84 Grand Wagoneer Revival

[devildog80]

I hear you on going beyond my depth, as the AMC guys are really passionate about really getting in deep on most of their engines. I just want mine to run good without needing to disassemble it to measure everything, and know exactly what it all mean.
I am going to pull the plugs and see how they look now (and scope the pistons to see what they are if flat/domed/etc), but had them all out to regap down to ECM when we pulled the HEI system out of it to get it running months back. They looked good then with nice even burn across all 8, so expect they are still good as the engine is running really good, even with just the 2 bbl carb. And the .056 jets, adjusting timing back up to 10* solved the pinging issue I was having, to where it is driveable now.

[devildog80]

One of my teen grandsons bought a 2005 F250 construction pickup ($400) with the 5.4 3 valve engine seized at 284,000 miles, and I was able to reuse the rubber bed mat from it he was discarding, for the cargo area in my Wagoneer.
Front part of it towards the F250 cab, was thin and falling apart, but the mid to rear was still good enough to trim & fit. Turned out good enough for now, and better than nothing back there.

20231018_090513 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

20231018_090500 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Where we found it before taking it home
20231016_084939 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

[Theodore]

One of my teen grandsons bought a 2005 F250 construction pickup ($400) with the 5.4 3 valve engine seized at 284,000 miles, and I was able to reuse the rubber bed mat from it he was discarding, for the cargo area in my Wagoneer.
Front part of it towards the F250 cab, was thin and falling apart, but the mid to rear was still good enough to trim & fit. Turned out good enough for now, and better than nothing back there.

20231018_090513 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

20231018_090500 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Where we found it before taking it home
20231016_084939 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Hey, devildog80 - wondering what's up with your pictures; when i hit the link, i get a black screen at flickr; attempting to scroll back & forth thru the album also shows black screens. Wondering, if there's another link available w/flickr you should be using?

[devildog80]

Not sure.Will reload them and see if it helps.

[devildog80]

I redid pics on my post. See what they look like now.

[Theodore]

I redid pics on my post. See what they look like now.

Much better; now pix show inline in the post vs. redirecting to flickr & displaying a black screen. I need to go back & review this thread now. Thx.

[devildog80]

Rebuilt and installed original MC2150, and runs better than the Amazon 2150 I was using for a time.
Seat of the pants is pleased, but still working to gather parts to go 4 bbl, with kick down connection now attached correctly.
Did the dry settings and engine popped right off. No delay or stutter and runs really good.
Time to move on to other things....one cleaning up the wiring under the hood some day, but want to drive it as is for a time, to be sure no more bugs show up.​

back on truck by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Rebuilt by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Had an issue with the dimmer switch a few nights back on a store run after dark. Just checking to see how headlights adjusted, but when I clicked for brights the lights went off.
Looked under dash at floor switch last night after carb was on, before going on a grin spin to see how it drove out on rebuilt carb, and no headlights at all. New dimmer switch that Mongo228 had gifted me a few months ago, had come apart. The plug in had separated from the plunger housing....UGH! Took switch out and found the indents of the Crown housing were not dimpled in far enough to hold better, but we did get it modified so they do now. We have lights again, and switch works as designed....again! No pics as it was a fast repair & go.​

[devildog80]

A weekend for tinkering.....
Yesterday found alternator & air pump belts in need of a bit of adjustment. Tightened up but no test drive, just running in driveway and sounded fine.
Went to store late afternoon, and truck was yelling at me the whole way there and back. Sounded just like a belt squealing.
Got it home and resolved to fix it today.
Went out to the garage with Mongo228 here to "listen", and idling was fine, but as soon as truck started moving, figured out it was a dry u-joint......UGH!
I had hit the ones with regular zerks when truck came home, but needed the pin zerk fitting for the CV joint on front drive shaft. I've had it here but had not used it yet.
Got under the truck and greased ALL the zerks this time, and squeak now gone. Did not look like the CV joint has been greased in many years, glad it happened here at home, and not on the road or trail somewhere.

Also wired in a dummy light for my ground short issue not found yet. I put in a cutoff switch some weeks back, but forgot a couple times to use it, and battery was dead overnight. Happened here at home, so a few minutes on charger, truck fired right up. Mounted a light on the tach bracket, which illuminates when cutout switch is on, but off when I kill all power. Just that little something for my brain to remember why it is glowing at me as I get out of the truck.

Starting install of rear seat cover. Need to get some old shoe laces as strings supplied not long enough for some ties needed.

Found the clunk when putting in gear is due to excess lash in rear diff. Mongo228 is willing to help me open it up, and either get adjusted properly, or help rebuild AMC 20.

[devildog80]

Took Waggy for longest drive to date yesterday. Picked grand daughter up from school, and drove to local Indian reservation about 25 miles one way, for cigarettes. Running right with traffic easily 65-70 mph, and have an incline about 1-1/2 miles long, that my '07 Dakota has to shift down to maintain speed. Waggy pulled it easily without any extra throttle needed.
Still feeling some vibration, which seems to be in the front somewhere, so trying to narrow it down and get it smoothed out. Steering wheel stays straight, does not need much correction at all, but just has that seat of the pants feel that something not quite right. I will find it!

Did some research and seems what I need to look at is my driveline. CV joint on front shaft recently started chirping loudly, when on a short store run. Thought it was belts, as we had just tightened a couple, but found it was driveline. CV joint looked like it had not been greased in years, and from sitting 18 years in same position, seemed it had set solid across the rotator ball (?) and finally broke loose. Greased all the joints and chirp went away, but looks like I need to do some serious inspection of the driveline, and believe I will find the vibration issue there. Seat of the pants feels that could be the issue.
Thoughts?

[devildog80]

Topped off the gas tank today to figure mileage for the first time, since getting the truck road worthy enough, to actually put some trip miles on it. Right at 12.5 mpg, which I am good with, and will look to improve going forward.

[Srdayflyer]

pretty good mileage for a flyin'brick, now get biden to lower gas prices and we all could drive more.

[Yeller]

Your vibration is most likely that squalling ujoint and the fresh grease is just keeping it quiet. If it made noise it’s done, the grease just made it quiet.

Pretty good mileage, that’s about what mine gets on the interstate.

[devildog80]

I thought not bad mileage too for what it is, and with original carb rebuilt still needing some tweaking, but using as my DD now to work out more kinks.
Agree the CV probably ready for rebuild, and read they are a challenge, but can be done.

[tgreese]

On the TH400 FSJs, that joint will whack a hole in the side of your transmission if it comes loose. Happens. Easy to neglect until it does.

[devildog80]

That joint comes loose, it will whack a hole in most everything that is within range.
Researching now what is involved for parts & work to rebuild myself. Going to drop the front shaft off the truck, to see if the vibration goes away, or not.

[devildog80]

Looked at a couple rebuild videos and parts kits, and easily doable to rebuild on my own. Kits seem out of stock, but the 1310 U-joints are easy to find, and the CV socket available too if needed. Have another front & rear shaft that came with the truck, so will check to see if I can re-work that front one (if same size), or if in good shape to grease up and switch out. Any other parts can be had individually as needed.

[devildog80]

When we rebuilt original MC2150, there is an unavailable part inside the altitude compensator, and said to be essential for proper function of the carb.
20231111_084004 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Access to where the silicon seal fits is under the spring cage. Gently grasp the cage, wobble back and forth slightly, it comes off easily to remove the valve.
20231111_083949 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

The center here is where the silicon seal goes as the mounting area is slightly collered so it seals around the housing.
20231111_083531 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

The valve simply lays horizontal in place held by the very low tension spring against the cage.
20231111_083607 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Little silicon seal that goes in around the shaft of the compensator valve stem was torn, so I set it aside to research another or repair ideas where it would not get lost......forgot where I put it when we did the rebuild....DOH! So put the carb back together without it, to see if it was really needed.

So carb works without it, and the next day Mongo228's eagle eye found my misplaced part.......on the bench right next to my tool box.....right where I had put it but hiding behind a roll of tape!
As the repair method calls for RTV to bond the torn silicon back to form, Mongo228 repaired the part, and we set it aside to cure.
20231111_083632 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Yesterday I pulled the compensator off the carb, and installed the repaired silicon seal.
20231111_083744 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

The altitude compensator comes from the factory preset, and instructions say to NOT adjust this set screw. We did use some carb cleaner through this device, and put an allen wrench in to turn back and forth for cleaning, and the spring inside is a very strong coil. I did mark where it was originally set, so we could leave it like we found it.
20231111_084019 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

So....carb rebuilt, adjusted, settings where they should be, drives out and performs better than the chicom knock off Mongo228 gave me to use when truck was initially in get running stages. But....does not pop off cold start as good, warm idle not as smooth. Not happy with that part of it, so need to tinker some and see if it will smooth out. Eventually replacing with 4 bbl, so gladly work with this one until then.

[devildog80]

Tailgate glass......worked on the rear window a few months back, and got it working good. Did not use the rear glass for awhile, and tried to use it a couple weeks back and would not work properly. Sounds like the motor is turning just fine, but seems to not be engaging the lift mechanism. I can coax the glass while activating the motor, but still not working very well, and unable to get the glass to seat up all the way into the seal. I need to pull it down, and push it up and again you can hear the motor working really good, just no pressure to the glass.

So tearing into it again, to see if there is a shear pin gone, or somehow the actual motor gear has disintegrated from just driving.

[devildog80]

Took waggy on another long errand, 60 miles round trip, and feeling out how it drives each time. Came back this time and Mongo228 stopped by afterwards, and we were talking about how it handles on hiway. He suggested we check ball joint play, so ran the jack under each front wheel. PS front solid. DS front has a little play when pushing top/bottom on tire, but seems wheel bearing needs attention. Just a little play in it, and still smooth, but enough to give it a little correction needed when at 70 mph. Will pull it, inspect, and repack/replace as needed.
Good find Mongo228

[devildog80]

Note to self

Video for D44 axle wheel bearing repair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTfieO6NdvE

Anybody near me have a D44 wheel bearing nut tool I could borrow?

TCM shows it as Tool J-6893 (saw on another thread (2016) when researching to use tool #C-4170).

Other research shows NAPA KD 2467 was best fit, and $16.95. Other prices from $5.99 to $35.00 across the web. Found a total of 6 different numbers for same/similar tool.