Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[MontuckyFried]

Ceramic brake pads ain't necessarily the be-all end-all either. They have less braking friction than semi-metallic, which for oem semi-metallic systems means it takes more pedal to stop. This heats rotors to a higher temp than oem semi-metallic pads would, which can burnish rotors and make brittle regions due to sub-optimal hot/cool cycles that shock rather than anneal the steel.

Makes sense. Is that why many of the cars that come with the factory ceramics also come paired with ginormous rotors that are bigger than many wheels are? New Audi RS6 Avant has freaking 17" rotors if I'm not mistaken!!!

[J. Barron DeJong]

Makes sense. Is that why many of the cars that come with the factory ceramics also come paired with ginormous rotors that are bigger than many wheels are? New Audi RS6 Avant has freaking 17" rotors if I'm not mistaken!!!

Doesn’t make sense to me.

Brakes convert the cars kinetic energy into heat energy. The same amount of kinetic energy needs to be converted to heat to stop a car from 60mph regardless of type of brake pads, so the rotors should get equally as hot. If not, where’s the difference in energy coming from/going?

Ceramic pads are a bit more insulating than metallic, so the pads themselves will absorb a bit less heat, but the goal is to have the rotors absorb the heat not the pad, so it’s not like semi-metallic are designed for good heat conduction.

It’s possible that the replacement ceramic pad has a lower friction coefficient which requires more pedal force, but it doesn’t follow that the braking system is going to run hotter.

[highangle]

Brake size is an indication of stopping power, but yeah - need more ceramic braking surface to stop the same mass, and larger rotors faster dissipate ze heat from der Nürburgring, ja.

But replacing semi-metallic pads with ceramic pads is a real good way to warp rotors.

[The Reverend Floater]

Doesn't a larger radius translate into increased leverage and more surface area per rotation? I'm not a scientist.

[fatnslow]

Ffs, the guy wants brakes for his Forester. Pretty sure he's not gonna track his rig. Get some decent Akebino ceramic pads with middle of the road rotors and they won't squeak or create a shit load of break dust to wash off his wheels.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Ffs, the guy wants brakes for his Forester. Pretty sure he's not gonna track his rig. Get some decent Akebino ceramic pads with middle of the road rotors and they won't squeak or create a shit load of break dust to wash off his wheels.

This^^^.

As posted last week, I’ve been going Akebono/Brembo. Brembo rotors have a corrosion resistant coating which keeps them looking nicer, and they aren’t extravagantly expensive.

[The Reverend Floater]

The world doesn't revolve around Foresters.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Doesn't a larger radius translate into increased leverage and more surface area per rotation? I'm not a scientist.

Yes, but the main reason to spec larger rotors on a car is for the higher heat storage capacity and heat dissipation capacity, not additional leverage.

[warthog]

I'm not a scientist.

Trust the science.

I think you are right.

[warthog]

The world doesn't revolve around Foresters.

The lesbian world, OTOH...

[highangle]

Doesn't a larger radius translate into increased leverage and more surface area per rotation? I'm not a scientist.

No one knows, swab. The moon rotates too, amirite?

[LongShortLong]

Got tires this week for the Jeep and the tech said to come back and get them rotated in 3000. Told him I'd be back in April, maybe June. And I have always coast to a stop when I can and practice Chauffeur Braking as a rule. $150-75ish from RockAuto makes sense.

Chauffeur Braking eh? Changing fluids (non-oil) for the first time at 180k. On my list to check the factory brakes too. I thought I was just driving conservatively, but today I learn I'm also qualified to drive Miss Daisy.

[LongShortLong]

Well, I didn't pop in here to learn braking tips from Toonces the driving cat. Saw the wrenching topic, and found myself midway through a 180k maintenance, where I tried a "piston soak" in an effort to improve oil burning. The theory is you pop the plugs, pour in your favorite gunk stripper, and let it sit. It slowly seeps through the rings, and hopefully loosens the gunk plugging your "oil control ring," freeing it to again work like new (almost). Then you put the plugs in, drive happy, and check your oil use to see if it improved.

But... Murphy visits, or I panic over non-issues

Bottom right is #1, left is #2 @tdc (duh, don't take pictures at tdc), middle row right is 4, top right is 2, then 3 at top left. Photos taken after "piston soak" treatment, after my half-ass cleaning of loose carbon, after cranking with light oil and the plugs out, injectors off.

So as might be seen in the pictures, Ye olde B12 intake cleaner doesn't only slip between the rings to loosen carbon, it also loosens the carbon on the piston. Probably gave vapors to the head and loosened some carbon up there too. And me thinks, "gee, might not be a good idea to blow that carbon crap into my cats. Might foul them, might anger Toonces." And, well damn I'm not really a mechanic, just a dentist with a 10mm socket. But I have a plan. I can jam a bottle brush down there with some water, scrub-a-dub, and then pump it out (mostly) with my transmission fluid pump and rinse a few times. A bit of Macgyvering and it works. Except, right before putting the plugs back I take one last set of borescope images, and realize that cylinder 3 and 4 got the water treatment, but not the brush. Oops. Do I clean them again or just run it? Cleaning is a pain. #3 I say is clean enough. The solvent did not soak through very well in #3, so maybe the carbon was extra loose, letting the water carry most away. Seems I should at least scrub #4.

Engine runs good but was burning a quart every 2000. I think a lot of the vertical "scratching" in the photos is smeared cleaning detritus. The Car Care Nut on YouTube says there's 4 stages of oil burning, and I say cylinder #1 is at stage 2 (there's a wear mark on the wall at bdc, but still has some crosshatching, barely, I think, I hope), and 2,3,4 are at stage 1 (crosshatching still defined). So this engine should run a good long time. And may have had I done nothing but pay close attention to the oil level. I wonder if I might have skipped the piston soak, though seems clearly best to free the rings before the oil burning can't be fixed.

The cat is new. I think I may have attempted to improve the life of a $2500 engine, with some risk to both the engine and the $3000 cat. Even if I clean some more, it's still gonna blow some carbon into the cat. Of course, it has and will shed carbon gradually regardless. So maybe I should just run it, and take pictures again in 60k when it needs plugs.

Side question... All these permanent codes it sets when you're cranking it in non-standard configurations - there's no way to clear those, all I can do is drive until the computer decides to forget them. And if they are still present when I go for smog check, they won't count against me since I'll have 200+ miles with no "check engine" and all the onboard emissions tests pass. Er, they did before this project.

[El Chupacabra]

Any of you ever used a headliner button repair kit, like this?
https://www.amazon.com/DEDC-Headline...27edb57e7&th=1

The headliner is peeling away a bit on my old truck, only at the edges near the door openings. Kinda considering the ghetto fix of popping in some of these button things to keep it in place.

[Touring_Sedan]

Any of you ever used a headliner button repair kit, like this?
https://www.amazon.com/DEDC-Headline...27edb57e7&th=1

The headliner is peeling away a bit on my old truck, only at the edges near the door openings. Kinda considering the ghetto fix of popping in some of these button things to keep it in place.

I had good luck with poking a few tiny holes and then using this....

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-2782...s%2C166&sr=8-5

[El Chupacabra]

I had good luck with poking a few tiny holes and then using this....

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-2782...s%2C166&sr=8-5

Thanks - did you spray it while the headliner was still in the vehicle? (as in, spray it overhead?) Easy to control?

[gravitylover]

I've sprayed adhesive into a few headliners successfully without dropping them. It won't be perfect but it's better than a bunch of funky big thumbtacks.

[Touring_Sedan]

Thanks - did you spray it while the headliner was still in the vehicle? (as in, spray it overhead?) Easy to control?

It was still in the vehicle. I removed all the bits that penetrated the headliner, (sunroof trim, sun visors, grab handles, etc) and used those as well as a slit or two I cut with an xacto knife to spray the adhesive with the included straw and then smoothed the fabric out with a small foam paint roller.

[highangle]

I had good luck with poking a few tiny holes and then using this....

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-2782...s%2C166&sr=8-5

Elwood!!

[The Reverend Floater]

Ok, experts:

I have a bad case of memory steer on my land cruiser. It's an FJ62 with 80 series axles and coils. In short, it doesn't want to return to center and wanders quite a bit.

Things I've checked:

Birfields (ball joints) are smooth and snug and not leaking
Steering stabilizer is fine and problem exists with or without it attached.
Alignment (~2* castor)
Steering box was just rebuilt recently.
All the joints seem fine.
Hubs are fine and problem doesn't care if they're engaged or not.

What am I missing?

[Norseman]

Alignment (-2*)

What parameter are you reporting here? What's the caster?

[heckacali]

Norseman nailed it, lack of return to center is usually due to inadequate amounts of caster on the 80 series suspension.
It can only be adjusted by putting offset bushings in the trailing arms, or adding offset mounting plates from slee, or the most expensive option is custom offset trailing arms from Delta vehicle systems.

When you got your alignment, there should be numbers for the caster measurement

[The Reverend Floater]

Norseman nailed it, lack of return to center is usually due to inadequate amounts of caster on the 80 series suspension.
It can only be adjusted by putting offset bushings in the trailing arms, or adding offset mounting plates from slee, or the most expensive option is custom offset trailing arms from Delta vehicle systems.

When you got your alignment, there should be numbers for the caster measurement

Sorry, that was supposed to be a ~, not a -. So caster is currently at around 2* but I've been reading tonight that lifted 80s should be closer to 4*....

Might need to grab some of those plates from Slee. it certainly would make sense.

[El Chupacabra]

On a solid front axle, consider the effects on driveshaft angle if you adjust caster by rotating the entire axle housing using shims or control arms. If offset or adjustable ball joints are available, that could be the better way to adjust caster without affecting driveshaft angles.

I'd expect all this to have sorted out by Land Cruiser forums, so look there for what works vs what causes issues with driveshaft vibrations or binding.

[heckacali]

Rule of thumb is you need to go to a double cardon drive shaft only over 4" of lift on an 80.
2-4" you correct with offset bushings, plates, or the new radius arms which are relatively new to market, and are definitely preferred for the 4-6 lift range.
At some point you just have to cut and turn the axle housing to keep a good drive shaft angle while getting the right caster, but that is definitely a ton of work and anything under 6-in or a custom build wouldn't bother on an 80
Lots of debate about offset bushings versus plates. I've used both, but current setup required plates as the bushings weren't enough.
With a bushings you have to have someone who knows how to press them in. With the plates, you can do an owner install with a good set of tools