipe was full of grain and grass.  Seems a mouse had moved in.  I was amazed that the pipe was full for about a meter.  Luckily it hadn't got as far as the muffler but still a job to dislodge everything.

[Matt H]

So you replaced the original engine that could only achieve 40kph broken with one that can only do 40kph when running at full power lol.

All joking aside, it surely pays to remember the basics when diagnosing engine problems. Most mechanics will jump right into advanced trouble shooting and skip the easy stuff. I know I've been caught out overlooking the basics.

[binch]

".....certainly a shop I would never bring a vehicle to, if they don't know the basics."

SCC

[Trevor]

certainly a shop I would never bring a vehicle to, if they don't know the basics.

SCC

Yep, if she ain't making power never wander from the basics until you've eliminated them...can she breath, can she drink, can she fart (combust)?

[DBrands]

certainly a shop I would never bring a vehicle to, if they don't know the basics.

SCC

Yep, if she ain't making power never wander from the basics until you've eliminated them...can she breath, can she drink, can she fart (combust)?

Words to live by! This applies to more than just Land Rovers!

[Green Hornet 88]

Hey Jeffrey, at least you can blame the squirrels! A couple of years ago while wintering on the Arizona desert  I was working and restoring my 1978 Honda CT-90 trail bike. After a complete re assembly of the restored parts I couldn't get the damn bike to run other than for a few minutes. I fiddled with it for a couple more weeks with rebuilding the carb, change fuel, filters etc...finally gave up and loaded it on the trailer for the  rest of the winter!
In the spring on the way home I dropped it off at my daughters/son-in-law place in BC figuring he might be able to solve the problem. I barely got home when he sent me a picture of paper towel shoved in between the carb and the muffler pipe!
As Trevor says gotta breath, drink and fart!  Even this old fart learned you have to take out the gloves and tools after surgery!
Can't even blame squirrels!
Cheers Craig

[Lightningpower]

Green Hornet 88,

Can you post the picture? I'm having trouble picturing it in my head. I can picture a towel causing problems between the carb and the phenolic spacer, but this has me addled.

LP

[Green Hornet 88]

Sure, I always like to help others by my foolish actions!  Haha :0)   

I hope this attachment works?

[Green Hornet 88]

Well that picture didn't work? Sorry LH I'll have to learn how to do an attachment?
You cannot view this attachment.

[binch]

what was that.....an oil rag...? ???

[Green Hornet 88]

Sorta, I was working on the desert with the normal blowing sand, so I stuffed a use paper towel into the air intake of the carb overnight to prevent sand/dust blowing into the carb while I removed and worked on the muffler.  Next day when I put the muffler back on I forgot to take out the paper towel! Aaarrrggg! 
If you look at the picture and see the black rubber connection between the carb and muffler that's were the towel got shoved into. I took off both ends of the connection and looked, but didn't take rubber completely off and peer through it!!  Me bad!!

[binch]

Yup, that's a good lesson for all of us to learn ;)