LJ70 Build Thread!

[Ben]

with the new handbrake fitted i can soon start on my next project which is to convert the rear to discs.
on the 4-runner ive got a brand new set of callipers and pads.

so my plan is to use milner rear LJ70 discs, 4-runner callipers, and mount them on some brackets i will make, using the new plasma cutter.

 

[Chris Tupper]

Hi Ben,

Just like to say Great work

I fitted the x-brake to my Lj70 and also found the hand brake bracket close to the cross member and fuel line bracket, but managed to adjust (bend) the fuel line bracket clear. Can I ask why you used the centre hole of the actuator? I used end hole and have no kink in the cable.

 

[Ben]

thanks Chris.

i used the middle hole, because thats what the instructions said.

but thinking about it if i use the end hole, like you have, it should remove the kink.

i will move to the end hole tomorrow and see if that makes it better.

 

[Rich Sims]

Looks a good job, a little concerned about the colour of the transfer box oil look its contaminated with water..

 

[ModelMakerMan]

She is definitely coming along nicely. I was quite interested in the x-brake but there is no way it will fit on mine without re-routing the exhaust. Oh well I have another new idea in my head now about rear disc brakes............. maybe Ill actually do it someday!

Have you checked the gearbox oil too as the breathers are at the same height and quite close together? Id get the oils changed asap as that cant be doing good for the internals.

As for relocating the breathers: There are poppet valves on both the transfer case and the gear box, generally they work very well and close when the pressure outside the case is higher than the pressure inside the case (generally when the oil cools quickly ie when wading) stopping the ingress of water into the oil and as its a gearbox off job the change them most people dont change them. I havent bothered and I cross a deep ford quite regularly and have never had any water ingress into the gear or transfer box but it dies look like your poppet valves may have seized.

If you want to check them without dropping the box then you can see the gearbox valve by removing the rubber gearstick boot in the cab and its behind the gearstick and if you feel round the top of the transfer case you should find that one. It could just be that they are encrusted with mud etc and need a good clean. The cap on the valve should be able to move up and down freely to enable them to work properly.

HTH

 

[Birder]

Looks a good job, a little concerned about the colour of the transfer box oil look its contaminated with water..

I agree, having "Heinz Oxtail" in your transfer box cant be good.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Just a few points.

The extra washers in the kit should not be used as they then inhibit the nyloc nut from working. The bolt is too short with the washers fitted!

I tried to fit the kit but, with a standard set-up i.e. no body lift and with the standard exhaust, the caliper fouls on the body shell and the secondary pipe of the ex.system. This is a pity because the strength of the system is without doubt. If the mounting bracket was modified to fit without the distance pieces (not a big job) and the operating shaft on the caliper was shortened by about 20-25mm, then it might just fit. It will still be tight though.

Contaminated oil is not a good idea. The water content will drastically reduce the lubricating property of the oil and will of course promote corrosion. The poppet valves on the axles and t/case are, at best, a rudimentary form of breather and are prone to failure. The springs and the housings rust and the rubber valve gets contaminated with dust and grit. Best bet is to fit a proper tube (reinforced neoprene fuel line is good) and cap it with an inline fuel filter (m/cycle type). My back axle hose finishes inside the rear o/side wing adjacent to the fuel filler. The front and both boxes finish adjacent to the rear battery.

Roger

 

[Rich Sims]

Roger , can you remember the thread size of the 2 breathers?

Thanks

 

[Roger Fairclough]

The breathers are a press fit in the light alloy casings. On the axles they are fitted into short rubber hoses that connect to even shorter steel tubes welded to the steel casings.

To do the axles, remove the existing hoses and replace with longer lengths to suit. Make certain you leave enough to allow for full axle droop and protect the hose from sharp edges or hot exhausts.

I removed the original press fit breather from the g/box g/lever housing and tapped the hole to suit a suitable union. This is very much a suck it and see as to what you can locate that will do the job. From memory I used 1/8 gas thread, but a trip down to a local plumbers merchants may show up a metric varient.

I connected the g/box and t/box together and then a longer hose to finish by the rearmost battery.

Roger

 

[jeepmadmike]

That x brake looks much the same in a way to the Suzuki one they do, doesn't fit on a standard truck and things don't line up like they should, don't think I will buy one

If I go down the tbox brake it will be my own design and build, the calipers xeng use are available from other sources...

 

[Ben]

worked quite late on my truck tonight, but didnt quite get it finished, oh and no photos.

i picked up 6 litres of transmission oil, as thats how much the manual says i need. 3.1 litres for the gear box, and 2 litres for the transfer box.
i removed both the drain plugs, which were both very tight, and required a piece of scaffold tube on the end of the ratchet to get them undone.

what came out was 10+ litres of dirty brown oil+water.

while that was draining i changed both the front speakers, and fitted new wires.

tomorrow i will fill the boxes up with the new oil, and then look at extending the breathers.

need to get it all sorted ready for my first laning trip with the new engine, on sunday.

Roger, did you remove the gearbox+transferbox to tap the threads for your breathers, or did you do it insitu?

tomorrow i will move the X-ENG handbrake cable down to the bottom hole and re-adjust the cable, and also remove the 2 washers from the calliper mounting bolts.

i think its a real shame that people have had problems with fitting the X-ENG handbrakes, and hopefully Simon can get it sorted and start selling a kit that will fit vehicles with a standard exhaust and standard body height.

i would have thought that the logical thing would have been to develop this new product on a standard vehicle, but obviously that hasnt happened.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

I converted both when I had to remove them to change the clutch. You can get at the g/box one by removing the gear lever housing from inside the motor. I don't think you can do the t/box without dropping it down. You could try removing the bolted on crossmember---the one that supports the box---and carefully lowering the whole lot. This may give you enough room.

Roger

 

[Ben]

thanks Roger.

i went out laning today for the first time since fitting the new engine, and ive got a major problem.

i dont have any drive to the front when i put it in 4-hi and 4-low. ive jacked up the rear so the wheels are off the ground, and had it running in 1st low, and the front prop isnt turning.

the gear box and transfer levers both shift normally into each gear, and theres been no abnormal noises or vibrations, or bangs etc.

last time i used it was Lincomb and the 4 wheel drive was working perfect then. since then ive fitted the new engine, and changed the gearbox and transferbox oils.

could it be an electrical fault, as the electric switch for 4-hi seems to be doing nothing, and the 4wd dash light doesnt light up either in 4-hi or 4-low?

it goes into 4-low and drives perfectly, but still the front prop doesnt turn.

any suggestions please.

 

[wobbly]

Fuse?

 

[Ben]

non of the fuses have blown, although i cant find any for 4wd/gearbox/transferbox.

im sure it must be something simple, because it was working fine before, and nothing has gone bang. it drives perfectly on the road in 2-hi, and perfectly off road in 4-low. just the front prop wont turn.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Drive to the front axle is mechanical, but the change is initially electrical to activate a pneumatic engagement.

1) check that turning either front wheel turns the front prop. This is a cursory check as your symptoms suggest it's the t/box or control system that is the fault.

2) Switch on the ignition, open the bonnet and drivers window and stand alongside the front edge of the drivers door. Place your right hand onto the electro/pneumatic switch unit. (just above the brake booster). Activate the 4 wheel drive switch with left hand. You should feel and hear the solenoid click. If no click check fuses. If yes, go to 3.

3) The switch operates a pneumatic bellows that uses vacuum from the brake booster to push in engagement and then pull out of engagement. The vacuum hose comes from the vacuum pipe/hose that runs alongside the steering column. Follow this hose to the switch unit. Note how it splits into two on the off-side of the switch. Pull one hose off. Did you hear air flowing into the hose? If no check your vacuum. If yes go to 4). No vacuum, no brakes, so you should have vacuum if you are still here to type your message

4) OK you have vacuum and the switch operates. Get under the car and check the route of the hoses and pipes. Have you melted a hose on your exhaust? If yes, replace hose and kick yourself hard. Go to 5.

5) Run engine for a minute to build up vacuum. Get back under motor and pull off each vacuum hose in turn on diaphragm whilst someone operates the 4 wheel drive switch. Ignition must be on. If vacuum alternates between hoses, all is well and problem is either in the diaphragms or the mechanical parts in the t/box.

Roger

 

[Ben]

Roger thats a huge help!

right....................ive got as far as stage 2, and i can confirm that the solenoid is clicking when i press the 4-hi button.

i didnt realise that that little box with wires and pipes coming off it was to do with the 4wd system.

when i did the engine conversion there was a small hose coming off the old engine, that went to what i now know to be the solenoid. but when i fitted the new engine, i couldnt find anywhere for the hose to connect to, so i put a suitably sized bolt in the end of it to cap it off, and forgot all about it.

where does that hose need to connect to on the new KZT engine?

 

[Roger Fairclough]

There are two solenoids on the switch. Check that the two 4 wheel drive switch positions (on and off) work the two solenoids. Check by touching each solenoid.

NB. high to low range is purely mechanical. 4 wheel drive is electro.pneumatic, automatically engaged when low range is selected (switch on t/box does this) and by switch on dash when high range is engaged.

From memory, on the 1KZT engine, the only hose is from the vacuum pump to the brake booster. The hose to the 4 wheel drive switch comes off this hose.

The diaphragm has two hose connections that go to switch. Have you verified this?

Roger

 

[Ben]

There are two solenoids on the switch. Check that the two 4 wheel drive switch positions (on and off) work the two solenoids. Check by touching each solenoid.

NB. high to low range is purely mechanical. 4 wheel drive is electro.pneumatic, automatically engaged when low range is selected (switch on t/box does this) and by switch on dash when high range is engaged.

From memory, on the 1KZT engine, the only hose is from the vacuum pump to the brake booster. The hose to the 4 wheel drive switch comes off this hose.

The diaphragm has two hose connections that go to switch. Have you verified this?

Roger

many thanks to you Roger. without your knowledge, i wouldnt have been able to get this fixed so easily.

firstly i went and had a look at the remains of the 4-runner. so i found what i now know to be the 4x4 solenoids.

following the rubber vacuum hose from the solenoids, it T's onto another, bigger pipe.

so i removed this section of pipe and took it back to the workshop.

this is the T bit, that i needed to connect to my 4 wheel drive solenoids.

next what i needed to do was to remove the clear hose that i fitted when i fitted the engine. (when i fitted it, i didnt realise it was a vacume hose.)

on closer inspection it had become very flat, so cant have been working very well.

i then fitted the 4-runner hoses.

connected it to the engine.

ran it along in front of the rad, next to the power steering hoses.

and connected everything up.

i then jacked up the rear axle, and with the front hubs unlocked, and the engine running, put it in 4x4 and checked to see if the front prop was turning, which it was.

so 4 wheel drive is fixed. just got a few more jobs to do, before a big extreme laning trip ive got on in a few weeks time.

oh and this is the state the gearbox and transferbox oils were in when i changed them.

 

[Ben]

forgot to add, im having problems with the X-ENG handbrake.

the disc seems to be constantly rubbing/catching on the pads when the vehicle is been driven, even with the cable slackened off to the point that pulling the handbrake lever has no effect at holding the vehicle still when parked.

its making a catching noise, and the disc is hot after only a few miles drive. if i adjust the cable to where it needs to be, for the handbrake to be effective, there is a noticeable loss of power, and the catching noise is even greater, and again the disc gets very hot.

so i need to spend some time trying to work out what is at fault/out of line. i might need to modify the calliper mounting bracket, or at least space it out with washers. its a bit annoying really, and im wondering if id have been better waiting a while, as maybe all these faults might have been removed from the kits, after a few had been sold, and the manufacturer has chance to adjust things, before handing over £250.