MAC702

I'm in Montana reclaiming my old truck from my in-laws who've had it for a few years while I was out of the country doing some volunteer construction work, mostly in Papua New Guinea.

Well, it's been neglected a bit. The only good part of that is my 96 still only has less than 140K miles on it because when they stopped maintaining it, they stopped driving it most of the time, so things could have been worse than they are.

Anyway, it usually takes a bit of priming with that black button before I can get the truck to start. What does that mean and how do I fix it? I'll hopefully find the answer to that one as I do some more searching.

The other oddity is that it will not engage into 4WD. My FIL says that the driveshaft does turn, so I suspect the center disconnector. I did some searching that says it's usually vacuum. Are those black and red lines the vacuum lines? They connect to hardlines that run to the T-case. I don't see any obvious damage to them. The breather that comes from the disconnect looks very caked on the top (in the engine bay). Would that cause anything?

They also claim that the block heater stopped working. Well, it wasn't plugged in and was of course hard to start yesterday morning. My FIL says he always engages the glow plugs half a dozen times before he actually tries the starter. Does that really make it easier, and is that even recommended? How can I test the block heater? I suppose I'll find out in a few minutes when I brave the cold (it's actually warming up to above freezing here this week in Helena) and see if it's any easier to start this morning. I really hate having it take 30 seconds before I get any oil pressure!

The air cleaner (an aFe Stage II) was completely caked with greasy dirt and even small rocks. That (and replacing the belt that looks like it is hanging on by a miracle) is my first project this morning. It's been so long, but I'll do a quick search to confirm that I can just use a K&N Recharger kit to clean it, right?

On Wednesday morning (48 hours) I plan to drive this truck back to Las Vegas, NV. With a clean air cleaner and new belt, I'm thinking it will be highway worthy and I can do the other repairs back in my shop in the desert, but I still want to do whatever I can here if I can do it easily enough and with what minimal tools I brought with me on the plane.

Anything else I should check out? I babied this truck when it was mine, but I was still an amateur learning as I went, so I might not think of the other stuff, as I'm a bit rusty already!

Thanks for any help!

Ace

Put a new fuel filter on it and keep a spare with you for the trip.

John Faughn

*** far as the fuel issue , it could be a couple things , doing a fuel pressure test [ should be about idle no load 26 lbs - high RPM 32 lbs ] .
The The pressure can only build up from the pump , by the restriction of the return from the IP-injection pump to tank [ through the OFV-over flow valve ] .
If while hand priming you here a buzzing sound from the IP , then the OFV should be OK , between either or both they can drain back into tank .
Do a search and get details & link from Infidel's posts .

MAC702

Truck fired right up this morning. I think the block heater works.

Bought the K&N Recharger Kit, and some Googling says it might even work better than the aFe cleaning kit. Don't see how it could possibly hurt it, either.

The two spare belts that I had for the truck were still in my Emergency Kit from Geno's that I always had in the truck. NAPA parts guy said they should still be good, so that will give me a belt for the truck and another to take with me.

The oil filter from my Geno's E-kit was still in the plastic, but showed some rust-looking stains inside said plastic. Think it is still good? Supposedly, it's had a recent oil change, so I wasn't planning on doing it here, but after I drive back to Las Vegas.

Darn near all the dash lights stay on, which also makes me think I have vacuum issues. Where do I perform vacuum tests, and do I need a special tool?

I'll keep searching in the meanwhile, but I'm down to 1-1/2 days of work before planning on being on the road...

justme-

FWIW- these trucks do not have glow plugs- they have a grid heater- 2 cycles are the most it would need and that's for single digits temps, anything more is just over using the grid heaters and the batteries.

The red and black lines are vac lines- the vac solenoid on the axle could have seized (mine did) or the vac switch on the top of the xfer case could be stuck (common). Pull the switch out and shake it- if the ball is loose it's fine, if the ball's stuck free it.

if it's been sitting a long time I'd do a coolant flush and oil and filter change before trying to drive that distance.

Dash lights each have their respective issue that triggers them- only the brake system's brake light will be on to warn of low vacuum (stupid dual use light).

MAC702

Thank you for correcting me! I dearly love to use the right terms and know what the heck I'm talking about as much as possible.

It hasn't been sitting. They've actually been driving it, just not far or very often.

I'll start a search right away so I can figure out how to find that switch with the ball in the T-case you are talking about.

Just now came inside to see if I've been pulling on the right part of the tensioner pulley, trying to get the old belt off. Well, actually, I could probably poke it with a stick and get it to fall off, but I'll still need to get the new one on properly! That should be an easy search...

Would you believe I have the factory service manual for this truck? Not only did I forget to send it up to Montana with the truck, but I also forgot to bring it with me when I came up here to get it!

patdaly

Check to see if your heating controls will switch from floor to deforst, if it is stuck on defrost, your cruise also will probably not work, vacuum lines are easy to displace, goes from vacuum pump up to cowl at a junction block and is then distributed. Seem like every time I change a fuel filter or anything else around that area, I pull a line off.

Loss of prime is either a rotted fuel line at the engine or a cracked or rusted hard line. Do a search here, fairly easy to diagnose.

MAC702

Good point about checking to see if I can divert air to different vents. I forgot about that.

I checked the cruise control this morning. The green light comes on, but it never did try to maintain my speed when I asked it.

Belt replacement was straightforward, and after soaking all day in K&N cleaner, the air cleaner actually came out pretty clean on the first rinse. I was impressed. I brought it inside to dry so it won't freeze, and I'll oil it in the morning.

The entire underside of engine, transmission, and transfer case are covered in oily gunk. And it is leaving a small spot of oil on the drive overnight, too. Obviously more attention needed once I get it home.