My 87 Toyota 4X4 or Fun and mysteries of restoring a Toyota 4X4 that is a "gem"
 

Well my 87 Toyota 4x4 has turned in to a project truck. It was supposed to just need an engine, what a laugh!

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First of all while installing the engine I found out that the 85 2x and the 87 4x4 were reversed on the stiffeners. One bolted the engine to the transmission and the other bolted the transmission to the engine. Other word on one truck the transmission was thread to bolt to and the other the stiffener was threaded to bolt the transmission to. Adding the power steering pump and the AC compressor was a pain in the butt. No other problems installing the engine.

At the beginning I was under the impression that the two trucks were like 70% - 80% compatible, that was a bunch of crap, how about 20% - 30% compatible?!?!?!

Oh and if you get your truck buried in a wash or creek, whatever and have to come back and get it, don't just drive it! Or you will find the following:

Once I got the truck on the road I started finding the problems. First and obvious was a real heavy brake pedal. I pulled the wheels and drums and found a real mess. The passenger side brake drum was packed with sand and rusty so badly that the brake shoes were trying to stop on the sand packed inside the drum. I had oil just starting to leak into the brakes. The nails, cups and springs for the brakes were so rusted that nails were almost rusted in two. the driver's side was packed in oil saturated sand. Basically had to replace everything outside of the backing plates, plus seal, 'O' rings and bearings. I had the drums turned and the sand encrusted drum was so badly rusted and screwed up that it had to be cut twice

If you look closely you will see the sand tightly packed on the inside of the drum:
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Look at how the edge of the brake shoe is warn away by the sand. I only had a 1/2" stopping that tired.
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There is sand packed on the back of the axle flange, on the wheel cylinder and everything else in that side:
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Then I got to the side with the grease and sand:

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Look what I got out of the axle tube when I pulled the axle:

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While I was under the truck I noticed the pinion seal leaking. So I ordered the new seal and tore it a part only to find the yoke was packed with sand also and the seal surface of the yoke was scored, guess what, only place local that could get it was the dealer for $107. I found it in Colorado for much less.

This is what the muffler looked like when I crawled under the truck:
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I forgot to tell you that when I had the exhaust system repaired I had them top off fluids, the differential was down 2 quarts. yea 2 quarts. Well when I drained it to do the bearings on the rear axle the gear oil came out looking like coffee with a little bit for milk in it. Yep I had water in my differential. When I had the old bearing pressed out the guy doing the work laughed as he told me the bearing that was pulled out was full of water. Thank God I found that out in the machine shop and not on the highway a couple hours away from home with my grand kids with me.

Once I filled the tank I found another problem. The gas tank reads full just fine, but goes from about 2/3 of a tank to 1/4 to empty immediately. So for now I am waiting for my sender and yoke to come in from Colorado. After I get my truck back on the road again and put some more miles on it I'll decide what I am going to do with the transmission, it is making noise! If I don't find anymore problems.

Truck has a nice Kenwood stereo in it w/ a CD player, too bad I only have 1-1/2 speakers working. I don't know how they killed the front speakers, they are Chinese 3", but as dead as a piece of wire laying on the ground. No resistance at all. So I will likely be pulling my speakers out of my old truck including the 8" subwoofer...

So right now I have about $600 in parts and machine shop charges in the truck after I had my engine it and running. Plus I will be looking to do something with the tranny. Overhaul kit is about $350 and I can get a used tranny here for about $400.

I will try to post pictures later, you have got to see the brake drum completely encrusted with sand so hard I had to chisel it out of the drum with a screw drive and the brake shoes that only have a half inch of liner worn completely to the metal. Great fun and mysteries!

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So I guess the moral of the story is... Don't leave your truck in a creek???

And if you have to leave it in a wash (creek) take the time to clean the sand out of all those places you really don't want it and make sure to check your vents and drain the water out of the areas it is not supposed to be, and at least tell the guy you sell the truck to that you did that to the truck!

Added pictures to original post
 

I added pictures to original post and will add more as I get there.

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That sucks man. Sand can be killer on equipment. I ride my quads in bye Oregon sand dunes and have had on occasion had to take my rig out to recover a broken quad. I always make sure to wash them thoroughly after the trips. I like to stars with some simple green and then see what has to be addressed from there. Good luck on getting I sorted out. A lot of the trucks are the same it just seems Murphy's law follows people around and kicked them in the plums when they need something to go your way.

Anytime I am in sand, I take the high pressure air hose to everything. Watch when someone goes and play in the sand dunes and usually in a few months they start springing leaks. I bought a truck and it was used in the sand. I did everything possible trying to get the sand out of the carpets. Even pulling them, beating them, taking them to the carwash. Nothing would get that sand out. I eventually just replaced the carpet. Sand is a pain in the rear.

I went to put my truck back together today, but noticed the bottom of the yoke says 92 V6. Problem is I have an 87 straight 4. The difference is quite apparent just sitting side by side.

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http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4aff3eae.jpg

Nice looking truck, I love that Toyota Blue, wish my 4Runner was that color. I believe I have an extra 4cyl yoke if you need one...I swapped mine out for one of those Marlin triple drilled.

I used to skateboard for about 12 years. This is what we used to clean our grip tape. Could probably do wonders for getting sand and other assorted crud out of stuff.

http://www.skateamerica.com/products...FYs2gQodfJ4AYg

Looks like a gum eraser. Is it kind of hard like a gum eraser or is it tacky?

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Its kinda tacky but doesn't leave its own residue.

And the project goes on... I just got it back together and I think the master cylinder is bad. Previous to work just completed truck had a very very heavy pedal, but would eventually stop. No way I could lock it up. I have replaced rear brake shoes, rear cylinders and turned both drums. After bleeding and adjusting the brakes the brake pedal goes almost to the floor on the first push of the pedal. Pedal pumps up, but as soon as any time passes and you step on the pedal again it goes almost to the floor again. Feels like I am only stopping with the back brakes. Seem front driver's side rotor looked glazed and not like shiny metal that rotors normally look like.

Is it possible I am only using the back end of the MC to stop the truck?

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After thought, If I hit the brake pedal several times in a row the engine stumbles, is that from the vacuum drop I am causing by pressing the brake pedal?

Blasted brakes!!!
 

Okay, I just bled the VLP (proportioning valve) or whatever it is called. I got air out of it. I had a brake pedal. I test drove my truck and with in a 1/4 mile I had no pedal again... I pumped a lot of brake fluid out of the valve. I pumped until clean fluid came out of it.

Any clues? Hints? I guess I'll pull the MC from the booster to see if I have any fluid behind the MC going into the booster. I seem to be losing fluid so if it is there it will mean a new MC anyway...

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I guess if you have a fluid leak, that's problem number 1, but after that, make sure your ebrake works. You might have to pull the lever dozens of times to get it to turn the adjusters, or I guess you could just turn the adjusters yourself. I went round and round with my brakes, I put a new (larger) MC on it, did the larger front calipers, and put new shoes and adjusters on the rear. Bled everything like 5 times. Still I didn't like my pedal, for one thing it seemed like at first it felt ok, then as I kept pressing to come to a stop it would release and go down quick. In the end I cut the rod off the LSPV and just tied it all the way up. Brakes feel great now and that thing stops with no problems.

I have done brakes on several models and Toyotas brakes are the worse. Never had so many issues as with Toyota brakes. I bleed them out and wait a few days and bleed them again and it seems to help.

Check your parking brake cable adjustment. I've had many cars and trucks come in where someone cranked on the park brake cable adjuster. Back it way off, adjust your rear brakes at the star adjuster, then readjust the park brake cable. It's solved many mushy pedals.
On your master cylinder, apply light pressure to the brake pedal, hold it for a few minutes, if it starts sinking replace the master.

I pulled the MC to see if I had any fluid behind it, none it was dry. But what I did notice has me wonders and has given me my next step.

According to the book I am supposed to have a .025" gap between my booster push rod and the end of the cup in the MC. Push rod sticks out about .25" and the pocket in the MC is about .875" leaving a gap of about .625"... I think I have found out why I have no pedal! Unfortunately I had to do some other stuff prior to adjusting my push rod so I had to put it back together.

I'll let you know what happens,

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I finally got the booster push rod to move. I ended up using vice grips to hold the base of the push rod to adjust it. It took everything I could muster to get it to move. It had been cranked all the way down and tightened as tight as they could get it. Insane! No wonder I didn't have a pedal. I have pedal now but it has no play in it so I need to adjust it in a little bit.

The push rod turns real easy now so I figure I will put a couple drops of locktite on it to keep it from moving.

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Okay, I have the push rod adjusted, I have pedal but I only have front brakes... In gravel I can only lock up my front brakes. If I pull the E brake I can lock the rear brakes, but the auto adjusters over adjust the rear brakes... Two problems. I am going to figure the MC was installed by the same guy that installed the booster and that the MC was never bench bled. and start there...

Any other ideas???

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Without stepping on the brake, is the brake pedal about the same height from the floor as the clutch pedal? If not that might explain why the rod was so far off. It's adjustable at the stop light switch or a bolt/locknut on the pedal pivot bracket. And look under the truck at the park brake cable adjuster to see if PO cranked on the adjuster like I posted above. Edit: Nevermind the pedal height, I was thinking Ford Ranger or something else.