I just bought a 1963 fj-40 off of Facebook marketplace. It was not running when I got it and had a new carb on it with no brand. I got the car running and idling well and the timing set to 7 btdc. Whenever I give it gas or when it’s under load it starts sharply popping out of the exhaust. I thought maybe the mechanical advance wasn’t working but after taking the distributor apart I can’t really tell. It does move but doesn’t really spring back like other distributors I’ve seen. I don’t know if I’m on the right track with timing or not.
Fj-40 tuning issues
- Thread starter beaverlj
- Start date
AdamKFarmer
Hard Core 4+
Post some pictures of your mystery carb. Have you walked through the fsm timing procedure?
Rzeppa
Rising Sun Member
Make sure the points have adequate gap, 0.018". Points not opening enough can cause that observation. Also, at our elevation you need more than 7° BTDC. 11° is a typical setting here.
J1000
Rising Sun Member
To me that sounds like it's running lean under load, try adjusting the carb to give more fuel.
justcruisin
Lifted
Rzeppa
Rising Sun Member
The only mixture adjustment on the stock Aisin carb is the idle mixture. To change the mixture at higher throttle settings requires rejetting it.
This is the new carb that was on when I bought it it also came with a Holley carb that looked nearly identical that was on it previously. I am going to set the timing more advanced tomorrow. Does anyone know anything about the small dial that sits on the shaft of the distributor?
fjc man
Trail Ready
That’s definitely not an Aisin carb.
Rzeppa
Rising Sun Member
My '71 40 had a Holley when I bought it in 1998. It ran good on the highway, got crappy fuel economy and scared the crap out of me when I took it off road (would cut out just when you needed it off camber or on up or down slopes). I got a stock Jim C. Aisin and have been so happy going back to stock! Since your new find is a 1963 you don't have to deal with the smog police you can do whatever you like.
My recollection of the dial on those dizzys is that would set the static timing somehow. I never had one of those and I have a LOT of dizzy's in my dizzy box and don't have any with that but I have peered under hundreds of Land Cruisers over the years and know I have seen those dials.
My recollection of the dial on those dizzys is that would set the static timing somehow. I never had one of those and I have a LOT of dizzy's in my dizzy box and don't have any with that but I have peered under hundreds of Land Cruisers over the years and know I have seen those dials.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
It should look kinda like this…emphasis on kinda… this is my spare 60 carb.
Rzeppa
Rising Sun Member
The stock carb for a '63 is single barrel IIRC. It's also going to be super simple as that was before any kind of emission controls.
My ‘67 was a single barrel.
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
I would toss that aftermarket carb and find an Aisin single barrel.
74fj40
Hard Core 4+
That’s a holley 2300 copy. Lots of people run those with success but an aisin carb will be better. Sounds like a timing issue for sure.
Rlong
New-ish
The correct SD single barrel is a rarity, on mud people ask between $500 and $1,000 in original /needs rebuilt condition. I have one I took off my 63’ fj45 to run a holley 350cfm when i was younger. (It will stay with the truck) Tuned right the Holley ran well. That may be a 500 cfm (far more common) Holley clone which might be a little hard to tune and tend lean (i.e. too much “air”).
Where are you located?
Where are you located?
Rlong
New-ish
FYI 1963 SD40
unimogguy
Rising Sun Member
Agreed I’d get a SD40 carb and either send it off to Jim C. or rebuild it yourself.
Here’s a SD40 rebuild kit:
As far as I’m aware they are the only seller of the SD40 rebuild kit currently.
Here’s a SD40 rebuild kit:
SD40 carburetor rebuild kit
High quality Japanese rebuild kit for the SD40 carburetor. *Does not come with metering rod. Usually not needing replacement in a rebuild anyways.
cruiser-cult.myshopify.com
As far as I’m aware they are the only seller of the SD40 rebuild kit currently.
FWIW I bought a pretty pristine ‘67 40 in ‘73 from Stevinson Toyota when it was located at W 7th Ave. and Wadsworth. Memory says it was clean, low mileage and straight as an arrow. I didn’t know jack about Cruisers at the time but it ran great and was ultra reliable until I tried wheeling some serious off-camber trails above Frisco in Summit Co. It would flood to the point of not running at all and it once left itself stranded for seven days on Meadow Creek trail because of this fault. I had a mechanically inclined friend and, once we got the truck off the hillside, we took a look at the carburetor. Turned out to be a single barrel Holley and when taking it apart we found a piece of a Budweiser can that had been formed into a baffle of sorts which, obviously, didn’t work for the intended purpose. Carefully put it all back together and sold the truck, because I could tell that wheeling old miners trails was something that needed to be explored. Bought a ‘70 factory soft top and wheeled the snot out of it before the Forest Service began gating trails such as Eccles Pass above the Eagles Nest Wilderness area above Silverthorne and French Pass that connects Breckenridge and Como. Both incredibly beautiful. The ‘70 had the stock Aisin that never had a problem with t(r)ippy trails. Anyway…
Rzeppa
Rising Sun Member
My 1971 FJ40 had a Holley in it when I bought it. Ran like a banshee on the highway but off camber or in inclines would sputter and die just when you needed it. I put a Jim C. stock carb on there and instantly got better fuel economy plus the ability to drive anywhere no matter the incline or angle.
wesintl
Moderator
while if could be timing my exp is it's usually exhaust/vacuum leaks with rich mixture. Exhaust leaks allow oxygen into the system and the unburned fuel gets to do it's thing