help get a FJ40 running!

[subzali]

They are on late model 40s and 60s for sure, maybe some carb'd 70s and 80s as well...

There was just a LONG discussion on the cruizers.com board years back (before I knew about Rising Sun or MUD - nakman, cardinal or 60wag might remember) - people were getting out of their trucks at stoplights to figure out if it was on/running, timing it after all kinds of driving conditions, temperatures, etc., to figure out how the thing was supposed to work. And everyone was worried that it was drawing a lot of current and draining down their batteries. Kinda funny, but annoying that it went on for so long and it was definitely beating a dead horse...

Timm - I did the same thing as Zepp did and have been handing out multimeters all this year at the meeting raffles - I think people are sick of them but I still have some left...

 

[stanmich]

Thanks

A double post (see here) but again, many thanks to Rising Sun, especially Timm and Jeff. Words cannot express...

 

[timmbuck2]

Pics for your enjoyment

 

[Rzeppa]

Nice! Thanks for posting those photos up!

 

[timmbuck2]

12V when not running...12-13V when running...

120amp drain when hooked inline...

T

As (I think) I wrote in a previous post, I was remiss in not measuring what was going on electrically with this rig. I know from getting my grubby hands on her and eyeballing her, there is not a visible problem with the battery cables, although there can be a hidden problem inside where the cables go into the terminals. I doubt that's the problem.

There are two easy tests you can do with a multimeter. One is to set the multimeter on volts and measure the battery voltage with the engine off. If it is around 12-12.5 volts that's normal. Then start the engine up and measure again. It should be around 13.8-14.2 volts. If it is is lower, it is likely that the charging system isn't charging. If it is, but there is a problem starting the rig, then it may be a bad battery, or even bad connections between the battery and ground and starter. I connected the battery ground myself to the frame, and it looked fine, but that doesn't mean it's good.

The other easy test is to disconnect one of the battery cables from the battery, set the multimeter on amps, then put it in series between the battery and the cable. That will tell you if there is a parasitic drain on the battery from something that's drawing current but should be switched off.

I's put my money on a bad alternator and/or regulator - easy to test for.

 

[Rzeppa]

12V when not running...12-13V when running...

120amp drain when hooked inline...

T

LOL! You must mean 120mA. 120 Amps and we're talking towering inferno, or at least arc welder! But 120 mA will be enough to drain even a good battery overnight or over a day or two.

Those are low readings, both running and not. The fact that it's higher when running signals that the alternator is working properly. But it should be closer to 12.5 on a well-charged battery and closer to 13.8 to 14.2 with a properly operating regulator with the engine spinning at 1000 RPM or better.

The parasitic drain can be troubleshot. With the multimeter connected to measure the current drain, you simply start disconnecting potential loads, such as the ignition system. The easy way to do that is pulling fuses.

 

[timmbuck2]

After talking about it with Stan, it looks like I will be parting it out for him and donating all proceeds to his mom's charity. I think the engine and tranny are spoken for by Ricardo, and I will probably grab the front axle and use the disc brakes on my 40. Everything else is up for grabs. I will get a detailed post on Mud and then post it here as well. Wish me luck. Will also need to borrow a trailer to haul the carcass to the junkyard sometime soon.

T