That's definitely not right. Big Ugly will start up on the first try even on a cold day if it's been running fairly recently.
It is probably cranking speed, IP condition or some combination of those two.
I will put the charger on it tomorrow morning and after the wiring is done and I am driving it I can check out little details like that.I have a question though. Even with the motor quite warm to the touch it doesn't want to fire without glowing for a few seconds if it has not been running fot a while. I seem to recall the HMMWVs in the army firing without glows if the motor was barely warm...
Or one side of the starter electro magnets, 1 out of four will make it slow, 2 out of 4 will really stink and go nowhere. Ask me how I know.I had that problem when one brush was busted on a starter.


Oh well, it is much quieter with the partial exhaust
It actually runs good and has decent power. It doesn't hurt that is a 165HP rated J-code engine. The tranny shifts well with it, despite the fact that I haven't swapped out the gas governor yet. So, if you floor it while cruising it will downshift, the engine will hit it's 3600RPM goverened limit, and you won't get an upshift. The diesel governor will solve that little annoyance. I also haven't gotten the TCC lockup wired up yet.
So, I have no power steering or power brakes. It's still driveable, and you feel very manly while doing so. After work I will try to get that straightened out - I'm not really sure what the problem is. I cracked open the pressure line feeding into the hydraboost while the engine was running and no fluid came out. So, it appears to be a pump issue of some sort. Also, the fluid in the pump has turned milky, like there was water in it... I suppose I could've gotten some water in it when I was cleaning off the engine 


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Well, it turns out that the pressure regulator spool valve in the pump was stuck in full bypass mode, so I was getting zero pressure and not much flow. It was so bad that I could block the pressure feed with my thumb
I managed to work the valve free and remove it. I cleaned everything up with brake cleaner, put it back together, added clean fluid, and now I have power steering and brakes.
So far the truck seems to be running OK. I'm thinking the injectors are a bit dirty and not spraying as finely as they could though. The motor shakes a bit more than I think it should, and it doesn't start as easily as Rene says his does.
Here's a list of the start events today:
5:30AM : It's probably 60 degrees F outside. I glow for 10 seconds or so and crank it. She fires, then the PS belt squeals LOUD and she dies. Try it again: cranks for 5 seconds with nothing. Glow it a bit more, and crank a few more seconds and it lights. PS belt is screaming like a banshee, probably from being oil soaked (the PS pump has been blowing fluid out of the cap). I get underway, and after 1/4 mile the belt quiets down. Motor runs fine.
12:30PM : Truck has been sitting since 6:00AM. It is probably close to 80 degrees outside. Since I am parked right in front of one of the entrances to my building and I don't want to smoke everyone out I glow for 5 seconds and hit the key. She fires right up. I drive 1/8th mile to a friends shop, maybe 2 minutes run time, for lunch and shut it down.
12:50AM : I try to restart with no glows. No joy. I give it 3 seconds glow and hit the key again, and she immediately lights.
4:30PM : Motor is probably close to ambient temp (80deg. or so). I again try to start with no glow. Nada. 5 seconds glow and she lights off immediately.
After I got home I shut it down and monkeyed with the PS for probably an hour. Then I tried to start it again, and she lit up after maybe 1 second of cranking.
I'm thinking she just isn't spraying as fine a mist as it should, which would make it harder starting and idle a bit rough. Could be the IP as well. I'm going to try some Diesel injector cleaner and see if it helps at all, but unless it gets worse I am inclined to live with it until the other motor is finished. Were headed for triple digits in a few months anyway, so hard cold starting isn't going to really be an issue.
Tomorrow I will get the muffler welded on. I plugged it onto the pipe just to see how it sounds and... I LIKED IT! Nice mellow throaty big-block sound. I also need to get my VSS hokked back up so I have a working speedo again. I will be taking her on her maiden oil-burning wheeling trip this weekend, so we will see how it goes![]()
. It has plenty of desert pinstripe and skidplate rash, as well as chunked tread to show for it
Next in line is yours truly, followed an H2 on 37's, my good friend Todd in the CHeep (the only thing still Jeep is the frame and tub - the rest is all Chevy), a Jeep TJ, a Toyota Tacoma that is lifted and locked, another TJ, a brand new 4 door JK Rubicon still sporting the paper temp license, yet an other TJ, another H3, a Dodge Ramcharger, and finally a lifted, modded H2 shod with 38's. Another H3 caught up and joined us about 20 minutes into the jaunt, for a total of 13 rides.








