Repiar the Oil pan

The pan it's self is not damage by the rust or dust . Befor the engine was shipped to here . The whole engine was just sit on the oil pan for a Long time and the wight of the diesel engines wight damage the oil pan. after we install the engine on mount, the pan was hinting the front driveshaft and make a hole on the edge, So I graiding the damage part to smooth and put special pad inside,To field the gap of the hole,

After the pad was dry and I put a blue color glue gasket to make there no space between engine and pan.

Fuel/coolant systems complete

For the last couple weeks ive been working on both the fuel and electric systems of the trooper. now that the fuel tank is comeplete, were getting closer to putting things back on the trooper

We fed 2 rubber hose fuel lines (one coming in to fuel pump and one out). and followed a path along the frame under the vehicle, on the passenger side. we fed another rubber hose for the coolant and followed the same path.

Peter and I lifted the tank, and put it in place, along with connecting all the coorisponding hoses to their connection, clamping them in securley.

our main idea was to keep the coolant very warm, keeping the fuel thin, so to assist the coolant hose to maintain its heat, we ran an electrical heater strip along the hose, then electrical taped it tight, leading the pronged plug end to be under the hood. afterwards, we used 'noodle' foam type insulation to wrap around the 2 fuel lines + coolant line, to further prevent heatloss.

once all the lines from the tank to the hood were insulated and tie strapped securely to the vehicle, there needed to be some adjusment under the hood for the hoses. to run the fuel and coolant lines together as much as possible to keep in the heat, we traced the fuel lines and one of the coolant lines (red hose) behind the engine against the firewall.

the plastic connector that connects the coolant hose (running under the vehicle) and the hose running from the heater was in an awkawrd position ( facing down and too low) so after much specualtion, we used connected an extra hose to make it longer. this increases the chance of a coolant leak (with more connetions and all) but i guess thats what happens when things are overlooked in the early stages of installation. hey it happens.

Driverside engine mount changes

In that past week I have started to modify the engine mounts. Don my teacher teached me how to weld. Before we started this project I had not idea how to weld. I cut two pieces of angle iron which I welded to the driverside engine mount. I marked and drilled holes for

the bolts that mount the mount to the frame of the Trooper. The holes were all most lined up

perfectly so I made and holes bigger by cutting them larger with the plasma cutter. To g

et the modified mount in I had to pushed the engine to the left to place the mount. My teacher helped me to place the engine mount bolts because the bolts are in awkward positio

ns. The diverside mount is fully in place.

Engine adjustmant

The engine is in place but after we put the in place we realized that the engine and transmission were to far back. For the driveshafts to line up with the differentials the engine needed to be moved 1 1/2 inches forward. We flipped the transmission mount which gained 1 inch forward. To gain the remainder 1/2 inch we are going to modify the engine mounts. With the engine and transmission forward the transmission cross-member fits in place. Also the engine is to close to the driver side the the vehicle so we are going to move it 2 inches closer to the passenger side. The engine mounts well have to be cut and welded to fit in place. When the engine in moved forward it will no longer be hitting the firewall. This process will take a long time and will require lots of problem solving.

Engine placement tweaks

So once the engine was in, we needed a few tweaks in order for everything to fit right.

once the engine mounts were roughly aligned, we realized that we left the coolant hoses jammed in behind the engine, squished. this prevented the engine mount holes from aligning so after lifting the engine a bit, and taking those lines out, we attempted to align the engine mount yet again for the bolts to fit it.

another problem appeared. the clamp holding the exhaust piece in place was stuck, not allowing the engine to go further in for the bolts to line up, so John temporarily removed that, and finally the holes aligned.

so once I placed the bolts on, everything seemed OK on the engine side, but now the transmission and transfer case were leaning on an angle toward the passenger side, about 6 or more inches, so the next task is to figure out how to align it straight. whether it be installing the cross member underneath while prying the tranny into place, so its constantly under tension, or somehow adjusting the position of the engine, for it all to be aligned properly.

ill keep you posted

engine is in!

We successfully got the engine and transmission into place today!  It was a tight squeeze and unfortunately we damaged the oil pan as it slide against the front axle.  Good thing it is easy to remove and we can weld it to repair or replace if necessary.  Pictures and details to follow soon!

Engine Coolant Heater (block heater)

The 3.1t Diesel didn't come with a block heater. My teacher got a coolant heater that pumps heated coolant through the hoses into the top of the engine. On the hoses i put T's that go to the fuel tank which is at the back of the vehicle. The coolant heats the biodiesel in cold winter conditions. A coolant heater is very similar to a block heater. The thing is that the block heater heats the oil pan and the coolant heater well heats the coolant. The coolant heater pumps heated coolant up (the flow of the coolant). I made a mounting bracket out of 16 gage steel. I pre-drilled holes and mounted it with 4 self-taping screws. I bolted the mounting bracket for the coolant heater with two bolts. The are

pictures of the process and of the finished product.

Replace Rear Disc/Drum Brake

Because the rear brake are worn out . So in oder to Pass the vehical safety test. I have to Replace the Rear Brake it's have drum and disk both in one parts, To stopping when car is driving. disk will do the jobs ,and when the car is paking drum are do the jobs, the brake are have diffrent system. and the Parking Brake wire are seize up so I have to take off the whole cable out ,To Replace a New one

Fuel tank (continued)

So after the wiring work, i've gotten back to the fuel system.

now that the pump is removed and replaced with a hose,thenextstepistoinstallanin-tankcoolant heater loop. Hot coolant is being looped to reach inside of thetank right near around the fuel

hose, to keep the bio-diesel thin, so it runs easier.Steel hosing is twisted in ovals with an entrance and exit end. So the next step to install it in the tank, was to cut 2 holes on top of the cover, and then carefully solder around the steel lines, creating a seal. the steel line is tie-strapped rightnear the hose to ensure its fixed in the tank as well as staying close to the hose.

Once the engine is in, we will connect coolant hoses to the lines, which will also be bundled into a larger insulated hose with the bio-diesel fuel line, so that the fuel stays thin all the way

through the lines.

i wanted to connect the fuel fitting to the tank but the company gave us the wrong nuts (too small), so were waiting to find more special bolts to connect. (the original bolts are too rusted and damaged)


Venting for the tank is needed so that as fuel level lowers, air is pulled in, so that suction doesn't occur in the tank, which could create problem in not allowing fuel to flow. A diagram shows us that the venting system isn't needed for 'general export' diesel tanks: it just doesn't display any. but we thought it'd be good to have one, especialy since we could with the given venting peice on the gas model tank. I had to figure a way to attach a hose, so that air enters but doesn't escape. i found a filter piece that allows air in one way but not out from the vacuum canister from the trooper. i attached a hose to the venting lines, to the piece,to another house, which i will later have ti-strapped in the most convenient spot under the vehicle.