Page 2 of 3

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: February 15th, 2011, 4:21 am
by *Phoenix*
Darren... The lucozade Bottle was to collect diesel from the drain in the filter assembly... Just to see how clean it was ... "Was perfect!"

Amsoil Diesel Concentrate..... is the solution LH

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: February 15th, 2011, 7:27 am
by jhonnieblue
im almost tempted to change the oil in my van myself this time, almost, but ill hold onto the warranty a lil longer
stupid massey

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: February 15th, 2011, 9:22 am
by PariaMan
Just sayin - but instead of using the container could you just but the Concentrate in the Filter assembly

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: February 15th, 2011, 6:55 pm
by *Phoenix*
The filter assemble would only hold about 1/4 the bottle...

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 7th, 2011, 12:01 am
by kurpal_v2
Hey guys, if anyone is interested Im getting an offer to get a *group buy discount* on amsoil oils?

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/dme.aspx


Would anyone be interested?

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 7th, 2011, 10:19 am
by biggy82
memememememememememememememememe

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 7th, 2011, 4:04 pm
by kurpal_v2
biggy82 wrote:memememememememememememememememe




Should I open a thread lower down? The deal is the same basically with most group buys, the more we take at once the more we save. The guy told me get a head count how any gallons or quarts Ill need and he will work out a price.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 29th, 2011, 7:36 pm
by lighthammer
Right, so I made a new stone shield for the Navara, cuz the plastic stock shield got shredded on the last Side B run through Blanchisseuse.


Went to bhagwansingh's and bought some diamond-embossed aluminum sheeting, 4x2'' and $316 per sheet.

Tools needed:

- Ratched with 10-socket
- metal cutting shears
- leather work gloves
- pliers
- small hammer
- drill


Image
Started by removing the plastic lip on the underside of the front bumper, 6-bolts in total to unscrew


Image
The two posterior bolts that held the old plastic stone shield got shredded from previous off-roading adventures, and nothing was holding the stoneshield to the chassis anymore.


Image
Took the old stone shield and used it to make a template on the aluminum sheeting. Doesn't have to be exact, but should fit within the underside of the truck nice and snug.


Image
Always wear heavy gloves when working with metal and cutting shears


Image
Halfway there.


Image
Couldn't resist 8-)


Image
I found the sheeting to be a bit thin, so I made two templates. The one on the bottom is a bit larger than the one on top, so that I could press the larger one over the smaller and double them up, increasing the tensile strength.


Image
Made the edges of the larger one a bit longer, so that I could press the larger one over the smaller one and double the layers.


Image
Almost finished. Now to just go back under the truck to measure out the holes on the chassis, then drill them in accordingly on the new stone-shield.


Image
Had some company under the truck.


Image

Image
Success!!
Looks pretty neat, and it's sitting a bit more flush with the body now. The previous stoneshield used to protrude slightly outwards. The underside looks a lot more sleek now and makes the truck look like it's got more ground clearance up front.


Image
Nicely tucked in under the engine bay, can't hardly see the new stone shield at all.


Mission accomplished.
Next stop... Maracas or Las Cuevas!!

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 29th, 2011, 9:48 pm
by civic minded
looks good dude!

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: May 30th, 2011, 6:15 am
by lighthammer
buh-dow!

The stone shield is made of thin sheeting, so I don't expect it to take too much hard abuse. One sharp stone or a log with a branch/stump sticking out would probably puncture it - however it's still tougher than the old plastic shield. I'd expect it'd at least stand up to abrasions and scratches whenever I have to enter a ditch or cross a canal, as well as small stones from cars in front of me.

The sump pan is still pretty much exposed on the Navara (and almost all navara's too) so I'll use a thicker plate to make the sump pan. I don't have jack-stands though, so that'll be another weekend project.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: September 23rd, 2011, 9:12 pm
by *Phoenix*
Nice project there LH... Protection is a Must and i am certainly an advocate for it. 3/8 steel sheet would be the ideal material for that shielding you doing. Next year I will be working on my under-body protection... Oh how I wish Santa would get me that Mig welding set and plasma cutter...

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: September 26th, 2011, 9:14 pm
by Cooper
Great work LH! But as Pheonix said, a heavier gauge steel would be better for your application considering the kinda things you guys do off-road.

I'm glad the Ranger comes with standard under-body protection...ah save a lil money there...stone shield, under engine shield, transfer case shield and fuel tank shield. Didn't realise how thick & heavy the shielding was till I had to remove the engine shield to change the oil....got a nasty bonk on my head when I remove the last bolt and the thing fell off :lol:

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: September 28th, 2011, 9:29 pm
by *Phoenix*
OK guys... Undercoating.. is this a DIY or not.. what are the options available and cost attached?

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 7th, 2011, 12:47 pm
by Cooper
I changed the oil in my rear differential today and thought I'd post up a guide in here seeing as it is generally the same on most trucks

This is for the Ranger so you may have to look around your rear diff for some of the things I'm pointing out.

Stuff you'll need:
- 15/16" socket to remove the drain & fill plugs. VERY IMPORTANT: get a socket that grips on the sides and not the corners of the nut.... the fill plug on the Ranger is rounded so the socket I had skipped off when I turned it....ended up using a 10" crescent to remove the fill plug. This is what I had in my kit:

Do not get this
Image

this type is better... it grips the sides and not the corners
Image

- replacement gear oil. I used Amsoil SAE 90 Gear Oil for LSD's. (Check your Owner's manual for the correct spec if you have a different make truck)

- Refill funnel, preferably one that has a flexible tube attached. The location of the fill hole is usually on the backside of the diff, so pouring in the oil right from the bottle is out of the question. See below for some suggestions:

Image

Image

- Bucket/container and rags to collect the old oil and for general clean up. PLEASE do not pour your oil down the drain, find your nearest collection centre and dispose of it properly. (It goes without saying, but I had to say it anyway.)

These are the steps:

1. Ensure that your Truck is parked on a level surface and locate the drain plug and fill plug on the differential. Didn't take any pics before I started, but you'll see the general location in the pics below below.

2. Remove the Fill Plug FIRST. If you remove the drain plug first and have problems removing the fill plug, there will be no way to refill the differential.

3. Remove the Drain plug and collect the old oil in a container for proper disposal.

Image


4. You'll notice that most drain plugs have a magnet attached to it to collect any metal filings that come off the gears during operation.

Image

you can see the magnet here after I cleaned off the plug
Image


this is the drain plug (with the white line on it) and fill plug, pictured side by side. Note the rounded corners on the fill plug. The copper washers were in perfect condition. I saw no need to change them, so they were reused.
Image


5. After the oil has fully drain out, reinstall the drain plug and tighten it to specs (between 29-39 ft/lbs on the Ranger.... or you can use the "that feeling kinda tight method" which is in common practice in most garages today LOL!)

6. Attach your oil refill funnel to the fill hole....I'm kinda cheap so I fabricated something. Had a piece of flex tube in my junk box and found a plastic bottle to fit.

Image


7. Using the funnel, refill the gear oil until it is at the brim of the fill plug hole. In my case, I knew from the owner's manual that the diff would take just under 2 quarts so I slowly poured when I got to the end of the 2nd bottle. As soon as the oil starts to seep out you can stop pouring.

Image

8. Once the oil is at the brim of the fill plug hole, the diff has been filled to capacity. Wipe the excess oil clean, reinstall and tighten the fill plug and you're good to go!

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 7th, 2011, 5:30 pm
by civic minded
good info dude - what mileage was it recommended that the diff oil be changed? for the ranger

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 7th, 2011, 8:08 pm
by Cooper
The Owner's Manual says it should be changed after the first 20,000 Km then inspected at the 40,000Km and then changed again at the 60,0000 Km service, with regular inspections and replacement every 20,000Km. This is for both the front and rear differentials

I stopped going to the stealership for a while now and they never changed the diff oil up until the 30,000Km mark.

I asked about it and they said that they inspected the oil and it was in good condition and it seems that my vehicle isn't regularly hauling a heavy load ....which is true. But I decided to change it anyway to be on the safe side.

I will admit though that the old oil that came out of the diff seemed like it was in good condition. I spilled a few drops on the white plastic sheet I had laid below the vehicle and some of it was almost clear and the oil didn't smell stink like old diff oil usually does.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 7th, 2011, 8:11 pm
by *Phoenix*
Good write-up and nice pics.. ;)

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 9th, 2011, 4:37 pm
by Jeremy Mohd
First 20,000km!?

Have to recheck my manual.. Dont remember that.

I am almost at 40K and I am sure McEny have never changed it.

Good info, great pics.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: November 9th, 2011, 9:06 pm
by lighthammer
Jeremy! Garage lime!!

(shortest garage lime evar... but that's ok, maracas then LC after!)

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: March 8th, 2012, 8:42 pm
by Ronnie203
what diff and gear box oil is recommened for the 4x2 Manual Navara ?

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: April 18th, 2012, 5:03 pm
by Cooper
Had a minor problem with my starter today so I thought I'd post up a guide to troubleshoot your starting system. It's approximately 10 minutes long but worth a look.

Please note: you will need a multimeter and a friend to help you turn the key to take measurements. Also, most of us who have manual transmissions, may not have a clutch pedal switch, so you can ignore that part of the wiring diagram.



By the way the folllowing points are for the Ford Ranger WLT engine:-

- On the starter the minimum voltage on the "S wire" or trigger wire is supposed to be at least 8 volts.

Checking your Battery & Charging System:

- The minimum voltage across the battery terminals (with the engine off) should be at least 12.4 volts. Any less, your Battery is failing.

- Voltage across the terminals while cranking the engine should be at least 10volts. Any less the battery is failing.

- Voltage across the terminals while the engine is running should be above 14 volts. Any lower means your charging system is failing.


**values may vary for different vehicles, I got these from the Ranger Service Manual.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: April 19th, 2012, 8:53 am
by 323_wagon_dude
Good info there Coop...

The last minute or so about the voltage from +ve to starter and -ve to starter was good. I used to just test for continuity not the actual voltage across the wires.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: April 19th, 2012, 6:12 pm
by Cooper
Thanks Man :!:

Learning about the electrical system in a vehicle can help you out in a jam. I remember the last vehicle I owned had some corroded wires connected to the ignition relay in the alarm control module. The dashboard sometimes used to flash like a christmas tree and the car would shut off.

Knowing stuff like what is shown in the video helped me to bypass the alarm and still use the vehicle like normal.



....also gave me some valuable info in case I needed to steal a car :lol:

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: April 19th, 2012, 6:40 pm
by Cooper
Found some info on the removal & inspection of the Glow Plugs for the WL engine:

Image

Image

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: April 23rd, 2012, 10:43 am
by lighthammer
i broke a glow plug by overtightening it once on a WLT engine...
so rememeber it's a Size 8 metric nut on the glowplug, doesn't need to be tightened more than 1/4turn after it's stopped.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 1:42 pm
by trinibajan34
question this is for the guys with the wlt engine, when changing the fuel filter do you detach the hoses from the bracket ? not seeing the picture on the thread.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 4:27 pm
by lighthammer
^^ yes,l you need to detach both the inout and output hoses from the bracket using a bird-beak pliers.

Here are the general steps t replace most fuel filters:
- use bird beak pliers to unclamp amd remove both input and output hoses (be sure to note which is which)
- use a size 10 socket and unbolt the entire filter & bracket assembly, make sure to disconnect the sensor wire
- unscrew the old filter - you may need to put the old filter in a vice to get it to unscrew.
- pour out the old diesel into a container and save it, you're gonna need that to refill the new filter.
-allow the diesel to settle in the container, then carefully pour the clear section into the new filter, taking care not to aloow any sediment to flow in (doesn't need to be fully topped up)
- dip your finger into the clean diesel and wet the rubber o-ring of the new filtercarefully
- screw in the new filter until its hand-tight, then turn approx 1/4 turn to lock it.
- bolt back in the bracket and filter assembly and reattach the input hose only. Run the output pipe to your bottle of dirty sediment diesel.
- prime the pump on your filter bracket, pumping until diesel comes out the outlet pipe. Then you can reattach your outlet hose. Replace pinch-clamps with the birdbeak pliers

Now start the engine and allow to run for one min, revving moderately to check for smoking out the tailpipe.
Would be a good idea to now run a fuel treatment to clean out ur fuel system.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: July 25th, 2012, 8:03 am
by trinibajan34
Thanks lh

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: September 13th, 2012, 8:20 am
by Cooper
lighthammer wrote:i broke a glow plug by overtightening it once on a WLT engine...
so rememeber it's a Size 8 metric nut on the glowplug, doesn't need to be tightened more than 1/4turn after it's stopped.


Changed my glow plugs today. Got the NGK part number Y-701J. Same exact part as the originals in the engine.

Just a minor clarification LH....

The size 8 sockets are for the electrical connection on the top of the plug. The size 12 sockets are for tightening the plug into the head.

Re: General Maintainence Dept. for the DIY in all of us.

Posted: September 13th, 2012, 8:12 pm
by trinibajan34
lighthammer wrote:i broke a glow plug by overtightening it once on a WLT engine...
so rememeber it's a Size 8 metric nut on the glowplug, doesn't need to be tightened more than 1/4turn after it's stopped.


how did you get it out ? which part broke ?