Classic jeep restoration

ezra_ · 30-04-2023 4:21pm #1

Hello,

I've been offered an old 1993 Ford Maverick (rebadged Nissan Terrano 2), which has been lying in a barn for the past 10 years or so.

Car was mechanically sound going into the barn, but hasn't been turned over probably since it went in.

I'm quite new to this - I've been looking after my own older vehicles (e.g., servicing, replacing parts that break etc) but I've never worked with a car that hasn't been running before.

Before doing anything, I'd like to know if the engine is sound. It is the 2.7D Turbo (no intercooler that I can see) version. Battery was removed when she went into the barn.

I'm assuming she is well past the time where you could try to start her, so I was going to try and see if I can turn it over by hand (assuming I can get at the crankshaft bolt). However, would this be safe or would i need to get some lubricant into the cylinders before trying to crank by hand?

Happy to take any and all advice here.

kadman · 01-05-2023 3:21pm

You will find loads of videos on youtube about re commissioning a barn find vehicle. But for a novice it may be abit of a tricky dangerous task.

First off you have to make sure you have a non seized engine that turns by hand.

Any checking with your hands under the bonnet, DONT HAVE THE BATTERY ATTACHED.

Its quite possible that an engine could kick, and take your arms off. Thats why I mentioned DANGER at the outset.

Once you have established that its free running, you are on to the next step. Which is having all the correct fluids in place, to fire it up.

Of course thats a basic 101 class for a recommision. With a whole lot of other stuff in the mix.

I dont know your level of knowledge or indeed the lack of it. So i am going to assume for the purpose of this advise , that its zero. Because if you knew something about the process, you would not be asking for help.

So i would obtain the help of someone who has done this before, and has some mechanical knowledge to help you, because if you dont know....ITS DANGEROUS.

And getting a free car is not worth a serious injury to yourself. I hope you take all this onboard in the manner it was given, for the best safe outcome for your project😉

kadman · 01-05-2023 3:23pm

double post keeps happening to me for some reason, sorry

ezra_ · 03-05-2023 8:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543292#Comment_120543292

Yes, I was going to try and ease off / remove the injectors before attempting to turn it over so there would not be any compression.

I also want to try and get some oil into the cylinders before trying to turn the engine over.

kadman · 03-05-2023 9:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549302#Comment_120549302

Your first thing to do is to see if the engine is free to turn. Then your plan develops from there. You are starting 2 or 3 steps further on, which is wrong. You might not have to remove any injectors . You cant jump in willy nilly, there is a proper chronological order to getting it running with the least amount of work for you.

Does it revolve???

ezra_ · 03-05-2023 9:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549536#Comment_120549536

I would be a little nervous of trying to turn a diesel over by hand without ensuring I'm not going to face the challenge of hand turning into compression, and god forbid, if there was any fuel left in cylinders, I don't want to risk that (very small, I know) kicking off under pressure.

Naturally, if there is no movement, the point is somewhat academic, but in reality, if there is no movement at all, getting access to the cylinders to pour some marvel mix or diesel/oil mix into the cylinders to try and free them is the next step and removing the injectors (if possible) is the simplest way to get into them.

I want to make sure that she turns through a full rotation by hand before even thinking about starting her up, which means I need to be able to turn her through a full cycle, as opposed to a single stroke.

Mech1 · 03-05-2023 9:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552374#Comment_120552374

you asked for advice, your not taking it, your gonna kill that engine before you even get to hear it turn over.

A world of pain ensues if you try to remove injectors from that before a heat cycle.

Mech1 · 03-05-2023 9:43pm

If it's a manual gearbox, free off the brakes put in high gear and push a bit.

ezra_ · 03-05-2023 9:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552416#Comment_120552416

To be fair, this is a discussion forum. And while I do appreciate hearing comments from others, if I'm not meant to discuss what is being said, then perhaps I've misunderstood the nature of the place.

I'm being slight biased by my memories of trying to turn over a marine diesel by hand, and getting it though the compression stroke without engaging the decompression lever wasn't possible. Car engines, not having such a lever, present the same challenge?

Mech1 · 03-05-2023 9:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552468#Comment_120552468

not really, easy enough.

ezra_ · 03-05-2023 9:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552477#Comment_120552477

I think the probability of this moving at all is pretty slim.

I'll see how it goes this weekend.

ezra_ · 27-05-2023 4:29pm

Meant to come back and post here.

Got her started - was a lot easier than expected.

Some issues to deal with, but the body looks ok and underneath doesn't look like the tin worm has settled in.

hoodie6029 · 29-05-2023 9:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647489#Comment_120647489

Good result. Throw up a few photos of your progress if you like. It’s alway nice to follow a project thread 🙂

ezra_ · 10-06-2023 5:36pm

Got the fuel delivery issues sorted (she ran, and then died, and it was clear there was no diesel making into the engine). Got that fixed today.

Lovely sound once she started to fire again and tick over! When she is up about 2k rev, it is just an absolutely gorgeous sound.

https://youtu.be/F2JYKcGUrD8

Now to try and get her rolling, though I'm dreading trying to source brakes and other consumables for her.

hoodie6029 · 12-06-2023 3:01pm

Running sweet. Nice progress, well done.

ezra_ · 06-08-2023 5:57pm

Hello,

The Mav that I'm restoring had a dead clutch - no pressure at all in the pedal and it just flopped. I decided it was time to do something about this.

Getting under the car, I could see that when I removed the flexihose from the slave cylinder, it was dry and no fluid was coming out, this was despite the plenty of fluid in the master cylinder. So I assumed a duff flexi-pipe.

I sourced a new flexi hose, and now there is fluid reaching from the master cylinder, down the rigid pipe, through the flexi-hose and up to at least the slave cylinder. I thought job would be almost done at this stage!

When I pump the clutch pedal now, there are bubbles in the reservoir so I look likes air is being driven from somewhere.

However, when I remove the bleed nut on the slave cylinder, it remains bone dry. I must have pumped the clutch at least 400 times (I did this in batches of 50s) and yet the bleed nut in the slave cylinder remains bone dry.

I can hear air passing through the flexihose at times, and each time I pump the clutch, you get a strong bubbles in the master. I've checked the bleed cylinder in the master and fluid comes out. I can't see any leaks between the master and slave, and the fluid level is constant.

Is there something simple that I'm not aware of like 'the banjo connector must be at X angle to the slave' or something like that?

I've not worked with a clutch system before so may not be doing something obvious? Can anyone recommend something to try?

doctorchopper · 01-12-2023 10:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120947156#Comment_120947156

You could try revers bleed it with a large dosage syringe and a piece of tubing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xhv7ZeFsfc

Classic jeep restoration

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