Am I crazy?

[Stevie-Ray]

As my NH shorty is proving a bigger project than planned, I've gone nuts & bought a '95 JDM 2.5TD rag-top. Cost me less than $1500, but there's a catch; a bad batch of diesel has made it a bit sick!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321040085718?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

Apart from also having a split CV-boot & some of the usual 'wear-&-tear' for it's age & mileage (164,000Km), it's been regularly serviced & it's in pretty good nick with no evidence of body-damage, & those white alloys are unmarked!


Also, is it possible to have a sticky for JDM-info in the Gen2 section?

Steve

[Stimpy]

I don't think you're crazy. I have a soft spot for the j-tops, and that one looks pretty neat...... even for a diesel

[oldbitz]

Of course you are crazy ....you're a member of this forum aint ya.

That said what a handy little buy, a new filter and a good quality injector cleaner and it should be a fun toy

[nvmpaj]

Go real crazy and put a V8 in !

[MTN-KAT]

Lucky you. A great find. Would look great with a custom made fibreglass canopy? Enjoy.

[Pauly Faulkner]

Yeah you bat shit crazy haha
Great buy though, i'd flush the tank and lines, then run some good stuff with cleaner through it and an oil change to start with.

[Goodsy]

Yes.

[Stevie-Ray]

Update;
Managed to drive the soft-top home from Northmead to Peakhurst, without being pulled over for blowing smoke (whitish), mainly as I avoided the main roads most of the way, but seemed to catch every red-light whenever I did arrive at a set!
Full story (their's) is that they'd filled tank up with bad-fuel at Baulkham Hills, & it had trouble running, had a guy come & flush fuel-system, fiter, etc., & left a container of some additive (?) to keep putting in tank, but said fuel-pump was okay. Even before half way home, it was running a bit better, & even idling properly at some of the lights, but still felt like it wasn't running on all 4cyl.
Will remove injectors & clean in ultra-sonic, drain some from tank, & replace fuel-filter, asap.



Fairly basic, but once running OK, I'll have a Paj to drive while working on the bigger project, the shorty with all the 'bells-&-whistles'.

[Stevie-Ray]

Update

Weather, funds & health permitting, I've fitted exchange recond. injectors, plus new oil & filter, but after some initial improvement it's still smoking. However, I've managed to narrow the problem down to leaking oil-seals in the turbo (works fine otherwise), so it'll go off to Tim at Injector-Express for exchange or rebuild, asap!

[Stevie-Ray]

Found out that the slop in turbo-spindle wasn't causing the worst of the smoke, & it was mainly unburnt diesel as I initially suspected, caused by this;


Swapped in a new rocker to pass rego, but will replace rocker-assembly & timing-belt before I fit upgrade turbo.
Also fitted catch-can using larger hose & fittings to match original breather-hose, intentionally not fitting hose-clamps as hoses are snug-fits & if they blow-off it'll mean there's a problem anyway (& yes I know it needs a 2nd bolt tho it doesn't move atm );



While I had intercooler off, straightened all the bent fins (using tooth-picks) where it looked like someone had used it as a tool-tray (will spray a coat of paint on it asap);

[Stevie-Ray]

After trouble starting J-top this week, yesterday discovered that someone had disconnected the glow-plug control-unit (yrs ago going by the tape around the connector) but by then battery was low, but thankfully it started 1st time this morning after charging battery overnight.
However, I'm also wondering whether the diesel fuel has gone 'off' a bit as it had a full tank when I bought it back in Jan. & couldn't drive it for a while until the smoking problem had been sorted, so still has half a tank. Will see if it improves once it's topped up with Vortex-diesel.

[schnitzel]

The diesel wont have gone off per se, what will have happened though is the summer mix will have released the parrafin wax due to the cold and this will have made the diesel thicker and more difficult to start.

Winter mix fuel is now in the servos so fill it up and it should be fine.

[Bernoulli]

I like SWBs (I've had 5), but I've never even ridden in a J-Top. How noisy is it compared to the regular SWBs?

Maybe I'm just sensitive, but my headers and tuned exhaust limit my speed to 110 - way too noisy after that.

[Stevie-Ray]

The diesel wont have gone off per se, what will have happened though is the summer mix will have released the parrafin wax due to the cold and this will have made the diesel thicker and more difficult to start.

Winter mix fuel is now in the servos so fill it up and it should be fine.

Thanks for that useful info. With charged battery, started almost straight-away, but went & topped up with Vortex-diesel anyway.

I like SWBs (I've had 5), but I've never even ridden in a J-Top. How noisy is it compared to the regular SWBs?

Maybe I'm just sensitive, but my headers and tuned exhaust limit my speed to 110 - way too noisy after that.

Like driving with the windows open, & it sounds like you're under a large umbrella when it rains, but it's the diesel that makes it noisier!
Still not as noisy as the 1310cc Cooper S powered Mini Clubman project I built, especially up over 160kmph. The straight-through exhaust, extractors, rally-cam, twin 1.5" SUs & ram-flo filters may have had something to do with it!