Help a fella start a CUCV after WAY to long... Please :)

[Knightmare]

Hello all


Due to financials, I couldn't work on my truck shortly after purchase 2.5 years ago. Well things have changed, and I'd love more than anything to be driving the old girl around now, after a hibernation. Now it will now be my lack of knowledge and skill that holds me back sadly. But I am determined to see it through.


So I have a couple of new batteries in the bay (not quite installed yet), and I have the correct part for the doghead relay conversion, so my truck starts more reliably. That's my next task, but I think I may need an oil change first, not sure. It was on my to do list, before the unintentional hibernation. (I'm pretty sure I need it period, as I was getting long, prolonged sounds out of my relay (glow plug regulator?) before.)

I checked my oil tonight, and it is right on the low line, and black as ****. So I would like to change it obviously. But I'm not sure if I should do that now, or later. My theory is that I should change the oil pretty much right before I try to start the truck. Because oil has had way too long to collect in the pan, and its not lubricating things it needs to be anymore. If I change right before the start, oil would be percolating through areas it needs to be. That's my theory anyway. I don't want to start it up to a runaway situation. Obviously I don't know enough about the lubrication system.

I know enough to know to not overfill it. But I don't know if I should try to start and get everything running with older oil ( plus I'd probably add some to get the level to full), or do the oil change, and then try it. Obviously everything needs a good gentle stretch and move about, but I don't know which method would be better.


So any help would be appreciated.



Hopefully my brakes aren't locked or something similar. I REALLY want my truck to run right, and I hope you guys will have a lot of patience to help me out. I"m pretty intelligent, but I'm just a bit out of my element.

Thanks for reading
Jeremy

 

[tourus]

If it was me I would drain the oil right were it is before starting. You are right about settling but not the end of world if you don't. then I would put your new battery in an then turn the key cycle glow plugs and see what happens. you may have problems you may not. try it before you worry about it not starting or starting. do the doghead relay after it starts and runs. just my input.

 

[wheelspinner]

Personally I would change the oil. Everything in the engine will be bone dry and giving it the best possible lubrication can only help. Prefill the oil filter if you change it. Once it fires start looking for leaks everywhere, trucks and seals hate to sit, so you may find some new ones. If so, don't be alarmed, as the gaskets/seals warm up and get happy again they may seal right back up.

 

[Knightmare]

Ok well of course I ran into snags with just the batteries lol. I got some batteries, 850cca a piece, so I've got enough juice. Butt the batteries have side terminals, and the adapters are kinda tapered so the connections on the truck kinda slide off, and I don't think they are big enough. The adapters that is. So I'm going to the part store tomorrow to see what they have instead.

So I looked at the TMs and saw things for jumping the 24v system, and not much else. So this is a really dumb question, but do the 2 positives first, then the 2 negatives, right? But which order do I do the negatives in? Does it matter?

 

[KORNDOG]

Don't they carry top post or universal batteries by you?
If battery terminals are "slipping off" you are looking for big trouble.

I would do the relay conversion right away.

 

[Knightmare]

The strongest batteries seem to be side post in my area. I didn't check the really pricey ones. I can ask around more, but right now I'm trying to find the right conversion adapter. I got a darn good deal I think, about $113 a piece. After I scrap the stock ones, that will put me closer to $90. I could have done a lot worse, so I'm trying to be slightly flexible with the side ones.

 

[Triple C]

Isn't this a 24 volt system? What do you mean by do both the positives first? Did you schematic the battery cable pattern before you took the old ones off? Be careful about the terminals. I found out the hard way that terminals that are not really snug on a 24 volt system will melt the battery posts and terminals when you hit the starter! I think there are pics in my photo album of my experience. If you can't get the battery cables on tight and I mean tight, don't use the set up.

 

[Knightmare]

Isn't this a 24 volt system? What do you mean by do both the positives first? Did you schematic the battery cable pattern before you took the old ones off? Be careful about the terminals. I found out the hard way that terminals that are not really snug on a 24 volt system will melt the battery posts and terminals when you hit the starter! I think there are pics in my photo album of my experience. If you can't get the battery cables on tight and I mean tight, don't use the set up.

Yes, it's still 24 volt. What I meant was connect both positives terminals on the batteries first, because the only thing I could find about the connection order, is that I was supposed to disconnect the negatives first. I figured that out though.

So after a few days back and forth with my auto supplier (they couldn't figure out/find what I needed battery wise), I now have 2 850cca top post batteries hooked up under the hood. So I cycled the glow plugs a few times, and gave it a whirl.

Everything seems to be going well, a strong cranking sound, but no turning over.

I don't know much about these trucks admittedly, but I do know about the fuel bleed screw by the filter. So I removed it to check the flow of fuel. Well, that isn't a problem! Diesel shot straight out, hit the underside of my hood, and splattered everywhere! Normally I'm not this excited to make a mess, but in this case, I think it's a good thing. Maybe I need a new filter, but that's one of the last things I did before I parked it.

So I turn around to see if I'm smoking while cranking. Sure enough, white smoke is pouring out of my exhaust. Should I suspect my fuel next? It is like 3 year old diesel, and the tube doesn't reach the bottom of the tank, so I "run out" at around 1/3 tank, so who knows how long that fuel got mixed around in the bottom. It's almost a full tank, so I'd hate to waste it and drain it, plus I wouldn't know what to do with it then anyway.

So should I go that route next? Is there an easy way to disconnect the line and put it in a fresh batch of diesel to check that?

 

[2002ford]

Down by the fuel pump is the main fuel line. Its a metal line that bends in from the frame. It will have a connection to a black rubber line going into the fuel pump. Unhook it and find a way to hook another line to it. Run your new line to a fuel can with fresh fuel. This will bypass the tank but not the filter on the firewall.

You will need-
1 small hose clamp
6 or 7 feet of rubber fuel line
A connecter of some kind, I used an old piece of metal fuel line I had sitting around
fuel can with fresh fuel

 

[Triple C]

If you are getting white smoke and an acrid odor, then you are getting fuel. At that point either you aren't getting enough air (unlikely but check your air filter anyway) or your glow plugs aren't heating up properly.

 

[UNIMOG-GUY]

Have you checked your glow plugs with a multimeter yet? I would remove each one and check it with a multimeter. This guarantees all your glow plugs are good and will eliminate another variable.

 

[Triple C]

Did you get this truck started?

 

[KORNDOG]

Must have been old fuel?
This guy tooling around in that thing?