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.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Electrical Gremlins
Things have been going really well post engine re-seal but ran into a little electrical setback. When the engine is cool everything cranks over just fine. When the engine is warm the starter is slow to turn over and now won't turn over at all. Lights even start to dim, etc. You might be inclined to think it is a weak battery or failing alternator but both check out fine once everything starts.
The cables to the solenoid and the solenoid get really hot and I even saw the solenoid smoking a little in these "warm start" scenarios. The three likely candidates currently are the solenoid, wires, or starter. The solenoid is $20, starter is about $80, and new cables/connectors will run about $30.
Other considerations include there might be a small exhaust leak on the passenger side manifold which might be causing warm exhaust air to go blow on the starter. This would mean even changing all these other parts the problem could persist. There are heat shields which run about $30 which could help. Also, a poor ground connection could also cause some issues and is worth re-checking all the connections.
I already have a spare solenoid laying around, came with the truck, so I'm going to try it first and see what happens. If the new one and the cables get warm then I know that the problem is the wiring or starter. Changing the wiring without seeing a change will confirm an issue with the starter.
Normally I would just change all the parts in one go and be done with it. However, I want to be able to provide more in depth diagnostic information for readers. Stay tuned.
The cables to the solenoid and the solenoid get really hot and I even saw the solenoid smoking a little in these "warm start" scenarios. The three likely candidates currently are the solenoid, wires, or starter. The solenoid is $20, starter is about $80, and new cables/connectors will run about $30.
Other considerations include there might be a small exhaust leak on the passenger side manifold which might be causing warm exhaust air to go blow on the starter. This would mean even changing all these other parts the problem could persist. There are heat shields which run about $30 which could help. Also, a poor ground connection could also cause some issues and is worth re-checking all the connections.
I already have a spare solenoid laying around, came with the truck, so I'm going to try it first and see what happens. If the new one and the cables get warm then I know that the problem is the wiring or starter. Changing the wiring without seeing a change will confirm an issue with the starter.
Normally I would just change all the parts in one go and be done with it. However, I want to be able to provide more in depth diagnostic information for readers. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Engine Reseal
The Problem & Course of Action
So I decided to go ahead and do a top-end reseal on the Bronco's 351w by replacing the head gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, intake gaskets, etc.
The motivating factor was a growing list of issues that suggested a problem with the head gasket and other upper engine gaskets. The top 4 issues included...
1. Constant white smoke; especially when warming up. Indicates coolant leaking into the combustion chamber.
2. Loss/leaking of coolant. As in the entire reservoir empty and not enough under the truck to to be explained by a simple leak.
3. Loss of oil/leaking oil. Appeared to be from top of the motor and dripping down but again not enough to explain the loss.
4. Heavy black smoke under heavy acceleration. Normally indicates running rich.
The gasket was probably damaged in one or both of the overheating incidents early on in 2015. One was from the fan clutch going bad and the other was the water pump going out.
Also replacing the upper engine gaskets eliminates those components as being responsible if leaks continue. IE if the motor keeps losing oil it would leave oil pan gasket or main seals which require pulling the engine. If the engine was pulled these gaskets wouldn't have to be replaced so there was no reason not to try them first.
The Results
Once the reseal was done the white smoke stopped. Engine seemed to idle better. I also added a new distributor since I was going to replace the cap and rotor along with the ignition coil, plugs, and wires. Spending the $90 on a distributor to remove any concern about ignition issues seemed logical.
The running rich issue seemed resolved. To be honest, I didn't take inventory of which vacuum lines or sensors were connected. I also didn't check the engine timing prior to the reseal. So its possible the timing was off a bit as well. I will continue to monitor that situation but the vehicle drives and performs as expected.
An interesting issue was that the vehicle was slow to turn over once it warmed up. That seems to be resolved after I thoroughly cleaned the starter solenoid with some brake cleaner.
General Findings
1. Passenger side of the motor had some issues. Oil and water passages were gummed up.
2. Heavy sludge build-up on the passenger side. The driver's side had some too (the engine is nearly 30 years old) but not nearly as bad.
3. All spark plugs were fouled.
4. No obvious signs of a blown gasket. IE neither was visibly broken or cracked. However, there was one spot where the fire ring on the passenger side that looked blurred between cylinders 1 and 2. A fire ring on a properly sealed engine should be a continuous circle.
5. Some of the vacuum lines were not connected properly.
6. One of the coolant leaks was a loose hose clamp.
Odd Finding
1. Random debris in engine: plastic cap in distributor hole & two tiny metal rings in passenger valve cover.
Tips & Tricks
- Exhaust bolts connecting manifold to the exhaust will most break; plan to have replacements on hand.
- Manifold bolts may not want to thread back in; may need to have replacements on hand. You also might need a Tap & Die set to resolve this as the bolts are likely to corrode.
- It would be OK to reuse the throttle body and lower intake gaskets if they're still good and in better material than the replacement set.
- Mark the position of the distributor to make it easier to re-install without having to reset the timing. Keep in mind when the engine warms up that the EGR will try and advance timing and the engine will stall or misfire if it is improperly connected.
- If you didn't mark your distributor you can set the engine to TDC by putting a socket on the lower crank pulley and turning it. The rotor should point to the "1" on the distributor when at TDC. If not, turn the cap until it is.
- Stock the 351w's timing was advanced 10 degrees from my reading. I'm going to check timing with a timing light and will report on this more later.
Specialty Tools
- Quick Disconnect Tools for fuel line, spring loaded. (The plastic discs didn't work, you need the cylinder type)
General Tools
- Socket wrench (1/4 & 3/8 drive)
- SAE Socket (mix of shallow and deep sockets)
- Torq screw set (T-40?; needed to remove one bolt on the intake)
- Multiple lengths of extensions (some areas are hard to reach)
- 3/8" breaker bar (for stubborn bolts)
- Scraper (to remove old gasket material)
Tools That Will Help
- Air Impact
- Air Wrench
- Vacuum
- Air Compressor
- Die grinder with a reloc disk to remove old gasket material
Required Parts
- Gasket set (cylinder heads, exhaust manifold, and intake)
- New head bolts (I recommend ARP)
- New exhaust bolts (most parts stores can get them same day)
- New intake bolts (Note: Summit's $9 set wasn't correct; too short and no studs were included)
- New oil & filter (coolant and sludge will likely get into the oil when removing everything
Tune Up Parts (optional)
- New spark plugs
- New cap & rotor
- New ignition coil
So I decided to go ahead and do a top-end reseal on the Bronco's 351w by replacing the head gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, intake gaskets, etc.
The motivating factor was a growing list of issues that suggested a problem with the head gasket and other upper engine gaskets. The top 4 issues included...
1. Constant white smoke; especially when warming up. Indicates coolant leaking into the combustion chamber.
2. Loss/leaking of coolant. As in the entire reservoir empty and not enough under the truck to to be explained by a simple leak.
3. Loss of oil/leaking oil. Appeared to be from top of the motor and dripping down but again not enough to explain the loss.
4. Heavy black smoke under heavy acceleration. Normally indicates running rich.
The gasket was probably damaged in one or both of the overheating incidents early on in 2015. One was from the fan clutch going bad and the other was the water pump going out.
Also replacing the upper engine gaskets eliminates those components as being responsible if leaks continue. IE if the motor keeps losing oil it would leave oil pan gasket or main seals which require pulling the engine. If the engine was pulled these gaskets wouldn't have to be replaced so there was no reason not to try them first.
The Results
Once the reseal was done the white smoke stopped. Engine seemed to idle better. I also added a new distributor since I was going to replace the cap and rotor along with the ignition coil, plugs, and wires. Spending the $90 on a distributor to remove any concern about ignition issues seemed logical.
The running rich issue seemed resolved. To be honest, I didn't take inventory of which vacuum lines or sensors were connected. I also didn't check the engine timing prior to the reseal. So its possible the timing was off a bit as well. I will continue to monitor that situation but the vehicle drives and performs as expected.
An interesting issue was that the vehicle was slow to turn over once it warmed up. That seems to be resolved after I thoroughly cleaned the starter solenoid with some brake cleaner.
General Findings
1. Passenger side of the motor had some issues. Oil and water passages were gummed up.
2. Heavy sludge build-up on the passenger side. The driver's side had some too (the engine is nearly 30 years old) but not nearly as bad.
3. All spark plugs were fouled.
4. No obvious signs of a blown gasket. IE neither was visibly broken or cracked. However, there was one spot where the fire ring on the passenger side that looked blurred between cylinders 1 and 2. A fire ring on a properly sealed engine should be a continuous circle.
5. Some of the vacuum lines were not connected properly.
6. One of the coolant leaks was a loose hose clamp.
Odd Finding
1. Random debris in engine: plastic cap in distributor hole & two tiny metal rings in passenger valve cover.
Tips & Tricks
- Exhaust bolts connecting manifold to the exhaust will most break; plan to have replacements on hand.
- Manifold bolts may not want to thread back in; may need to have replacements on hand. You also might need a Tap & Die set to resolve this as the bolts are likely to corrode.
- It would be OK to reuse the throttle body and lower intake gaskets if they're still good and in better material than the replacement set.
- Mark the position of the distributor to make it easier to re-install without having to reset the timing. Keep in mind when the engine warms up that the EGR will try and advance timing and the engine will stall or misfire if it is improperly connected.
- If you didn't mark your distributor you can set the engine to TDC by putting a socket on the lower crank pulley and turning it. The rotor should point to the "1" on the distributor when at TDC. If not, turn the cap until it is.
- Stock the 351w's timing was advanced 10 degrees from my reading. I'm going to check timing with a timing light and will report on this more later.
Specialty Tools
- Quick Disconnect Tools for fuel line, spring loaded. (The plastic discs didn't work, you need the cylinder type)
General Tools
- Socket wrench (1/4 & 3/8 drive)
- SAE Socket (mix of shallow and deep sockets)
- Torq screw set (T-40?; needed to remove one bolt on the intake)
- Multiple lengths of extensions (some areas are hard to reach)
- 3/8" breaker bar (for stubborn bolts)
- Scraper (to remove old gasket material)
Tools That Will Help
- Air Impact
- Air Wrench
- Vacuum
- Air Compressor
- Die grinder with a reloc disk to remove old gasket material
Required Parts
- Gasket set (cylinder heads, exhaust manifold, and intake)
- New head bolts (I recommend ARP)
- New exhaust bolts (most parts stores can get them same day)
- New intake bolts (Note: Summit's $9 set wasn't correct; too short and no studs were included)
- New oil & filter (coolant and sludge will likely get into the oil when removing everything
Tune Up Parts (optional)
- New spark plugs
- New cap & rotor
- New ignition coil
 |
| Random debris found in the distributor hole. |
 |
| Drilling out a broken bolt from an exhaust manifold/ |
 |
| Tub of Simple Green where the cylinder heads and intake soaked to help remove sludge. |
 |
| Prepping the surfaces by removing old gasket material with a reloc disc. |
 |
| Partially disassembled; accessories removed, valve covers, and upper intake. |
 |
| Look to the left and you can see some "pinhole" shaped openings next to the circles then look below. |
 |
| After cleaning you can see the "pinhole" shapes were much larger ports that were blocked. |
 |
| A cylinder head after soaking and being sprayed off. |
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Bronco 2 Year Ownership Cost
So for 2014, I spent $1,705.33 on maintenance parts and $1,375.95 on off road parts on a $2,000 initial purchase.
For 2015, it was an odd year and so my post will be much shorter than 2014. Here in North Texas we had record rainfall. I don't have the total but by end of November it was almost 54" of rain for the year and it rained a few more times. So really the only off roading/use of the Bronco was Q1 of the year. When the local trails get muddy they become very very difficult to manage and becomes a day of "vehicle recovery" instead of wheeling.
Expenses included:
$1,000 for new 35" tires
$20 for new power steering pump hose.
$750 for custom rear bumper and rock rails from JD Offroad.
Total: $1,720.
The tires were a necessity because my old set were destroyed and I had to buy/borrow some used ones just to make it home after one of the outings.
The a head gasket blew so I purchased that but that will be part of the 2016 costs plus the oil and filter I bought to change the oil but won't do until the head gasket is fixed.
In terms of reliability, no breakdowns due to all the 2014 maintenance done. I still have elective things like fixing the gauges and cosmetic changes to do.
I was actually surprised by the 2015 numbers considering I didn't really get to do that much with it this year but up until about March there was no indication of the record rain.
For 2015, it was an odd year and so my post will be much shorter than 2014. Here in North Texas we had record rainfall. I don't have the total but by end of November it was almost 54" of rain for the year and it rained a few more times. So really the only off roading/use of the Bronco was Q1 of the year. When the local trails get muddy they become very very difficult to manage and becomes a day of "vehicle recovery" instead of wheeling.
Expenses included:
$1,000 for new 35" tires
$20 for new power steering pump hose.
$750 for custom rear bumper and rock rails from JD Offroad.
Total: $1,720.
The tires were a necessity because my old set were destroyed and I had to buy/borrow some used ones just to make it home after one of the outings.
The a head gasket blew so I purchased that but that will be part of the 2016 costs plus the oil and filter I bought to change the oil but won't do until the head gasket is fixed.
In terms of reliability, no breakdowns due to all the 2014 maintenance done. I still have elective things like fixing the gauges and cosmetic changes to do.
I was actually surprised by the 2015 numbers considering I didn't really get to do that much with it this year but up until about March there was no indication of the record rain.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
White Smoke
I've been having some white smoke when the engine first starts up and even a little beyond that when it is idling.
Because the temp gauge doesn't work and it has overheated at least twice my guess is the head gasket is damaged.
I'm also seeing coolant leaking from the bottom of the engine along with oil.
Engine still seems to run fine so I'm continuing to monitor. I haven't wheeled it recently and don't drive it far so I'll just keep an eye on it. It isn't really a major problem currently and since its a wheeling rig not a daily driver it is not a huge concern. Fun of owning an old vehicle.
Monday, September 28, 2015
A Little Maintenance
Haven't been doing much wheeling recently due to work at the off road shop.
There were issues earlier with the power steering which was resolved by changing out the power steering hose and hose clamps.
I also added a bottle of Restore to the oil which seems to have helped slow/reduce some of the various fluid leaks. Since its not a daily driver its not a big deal.
Next task is still to get some gauges working and the blower.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Drivability Projects
One of the issues with an older vehicle is there is an almost never ending list of projects. At this point on the Bronco I've done most of the reliability and off road performance mods I'd like to do. The focus now is on drivability. The rig is still street legal and it is fun to drive but there are a number of things that limit where and how far I can take it.
1. The gauges don't work. Most importantly the temp and battery gauge don't work. Oil pressure kind of works. If I'm overheating or the alternator isn't charging I wouldn't know it until the vehicle dies. Not a big deal when going wheeling with a group or driving around town where friends can help tow the rig back on a weekend. Not great if you want to enjoy cruising with the top off on a work day and something happens.
2. Various leaks. I have a puddle of what appears to be power steering fluid that has slowly puddle below the Bronco when parked in the garage along with a few oil spots. On an epoxy coated floor with some tubs under it there is not a big issue. Nor is keeping fluids on hand. The pain is people tend to get pissy about your vehicle leaking fluid on their driveway or in a parking structure.
I think the 2 main leaks are from 1) the power steering hose and 2) oil sending unit leak. Tho I also think it could be a seal or gasket somewhere; haven't really looked.
3. Blower motor. The a/c and heat work but there is no motor to push the air. It helps a little when the weather is too hot or cold but it would be infinitely better if I fixed this.
4. Functional fixes. The driver door handle is broken so you have to roll down the window to open the door from the outside, open it, and roll the window back up. Also the rear window is rigged with a lamp cord and a jumper battery pack to open and close it but having it wired in to a switch would be much better.
That is the short list. The long list includes things like a new stereo, seat covers, headliner replacement, rhino lining the interior, and more things that have probably slipped my mind. Like I said you can keep modding forever.
1. The gauges don't work. Most importantly the temp and battery gauge don't work. Oil pressure kind of works. If I'm overheating or the alternator isn't charging I wouldn't know it until the vehicle dies. Not a big deal when going wheeling with a group or driving around town where friends can help tow the rig back on a weekend. Not great if you want to enjoy cruising with the top off on a work day and something happens.
2. Various leaks. I have a puddle of what appears to be power steering fluid that has slowly puddle below the Bronco when parked in the garage along with a few oil spots. On an epoxy coated floor with some tubs under it there is not a big issue. Nor is keeping fluids on hand. The pain is people tend to get pissy about your vehicle leaking fluid on their driveway or in a parking structure.
I think the 2 main leaks are from 1) the power steering hose and 2) oil sending unit leak. Tho I also think it could be a seal or gasket somewhere; haven't really looked.
3. Blower motor. The a/c and heat work but there is no motor to push the air. It helps a little when the weather is too hot or cold but it would be infinitely better if I fixed this.
4. Functional fixes. The driver door handle is broken so you have to roll down the window to open the door from the outside, open it, and roll the window back up. Also the rear window is rigged with a lamp cord and a jumper battery pack to open and close it but having it wired in to a switch would be much better.
That is the short list. The long list includes things like a new stereo, seat covers, headliner replacement, rhino lining the interior, and more things that have probably slipped my mind. Like I said you can keep modding forever.
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