91 max from the ground up

I bought the truck as a work truck. An UGLY ass beat up work truck. I've had it for about 3 months and just recently the lower end of the motor took a shit on me so here the journey begins. Right now I'm removing everything so I can get the motor into a shop to have the parts tested and cleaned. I guess you could call this a journal thread. I'll be documenting everything I do to it from now on and I would love to hear your questions/opinions/suggestions. I'm hurtin for money so rebuilding the motor to stock specs is my only goal right now. I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can. The truck is a 1991 regular cab, 2WD, fuel injected 4G64 with no tricks. So far I've drained all fluids (trans, oil, and coolant). I've removed the radiator, all hoses, and fan shroud. The A/C compressor hasn't been hooked up since I've had it. I've removed the compressor from the bracket and tied it off to the body. That will most likely be the first fix after the motor is done as it does get hot as hell in Fresno in the summer. I removed the air filter duct hose from the motor to the filter, disconnected the exhaust manifold from the motor and I'll be removing the driveshaft and transmission today. Maybe tagging and disconnecting some wiring if I feel up to it. I hope this thread can be of service to somebody at sometime for something or other :p . So, I guess that's it. Hope to hear from you guys soon.

I haven't had a lot of time to work on it yesterday or today. However, I got the transmission out today. I started by letting the slack out on the clutch cable found right behind the firewall, removing the cable from the clutch pedal assembly, and removing the cable and bracket at the trans. Disconnected all wiring to the tranny. Removed all bolts from the trans to motor. Removed the starter and tagged the wires. Supported the trans with a floor jack and removed the crossmember supporting the trans. Last but not least I removed the shifter assembly. I didn't have an extra hand so getting the trans loose and lowered took a little finesse. Gave it a little shaking as I let the jack down bit by bit making sure I had good positioning on the trans with the jack and voila. Letting the trans hang on its own from the shaft = bad idea. Make sure its supported untill it's free. Tomorrow I'll start with the actual wiring/vaccum lines, and what-not to the motor... hopefully. I was thinking about painting some of the interior plastic. Maybe I'll pick up some paint on the way home from work and play with that for awhile.

My girlfriends' dad came by yesterday and told me he thinks I can get away with just replacing the bearings on the crankshaft if that's infact what the problem is. Thank God, if it wasnt for him I would've probably spent weeks ripping the engine to shreds. Anyway, today I worked on getting the enging free and ready to pull. Disconnected the coolant hoses from the firewall. Removed the throttle cable at the engine. Removed the piece of exhaust from the manifold to the pipe. Disconnected all the electrical neccessary to free the engine. Disconnected the fuel lines. Tomorrow we'll rent a picker, get it out, pop the oil pan off and take a look at the crankshaft. So if we get it running it will probably be a month before I can completely have the engine overhauled.

We got the engine out today and it was incredibly easy. We didnt even have to remove the hood. However we had to remove the clutch and flywheel for it to fit on the engine stand we have. Good thing we did. We found that the flywheel bolts were only hand tight. We also found out that half the fuel intake manifold bolts were missing :nono: . We got a couple vaccum leaks. The crankshaft pulley was considerably loose and as it turns out, the main bearings/crank are fine :biggrin: . So, it looks like no lower end problems. Hopefully we'll have this bitch going tomorrow. If all is well I'll be able to put my money to better use like a set of decent 16's or somethin. I'll have my pic phone back in order by this weekend so I'll get some crappy pics up asap.

Quick question: I'm no artist, mind you. I'm considering painting the black plastic dash pieces white (ie heating/ac vents, heat/ac control console, gauge trim, etc.) I'd like them white but a real glossy white. Maybe some clear to add to that effect. I want them to look thick and wet. Can anyone reccommend some paint brands/types and maybe fill me in on the best way to achieve this look?

prime it, then do several white coats. then do alot of clear coat on it, and keep adding the clear till u get the look you want.

you live in fresno huh.. so do i.. if you have any q's or need help i will do my best.. ive owned 8 of them.. and know lots of the tricks.. gimme a call 960-2673.. name is ray........ see ya..

Hey Guys I came across your postings while searching google for any forums with information about the 1991 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, 2WD. 2.4L Pick-Up truck, specifically regarding the clutch pedal assembly... I know this thread isn't about this specific item but believe me after a couple of hours of searching I believe you guys may be able to help me better than most I have seen so far... Anyways on to the question...

I need to remove the entire clutch pedal assembly from the truck, it seems that the previous owner had worn out the "keyed" slot in the pedal lever, I'm speaking about the part that actually connects to the clutch cable inside the cab of the truck, as best as I can tell this lever is more like a plate metal hook that connects to a rod that crosses to the other side of the steering wheel where it recieves the actual clutch pedal. And anyways the owner thought a good fix would be welding the bolt that holds it on to the shaft directly to the pedel lever, of course now the whole rig has fallen apart.

Now in research for this operation I read the ever helpfull chiltons guide and as usual the drawing presented for this assembly is highly dubious at best, and just plain wrong in most other aspects of the assembly. My question, guys, is just this... How do i remove the pedal lever "hook" part? It seems like it is almost machine pressed onto the rod, but I know it couldn't be because how would you ever disassemble the rest of the pedal assembly or why in the world would they put a nut and washer 'holding' the pedal lever in place. I've removed the nut (which would only of been easy if I was about 4'3" tall), and I have tried to ease it off, that didn't work, so I tried hammering it off, and that didn't work!!

If you guys have any insight I would appreciate it....


Thanks in advance,
JayCosby13