BJ74 enquiry (1 Viewer)

[4wdsa]

Hey guys, just a quick enquiry into a BJ74 I am considering buying in the next few weeks, depending on price and what you guys say in this thread.

I've had a general look over the vehicle and the body is in great condition, few areas with surface rust but nothing too hard. The FRP top is in good nick, the interior has been well looked after and generally pretty good. Tyres will need replacing as well as a few suspension components, nothing I can't do myself.

However, the biggest problem I have is with the engine. It has the well known 3B engine inside of it, from the outside it looks like a good looking motor, starts and runs fine, still has plenty of that bottom end power, but once inspecting the dip stick and seeing the milky oil my thoughts started running wild. I have never owned a diesel engine before, so I don't know too much about it. However I do know that milky oil usually means there is a problem with the head or head gasket.

My question is this; if the engine has milky oil, the bottom of the oil cap is watery and it blows a fair bit of blue smoke, is the problem fixable. If so, how hard is it to do. I can pick the car up very cheap, as the owner has no idea what's wrong with it and just wants it gone. But is it worth paying $1500.00 for the car to find out I need a new engine and what not.

Thank you in advance for any opinions/answers you post.

Kind regards,

Jaimi.

 

[jblueridge]

I think a BJ74 should have a turbo 13BT motor in it.

 

[chappohj47]

$1500 is cheap for a vehicle with the motor still in it

 

[4wdsa]

Well that's what I thought but it says 3b on the top of the rocker cover and the tag as well.

 

[4wdsa]

$1500 is cheap. Just don't want to buy it and need a complete rebuild straight away.

$1500 is cheap for a vehicle with the motor still in it

 

[Canarias]

what is the chassis number? That will tell you if its a bj73 or bj74. If ur lucky its just a gasket. If ur unlucky head is cracked and not weldable. New heads should be avail around $500 depending on where in the world you are. So, if the head and/or gasket is blown, the engine has overheated at some point and this indicates a problem somewhere else most likely in the cooling system.

 

[Canarias]

not sure if the 3b has an oil cooler. If it does and its kaput then this is another possible reason for water in the oil.

 

[4wdsa]

what is the chassis number? That will tell you if its a bj73 or bj74. If ur lucky its just a gasket. If ur unlucky head is cracked and not weldable. New heads should be avail around $500 depending on where in the world you are. So, if the head and/or gasket is blown, the engine has overheated at some point and this indicates a problem somewhere else most likely in the cooling system.

I checked the plates on the chassis. It's got BJ74 written on it and also inside the service history. Are the 3B motors generally reliable?

There was a heating problem. He never cleaned the mud out of the radiator fins and the thermostat was basically stuck shut.

 

[4wdsa]

not sure if the 3b has an oil cooler. If it does and its kaput then this is another possible reason for water in the oil.

From memory there was no oil cooler that I could see. It was just the air conditioner condenser and the radiator.

 

[Canarias]

Given you´ve ascertained it is definitely a BJ74, I would make enquiries as to where the original engine went and why. The definition of a BJ74 is to all intents and purposes that it is a BJ73 with a 13BT engine instead of a 3B. If the 13BT was destroyed and they threw in a broken 3B and/or couldn't be bothered to fix a cooling problem that was bound to damage the engine, then it doesn´t bode well for how well the vehicle has been looked after. Having said all that, the price is probably good enough to be able to take any problems on the chin and still come out ahead.

 

[John Galt]

Yup, if it's a 3B then it's not the original 74's 13B-T and your conclusion is what I came to as well.
It could be a good project for someone with the time and money to find a rebuilt 13B-T to replace the dead 3B engine. Fixing the 3B engine still gives a grossly underpowered truck. That's why Toyota made the 74 with the turbo engine.

 

[4wdsa]

Given you´ve ascertained it is definitely a BJ74, I would make enquiries as to where the original engine went and why. The definition of a BJ74 is to all intents and purposes that it is a BJ73 with a 13BT engine instead of a 3B. If the 13BT was destroyed and they threw in a broken 3B and/or couldn't be bothered to fix a cooling problem that was bound to damage the engine, then it doesn´t bode well for how well the vehicle has been looked after. Having said all that, the price is probably good enough to be able to take any problems on the chin and still come out ahead.

When I went and had a look at the old girl I brought along a diesel mechanic with me to ensure that the diesel pump and what not was all in good mechanical order, which he said it was, he told me that it was simply a head gasket issue and would be easy to fix, how ever he had never worked on one of those engines or that model of car before so I thought I may do my research and ask the professionals about it, hence why I have come here. For the price of the overall car I will still be buying it, I just need to make sure I can get it on the road as soon as possible so I am not without a car. If it is a 74 like it states, then I will eventually go all out and put the 13BT engine back in there and give it a complete overhaul.

Yup, if it's a 3B then it's not the original 74's 13B-T and your conclusion is what I came to as well.
It could be a good project for someone with the time and money to find a rebuilt 13B-T to replace the dead 3B engine. Fixing the 3B engine still gives a grossly underpowered truck. That's why Toyota made the 74 with the turbo engine.

I did notice as driving it that it was slightly under powered, but still has more power than my current four wheel drive so I wasn't complaining. However I have come to the conclusion that I will sell my current car (1990 Holden Jackaroo/Isuzu Bighorn SWB) and grab the Land Cruiser and do her up, it's too good of a price to let it go.

 

[4wdsa]

Just to share what the car looks like at the present time here it is. As I said it will need a bit of work to get it looking the way it was but I think it is worth it.

 

[cruiserdan]

I see a grille emblem that says "DIESEL". That is indicative of a BJ73. The BJ74 would have one that says "turbo"

 

[4wdsa]

I did a bit of research and I have finally found what the problem is with the tag number and the model itself. It is infact a BJ73, sorry about that boys, however, it has been re-birthed at some point in it's life although the owner says it must have been before he owned it. He said it had always had the plates on there from when he had it. Not too sure if he's genuine about it or whether it was them that have done it.

Doing research on the government websites and ringing around and what not I have found that if and only if the engine number number and vin number have been changed on the registration papers to the current vin number and engine number then there is nothing illegal about it, they don't like people doing it, it is illegal to do it but they have given a bit of leeway for those unfortunate people that have bought a re-birthed car at some point.

So yes, it's a 73 with the genuine 3B motor in it, I still want to grab it, just wait

 

[John Galt]

Look at the tachometer. If it has the word "Turbo" on the tach it's a '74, if not then it's a '73.