Maintenance items/Other questions...

[Viggen]

What is the word on gas additives? I hear pro and con on this, other than cleaning the injectors what are the benefits and risks?

For the drive shaft lube-is the same white lithium grease that I use on the IIa good for the DI as well?

What is the scan tool that offers the best bang for the buck? I've got a 94 with the 3.9 so it might be different than the scan tool for the 98 with a 4.0

LR has stuff for injector cleaner but most of it is all the same. It doesnt hurt you so why not? Ive run some before and it didnt do anything that I could tell but then again, I dont have xray vision or pull injectors for before and afters. Its cheap so I did it.

There is no scan tool really for a 3.9 D1. OBD1 really doesnt give you any codes to work off of. Ive had the CEL come on once and that was because I did a BG carbon cleaning. It went away a few miles later. The 14CUX system seems to never really trip since its so simple. Theres a reader/ display under the passengers seat that is supposed to display codes if there are any. Even with my CEL on, there were no codes.

 

[David Harris]

SeaRubi, Great list to refurbish an older Rover. Hits just about everything, in my opinion. Might also think about replacing the starter as PM. These can be a pain to do on the road. Better to do it in the comfort of you're driveway. Ditto the water pump and thermostat along with the hoses. All of these things are near the end of their service life on D1's if they're original. As far as sensors, install or at least carry a new crank position sensor (GEMS/Bosch trucks), and check the wiring harness for condition. This one will break you down in the middle of nowhere. Also, the VSS would be a good PM item. It's on the transfer case and when it fails, it can cause random stalling. It won't break you down though, you can always unplug it and limp back, as you can if the MAF goes. Clean the idle stepper near the throttle body as well.

In terms of larger maintenance projects to think about at high miles:

1. Head gaskets/top end rebuild. Machine heads, install new lifters and camshaft (which wear out rather quickly on these beasts.) Replace timing chain and gears while you're in there.

2. At high miles, your injectors are also probably starting to leak. An advanced symptom of this is longer than normal cranking before it starts when it's been sitting for a long time. Starting up if it's only been sitting briefly will be normal. Why? Fuel is leaking into the combustion chambers while sitting, flooding the combustion chambers. This can ruin the cats in short order with unburned fuel. You can use Ford injectors from a 4.6L instead of the pricey Rover ones.

3. Pull the oil pan and clean the oil pick up screen. While your at it, pull the rod caps and check the rod bearings for wear. Install new ones if they need it.

This might seem like a lot, but keep in mind that by this time, a lot of these trucks have high miles on them. You are basically going into restoration mode on the D1's and earlier now. If you do all this work yourself and shop around for parts, it doesn't cost much in the grand scheme of things.

An alternative to all of this is to just save the money for a new 4.6L motor when the original starts to get to high miles. It will cost more, but is a good upgrade according to most.

David

 

[Wander]

I think I've got the leaking injectors problem-that matches my symptoms.

Will the 4.6 Ford injectors work in the early 3.9 as well?

 

[David Harris]

I think I've got the leaking injectors problem-that matches my symptoms.

Will the 4.6 Ford injectors work in the early 3.9 as well?

Yes.

 

[SeaRubi]

I think I've got the leaking injectors problem-that matches my symptoms.

Will the 4.6 Ford injectors work in the early 3.9 as well?

send them in to a cleaning service and have them flowed pre/post service. if you don't do this, you'll never know if the injectors were actually bad or if you should be chasing some other problem. A lot of mechanics won't bother with this kind of trouble, but if you have the time and are trying to sort it out on your own I think it's valuable to us DIY folk.

In my case, the numbers and pattern was pretty much the same before and after, and I was convinced I had bad injectors.

 

[Viggen]

Or:
Check the pressure with the key on the run position. Leave the gauge on the port and see what it reads in about 5 minutes or so. It should leak no more than @5psi in 5-10 minutes. If it does, you do have a leaking injector and then you can pull the rail with the injectors attached and check each one or look in the cylinders with a scope to see if theres puddling.

 

[Wander]

Thanks-the guy I took it to yesturday was doing just that earlier. I'll either pick it up and do the injectors this weekend and see how to have him put in the Ford units.

 

[David Harris]

Thanks-the guy I took it to yesturday was doing just that earlier. I'll either pick it up and do the injectors this weekend and see how to have him put in the Ford units.

I bought a new set of Ford injectors for my RRC for 100.00 on ebay. Work fine.

 

[ExpoScout]

Thanks for all the input guys. After doing a pretty thorough cleaning of the interior tonight I went ahead and changed the sparkplugs...the old ones were awful.

Also learned some other things throughout the course of the night:

-if your gas cap lock is sticky, coat your key in oil and start turning it open and closed...it will eventually smooth out (you can do this anywhere a key goes, sans the ignition)
-a rear door that doesnt want to open can be fixed quickly by popping off the LR emblem and spraying wd40 on the handle hinges/springs...I thought I had a much bigger problem at hand
-changing taillight bulbs is a son-of-a-b****
-for the screws that hold the carpet in place and go through the floor, coat the screws in oil/grease and reinstall them....did this on my scout and it has worked well...kept the screw and floor around it from getting rusty as quick
-exhaust leaks are annoying
-jump seats are even more annoying

 

[Storz]

Glad you got the door open!

 

[Antichrist]

I think I've got the leaking injectors problem-that matches my symptoms.

Will the 4.6 Ford injectors work in the early 3.9 as well?

I put these in my '95. http://www.streetsideauto.com/products2.asp?brand=BDXX&partnumber=M-9593-C302
$194 to my door for the set.
Unfortunately they are out of stock.

I decided to go for new since they weren't much more than rebuilt ones.

One word of caution. On one that old the fuel rail cups may be rusty and you won't be able to get a seal again once the injectors are removed and you'll need a new one.