Looks good there. I'll eventually be swapping in a SA, so that would not be a long term spot for mine.

BTW, your truck is way too clean underneath. Obviously no salt on your roads out there. And whats up with that steering setup? Haven''t seen that one before...

 

1993.5-1998 Toyota supras run the A340E with much much higher stall non-lockup converters. They bypass the stock tranny cooling system and run two tranny coolers with their own fans.

 

This time difference is a bugger,

Quote:
Originally Posted by JD ...or as in my case go for long beach runs in soft sand. That's where they generate the heat.

Long beach runs in HOT soft sand has got to be one of THE MOST extreme heat generators I've come accross. My stock 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee was running really hot after slogging in the hot sand at the Outerbanks, NC about 6 weeks ago. I had to stop and run my heater for a while to cool it off...

Mate, if you do plan on beach runs then I can definitely say this is where you will strike problems with the A series and its all due to their small converters.

Although the auto gave me 7 years of good service and in basic general soft wheeling I didn’t have any major heat problems, on the beach I had to be wary and monitor the gauges. But on many occasions in soft sand I would find the engine would “overpower” the converter and I would lose a lot of drive as the converter seemed to be sort of cavitating. Just like as if you had the handbrake on.

On the hard sand sections it became a pain as the auto wouldn’t hold a higher gear so I could idle along etc as it would always change to 2nd, consequently this exacerbated the situation by again heating the oil. I went to a 5 speed and there is just no comparison.

I’m not deliberately trying to be a party pooper to plans but having been threw this exercise with the A series and its electrical issues and then to have heat issues always in the background was an absolute PITA.

I’m just making you aware of this as I honestly don’t believe you could ever have an absolute guarantee this would not occur at some stage. The A series is a strong trans but unfortunately the converters they use are way too small and the root cause.

In view of the T700 being able to be hooked to a 1UZ then if I was going for an auto again this is the one I would use. T700’s are easily beefed up and every shop knows them and no ECU’s. If you didn’t need an overdrive then a T400 or C4 would be unbeatable.

As far as parts from Oz go I don’t see the problem. A metal adapter plate or housing is not going to disolve, and clutch plates etc are usually very generic makes or sizes. In any event a phone call or email can have any small part on a plane the next day. I just received a couple of goodies from Jegs that took 3 days. I got my initial A340 bell kit from Advance Adapters. As a point of interest they had just released this but in a short time they took it off the market mainly due to the associated problems with using the A series for conversions. I probably have one of the few left sitting in my shed

An alloy bell doesn’t weigh a great deal but a 5 speed flywheel will, But again if you are planning this swap you order these parts well in advance so they can be sent by surface mail as it is relatively cheap.

Shipping options are varied. I used to send Ford 6cyl heads to guys in the US via DHL as they wanted them urgent. They weighed 75kg and cost $US300 to ship and they got them delivered to their door in 2-3 days. It was an awesome service but since 11/9 it takes longer and I suspect cost have gone up to the extent this wouldn’t be feasible.

I ship crates of goodies to the US for guys and some of them are huge. The one in the pic link above had over 800kg of goodies inside and was just over 3 cubic meters. It cost $US741. I can ship a cubic meter crate for probably around $US230.

I import goodies from the US all the time and I work on the basis that a few extra dollars to get what I want and what I know will do the job far outweighs frigging around with a compromise, as once I have it, I have it forever,

I’m visiting a wreckers tomorrow and will see if there are any V8 Cruisers and check their trans as I’m sure they use a larger model A series and its possible they may have a bigger converter that may be useable.

Oops I forgot but this is my webpage and the auto section is still active HO 4Runner

JD

 

I'm curious to see about the V8 Cruiser torque converter. I thought all of the 2UZ/auto drivetrains were the same (engine/tranny). That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see the Tundra bellhousing appears to bolt up to the A34X trans case. I'm wondering what the difference in spec is on the LS400 TC and the Tundra TC. If they are physically the same size (this is what I'm anticipating) then the difference is in stall speed or something else internal.

I had not read your tranny page before - thanks for keeping it active. That pic of the bellhousing with the adapter plate for the 302 - was that bolting to the A340H bellhousing? Did you ever end up bolting to a 1UZ bellhousing (with the hump up top for the starter like below - 1UZ is on the right)



I thought you said you had tried a Toy V8 torque converter also (which would require the bellhousing/oil pump/input swap. Ironically, I had tried to get a Tundra input with all the other bits I picked up, but the planetary gears were grenaded.

Here's the diff between the TC's side by side so folks know what we are talking about (it's elsewhere here...somewhere). A340F from 2000 4Runner on the left, A341E from LS400 on the right.






I did some work from 11-2 last night, but forgot to bring my camera so no progress pics. Here's the list...

- 3VZE ECU pulled and the harness pulled into the engine bay from the interior
- Removed the ADD solenoids and related vac hoses
- Removed the misc solenoids and vac hoses from the pass side fender
- Removed the coil and related wiring
- Unhooked the Alt wiring
- Unhooked various ground wires from the block

I need to pickup a large pan to drain some fluids before I can pull the rad, PS hoses, etc. I've never actually drained a cooling system before and not reused the coolant - what is the proper way to dispose of it?

Took some qualiity time looking at the rad and available space. The Tundra rad will not fit. In going to a wider rad, it will need to sit on top of the framerails. This limits my height to about 20" max (if I want my hood to close). My best guess is that a rad 19-20"h x 28"w is going to be the easiest to fit. The stock rad is roughly 22"w x 22"h (slips down betweeen the frame rails slightly and extends above the core support - fits the stock hood bulge in the center.

I have relatives arriving today and staying until Wed next week - probably not a whole lot happening between now and then. At least I'll have a hand for getting the trannies down to the shop...

 

I would be inclined to leave this stuff off and roll right into an SAS.

Whacking that front end off of your 2nd Gen is going to be way easier than what you are doing now. A 3rd Gen is a different story.

Hang in there.

 

I don't have a use for those parts anymore anyway. When I put my front 5.29's and ARB in, it was a non-ADD pig that was used. Plus any controls related to the ADD/A340H trans will be useless since the A340H trans is going bye-bye also.

As far as a SAS....one money pit at a time...

 

I think the pit your in now is going to be deeper. I have finally talked Cheese into Front Range Axles with leaf springs so he can get on with it and get back on the trail.

FYI- The 3.4 in his 4Runner has so much more power than the 3.0 that it has litterally distroyed his steering, even with Downey braces, OEM Toyota parts, etc. I like driving his truck but if I owned it I would get speeding tickets again, so a 2.7 is really a hardware limiter for my lead foot.

With the power of a V8 you'll really need to get a stong high steer on there ASAP. Just an FYI. A-OK? XXOO

 

Cebby

Just about my turn to go to bed

I'm curious to see about the V8 Cruiser torque converter.

Yep could be interesting if they are also an Aisin trans. But they may not have one I can check out.

That pic of the bellhousing with the adapter plate for the 302 - was that bolting to the A340H bellhousing?

Yes and from Advance Adapters. It was made with T700 and a Buick V6 pattern and I used a Ford/T700 adapter plate with it. AA's ceased making it due to reasons I mentioned above.

Did you ever end up bolting to a 1UZ bellhousing (with the hump up top for the starter like below - 1UZ is on the right)

No mines a Fordrunner

I thought you said you had tried a Toy V8 torque converter also (which would require the bellhousing/oil pump/input swap.

Yep after the highly modified T700 converter showed signs of becoming unreliable (Pity as it was awesome) I used the same 1UZ V8 converter as in your pics above, ie I did the same input shaft, pump swap years ago in order to use this converter. But before installing it I also had a shop modify it internally etc to reduce its high stall as far as possible. I used it up until I went to the 5 speed. It didn't need a new bell as it easily fitted in the AA bell. At that time I also checked out some Supra turbo converters but they were the same size as the A340H so of no use.

Even being the V8 converter and modified it would still "cavitate / slip" etc when engine load was applied in soft sand. Became frustrating.

I see you have a V8 Cherokee. The earlier Jeeps also used the A340 series and also the Trooper. The new Jeep V8 might have a larger converter but I would suspect it probably now uses maybe a Chrysler trans.

JD

 

Not sure if you've seen this article:

http://rigs.corequipment.com/Cebby/9...20Transtec.pdf

Says the A341 is beefier than the A340 series, but seems to have more to do with shift quality than durability. Since I have both, we'll see how long the A340 lasts. Like I said - I'm determined to make the A340F work out...

 

Cebby

Good article.

I see it mentions the Cruiser is an A series as I suspected being a A343F. If thats the case the converter is probably the same size as the 1UZ, which all seems very strange as auto V8 Cruisers don't appear to have a problem that I am aware of. But then I haven't spoken to any owners or done any further research on this since since I went to a 5 speed in 2000

Oops forgot to mention At the same time as swapping in the larger A341 input shaft etc I also swapped in the extra clutch plates and separators that the A341 has compared to the A340. Thats the only difference.

Past midnight and time for bed.

JD

 

OK, 12 hour difference - that should be easy to remember...

Here's a listing of the tranny codes. Shows a different auto trans for the Cruiser (94-on) not sure where this list came from, or when it was published.

http://rigs.corequipment.com/Cebby/9...ny%20Codes.pdf

Are the clutch plates the items that surround the planetary gears around the input shaft? Was this difficult? If that's the only diffference, I'll switch them before the swap.

 

I'm considering playing with the centerlink a bit since the 1UZ oil pan sits where my OME stabilizer is. I need to take a good look at it after the engine is situated. Who knows on the SAS - maybe sooner than later...

Cheese is going FROR housing? I remember him having wood for those eons ago. Are the standard 85's too weak? Even with Bobby's 30 spliners? Or does the housing flex too much?

Leafs eh? It is certainly the easiest install and most tested solution. I'm still a little partial to radius arms and coilovers. I'm sure I'll get over it when I add up all the part prices...

 

I found out some interesting info...

The LS400 radiator is 1.5"th x 16"h x 33"w. I think I can enlarge the opening where my AC exchanger is and put it in that position with a pair of pusher fans on the grille side. Then if I have the space, put the AC exchanger on the engine side without a fan.

Then all I need is a gigantic aux trans cooler (or two) and I'll be good to go!

 

Yes, Cheese is going FROR axle and hi-pinion 5.29 pig.

I would have as well but he can't do a SU axle.

What people don't know is the Sonoran Steel 3rd Gen brackets go 3" up and the 2nd Gen Sonoran Steel Brackets go 3" down.

Your frame is higher, what works for you will not work for us. Think 5" Spring over swap and you'll be right where I am.

Not too high. You might even be lower than me.

 

Yep, I think that an LS400 radiator just might be the ticket.

Dims: 1.5"th x 16"h x 33"w

How you ask? Here's the plan. With the relatively short height of the LS rad, I can remove the AC condensor from the core support and widen the opening. The rad will sit ABOVE the frame rails roughly where the condensor was and be the first thing to get air. I will mount the condensor behind the rad. Dual 16" electric pusher fans will go in front of everything and should fit behind an unmodified grille.

Not alot of room to work with:



Excuse the crude "sketch"



I'm thinking some sort of shroud for the pusher fans - not sure what yet. As far as fans, I'm thinking maybe this fan:



Permacool PRM-19115, 16" reversible. Moves 2950 CFM!! $110 ea.

 

Cebby

No V8's auto Cruisers at this wreckers only 5 speeds

But I did find a 100 Series Cruiser body that had an 1HZ Turbo diesel with auto and the ID plate says it was a A442F. Note A4.. F Not A3...F . That first article link indicated the Cruiser also used a A343F which is obviously not correct.

This now answers my question why V8 Cruisers etc don't have a problem if they were also using the A343F because they don't I should have twigged this anyway as the Cruiser Autos are huge

The A4 series is a LOT bigger than the A3 series hence the V8 Cruiser probably has a much bigger converter.

Also checked out an auto Diesel Surf with a A343F and no problems the trans ECU is remote so if you need one I can post it no problems.

Trans ECU

Are the clutch plates the items that surround the planetary gears around the input shaft? Was this difficult? If that's the only diffference, I'll switch them before the swap.

Yep but I would have to recheck all my Trans workshop manuals to ascertain the exact number of plates etc in each trans model but the A340 has the least, so I had all the extra A341E clutches and plates fitted to my A340H at the same time. I got a trans shop to do this as it had to be completely stripped etc.

JD

 

I'd talk to an AC expert before moving the AC condenser behind the rad. It may be too hot for it back there.

 

A couple of folks have cautioned against putting the condensor behind the rad, so I'll need to rethink it. I was also warned against that sort of fan I posted as they have a tendency for the metal to fatigue where the blades are attached and they come flying off. OUCH!

So, I came across this fan:



Flex-a-lite FLX-398, $119 ea. 2500 CFM, 17a Comes with a shroud. I will use 2 of these side by side. It's 4" thick though...

I know very little about AC. Anyone know how far away I can relocate the AC condensor from the pump? I'm wondering if I can find a different size/shape condensor that would fit elsewhere. Has anyone heard of running two smaller condensors? (maybe flanking the radiator??) Any AC savvy folks out there?

EDIT: I've found some others that are a little thinner, so this may work out afterall...

Regarding the AC, since the fan on the condensor only covers maybe a 3rd of it, could I get away without it and just use the condensor?

 

OK, here's a few more pics of the dismantling from the other night. I had an extra set of hands last night, so we took the trannies down to the shop.











I want to get the coolant and oil drained out of everything next. Here's some more shots of the core suppport/rad/AC condensor for reference as I breakout the sawsall!









Currently, the radator and electric fan extend 6" from the core support toward the engine:



Then the core support and AC fan take up another 4"

 

FWIW, I looked at my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee today and found there is no seaprate fan on the AC condensor. The air in that one works just fine sitting and idling...