Parts, part, and parts!

Finally got the driveshaft ordered for the Bronco.  Part of the issue was figuring out what length was needed.  My '88 with a 351w (5.8) had a C6 transmission.  If in doubt you can open the driver's door and look at the sticker for "Trans Code".  To save time looking for it the C6 is "K".  The AOD will be "T" which is typically paired with the 302 (5.0).

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to figure out what size the u-joints were so I was going to measure when the driveshaft arrived but it came with the u-joints installed.  However, it also appears that the parts store really only has 1 size u joint fastener for the Bronco; I'll follow-up on my findings.

While I was at it I ordered a new blower motor to see if I can get the AC working again.  I could feel cold/hot air trickle out of the vents but never heard the blower on any setting.

I also ordered a new rear window switch.  I bypassed the switch and confirmed the rear window does work so it is the switch or wiring.

Had it all fixed then...boom!

Looks like I haven't updated in a while so here's what has been happening...

The exhaust leak was simply a loose bolt!  I was able to track down by using a shop vacuum (hose attached the the vacuum exhaust so it worked like a blower) duct taped to the tailpipe and feeling for whooshing air near the engine.

I can say definitively the starting issue is the starter due to heat soak and I'll be replacing that soon.  Starts great but hard to start (you have to jump the battery) when warm.  Let the engine cool down 30 minutes and no issues starting it again.

Ran into an interesting problem coming back from an offroad trip where the Bronco didn't want to drive more than about 45mph.  Made it all the way home before I found chunks of the catalytic converter clogging the tailpipe.

The latest about a month later I'm driving it and I hear what sounds like the tire lugs rolling down the highway and suddenly I hear something beating the bottom of my truck and I stop.  Put it in 4-high and drove the rest of the way home and confirmed what I suspected... rear driveshaft broke off!

Currently I'm trying to determine next steps.  When I bought the Bronco the transfer case didn't shift so I replaced it with a 89 transfer case which required me to redo the driveshaft because the output shafts weren't the same.  Then shortly after that I broke that driveshaft and had to have it redone.

The thought is the drive angle or something about the transfer case isn't quite backwards compatible so I'm working to crack open the old '88 transfer case and diagnose the issue there; suspect its a broken shift fork and/or chain.  So that may go back on with the new driveshaft and see how that pairs up.

After that back to fixing the creature comforts, AC doesn't work well, passenger side window quit working, and never fixed the rear window buttons.  I used a battery pack and lamp cord to roll it up and down; reversing which wire is on the positive terminal alternates up versus down.

Timing Issue

Took the Bronco on a 60 mile trip to a sporting event and back.  Timing was still a little off I assume from having it adjusted to run well for a condition where the high pressure fuel pump wasn't operating optimally.

I will be readjusting the timing soon to resolve that issue.

JD Offroad - Ice Pack Update

Not a Bronco but the Ice Pack is a '92 Dodge W250 my company, JD Offroad or on Facebook, built this year to show off our products and fabrication.

We originally intended to sell it but it gets a lot of looks and my business partner, Darell, decided to keep it. So look for it out on the road, the trails, and at Mega Run 2017.

 

Features included:

- Aussie Locker front and rear locker.  Front was a D44 and rear was a Dana 60. We converted the rear to a 35 spline.

- Rugged Ridge 10,500 lb winch.

- Rugged Ridge front and rear heavy duty diff covers.

- Shortened the frame and added a custom wood bed, tire carrier, roll bar, and front bumper.

- Superlift 5" lift with new springs and shocks. [Edit: we also added a Superlift steering stabilizer]

- 37" Goodyear MT tires [Edit: we added wheel spacers for better clearance even though we also trimmed the body.]

All products available on our website, jdoffroadtexas.com.

Bronco to the rescue!

Went to leave for work this morning and my F350 wouldn't start!  I'd been out of town over the weekend and it wouldn't start on Saturday morning and had to be jumped.  I assumed someone had left an interior light on all night as the truck ran great the rest of the weekend and trip home.

I put some chargers on the batteries hoping to get enough juice to get started and drive to the parts store.  Several hours later; no luck.

So I pulled the Bronco out to run to the part store, got the batteries, and swapped them out.  You'll notice in the photo I'd put a plastic tub on the Bronco and slid my garden cart under it so it had been sitting for a little bit.

Great to know even after sitting for a while due to all the rain and being lazy about putting the top back on that it will start up and run.

Electrical Gremlins - Solved ... For Real?

Bronco was flat towed for most of the trip I mentioned in the last post.  The original idea was to use it to tow a Dodge W250 truggy but the Dodge front locker kept engaging on turns so we switched them around.  Bronco ran fine for about an hour but sputtered out and died at the foot hill of the off road park.  Towed it to camp, let it sit, and it fired right up.  Sunday it started to die on on a short trip into Gilmer to get breakfast on the way back to Dallas.

Since everything in the ignition was new decided to try a few high pressure fuel pump.  The low pressure was replaced previously.  Drove it all the way from Gilmer to Prosper with no issues.  However, the new issue seems to be an exhaust leak that is getting worse.  So it may be time for new headers.

Electrical Gremlins - Solved

A new $20.00 starter solenoid and some tweaking to the timing has apparently solved some of the issues I was experiencing.

I think due to the bad starter solenoid and hard starting the cables were getting extremely warm, increasing the required draw to run, exceeded the voltage the battery/alternator could maintain, and caused the stall.

I also tweaked the timing because I read that if it was off a little it could make it difficult for the starter to compress the cylinders to the point of ignition.  I used a combination of a timing light and driving to dial in the timing.  The 10 degree advance was a little too aggressive for the older engine and I found that about 9 was the sweet spot.  Be sure to cap off the EGR vacuum line because otherwise it will cause the timing to vary and make it hard to dial in.

I'm taking the Bronco on a nearly 200 mi trip each way to an offroad park this weekend so I will know for sure soon.