Good article.
http://home.mchsi.com/~gregoverton/Buy.html
Buying a Land Cruiser
BAD CRUISER
GOOD CRUISER
The collective knowledge (and opinions) of many fine Land Cruiser enthusiasts.
This page is intended to help educate a new Land Cruiser buyer although any Land Cruiser lover should find some value here. This article is biased towards 40 series Land Cruisers, although it can be applied any model. Also, parts of this may sound a little like a sermon since for many, Land Cruiser ownership goes beyond possessing a vehicle and well into the realm of obsession. Are YOU willing to make a sacrifice for your Land Cruiser?
Furthermore, this article should be required reading for the new Land Cruiser owner. Running through the pre buy checklist will help you find potential
problems in your new truck, and see what maintenance needs to be done.
So you want to buy a Land Cruiser. First, some words of warning. If you're looking at a 40 series, the vehicle will have been produced before 1984. It was built as an off road vehicle and as a result has probably taken more of a beating than a car of a similar vintage. It will definitely require more upkeep than a new vehicle.
Land Cruisers are not always 100% Toyota by this day and age. I prefer the more stock variety but many people will offer Land Cruisers with V8's conversions and/or custom transmissions like the SM420 etc. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not stock. You need to decide what YOU want in your Land Cruiser and how much you want to spend for it. Obviously the lower miles the better but beware that if the seller has no documentation to substantiate the miles, what you see is what you get. A Land Cruiser with 45,000 to 70,000 original miles will not have a brake pedal showing metal through the side of the rubber pad and a rubber floor mat with a hole worn through it where the heel of the drivers foot sits. It's very easy to swap the instrument cluster or roll back the miles so dated service receipts with mileage are big plus.
Talk to the seller on the phone or in person and find out how long they've had the vehicle, get some history and details on their description (i.e. "your ad said 'some rust', where is it and how extensive is it?"). Ask about maintenance records. One important question is "Why are you selling it?". If it's about to die for some reason, has been nickel and diming them to death, you may want to stay away. The best kind of answer is that they need to sell it to fund their other Land Cruiser projects, and/or they just don't drive it much any more, can't afford the mileage, that sort of thing. Many old Cruisers spent a good deal of their lives being towed behind a motor home or sitting around waiting for the next hunting or fishing trip. People get older and want something more comfortable. Check out this LIST OF QUESTIONS you can use as a starting point.
With all Land Cruisers, newer is definitely better in many areas. Unlike the Jeeps whose "quality" varied widely from year to year until Chrysler "neutered" them all and Land Rovers where some Series are shunned because their headlights are in the wrong place, Toyota was continually improving the Land Cruiser. Check the production timelines in the FAQ to determine which features you can live without and hence how old you're willing to go. The only exception to this rule is if you're living under a fascist regime such as Kalifornia where ancient frames are prized for their smog exempt status.
If your looking at a "restored" Land Cruiser's, you will find that the word "restored" has many meanings. It can mean some bondo and paint or a complete "frame off" restoration or anything in between! You might want to take a magnet along and see how much of the truck is still metal.
Usually long before someone decides to sell a Cruiser, they decide that they should stop pouring money into it. Therefore, shortly after you purchase your truck you can expect to have to dump a whole lot of money into it to fix little things the previous owner couldn't be bothered to do. This can be VERY discouraging. Don't worry. Once you get your truck into a roadworthy state, it will remain there for quite some time. When I first got my truck, the fuel gauge didn't work, most of the knobs were missing, the headlights had a nasty habit of turning off instead of switching to high beam, none of the interior or signal lights worked, the u-bolt plates were cracked, the shackle pins were about to rip out of the shackle plates, the rear tub was basically gone, along with the bottom 2" of the hard top and rear doors.
Older Land Cruisers (Anything other than a 60 or 80) don't make great daily drivers. They're loud, they suffer from a relatively harsh ride and vague on road handling, and the gas ones get lousy fuel economy. Thanks to brick like aerodynamics, side winds quickly become tail-winds. You don't want to do a long commute in an FJ40.
Anyway, that said, there are some requirements that I believe a Land Cruiser owner should meet. They need to have a steady income. I bought my Cruiser while I was in college and wound up having to take a couple of years off to work to be able to fix it up. If you're a starving student, you're probably better off with a mini truck. Parts are cheaper, and there's a whole lot more of them so they're more "disposable"
If you've got a significant other, your relationship has to be up to the stresses imposed by the new arrival. It may take a long time for your spouse to adjust to being a "Land Cruiser widow" If a Land Cruiser is brought into a weak relationship, there's always the chance you won't get to keep the house then you'd be without a garage to work in.
Actually, a garage is pretty much required. Lying out in the street is hazardous and people tend to walk off with tools they find lying on the sidewalk.
I also firmly believe that it's a good thing to learn to work on your Cruiser. If you have a professional mechanic attend to all you maintenance, you'll be out of luck when something goes wrong miles from the nearest gas station
So you've warned anyone that cares about you that their only contact with you may be standing in the garage yelling at the underside of your truck. You're mentally prepared to become the caretaker of a disappearing breed. Time to go shopping.
You should start scanning the local classified ads, the internet, truck traders for a couple of months before you actually begin to shop in earnest. That way, you can begin to check out the market. In certain parts of the U.S., you may not see many Cruisers. You will learn that FJ40 prices range from a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands.
When the time comes to go look at Land Cruiser spend a good 15-20 minutes of "quality time" crawling around underneath. Bring a flashlight so you can get a real good idea of (1) where the rust is (2) where the leaks are and (3) what kind of work has been done to it. Then spend another 20 minutes or so poking around under the hood, looking for what's stock and what's not, evidence of maintenance, color of oil, mixing of engine components from different years, etc. Pay special attention to the zerks on the tie rod ends and u-joints. Have they seen any grease this decade? By now you may have found hidden rust, bad leaks, lack of maintenance and shoddy repairs. Hack wiring jobs, botched welds and lots of non stock bits and pieces or perhaps all is going well! If you take it for a test drive, obviously listen for how it cranks over, how quick it catches, etc. Brakes, steering, shifting and engine strength and sound should all be evaluated. Does everything work, from the turn signals to the door locks to the windshield wipers. Test the 4WD, does it go in and out smoothly?
The things you should watch for can be grouped into several categories.
Engine
-----------
Check to see that it is cold, then if it's at all cool outside you will likely have to pull the choke, turn the key and giver her a little gas. She should start right up and hopefully there will not be a huge cloud of smoke behind her. Smell for exhaust fumes in the Cruiser, I've heard that the intake manifold tends to crack if the truck has been overheated and the exhaust manifold often need attention. It may have an exhaust header on it so look it over and check the condition. It's a real good idea to check the compression on each cylinder. 150psi would be perfect but I understand that 130psi or above is acceptable. The cylinders should be within 10% or so of each other. Check for coolant leaks from the hoses, water pump, and radiator. Next check for oil leaks from around the push rod inspection plate that the blow-by tube comes from, Rear main, oil pan, etc. It's very common to have some degree of oil leaking out of an FJ40 so no leaks is a great sign. Pull the spark plugs and check them for oil fouling. If they're coated, oil is getting into the cylinder past the rings and valve guides.
Diesel Engine
--------------------
When the engine is fired up, watch how quickly the oil pressure builds. If the idle is high (the engine feels smooth instead of causing the whole truck to shake) There's probably either a hole in the diaphragm or the vacuum lines that go to it. Both are relatively cheap and easy to replace provided you buy Nippondenso and not Toyota parts. You can test a diaphragm by pulling off the top end of the "clear" vacuum hose that goes to the rearmost nipple on the injection pump and blowing into it. If you can build pressure, the diaphragm is still good.
It is normal for a cold diesel to blow a little white smoke at start-up. Black smoke usually means that the injectors need service, white smoke indicates under injection of diesel (probably due to a perforated diaphragm), and blue smoke shows that oil heavier than diesel is burning (Ohh ohh!) When the truck is running, check for excessive exhaust coming out of the blow-by tube. If the truck has a
noticeable miss as it warms up, one of the glow plugs is shot. They have to be replaced as a set. The amount of blow-by will indicate the amount of wear in the engine.
Cooling System
-------------------
With the engine COMPLETELY cold, remove the rad cap and check the coolant level. If you can' actually see any coolant in the rad, there's probably a leak. If a B/H series diesel is overheated or run with inadequate coolant, the heads are prone to cracking. Carefully look at the radiator. Usually leaks will show up as whitish stains. When you return from a test drive, mist the rad with water. If all the water evaporates then the tubes aren't plugged. If there are areas where the water evaporates and others where it doesn't [cold spots, usually vertical sections of the rad] then the rad needs to be serviced [power flushed or rodded-out]. You can also check for cold spots by using your hand but there is often not a lot of space between the grille and the rad --> and you could burn your hand. Be careful.
Electrical
---------------
In both gas and diesel Cruisers, check the alternator for excessive play. A brand new one is worth a small fortune. Rebuilt 12V ones are difficult to find and 24V ones are virtually impossible. If a diesel alternator with a vacuum pump on the back shows any signs of oil leakage, it's probably shot.
If you find that there are accessories (radio etc. attached to only one battery of a 24V diesel, you can expect to replace the battery shortly. Drawing 12V off one of the battery loads them unequally leading to undercharging of one and overcharging of the other.
In 1974 and up 40 series, a dead bulb, bad ground, or wiring problem in a turn signal will result in the indicator light in the dash sticking "on"
In 60 and 70 series the same type of problem will show up as the indicator light flashing "double time"
Transmission/Transfer
--------------------------
Check for leaks in all the gaskets and seals. Chances are, if a seal is leaking, the bearing behind it is shot. Ask the owner what kind of lubricant they're using. Synthetic gear oil will often manage to seep past a seal that's good enough for regular oil. If a seal is weeping synthetic gear oil, chances are it's on its way out anyway.
Check for lateral play in the output yokes from the transfer case. Movement indicates bearings that are in need of replacement. If the movement is greater than 1/8" chances are the gears themselves have been damaged once that occurs, the transfer case gets expensive to re-build.
If a 40 series has been lifted more than 2", check to make sure that the notch in the skid plate the front drive shaft passes through has been enlarged. Otherwise, the rearmost yoke on the front driveshaft will bang on the plate causing the bearings in the transfer case to fail.
With the truck parked on a level surface, take out the transmission fill plug. If gear oil pours out of the plug, the seal between the transfer case and transmission is probably shot. This is a cheap part, but replacing it pretty much requires pulling the transfer and transmission. I also believe that when this seal goes, it's not a bad idea to rebuild the transfer anyway. It is usually the first internal problem that develops, and rebuilding the case when it goes ensures that all the gears will still be in good shape.
A leak from the rear output flange of the transfer usually results in destroyed parking brake shoes in pre 1981 transfer cases.
When test-driving the truck, feel how smoothly the truck shifts. It is normal for four and five speed transmissions to be a little balky when they're cold. The H55F 5 speed tends to be worse in this respect. If the transmission is difficult to shift when warm, chances are the synchros are shot.
Transmissions/transfer cases popping out of gear is a desperate cry for a rebuild. Left for any length of time, it will lead to severe gear/shift collar damage.
http://home.mchsi.com/~gregoverton/Buy.html
Buying a Land Cruiser
BAD CRUISER
GOOD CRUISER
The collective knowledge (and opinions) of many fine Land Cruiser enthusiasts.
This page is intended to help educate a new Land Cruiser buyer although any Land Cruiser lover should find some value here. This article is biased towards 40 series Land Cruisers, although it can be applied any model. Also, parts of this may sound a little like a sermon since for many, Land Cruiser ownership goes beyond possessing a vehicle and well into the realm of obsession. Are YOU willing to make a sacrifice for your Land Cruiser?
Furthermore, this article should be required reading for the new Land Cruiser owner. Running through the pre buy checklist will help you find potential
problems in your new truck, and see what maintenance needs to be done.
So you want to buy a Land Cruiser. First, some words of warning. If you're looking at a 40 series, the vehicle will have been produced before 1984. It was built as an off road vehicle and as a result has probably taken more of a beating than a car of a similar vintage. It will definitely require more upkeep than a new vehicle.
Land Cruisers are not always 100% Toyota by this day and age. I prefer the more stock variety but many people will offer Land Cruisers with V8's conversions and/or custom transmissions like the SM420 etc. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not stock. You need to decide what YOU want in your Land Cruiser and how much you want to spend for it. Obviously the lower miles the better but beware that if the seller has no documentation to substantiate the miles, what you see is what you get. A Land Cruiser with 45,000 to 70,000 original miles will not have a brake pedal showing metal through the side of the rubber pad and a rubber floor mat with a hole worn through it where the heel of the drivers foot sits. It's very easy to swap the instrument cluster or roll back the miles so dated service receipts with mileage are big plus.
Talk to the seller on the phone or in person and find out how long they've had the vehicle, get some history and details on their description (i.e. "your ad said 'some rust', where is it and how extensive is it?"). Ask about maintenance records. One important question is "Why are you selling it?". If it's about to die for some reason, has been nickel and diming them to death, you may want to stay away. The best kind of answer is that they need to sell it to fund their other Land Cruiser projects, and/or they just don't drive it much any more, can't afford the mileage, that sort of thing. Many old Cruisers spent a good deal of their lives being towed behind a motor home or sitting around waiting for the next hunting or fishing trip. People get older and want something more comfortable. Check out this LIST OF QUESTIONS you can use as a starting point.
With all Land Cruisers, newer is definitely better in many areas. Unlike the Jeeps whose "quality" varied widely from year to year until Chrysler "neutered" them all and Land Rovers where some Series are shunned because their headlights are in the wrong place, Toyota was continually improving the Land Cruiser. Check the production timelines in the FAQ to determine which features you can live without and hence how old you're willing to go. The only exception to this rule is if you're living under a fascist regime such as Kalifornia where ancient frames are prized for their smog exempt status.
If your looking at a "restored" Land Cruiser's, you will find that the word "restored" has many meanings. It can mean some bondo and paint or a complete "frame off" restoration or anything in between! You might want to take a magnet along and see how much of the truck is still metal.
Usually long before someone decides to sell a Cruiser, they decide that they should stop pouring money into it. Therefore, shortly after you purchase your truck you can expect to have to dump a whole lot of money into it to fix little things the previous owner couldn't be bothered to do. This can be VERY discouraging. Don't worry. Once you get your truck into a roadworthy state, it will remain there for quite some time. When I first got my truck, the fuel gauge didn't work, most of the knobs were missing, the headlights had a nasty habit of turning off instead of switching to high beam, none of the interior or signal lights worked, the u-bolt plates were cracked, the shackle pins were about to rip out of the shackle plates, the rear tub was basically gone, along with the bottom 2" of the hard top and rear doors.
Older Land Cruisers (Anything other than a 60 or 80) don't make great daily drivers. They're loud, they suffer from a relatively harsh ride and vague on road handling, and the gas ones get lousy fuel economy. Thanks to brick like aerodynamics, side winds quickly become tail-winds. You don't want to do a long commute in an FJ40.
Anyway, that said, there are some requirements that I believe a Land Cruiser owner should meet. They need to have a steady income. I bought my Cruiser while I was in college and wound up having to take a couple of years off to work to be able to fix it up. If you're a starving student, you're probably better off with a mini truck. Parts are cheaper, and there's a whole lot more of them so they're more "disposable"
If you've got a significant other, your relationship has to be up to the stresses imposed by the new arrival. It may take a long time for your spouse to adjust to being a "Land Cruiser widow" If a Land Cruiser is brought into a weak relationship, there's always the chance you won't get to keep the house then you'd be without a garage to work in.
Actually, a garage is pretty much required. Lying out in the street is hazardous and people tend to walk off with tools they find lying on the sidewalk.
I also firmly believe that it's a good thing to learn to work on your Cruiser. If you have a professional mechanic attend to all you maintenance, you'll be out of luck when something goes wrong miles from the nearest gas station
So you've warned anyone that cares about you that their only contact with you may be standing in the garage yelling at the underside of your truck. You're mentally prepared to become the caretaker of a disappearing breed. Time to go shopping.
You should start scanning the local classified ads, the internet, truck traders for a couple of months before you actually begin to shop in earnest. That way, you can begin to check out the market. In certain parts of the U.S., you may not see many Cruisers. You will learn that FJ40 prices range from a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands.
When the time comes to go look at Land Cruiser spend a good 15-20 minutes of "quality time" crawling around underneath. Bring a flashlight so you can get a real good idea of (1) where the rust is (2) where the leaks are and (3) what kind of work has been done to it. Then spend another 20 minutes or so poking around under the hood, looking for what's stock and what's not, evidence of maintenance, color of oil, mixing of engine components from different years, etc. Pay special attention to the zerks on the tie rod ends and u-joints. Have they seen any grease this decade? By now you may have found hidden rust, bad leaks, lack of maintenance and shoddy repairs. Hack wiring jobs, botched welds and lots of non stock bits and pieces or perhaps all is going well! If you take it for a test drive, obviously listen for how it cranks over, how quick it catches, etc. Brakes, steering, shifting and engine strength and sound should all be evaluated. Does everything work, from the turn signals to the door locks to the windshield wipers. Test the 4WD, does it go in and out smoothly?
The things you should watch for can be grouped into several categories.
Engine
-----------
Check to see that it is cold, then if it's at all cool outside you will likely have to pull the choke, turn the key and giver her a little gas. She should start right up and hopefully there will not be a huge cloud of smoke behind her. Smell for exhaust fumes in the Cruiser, I've heard that the intake manifold tends to crack if the truck has been overheated and the exhaust manifold often need attention. It may have an exhaust header on it so look it over and check the condition. It's a real good idea to check the compression on each cylinder. 150psi would be perfect but I understand that 130psi or above is acceptable. The cylinders should be within 10% or so of each other. Check for coolant leaks from the hoses, water pump, and radiator. Next check for oil leaks from around the push rod inspection plate that the blow-by tube comes from, Rear main, oil pan, etc. It's very common to have some degree of oil leaking out of an FJ40 so no leaks is a great sign. Pull the spark plugs and check them for oil fouling. If they're coated, oil is getting into the cylinder past the rings and valve guides.
Diesel Engine
--------------------
When the engine is fired up, watch how quickly the oil pressure builds. If the idle is high (the engine feels smooth instead of causing the whole truck to shake) There's probably either a hole in the diaphragm or the vacuum lines that go to it. Both are relatively cheap and easy to replace provided you buy Nippondenso and not Toyota parts. You can test a diaphragm by pulling off the top end of the "clear" vacuum hose that goes to the rearmost nipple on the injection pump and blowing into it. If you can build pressure, the diaphragm is still good.
It is normal for a cold diesel to blow a little white smoke at start-up. Black smoke usually means that the injectors need service, white smoke indicates under injection of diesel (probably due to a perforated diaphragm), and blue smoke shows that oil heavier than diesel is burning (Ohh ohh!) When the truck is running, check for excessive exhaust coming out of the blow-by tube. If the truck has a
noticeable miss as it warms up, one of the glow plugs is shot. They have to be replaced as a set. The amount of blow-by will indicate the amount of wear in the engine.
Cooling System
-------------------
With the engine COMPLETELY cold, remove the rad cap and check the coolant level. If you can' actually see any coolant in the rad, there's probably a leak. If a B/H series diesel is overheated or run with inadequate coolant, the heads are prone to cracking. Carefully look at the radiator. Usually leaks will show up as whitish stains. When you return from a test drive, mist the rad with water. If all the water evaporates then the tubes aren't plugged. If there are areas where the water evaporates and others where it doesn't [cold spots, usually vertical sections of the rad] then the rad needs to be serviced [power flushed or rodded-out]. You can also check for cold spots by using your hand but there is often not a lot of space between the grille and the rad --> and you could burn your hand. Be careful.
Electrical
---------------
In both gas and diesel Cruisers, check the alternator for excessive play. A brand new one is worth a small fortune. Rebuilt 12V ones are difficult to find and 24V ones are virtually impossible. If a diesel alternator with a vacuum pump on the back shows any signs of oil leakage, it's probably shot.
If you find that there are accessories (radio etc. attached to only one battery of a 24V diesel, you can expect to replace the battery shortly. Drawing 12V off one of the battery loads them unequally leading to undercharging of one and overcharging of the other.
In 1974 and up 40 series, a dead bulb, bad ground, or wiring problem in a turn signal will result in the indicator light in the dash sticking "on"
In 60 and 70 series the same type of problem will show up as the indicator light flashing "double time"
Transmission/Transfer
--------------------------
Check for leaks in all the gaskets and seals. Chances are, if a seal is leaking, the bearing behind it is shot. Ask the owner what kind of lubricant they're using. Synthetic gear oil will often manage to seep past a seal that's good enough for regular oil. If a seal is weeping synthetic gear oil, chances are it's on its way out anyway.
Check for lateral play in the output yokes from the transfer case. Movement indicates bearings that are in need of replacement. If the movement is greater than 1/8" chances are the gears themselves have been damaged once that occurs, the transfer case gets expensive to re-build.
If a 40 series has been lifted more than 2", check to make sure that the notch in the skid plate the front drive shaft passes through has been enlarged. Otherwise, the rearmost yoke on the front driveshaft will bang on the plate causing the bearings in the transfer case to fail.
With the truck parked on a level surface, take out the transmission fill plug. If gear oil pours out of the plug, the seal between the transfer case and transmission is probably shot. This is a cheap part, but replacing it pretty much requires pulling the transfer and transmission. I also believe that when this seal goes, it's not a bad idea to rebuild the transfer anyway. It is usually the first internal problem that develops, and rebuilding the case when it goes ensures that all the gears will still be in good shape.
A leak from the rear output flange of the transfer usually results in destroyed parking brake shoes in pre 1981 transfer cases.
When test-driving the truck, feel how smoothly the truck shifts. It is normal for four and five speed transmissions to be a little balky when they're cold. The H55F 5 speed tends to be worse in this respect. If the transmission is difficult to shift when warm, chances are the synchros are shot.
Transmissions/transfer cases popping out of gear is a desperate cry for a rebuild. Left for any length of time, it will lead to severe gear/shift collar damage.
(see UC hoarders post) 
on the cut and paste saves me searching
