Saturday, I decided to have a look at why my '95 was acting all squirrely when I drove it over a bump. I was thinking maybe I had blown out a shock or broke a shock mount or...something. After a cursory visual inspection, I laid out some wrenches and started checking fasteners for tightness. Got to the rear trailing arms' connections to the frame. Wait a minute, missing an entire bushing on the passenger side, the rear one. Just gone. That'll do it.

Dealer? Nope. NAPA? Nope. Auto Zone, no. O'Reilly...had it for me in two hours. Put it back together and everything's back to normal. This is a mount point that I have smacked in the past, and even though I've tried to straighten it back out, it's such a hefty piece that it remains less than perfect and it must have sawn through the bushing and caused it to eventually just fall out. For the $11 it cost, I may just want to keep a spare on hand for the future. It's a quick and easy fix, too, and I was able to verify that my new rear pressed-in bushings at the axle end were holding up nicely as well.

Pretty surprising how such a little part makes such a big difference.

Going to try to remember to contact RyanY after work today to pick up his set of unmolestetered skid-em plates so I can start over with a straight set and treat them to new bolts and threads since the old bolt holes don't seem to work to hold bolts in them anymore...

I ran another trail to Tip Top Mine with an old friend and his group yesterday north west of town off Table Mesa Road. There's nice territory out that way. Mud in spots, a river crossing, great scenery and decent trails. Only my second time out that direction, but I'd like to explore them some more.

John B.

good stuff happened today injectors seem to stuck which seems about normal on the 2.4 when it sits for extended periods jbfp's got a new set on the way so inching closer. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Injectors and o-ring sets are ordered. For the price of four rebuilt injectors and the O-rings/seals from Rock Auto, shipping included, the price was less than one injector from NAPA, O'Reilly or Auto Zone.

The '86 did "run" but only on starting fluid. Fuel pressure seems to hold and there's only one minor seep at the low pressure return line fitting under the engine, which may just be a bad clamp.

LT got his wizard's hat on and got all the electrics squared away, including verifying that the ECU was telling the injectors to fire. All dash lights and the stereo work again, too.

I got the accessories mostly hooked back on the front of the engine, still have the power steering pump to hang on there. Since the engine ran and built oil pressure, I feel pretty good that there wasn't a puddle of oil under either the front main seal or the cam seal, since I replaced those when I did the timing belt.

Today after work I'll probably route the transmission cooler soft lines to the radiator and transmission cooler and maybe look at cutting up the old exhaust system to rig something up to quiet it down. It's kind of loud with just the open pipe after the collector.

John B.

Good to here it wants to run... Yes my injectors on my Rally Truck hangs a injector if it sets for a month ...But will clean out in a few miles or days of driving ...You can clean them with a 9volt battery and some wire and hose and carb cleaner ...The motor I ran it in the wreaked truck...Your working I see john ..Good ..

Thanks for the tip on the injectors, HazT. The core deposit on the new ones is only $10 each, so I may keep them and send them off to Cruizin Performance to be cleaned and rebuilt...or not. The return address for the cores is in downtown Phoenix, so I'm thinking that's where the new ones are shipping from. If so, I may even get them today, but more likely tomorrow.

I didn't get to cutting on the exhaust yet, but did get the soft lines all routed and clamped for the transmission. I will need to fab up a bracket to secure the one side of the new transmission cooler, but I already have the strap steel for that.

Sure would be nice to see this thing out at camp this weekend, but there's a lot left to do. Maybe, just maybe it will come together...

John B.

No solid tracking info on the injectors; they still show as 'pre-ship' in the USPS tracking system, same as yesterday morning. Hopefully they arrive today.

Unbolted and removed the old exhaust from the '86. Still amazes me how stuff that old just comes right apart and isn't rusted to he!!. Unfortunately, I can't position the old (yet new) catalytic converter any way to meet up with the 2.4 exhaust outlet because the converter was welded onto a long pipe in front of it that limits where I can make it go. Looks like I have to buy one with a front flange and work from there.

John B.

And it lives! After replacing the injectors yesterday after work, the '86 started after many attempts of turning the key to start for just a bump and releasing. It was almost like the fuel pump was only running at the start position, since that was the only time I could hear it. Then it magically just started. Since I didn't have any coolant in it, I only let it run for a minute, then keyed it off...but it continued to run! Had to unplug the fuel injection relay to kill it. LT said he'll have a look at that.

The thing was loud, of course, since there's no exhaust on it yet. It was smoky underhood from new exhaust gasket and paint on things. But it didn't leak anything. Today I'll fill up the power steering, transfer case and automatic transmission. I filled up the radiator after the test run and it appears to hold water, at least. If I slap a catalytic converter on at the exhaust flange it will quiet it down a touch.

I will need an oil pressure sender for a gauge (it just floors now since this one's for a light), as well as a fan spacer to get the cooling fan into the shroud. It looks like none of the connectors for the transfer case indicator lights got plugged in. And I have to reconnect the transmission kickdown onto the bellcrank Haztoys gave me.

All in all, it feels good to be getting closer. And it feels good to not see fuel or oil leaks so far. Thanks to everyone for the help to get to this point.

John B.

Awesome! That's good news, you'll be out on the trail in no time

Right on John ...

Theres two different systems on running the pump... One on the start side of the key and one on the run side of the key... And they do not coincide ...You need to have power to the pump on the 'start' side of the key ....Theres a few ways to do it ...

The D50 fan shroud is what I used on the 2.4 swaps I did ...Its much deeper... Good to see you bring this swap out in the open ...The best swap for the GEN1 there is ...

I picked up a Mighty Max fan shroud at the junkyard some time ago, but it does not fit the Montero radiator, which is wider than the MM's. If I use a fan spacer, I can retain the Montero shroud and everything else should fit, too.

I got pretty much everything else fit under the hood, overflow bottle, windshield washer bottle (but I can't find the electrical plug for the pump), air cleaner can (MAF better work), vapor canister. I filled up the power steering fluid and put about 3 1/2 qts of ATF in the KM-148. When I restart it, the return line from the transmission coolers is going into a bucket so I can bleed off a couple of quarts before I hook it all up to flush it out a bit. Still have to check/fill the transfer case.

John B.