Need some thought

ILOVEMUD · 08-02-09, 07:43 PM

Here is a more extensive view of what is going on.
So i was in the market for somethings for the 80, bumpers, seals for the axel, u-joints and I have a pretty decent oil leak, needs to get fixed ASAP, and plus i get $hitty $hitty mpg, I just sold the bike i have a little cash, but my girlfriend and I are needing to get our own apartment, or get a larger appartment and find roomates. I have to start driving back and forth from both local stors and on occasion medford, but with the truck needing work and not being good on gas at all i need to figure something out Quick,
and on top of that my G/f is being harrassed @ her work. so she is looking for a new Job.
I swear im gonna loose it, im stresses the

out.

*Spend money and fix my truck, have no money to buy decent commuter and no money to get a new place

*spend money and buy a nice commuter no money for truck and or place

* sell cruiser and spend on a nice daily and something i can make nice have money for place.

Need help and thought. Soon, the whole getting a place thing is happening on the 28th of september so im gonna need to do something.

PS. If anyone know's of any places to rent to responsable young adults let me know!

ILOVEMUD · 08-02-09, 07:44 PM

Ps thanks for the offer on the car, i have to think about it. Im not quite sure what the hell im doing just yet. i just found a 94 honda civic for 800 and works great. but again i duno what to do.

retrofive · 08-02-09, 08:02 PM

Ones love for his cruiser is different than anothers. Yes the 80 doesn't get great MPG, but I deal with that on a I love my truck I dont care mentality. I think I would opt for a cheap commuter and keep your 80.

OR take some the $$$ from the bike and throw a wrenching party to get that cruiser solid and running good

What are you getting fro MPG?

ILOVEMUD · 08-02-09, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrofive

Ones love for his cruiser is different than anothers. Yes the 80 doesn't get great MPG, but I deal with that on a I love my truck I dont care mentality. I think I would opt for a cheap commuter and keep your 80.

OR take some the $$$ from the bike and throw a wrenching party to get that cruiser solid and running good

What are you getting fro MPG?

well i drive like an ass anyway but i still got better mpg in my ranger. probably about 12-15 in town is what i have calculated out
like i said it depends.
I love the 80... i do.. but times are a little rough, and im a little worried. and Plus i dont have a place to do a wrenching party. :S otherwise i would for Wednesday or Thursday those are the only two day i FINALY HAVE OFF. but

retrofive · 08-02-09, 11:07 PM

Ya im pretty much sitting at 12mpg avg. Times are hard. Hang in there.

ILOVEMUD · 08-02-09, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrofive

Ya im pretty much sitting at 12mpg avg. Times are hard. Hang in there.

What are you running? tires wise? i was gonna do a cold air but it's pretty much close enough to one now.
Im running 33's and no lift, and i think if i fixed my front end it would help loosen it self up. instead of pushing on a ton of bricks... my front end needs work. but i wish mine were a 5spd.

retrofive · 08-03-09, 07:45 AM

Im running 33s

ILOVEMUD · 08-03-09, 10:05 AM

well i suppose we are $h!t out of luck on that part.

Ebag333 · 08-03-09, 10:20 AM

35's may actually improve your gas mileage due to the lower gearing.

tblume · 08-03-09, 04:34 PM

I got a set of 265/75 AT's to see if stock tires and less aggressive tread would help the MPG Vs. the 255/85 BFG MT's I have: short answer is not so much. factoring in speedo error and I was at 14 freeway one way or the other- only difference was the shift point to rpm ratio was earlier and lockup happened sooner.

Kief · 08-03-09, 06:45 PM

Be realistic, if you are struggling financially then get into a position in life where you can comfortably afford a landcruiser. If all your spare money goes into fuel then I hope you really enjoy driving your rig. If an expensive repair is eminent then get out before it is too late. A dead '80 is worth more in parts than to sell whole and that is a little sketchy now, especially if it is an early 80 series with the 3FE. An 80 in great shape still has a market value but that is only going to get better in the future and you could buy when you are in a better position financially.
Housing is more of a priority to most folks vs. a car. Take care of the homefront first.
I would consider being a little more conservative with my money in these crazy days we live in, Oh wait, I am considering that! Cruisers are cool but a smaller 4 runner, mini-truck or even a samurai could meet the MPG requirements and still take you out on the trails.. Later, Kief.

ILOVEMUD · 08-03-09, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kief

Be realistic, if you are struggling financially then get into a position in life where you can comfortably afford a landcruiser. If all your spare money goes into fuel then I hope you really enjoy driving your rig. If an expensive repair is eminent then get out before it is too late. A dead '80 is worth more in parts than to sell whole and that is a little sketchy now, especially if it is an early 80 series with the 3FE. An 80 in great shape still has a market value but that is only going to get better in the future and you could buy when you are in a better position financially.
Housing is more of a priority to most folks vs. a car. Take care of the homefront first.
I would consider being a little more conservative with my money in these crazy days we live in, Oh wait, I am considering that! Cruisers are cool but a smaller 4 runner, mini-truck or even a samurai could meet the MPG requirements and still take you out on the trails.. Later, Kief.

well i mean Financialy I think I can swing it to keep it and pay for the Gas, what scares me is when it comes to the motor and the front end. i dont know if i should spend the money and over haul it and keep it, or just drive the motor and rebuild the front end. i dont know how long this thing will keep trucking around like it is.

I may just keep it and deal with the $h!tty gas, but like i said it need things BAD. I would like to hang on to it cause one day like you said price they will keep going up and i dont want to regret it a year from now. im just confused as HELL

Ebag333 · 08-03-09, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

what scares me is when it comes to the motor and the front end.

Why are you so scared about the motor and front end? What makes you think that they need work?

A full front end job (including wheel bearings, but not including new birfs) will only set you back around $500, and wheel bearings (which you may or may not need) are a huge chunk of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

i dont know how long this thing will keep trucking around like it is.

A very long time. I've seen trucks that have gone 200k without a drop of front end maintenance!

Now granted, at that point they pretty much need everything new, but that's a huge testimony to Mr. T's over-engineering.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

I would like to hang on to it cause one day like you said price they will keep going up and i dont want to regret it a year from now.

Actually I think Keif means that the price on these trucks will keep going down, meaning you may not be so bad off if you sell yours now, and buy later.

I don't think that the prices will go back to what they were a year or two ago (easily $2k-$4k higher), but it's tough to say where they will go from here. KBB still Blue Book's my

truck for $9,670 in excellent condition....kinda scary considering we bought it two years ago for $10,200!

Right now Cruisers are way below blue book value (very unusual for a Toyota, usually it's the other way around). Will their prices go up to meet blue book, or will blue book drop the prices to meet market value? Only time will tell.

ILOVEMUD · 08-03-09, 10:29 PM

well yes and no. I think they will still hold there value. put it this way, i wheel and deal all the time.
it's what i do as a hobbie, I have owned about 11 cars in the last year.
it's all in the Eye of the beholder, it's who is buying it that is paying the money. so really one could still go for 10,000 and one could even go more depending on what is done and who is buying it.. i think they will still have the value but it depends on the shape and how it's been driven... but i duno Land Cruisers you dont see many around.

Ebag333 · 08-04-09, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

well yes and no. I think they will still hold there value. put it this way, i wheel and deal all the time.
it's what i do as a hobbie, I have owned about 11 cars in the last year.
it's all in the Eye of the beholder, it's who is buying it that is paying the money. so really one could still go for 10,000 and one could even go more depending on what is done and who is buying it.. i think they will still have the value but it depends on the shape and how it's been driven... but i duno Land Cruisers you dont see many around.

All that and you still didn't answer the most pressing question.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebag333

Why are you so scared about the motor and front end? What makes you think that they need work?

ILOVEMUD · 08-04-09, 12:43 AM

lol

I just go the oil done, and im already low. so i have one pretty bad leak, she runs a bif on the rougher side. axel, just look at it seals, and if you saw my diff fluid y ou would know what i mean...

Ebag333 · 08-04-09, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

I just go the oil done, and im already low. so i have one pretty bad leak

How much oil are you burning/losing? Are you leaving puddles everywhere you go?

Toyota specs oil consumption at (up to) 1 quart of oil per 1k miles. If you're less than that, you're within spec.

Some cheap and easy things you can do to reduce oil consumption:

Switch to a heavier oil. I saw a consumption drop in my truck when I went to 15w-40 from 10w-30. No noticable change in the truck, but that had less oil use than mine (by about half) to start.
Tighten your various bolts, oil pan, valve cover, etc. Be careful not to snap off a bolt on your valve cover like I did.
Replace the O-Ring on your dizzy. Very cheap and easy.
Replace other gaskets (such as the oil pan and valve cover gaskets), depending on how much you want to spend (they're not much) and what your comfort level is with wrenching.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

she runs a bif on the rougher side

Have you troubleshooted this at all? Changed spark plugs (they're really cheap, like $1.88 each from cdan), checked the resistance of your spark plug wires (make sure they're good), checked for intake hose cracks/leaks, etc?

Troubleshooting is free. Repair/replace may not be, but until you know the problem you have no idea how much it will cost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILOVEMUD

axel, just look at it seals, and if you saw my diff fluid y ou would know what i mean...

Well great. You gonna be in Medford anytime soon?

Failing that how about a picture of your knuckles?

ILOVEMUD · 08-04-09, 10:07 AM

i'll try and get some pic's here soon, but yes i have done a little trouble shooting. it's coming from the oil pan, and possably rear main.
and i just got it done about a week or so ago and i probably need to add 2 quarts. I already have the oil pan gasket, and a U-joint,
and yes i leave puddles EVERYWHERE! I leave lots of gear oil around from the cv joint axel thing, I need that done pretty bad to... i had to change front diff fluid a while ago cause it was pretty bad.

i just replaced my rotor and wires, Plugs are one of the next in mind, but i would like to be able to drive from point a to b with out it making some crazy ass sounds... i trust it to get me to A to C with out breaking down on me at B.

Im off work wed- thursday.

Ebag333 · 08-04-09, 10:42 AM

Have you tightened the bolts around the oil pan? Many people find them to be hand tight.

Why would you go through the hassle of changing your wires and not plugs? Why change your rotor and not the o-ring?

Have you checked your intake tube for cracks?

I'm off Thurs-Sat, more than happy to come take a look at it.

ILOVEMUD · 08-04-09, 05:14 PM

wires and wernt done by me, they are new tho. the Distributor is what i ment.. and i did my Pwr steering....
but yeah it probably wouldnt hurt to just tighten the oil pan @ all, i just went and bought a new one cause it has probably never been done in it's 256k. and the tranny just likes to clunk around it may be thecylinder thing i dont remember exactly what it's called. but also now it's just making clicking sounds every where i go... I guess my problem is i dont know where to start and i can do suspension, but im no motor or tranny guy. i'll PM you maybe you can at least point me in the right direction or something..

TOY350 · 08-04-09, 06:17 PM

You do realize that if you sell the 80 none of us will talk to you again unless you pick up another 4X4 Toyota!

J/K Bro, I will still harass you at the gym while flexing in the mirror

ILOVEMUD · 08-04-09, 08:22 PM

lol shoot i havent been to the gym for 2 weeks.
I dislocated my Knee, so kinda held me up, along with the truck. cant really do much to it when i cant really be on it...

but i have been on it a little more and a little more... but still not suppose to be on it. Still a little swolen and still pretty painfull, i messed this one up pretty bad.

TOY350 · 08-04-09, 10:18 PM

Well, saw you roll past blockbuster this afternoon. Good to see it on the road!!!

ILOVEMUD · 08-05-09, 12:35 AM

yep, probably later in evening, im guessing? Anyway Soooo, I was driving today My truck every time i shift, it makes a lovely clanking sound when i shift gears.... i dont exactly know what is going on cause i cant be underneath while im shifting and driving. But i will start to work on this thing thursday and Friday. I dont have crap for tool's soo... lol im gonna be working on something. where im starting i dont know... lol

Ebag333 · 08-05-09, 12:50 AM

When you shift? Do you mean from park to reverse, or reverse to drive, etc?

If that's the case, lube your driveshaft. Lube the crap out of it, and make sure you hit all 6 zirks. If it continues to make the sound, it's likely your u-joints going out.

ILOVEMUD · 08-06-09, 02:51 PM

Birfields / cv joint axle

Birfield CV Joint Axle for FJ80 / FzJ80 Land Cruiser - JTOutfitters

ILOVEMUD · 08-06-09, 08:51 PM

So i fugured out that i need to sell it. so if anyone is interested let me know,