Slartibartfast

Cracks in the vac lines or intake pipe could be making it sound that way. Danger might have something with the vac line theory.

Watched the vid... whatever is causing the noise is slowing the engine, then the computer reads a low idle and gooses it to keep from stalling. Where are you spraying the water when it does this? And how deep were you fording when it triggered the CEL? I haven't any real idea of what's causing this, but that info should narrow it down for someone who does. My only thought is that it's something electrical (doesn't explain the noise).

You push the button on the panel, the relay clicks, the window doesn't move, you apply power after the relay and the window moves... bad relay/timer?

Pulled the fluttering EGR valve, lubed it up, replaced a section of dryrotted vac line and taped up a hole in the exhaust pressure tube. I'll see if that quieted it down, or if I need to remove/clean the other valve as well.

Something like this: http://forums.nicoclub.com/factory-tweeter-mod-t443885.html

D'oh, didn't even think of the cap/rotor. Good call, James. The low idle could be any number of things... I'd probably check the connectors for the TPS and MAF to start with, and maybe check the coolant temp sensor plug as well. If it's a little crusty, try the cleaning spray. I didn't know you could get a dielectric spray, but it sounds like it would work. If you want to get grease as well, an auto parts place should have the stuff. I think I got mine at Carquest. I'd stick with 10w-30. That's what I run in mine, and it seems to work fine. It does tick a little in the winter, but then, it actually gets cold here. Sorry about the late reply.

Two E-brakes would probably be the simplest to build, but I imagine it'd be a PITA to use. Specifically, I'd expect the ratchet mechanism to leave you dragging a wheel when something else (steering, shifting, operating something else) distracts you. You could disable the ratchet mechanism, but then they're no good as parking brakes. Add some kind of on/off for the ratchet... but then you're still banging your knuckles against one handle or the other, and you have to release one and grab the other to change sides. Seems a little cumbersome. My stupid idea is to take the stock e-brake, bolt it to a separate plate, and hook that plate to the floor with a pivot. Leave the stock cable alone. Then, you'd hook new cables to the sides of it, route them underneath the car, and hook one into each leg of the factory system. So, you're driving, and say your right rear wheel looses grip. You grab the e-brake, and shove it to the right. It pulls the cable, the wheel slows, ta da. Need to do something else? Let go, it'll pop back to the center. (If it doesn't, add a spring or two.) And, since the stock cables and ratchet mechanism are still there, you can still use it like a regular brake. Here's a crude line drawing. (New cable is in blue.) The arrangement on the left makes more sense (no stupid pulleys), though it may prove more difficult given the width of the console. (It says 'spliced to stock,' but the pen was dying.) This seems more user-friendly to me. Of course, you'd have to butcher your console a bit, but it's not like you wouldn't have to with two handles.

For the tweeters, can't you just hook them to the door speakers through a 'bass blocker' capacitor? I've been meaning to bypass my amps... the little beepy noises the head unit makes are deafening as-is.

That was a fun build to read though. Wasn't somebody on another forum trying to shoehorn a VQ into a WD21?

Actually, you can put hubs on it. My understanding is that, though the R50s have drive flanges, they'll accept a manual locking hub. Remove the flange, install the hub, cut a little hole in the hubcap if you're picky, call it good. Just make sure they're locked when you put it in 'auto.' Also, the auto hubs don't unlock until you drive them backwards a few feet. It's a bit of a pain at times, but makes it easier to pop in and out of 4x when the roads only have ice in patches.

Turns out, though we had him do quite a few things to it, the T-belt didn't make the list because the PO said he'd done it already. Guess what? It's flogged out, and the tensioner is shot (good call, Tungsten). At least we caught it now, before it developed a taste for valves.

My first thought is that you overheated it (it blew the coolant out through the hole, overheated, and warped something important). Since it's still running, though, it sounds more like it got coolant into a sensor plug. I'd open the plugs, clean them out, put some dielectric grease on the pins if you have it, stick 'em back together, and see if that helps. I suspect that the water/coolant is conducting a bit, giving the computer faulty data; so long as it's not out of the expected range, it won't throw a code. You might also check your coolant temp sensor, seems like a lot of stalling issues are down to that. Then again, I'm not an expert either.

IIRC somebody on here got their truck with dual exhaust, went back to single, and gained a little horsepower back. The problem is scavenging; each burst of exhaust helps a little to suck the last of the burst before it out of the cylinder. When you split the exhaust, the effect is diminished.

Sounds like the old one was off by a tooth.

2H is usually good enough. If you get stuck in 2H, go 4H until you're clear. 4H should be fine on a beach. Basically, if there's enough traction for 2H, there's probably too much for 4H.

Nice work! Looks way cleaner than my hard drive magnet hackjob.

My speedo didn't work when I got the truck. IIRC, the speed sensor on the trans was somehow busted.

I dunno about the wire, you might check the FSM wiring diagrams though. The ignition cylinder (what appears to be shorted somewhere) has a plug under the dash, maybe you can follow it from there? If you pull off the lower dash on the driver's side, and the clamshell over the steering column, you'll see it: soldered to the ignition on one side, goes to a tan plug IIRC. If you've got some, squirt some WD (or, better, dielectric grease) into all the plugs and things when you clean them out. The dip in component cleaner sounds a whole lot quicker, though!

Same thing mine does. If it's below 0*f overnight, it'll usually tick for a few seconds when I start it up. I'm running 10W30; it might go away with a thinner oil.

Yeah, somebody mentioned this a few weeks ago, thought it was making his seals leak or something. I figure the hinges aren't dead straight, or maybe the pillar's just not entirely up to the carrier's weight... it is one heavy SOB.

Which wheels do you have? The only chrome rims are the stamped-steel type. The Legos are alloy with plastic center caps. The lens tint sounds interesting... it would be pretty much impossible to touch up, though, if it got chipped or scuffed. I think a few people on here used gunmetal spray paint, which might be closer to what you're after. Others go straight for the bedliner. I don't think I've seen the chrome wheels painted, though, so if that is what you have you might be blazing new territory. I imagine you'd have to rough up the chrome a bit for the paint to stick, through sandblasting or high-grit sandpaper.

Brought it to the mechanic today, and he couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from either. Apparently the stethoscope doesn't work so well when the whole engine's vibrating. He thinks it's the timing belt tensioner, so he's tearing into that, and I'm driving a loaner. If it's the tensioner, he says he'll replace it under warranty (he did the timing belt). Since the noise only started recently, we've ruled out the belt itself. Thanks for the input, guys, and I'll post again when I know more.

I keep mine 26-30 psi. I did have them at 50 for a while (after reading the sidewall, herp derp), and while I didn't drive enough to cause cupping, I could've slid a credit card under the outer tread. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that driving like this wasn't terribly safe.