Merry Christmas Ray. Have a great holiday week.

 

Vehicles have all the lights, buzzers, bells, whistles for non-critical things, yet there is no warning that catches one's attention for one of the most critical conditions- overheating. A vehicle can operate through many of other conditions for months, while it will have serious and costly damage within minutes when over-heated.

Brainstorming Specs/requirements:

• Locate sensor/sender in most accurate location that will still sense coolant even when level goes low.
• Have switch to trigger alarm in case of overheat.
• Alarm to have flashing LED, and buzzer - so no minimal chance of missing it even while challenged on the trail or too busy watching out for crazy drivers.
• Need to figure out good set-point for alarm. Possibly 5% above normal operating temp?

Does anyone have proven, time-tested obvious candidate for sensor system?

 

Hey buddy! Hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you also HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I've thought about that idea before.....

Idea:

On the lower, I believe driver side of the block, there is a coolant port plug on the block... I've thought about using it to heat a shower, or what you're thinking of.... I used it as an out-out - port when air and SUPER high pressure blasting out this newer to me block....... I'll find pica asap. My stupid PAY PB account has turned my "bucket" 'random'.. .... grrrrrr!

 

Thanks, Mark and Happy New Year to you, family and Yota comrades, too!
Yeah, lower on the block would mean it would be in contact with coolant even when level goes low. When I was driving through San Bernardino County the day before my HG blew, my temp gauge was reading cooler than normal, with outside in 3-digits. Coolant was probably already overflowing and level was low so coolant was not touching the temp sensor anymore.

 

I believe it's the port just below the last freeze plug...

 

Hey Rad. There's really no reason to disconnect the stock "B" wire from the alternator. When I do my 170 amp GM alternator, I am going to leave the stock wire there and put my new 2 gauge AWG cable right on top. What this will do is that the two wires will act as one. I will probably have to drill out the stock lug to get it to fit on the GM alt's stud but no big deal.

If the worst case scenario happened when you were winching and battery went out, the high current would still pass through the stock circuits (fuse block under hood) because that is still hooked up to battery after the block. All those circuits are grounded so it is complete. Unhooking that stock charging cable would not prevent this because electrically, where the new charging cable goes to the battery and the power for the stock fuses are, it's the same point. Understand? But's that's why those fuses and the stock 80 amp fusible link is there...to protect those circuits.

What size cable for your new "B" line are you gonna use? Instead of going w the 90 amp fuse because of the 90 amp alt, you need to figure accordingly for the max current carrying capacity/rating (ampacity) of the cable you plan to use. The fuse is there to act as the weak point and blow before the wire gets too hot and starts a fire or damages something else under the hood.

I looked online and found these ratings here.

For Sae wire sizes, it said that 2 gauge has a max rating of 106 amps; 4 gauge was 77 amps and 6 gauge was 61 amps. If you went with 2 gauge, the 90 amp link would be good but for the smaller sizes, the wire would get hot and possibly cause damage because the link is rated too high.

Now, if you go with the AWG sizes, they are typically 12% (who knows exact number but they are bigger) bigger than SAE cable and have more strands which is better for flexibility and current flow. If you look online, AWG have bigger current ratings for the same comparable size in SAE cables.
I believe my max current rating on the 2 gauge AWG cable I have is around 200 amps or so, that is why I am going with a 175 amp megafuse and holder.

Hopefully we get a conversation going here. Great post though.

 

Hey Ray, like Mark said there is a drain lug on the driver's side bottom if the block that you could tap into.

Curious to see what you do for the alarm as I may copy you. .I am always watching my autometer gauge . Maybe it's jus my me but my gauge seems to go between 180* and 210* pretty regularly, so I wouldn't use five percent as your trigger.

Good luck!

 

I love this thread for all the excellent pictures. You were asking on Terry's thread about painting your hard top. You can google "4Runner Hard Top" and spend hours reading different forums about it. The best most recent thread was here:


https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...er-top-221434/


I'm guessing you're going to paint your top black. That'll look great with the red paint. Unless your top is really damaged I doubt you have to do any fiberglass repairs. I'd dewax it, scuff it with a 3M scrubber (kitchen pan scrubber works), rinse again , tape off windows, prime lightly (don't have to cover red color; it's only for adhesion) and either rattle can or roll on Krylon or Rustoleum. You probably know to use the same brand primer as the paint. The original tops were satin finish and it looks like a lot of people like the Krylon satin black spray paint. It looks like 1 can spray primer, three cans spray paint.


If you do end up going to Maaco make sure you dewax it and scuff it before you drop it off. They do not wash cars first. I had good experience with them on another car though.

 

Thanks, Mark and Phil. Yeah, that looks like a good location; lower on the block so will have contact with coolant even IF level goes low. Easily accessible, too.

Re temp range:
(My 5% was a guestimate, not knowing actual range that T-stat cycles through).
Phil,
T-Stat setting is 195°F, right? So it makes sense that when it cycles it swings between 180 & 210 (195°F is right in between).

I still need to research if there's an automotive temp gage with switch contacts set to close at a certain temp. If not, I'm sure I can find an industrial instrumentation caliber one that would work. Expensive , but nothing compared to cost of an overheated engine .

I wonder what temp the red line on gage corresponds to. A set point halfway between that and 210°F should plenty safe.

Also, might research Max Temp at which it's still safe to run, say for another 5-10 minutes in order to find a safe place to pull over.

Given my new rebuild and all-new cooling system components (except fan clutch), I'll take my time researching and will keep you posted.

 

Re Worst-Case Scenario where Battery has internal failure OR battery connector fails while winching:

XRC8 winch takes 5.5 horsepower = 4.1 kWatts That's 342 Amps at 12V.

If batt3ry has internal failure or battery connector fails with stock wiring (even with up-sized B wire in yellow) while winching, the alt will attempt to supply your winch with that current (but top-out at 171-amps?). Those 170+ amps will follow orange path in schematic and blow your stock protective circuit.

 

=================

Thanks, Nervo19.
Yep, I'm thinking same way too, I and don't want to spend that much...

... so you guys think it doesn't really need primer? Just sand down and paint? I wonder how they do it with commercially available shells?

Unfortunately I do not have the space for painting nor for the equipment, so I'll just have to pay a shop.

I got another more reasonable quote for $300. I'll ask what process they use, and will run it by you guys.

Same get well wishes for Misty, Terry

BTW, Re...
Terry, did you check your starter solenoid wiring for that design flaw and fixed it? Your ignition switch will thank you for it
==============
Thanks, William. Yeah, that's what I though about the primer. No loose fiber, yet. Only the rounded corners on top show the fiber, but the horizontal and vertical surfaces still have the original finish. Flat but still intact. So on surface that has original finish, just sand it for adhesion, correct? No need to sand all the way down to resin?

Yep, soft top definitely a cool option here in So Cal. too bad I don't have a garage to store hardtop. Gotta keep it for our 60° winters - LOL!
=================

Thanks, Nervo19.
Don't want to do black- too hot.
I don't have the place to do the painting, but I don't trust the cheap paint places to do the prep, so I'm now considering:
1) Doing the prep myself using process from 87Runner's trhead, then taking it to cheap painter for coat of paint, OR
2) Since this is Fiberglas and I expect it to see saltwater from kayak/surf board someday, I'll ask around for boat painters with leftover paint (for fiberglas! , if they can do the paintjob for me. Yep, Red 4Runner with a white hartop (cooler temp-wise)

 

Painting isn't nearly as bad as you might think. You only need to prime when you break thru the old paint. Don't worry about hijacking my thread. I posted some answers on it for you. I have not ever used boat paint but cant see it being much different as far as spraying. From my experience, shooting primer, sealer and paint isn't much of a problem. It is the clear coat that I least like, but if you do make a mistake on clear coat, it can be wet sanded. You wont be able to on your top due to the rough texture, but that will work to your advantage due to the rough texture and the clear coat.

Soon as I get the chance I do want to do the ignition upgrade and headlight upgrade. Your explanation does show the poor design about the amount of current some to the harness has to carry.

 

I'm not sure where you live but some people might not live around a bunch of boat places. I have not painted a car but I have painted a boat, a 1972 Boston Whaler with a mahogany interior. Boat paint and paint services are way more expensive than comparable auto body paint. My boat is painted with Awlgrip which IIRC was about $200/quart for the "system" of reducers, activators, etc. I "rolled and tipped" it which means I rolled it and it looks sprayed. Very nerve wracking experience and even with safety gear I got a really bad headache.


There is another type of boat paint called Interlux Brightside and another similar paint by Petit called Easypoxy. I haven't used them but you can spray or roll them. They cost about $35 a quart and they have UV inhibitors that Rustoleum doesn't have. It's probably a good choice since it's designed for fiberglass.





http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...duct.do?pid=64


If you're going from red to white you will definitely need primer. Red is one of the hardest colors to cover. If you still can't do it at home maybe wait 'till Maaco is advertising one of their specials. I see a half price sale advertised about four times a year.

edit: I just remembered that Rustoleum has a comparable Marine Paint. I think it's cheaper than the above paints. I've seen it at Ace Hardware and some Home Depots.

 

Thanks, guys!

Terry. Yes that's what I plan to do, just sand where paint is intact and prime otherwise. Vertical surfaces have paint intact, some horizontal surfaces have resin/fiberglas showing.

Nervo19,
Will probably stick to red (was just considering white IF I could find someone with leftover white boat paint.)

Interlux specs look good, and that and Rustoleum also come in red.
Do you guys know if both polyurethane (Interlux) or oil-based paints are compatible with original paint on shell?

Yes, Terry, For robust upgrade to headlight system, harness should be first, then take you time shopping for conversion housing.

 

Officemate just posted this for his son...
Sold.

 

[QUOTE=RAD4Runner;52155743]
Do you guys know if both polyurethane (Interlux) or oil-based paints are compatible with original paint on shell?
QUOTE]



I'm pretty sure that's not paint on the tops. I think it's gel coat. The stuff they use on boats. It can be sprayed but you need a paint gun with a wide tip and you have to buy a matching system of reducers, primer activator etc. People online rave about Interlux so I'm thinking that would be a good choice. It has UV protection so it won't fade as fast as regular oil base. Both paints seem to work fine on the shells.

 

Posting on my build thread for quick reference in the future...

GM Wiring:


This is how I would wire it:


Single path for excitation current through Charge light bulb alone is not reliable; You know what happens to bulbs?

Resistor provides primary path for excitation current from engine fuse, and serves as "pull-up" resistor so negative side of charge light stays close to 12V (unless pin 1 goes low for actual charge fault condition). Without a pull-up resistor, excitation current may get high enough to turn on charge light and you'd get a false alarm. this is the reason for this:
Use same resistor value as GM's, and higher wattage if not same.

I would also move "B" wire from stock location in middle of fuse network to direct to battery positive. This will address "worst-case scenarios" I describe on my thread.

To maintain stock circuit protection scheme:

• Excitation current (through resistor) will be taken from stock IG wire coming from the engine fuse.
• Junction of IG resistor and Pin 1 will be on upstream side (away from wire going to dash) of charge fuse.

 

Official Lifeguard Truck.
Ocean Beach, CA

 

Hi guys,
A friend has stock alloy wheels (2nd gen SR5) he can give me. Would appreciate your thoughts on this post

 

I've only seen Terry's 4runner with 2nd gen sr5 rims. It didn't look too bad.