There are just some days I wish I didn't turn wrenches

[Sam Harris]

Looks like near the oil filter on that V6: https://www.troublecodes.net/sensors/toyota-1gr-fe-4-0l/

I think this is the same engine, but not sure. Somewhat blurry video below but it shows where it is. I don't condone his choice of removal tools for this purpose.

Everyone knows vice grips are for holding parts together, not loosening bolts! VGG…
And maybe clean it up before removing the sensor..?

 

[OR VietVet]

Get the engine type from the label under the hood, that might help with a search. The link I posted was for the 1GR-FE engine.

Yes, it is a 1GR-FE engine. I did double check that. Thanks though.

I did look all around the oil filter housing and still no luck. Instead of the spin on oil filter up high on the driver's side, it is a cartridge type that is down low and toward the front.

 

[Fless]

Yes, it is a 1GR-FE engine. I did double check that. Thanks though.

I did look all around the oil filter housing and still no luck. Instead of the spin on oil filter up high on the driver's side, it is a cartridge type that is down low and toward the front.

It'll be interesting to see where it actually is.

 

[OR VietVet]

I finished all the other work on it: De-grease engine, timing cover timing chain tensioner access gasket, PCV valve, rear wiper blade, replace both washer nozzles, repair passenger side running board sag, clean throttle body......and then a restart after all work and sitting overnight drip drying after degrease and spray off. Had CEL but ran fine and pulled codes: P0014, P0430, P0500 and P0553......made note of all of them and cleared codes and restarted. No CEL and ran fine and road tested and nothing came back. had to be degrease and wash down related. He needed a low side R134A schrader cap and went to 2 parts stores yesterday and neither would sell them separate. Wanted to sell me a kit. I ordered a pair at Amazon and supposed to be here tomorrow. The guy lives less than a mile from me. I will run by and spin it on. I told him that as soon as I can figure out where that oil pressure switch is, I will get it installed. Almost forgot. He has some aftermarket cage crap on the taillights. They are for off roading protection. He is 80 years old. He does not off road. I removed the cages. He also has a small bull bar on it and when I do the oil pressure switch, I am gonna remove it. I told him the de-grease is best I can do but still needs a good cleaning. He is gonna take it in to a detail shop and get it all cleaned up. It is covered so bad that if there is any other leaks, I cannot tell where unless it is just pumping out while running and it is not.

 

[OR VietVet]

Counting the FJ Cruiser and the GMC K1500 and the 2010 Toyota Camry work, in the last 8 days and 6 days of putting in some hours on these vehicles, I have pocketed $1200.

 

[BlaineBug]

I have seriously underbid things for friends and acquaintances in the past. I don't do that anymore, only work for myself. As a non-daily mechanic I dont have the knowhow or experience to know how much of a pain in the ass things are.

I remember about 8 years ago my friend's sister needed some oxygen sensors replaced on her Ford Mustang. I told her I'd do it, all she had to do was to buy the oxygen sensors and the oxygen sensor removal tool kit from Harbor Freight, and let me keep that. What's that a $30 or $35 purchase? She wouldn't do it! So **** that shit. Apparently she found some simp would would do it for even cheaper than the cost of the $30-$35 oxygen sensor socket set.

 

[OR VietVet]

The people in the neighborhood get charged $75 an hour and my VFW and American Legion people get charged $0 to $75 an hour. I also look up the parts. They install what I recommend or I will not do it. I charge for diagnostics and every bit of this info is DICTATED up front and they can say yes or no. I learned a long time ago that doing favors can bite you in the ass. Will I help someone, sure, but they will know I do not do this stuff for free. Any info I supply and look up at the computer, is free but the minute I unlock my tool box, the timer starts.

Afterall, no one else paid for these tools and certainly didn't do the work to gain the knowledge.

 

[iamdub]

I would NEVER break the Bro Code. LOL

 

[iamdub]

My 95 mustang is OBD1 and in the tuning I have it raise idle 50rpm when the AC cycles (AC switch rpm parameter). I'm not sure exactly how the 33 does it with the carb. There's probably a small solenoid on the idle linkage that engages when the AC does.

Wow. +50 RPM is all?! Nice. I thought they needed a couple hundred. Never paid attention, though. Also never knew there was such a feature for carb'ed engines. Shows what I know about carbs and why I said what I said.

 

[OR VietVet]

Wow. +50 RPM is all?! Nice. I thought they needed a couple hundred. Never paid attention, though. Also never knew there was such a feature for carb'ed engines. Shows what I know about carbs and why I said what I said.

If I remember correctly, there was a idle up or fast idle solenoid that had a way of knowing when a load was put on the engine and would automatically bump the idle up with a load on.

 

[gooffeyguy]

Wow. +50 RPM is all?! Nice. I thought they needed a couple hundred. Never paid attention, though. Also never knew there was such a feature for carb'ed engines. Shows what I know about carbs and why I said what I said.

Pretty sure it was 50rpm, I may be wrong, it's been a while since I've messed with that part of the tune. It might've been like 100 or 150. I'll have to pull out the laptop I use for tuning it and look

 

[iamdub]

Pretty sure it was 50rpm, I may be wrong, it's been a while since I've messed with that part of the tune. It might've been like 100 or 150. I'll have to pull out the laptop I use for tuning it and look

It's no big deal at all. I think his needs more of an IAC bump to maintain the normal RPM rather than just a higher idle to help it speed through the compressor engagement. He has the Sniper signaled by the A/C clutch and he sees the IAC % change but it doesn't respond, or respond enough. He has a hefty cam so maybe the Sniper is only adjusting a factory predetermined amount and that just needs tweaking. He's gotta get it fixed cuz the truck is bagged and he'll be switching to an EDC once all this other stuff is sorted.

 

[OR VietVet]

Yes, it is a 1GR-FE engine. I did double check that. Thanks though.

I did look all around the oil filter housing and still no luck. Instead of the spin on oil filter up high on the driver's side, it is a cartridge type that is down low and toward the front.

I should have asked my friend, shop owner, about this before. He found a pic of the oil pressure switch location and sent it to me. On Monday the vehicle owner will be here at noon, I am gonna take the lower engine covers off, 2 of them-easy to do, then we are dropping the FJ Cruiser off at a detail shop that I have done business with before. They will completely clean up the engine, paying special attention to the passenger side front and entire underneath. Will pick up on Tuesday and drive to my home and install the oil pressure switch and reinstall the lower engine covers.

 

[ricwrench]

I still wrench on rides. My collection only, very few "favor" jobs. However, being old as dirt, retirement needs more cash to pile up. I can work on points(!), carbs (!!), and marine if I choose. Around me, small engine repair is the thing. Likely I will get in that arena. Mobile mechanic insurance is cheap, customer base is large. (High income area, 25 miles from the city). I too document everything, saves misunderstanding. My .02

 

[OR VietVet]

I still wrench on rides. My collection only, very few "favor" jobs. However, being old as dirt, retirement needs more cash to pile up. I can work on points(!), carbs (!!), and marine if I choose. Around me, small engine repair is the thing. Likely I will get in that arena. Mobile mechanic insurance is cheap, customer base is large. (High income area, 25 miles from the city). I too document everything, saves misunderstanding. My .02

Yea, I can still do the carb and points bit but has been a while. I already have an idea, based off what customer has said when I ask questions, as to what I need to concentrate on. I asked a bunch of questions about his truck starting problem and focused on the starter right off the bat. Did the basic checks and sure enough, the starter fixed the problem.

On the carb/choke problem, gonna focus there, I need to see if has electric choke or heated stove pipe choke. Stove pipe chokes depended on heat thru a port on the intake and the clear passage of that heat. Would require an intake removal and clean out passage but they used to make a kit that allowed you to install an electric choke kit and adapt in to a switched power source.

Hell, for all I know, it just needs an adjustment at the choke pull off linkage and can be fixed in 15 minutes. I do know that he says starts great, and after engine is hot, it runs fine with no problems. It is just the cold running after cold start problem. Supposed to get it on 24th or 25th.

 

[OR VietVet]

So, I did get that 1985 Ford F150 pickup here Saturday afternoon. As usual he added other work "while here".

Squeal noise when starting, that turned out to be a very loose set of "V" belts on the alternator and power steering. Especially the alternator. I could turn the alternator pulley by hand easily. The tensioning bolt was hidden in the backside of the lower bracket and was a PITA to get a socket on it because so close to frame rail. Fortunately I have a stubby 3/8" drive ratchet and was able to get it tensioned. Been a long time since I have tensioned "V" belts with a pry bar and ratchet.

Next add on was installing his brake master cylinder. The real clue that it was needed was the obvious brake fluid leak at back of master cylinder that had been going on long enough to allow the brake fluid to blister the paint on the booster. I removed the master cylinder in front of him, with lines attached, and there was a rusty mess at back of cylinder and in the plunger rod pocket on the booster. Biggest PITA was that the attaching nuts at inside firewall were rusted badly and took my 3/8" pistol grip Milwaukee impact to take them off after I broke loose by hand. Then the 4 studs were corroded in the thru holes and had to encourage the booster to let go with a pry bar on the outside and a hammer on the inside at the stud tips. Mounted the new booster, bench bled the m/cyl. and installed and then bled at the attaching lines and had a good pedal. Before anyone asks, yes I did measure the hole depth at back of m/cyl. where the adjustable rod sets in to and I also adjusted the adjustable rod to match the old m/cyl. I also did a new stoplight switch while apart.

Then on to the carb. I did a cold start and sure enough the choke pull off was inop but did have power to electric choke. I knew I wanted to adjust the fast idle up on that cold start. The adjusting screw was angled down and while I was trying to bend over the back of carb and adjust that screw I found could not get a screwdriver on it but then I also noticed that the linkage from the pull off to the butterfly was not attached at the bottom. Could not reattach while on the vehicle so I removed carb. Worked on the carb on my roll cart and had to hold a small flashlight in my mouth to see down in there. Was a large PITA. Adjusted the fast idle, reattached linkage and lubed and reinstalled. By that time the owner had showed.
Did a cold start, set the choke with gas pedal, started engine, went right to fast idle and the owner said had never done that before, watched as ran and saw the choke open up the butterfly plate and stand straight up and then kicked down the throttle and went to curb idle and I adjusted that and road tested. All good.

4 hours labor at $75 an hour and $300 in my pocket. Told him I am not working on that carb again. You can see linkage that was unattached at bottom in the pic. You can see the brake fluid sludge too. I tore this all down on Saturday afternoon and installed new parts on Sunday morning.

Turns out, the next door neighbor wanted to buy my girls K2500 pickup but she does not want to sell but it turns out that the Ford pickup owner, that I worked on his 97 K1500 last week, is gonna sell that truck to next door neighbor and I am gonna do about $800 work on it after he buys.

 

[iamdub]

I'm diggin' the stories!

 

[OR VietVet]

I'm diggin' the stories!

More to come. I have a 2018 Suburban for either Thursday or Friday, depending on parts delivery from RA and vehicle availability. Need to install both rear struts on the liftgate. The left side, motorized strut is inop.

Then hopefully by the weekend, the Suburban guy's golfing buddy, that I have worked on his wife's Honda Pilot, has a daughter coming home after college and will need an oil change and vehicle inspection. He also has another 2 vehicles at home that he wants work done on. Not sure what he wants done on them.

I was tired of being retired and now have found something to keep me busy where I call all the shots and pick and choose what I want to do. I was looking for a service writer job but I like what I am doing better. My tools get a workout and I set my own schedule and don't have to deal with some customer's that are just downright stupid and blamers for their own lack of maintenance.

 

[OR VietVet]

By the way, I did do the oil sender switch on the 2010 FJ Cruiser 4.0 engine. Down low on the front of passenger side and is threaded in horizontal. Mixed in there with the belt and lines and other crap. I could look from the ground at front and see it but had to reach in from back to get the socket on it. When I went to thread in the new switch, it was all done by Braille. I could not see the hole and fingers located it and had to hold tongue just right to get it straight on to start the threads. Once I made sure there was no cross threading, I tightened down and snapped on the connector and the ever elusive oil sender switch was marked off my list. The owner texted me 2 days in a row to thank me and his wife made me some chocolate chip cookies for fixing her climb in step.

 

[OR VietVet]

I did do a video of the starter problem I found on the 1997 GMC K1500 5.7 engine. Here it is: