I have no problem with japanese suv. Ive owned a 4 runner best vehicle ive ever owned in the snow , for winter conditions . There is always the perfect tool for the job . I also wouldnt tow 30,000 lbs with a 4 runner. Granted I don’t think I would buy one today , not because its japanese im a fan of power and they lack allot of that. But tats part the reason they last as long as they do… My gmc yukon with a 8 inch lift and 35s is awesome off road. .
Nothing wrong with japanese vehicles though. Im a a fan of engineering . I hold no allegiances to any one.
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Good to hear that man. Some people can be so stuck on their favorite. That 3.3l is a good engine for sure, like you said, for certain tasks. We have pulled a little with it, but when I over did it, I replaced an exhaust manifold.
Id roll with you in your Yukon. I bet its a fun ride!
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You’re supposed to pull the motor first. 
Change a left front headlight bulb in a New Beetle, now that’s some puzzling shit.
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Hell, if I would have just asked you first, I would have known the easy way!!! 🤦
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Here’s an old Dodge behind the barn I dragged the 65’c-10 out of, said if I can drag it out I can have it…,wife would kill me.
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Friends don’t let friends start that project. 
I too appreciate the simplcity & aesthetics, the history & nostalgia, the irreplaceable substance, but dude. 
That thing’s essentially FUBAR & probably right where it belongs. 
All it needs is a rooster. 
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Not into Mopar but she said I could take chrome and trim…seen that stuff go for stupid Money on eBay if two guys are looking for original parts. And yes there is a rooster and a whole coup of chickens…
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- Drop body onto Dakota Chassis.
- Make run
- … ?
- Profit!!!
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I have been chasing a misfire/electrical gremlin in my 87 Suzuki Samurai for years now. At the top of the rev range, under load, I get pretty severe misfiring. I’ve ruled out air and fuel, so that only leaves spark. I’ve replaced the coil, distributor cap, wires, and all the basic ignition. I cleaned up a lot of grounds and it helped the problem, but it still persists. I am at a loss.
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Try shielding/improving the sparkly wires, they could be arcing between eachother through the insulation.
Pursue that grounding too, since you noted it. You may find more. Even an alternator.
Could be plenty other weird shit. Good luck.
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Do you have a spark tester and a timing light?
And did you do the rotor when you did the cap? Fuel injection or carb?
Any codes in the computer?
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I don’t have a spark tester or timing light, but it runs fun at lower RPM and idles well. You wouldn’t know anything is wrong until you hit the top of third and you just hit a wall and it starts sputtering. I did change the rotor. It is carbed. There is still a computer, oddly, but it’s some weird 1980s computer. It doesn’t throw codes, but it has some sort of management program in it. I didn’t know carbed vehicles had computers. It’s some rudimentary box. I need to take a look at it. Apparently, they go bad from time to time. Does that mean you’re SOL if you can’t get a replacement, if that happened to be the issue?
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Check rock auto or wreckers… always 'somthing" around. Does it have an o2 sensor? That can cause issues under heavy load, such as falling on its face/sputtering. Are you 100% positive its not fuel? If it was spark I’d expect a bit of misfire on cold start aswell
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I’ll be honest, I almost wasn’t going to say I ruled out fuel, because I didn’t 100%.
The only reason I strongly leaned toward electrical is that I had the engine rebuilt and when I got it back, it would stutter and misfire to the point of undrivability every time I turned the heater on. It was this same issue, but 24/7 instead of under load in higher gear. They re-wired the entire ignition and electrical system. It was a long time before we realized it was the heater. The checked and cleaned the entire fuel system chasing the heater gremlin. They dropped the tank, replaced all the lines, installed inline filters, and cleaned the carb in their attempt to chase it before we realized it was the heater. It does have an o2 sensor. Ill order a replacement tonight and test that out!
But, I do agree, I haven’t truly ruled anything out. These Samurai carbs are such a nightmare with so many vacuum lines. Maybe I should just sell it. I just don’t see how people keep older cars running, especially in states with emissions laws.
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Best advice I can give you is…
Stop throwing parts at it. Mainly, the quality of parts these days are shit… you could introduce new problems with similar symptoms by relying on " but such and such is new"
Your money would be better spent on basic diagnosis tools and a manual. Spark tester, timing light, fuel pressure guage mainly… but multi meter and test light are good too. Then you’ll teach yourself in the process. Theres also lots of forums about those samurais. I regularly scroll forums for difficult jobs. (Like baking an f150 radio in the oven to make it work again)
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and… how good are the guys that are working on it lol
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That’s been one of my biggest frustrations in all this. I took it to “the best Samurai place in the U.S.” and had to have it towed back at least half a dozen times and they just constantly missed shit. It was a nightmare and I will never work with them again lol
I agree on the diagnostic tools. I have no idea what I am doing. Almost every time I’ve tried to fix something, I’ve made it worse. There’s something about cars that just don’t like me. I think I need to get a motorcycle.
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Lol yea I’d try a different shop. Let them diagnose it and see what their opinion is.
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Makes me think of MegaSquirt; a DIY stand-alone fuel inj. thing started some 25+ yrs ago, I lost track at least a decade ago but it was impressive as hell.
I rewired a Porsche 914…wasn’t fun by the end but it seemed like a good idea 100 hrs earlier. 
This little money pit could get bigger & somebody here has a spare chevy v8 in their yard… 
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The 914 was such a cool little car. Has anyone seen a new Corvette yet? Still yet to see one up here in Canada, I really love them GM killed it with this one.
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