My neighbor Jorge, brother of HoseB, bought Toasty's '83 Mighty Max. (2.6, 4x4)

First things first: It flunked emissions, as in high level on NOX. Going to pull the carb and make sure we have clear EGR ports into the carb base, since this thing has no oxygen sensor, it's relying on EGR to keep combustion chamber temperatures low. Tried just using compressed air and carb cleaner, but it seems like I'm not getting any flow past the top port of the EGR valve that should flow into the intake.

The other readings were fine, which leads me to believe that the cat may still be functional.

In the meantime, Scrubbing Bubbles rules the day for slowly degreasing this oily beast.

John B.

If you have the engine, or engine parts, out...Easy Off oven cleaner works wonderfully on steel things...paint and all. Not sure about use with aluminum things...

Thanks for the heads up on the EZ-Off, Rocks; I have some and I'll try it out.

In the mean time, I removed the exhaust heat shields to expose the lengthy crack in the exhaust manifold, not yet ready to be remedied by replacing it with a 87+ part-on-hand because I'm stubborn and it would mean extra cost for the owner. Instead, I've steered towards Dremeling the crack a bit before grouting in some high heat JB Weld to see how it responds...and I know, I KNOW it won't work, but I'll play with it for a bit.

I'll be replacing the supplied 31x10.5 BFG A/T's on SR alloys with a set of LT235-15's from the '86 to see how overall performance responds. The 31's rub a little here and there, anyway.

We've got several cans of WalMart $1 black spray paint ready for the undercarriage, which always makes for a good look, if you ask me. Just need to point the leaky power washer hose away from anything important before cleaning.

This thing need seats! Hopefully Sport seats will be a swap-in, but will have to see. Anybody know?

John B.

YAY, Mighty Max gets love. You dudes are cool, i didn't even realize it had an EGR but then again i just drove the thing around mostly.

Try Fatastic cleaner too ..EZoff will hammer alum look out .. Its is great on steel ..

Lots of the Mitsu seats will bolt or all most bolt .. The only arm rest seats "I" know of are in GEN2 Montys .. Steath and Eclipc seats will get you leg room in truck or Monty ... Starion seats need washers on inside to set right .. But Starion seats in a truck once you get in you stuck in the truck for life .. The grey seats you have John from me where in a truck at one time ...I have GEN2 bucket seat mounts if needed .. The froor on GEN2 is the same as GEN1 ...Most seat swaps into trucks need the plastic under part worked over and mounts made to look 'clean'..

Easy seat swaping in most Mitsu 'flat bottom seats" non-power ..

Now power seats I have no clue on.. This info is non-power seats...

How big is the crack ..?.. Is it a exploded crack as Mitzu's will do .. OR.......?

Do the ...Drill and pin.. Drill and pin ...Drill and pin..On the crack..? .. No ...???

My good friend ... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />....

Toast, yeah, it has EGR. The function as I understand it, is to lower combustion chamber temperatures by introducing a small amount of exhaust gases (which are inert) back into the intake stream at certain load conditions. Because that gas stream is sooty, it jams up the small ports used something fierce. When I pulled the EGR valve off, I was getting "supply" of exhaust through the bottom port, so at least it's making it that far, but nothing was getting past the valve, which I cleaned and verified function of with my Mighty Vac, because the intake manifold is plugged up with [censored]. The port leads to orifices under the carburetor and should be free-flowing. The only reason I know this is because I cleaned the heck out of the manifold on Jorge's '86 when we were going though it last year, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue as to how this works. One thing did surprise me, though: it has no oxygen sensor. Rock Auto lists one for this vehicle, but there's no port on the manifold and no wire for connecting one that I found.

HazT, thanks for the heads up on seats. I suppose we'll take a closer look at how they bolt in and then we can start scouting the yards for some snazzy replacements. These are tore up from the floor up, as the kids say.

The manifold crack is a straight line, thin, and extends straight out from #3 cylinder, maybe two inches. Because this JB Weld stuff is a putty-like form, I'm thinking it's too stiff to get in to a thin crack like this, but my tiling experience says if I force it into the crack at a 90 degree angle as if I was grouting tile, I can at least get something in there. I won't spend too much effort on it since we have two later model manifolds to replace it with when it's time to fix it right.

I'm going to get all fancy with some caliper paint and do up the front brakes in shiny red. Of course, due to my laziness, it will be shiny red over bumpy, unsanded and rough calipers that won't be surface prepped beyond cleaning with brake cleaner. I figure since I'm putting in new brake pads, I can go the extra few bolts and take off the brackets and undo the calipers to paint them. The brakes need to be bled anyway. Bring the bling.

John B.

Your right on your post John .

Pull the carb and clean out the EGR port on the head and intake just for GP.....Sorry to say it 'may' take pulling the intake to do this .. A every day hand power drill can help to 'drill' the [censored] out of the EGR passage..

The 'Mighty Vac' will let you test the EGR .. If the EGR is working hooking the Mighty Vac to it and pulling vac PSI will 'up set' the 'idle'...Lots of different smog and non-smog vehicles in AZ ... What carb and EX do you have ..?

No O2 I see .. Two cat's ....... Or One...?

Lots of different combo's of fuel to intake to EX on the carby Mitzu trucks to and Montys SSM wise...

We are lucky seat wise ... The Monty 'non-power' seats are flat on the bottom..So lots of seats will fit...

Wise I had more room and time in my little world the GEN1 trucks are cool.. We still have a lot of them running around up the hill here ... Crazy..."And who says the SSM is a POS....LOL.. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

HazT, the MM is a 2.6 with a regular Mikuni, non-feedback. Exhaust is the old "coffee can" under the collector style, pre-87-looking thing. I filled the crack, which at a closer look, started at #3 cylinder, but went straight across to where #4 loops in front of it. I forgot that I had a tube of some muffler repair putty that is much thinner in consistency than the JB Weld, so I used it and got the crack filled in pretty good, but I haven't run it yet. We'll see.

After pulling the carb, I saw where things were jammed up with carbon. I forgot that there is another valve in the base of the carb, above the manifold that also regulates the EGR gasses. It was jammed closed, so with about half a can of carb cleaner and lots of picking at it, I freed it up so it moves freely again. Got all the passages cleaned out, too.

Painted up the brake drums, calipers and caliper brackets and put in new front brake pads. Today I'm going to power spray the underside and paint a lot of stuff underneath in cheap black. You're going to like the way it looks, guaranteed...

John B.

Does an 83 still need emissions?

Everything 67+ needs emissions, of some sort or other in Maricopa county.

John B.