3FE Owners Check-In (7 Viewers)

[LS1FJ40]

Welcome. But I'm not an expert by any means. Jon Held is THE expert. I just know a few things. He knows EVERYTHING.

Nice work. I love the 3FE and love seeing them kept alive and not sent out to pasture.

 

[jasonc]

I apologize in advance for posting this here, but I can't find anywhere better to ask. Hopefully some 3FE god here can help me out.

I'm pulling the head on a 3FE but I can't get off the PS pulley. Is there some sort of secret? FSM says to "apply pressure to belt" but even with 100lbs holding it back I still can't get the nut to break loose. I've tried breaker bars and everything I can think of, but I just end up rotating the entire pulley. So, what's the secret?

 

[ml111]

Hi, I used this:
Empire Level 28620 Strap Wrench

 

[jasonc]

Hi, I used this:
Empire Level 28620 Strap Wrench

I had a strap wrench sitting in my tool box, didn't even think about using it until now. Thanks!

 

[alltel05]

Hello 3FE owners, I bought a completely stock 1992 FJ80 with 181k miles 6 months ago and have been baselining (new fluids, plugs, rotor, wires, etc) and doing the FSM tune up. Engine is running ok now but not perfectly smooth, there is still a lot of stuff on the PM list (O2 sensors, radiator hoses, FPR, FPD, new battery cable, etc.)

I recently posted a 3FE video on youtube, It’s a sound comparison before and after the valve adjustment, I think it might interest you:


Engine problems encountered and solved:
Engine misfiring heavily above 1200RPM----Solution: dizzy was off one tooth, timing was completely off (adjusted as per fsm)
Truck would crank but no start (NO CEL)----Solution: New fusible links needed
Wobbly PS pulley and jumping belt(non OEM)----Solution: new OEM belt, new OEM pulley, rebuilt pump with new shaft (stills wobbles very slightly, going to keep looking, might be THE bushing inside the PS pump, although no leaks yet).
Rough Idle (90% solved)----Solution: replaced cracked intake tubes, new vacuum lines.
Would take a LONG time for truck to warm up-----Solution: replaced cracked thermostat and temp sensor (BTW use PB blaster on the housing bolts, bolt broke and total PITA to remove the other half.)

I only found 1 thread on rebuilding the 3FE ps pump, if anyone is interested, I could post some pictures.

I wish to thank everyone who has posted 3FE stuff here in IH8MUD, specially the experts (such as Jon Held and LS1FJ40) for taking the time to answer hundreds of questions.

DUDE! I am doing this immediately! Same sound on my baby. Until I watched this I just didn't put two and two together. IH8MUD is the greatest!

 

[ml111]

DUDE! I am doing this immediately! Same sound on my baby. Until I watched this I just didn't put two and two together. IH8MUD is the greatest!

Glad it was useful!

 

[hpcoltrane]

howdy, just picked up a 91 forty five days ago. i am in south jersey and i dont see too many cruiser heads in my neck of the woods. so far i had to change out the rims/tires and a burnt alternator. in the very near future i need an exhaust to pass nj inspection, not sure which way to go yet there...this thing sat for ten years and almost everything still works! fortunately i got to test her out in that massive snowstorm as we are somewhat removed from snow plows at our home in the state forest, very very capable in 20" of snow

 

[LS1FJ40]

howdy, just picked up a 91 forty five days ago. i am in south jersey and i dont see too many cruiser heads in my neck of the woods. so far i had to change out the rims/tires and a burnt alternator. in the very near future i need an exhaust to pass nj inspection, not sure which way to go yet there...this thing sat for ten years and almost everything still works! fortunately i got to test her out in that massive snowstorm as we are somewhat removed from snow plows at our home in the state forest, very very capable in 20" of snow

Welcome to the club!
@jonheld is in Jersey somewhere.

 

[RedComet]

Hi everyone, I so happy to finally be part of this exclusive club. I just recently bought a '92 LC with 175k miles. Some of you may have seen Caribou post the initial pics on another page (he's my dad). But more pics can NEVER hurt right?! Seems like it sat for a couple years so we've been baselining it since we picked it up last weekend. So far we done flushes on most of the necessaries + a new thermostat. The frame is in fantastic shape and I was attracting a decent size crowd when I dropped it off at my local Toyota shop for service. Guess I'm gonna have to get used to that lol.

 

[Trutta]

Hey guys, I am new to the crowd. I picked up a beat to hell 92 or a small chunk of change. My taco is feeling under the weather and the engine is being pulled to take to the local machine shop. I thought I had found a decent clunker that could get me from point A to point B for a month or so. Soon as I paid the guy I took it to the gas station and the axle seal developed a leak.

Good news is my girlfriend is absolutely in love with the cruiser. She named it bruiser and has full intentions to take it from me. She has agreed to do the axle rebuild with me and other general maintenance. I have no clue what was actually done to the truck maintenance wise. The previous owner had it for 5 or so months as a means to get around but found it to be to large to fit in the garage. He now has a 4runner. He had some of the basics done but didn't know about the major things like head gasket, etc.

I need this truck to hold up for a bit. The drives are short to work (10 minutes) and I am going to take it easy on the tranny. Another forum member said I can add grease to the birfs/knuckles and monitor the gear oil to get me by for a bit. The full axle rebuild will have to be postponed for a bit until I can get my truck situtated and out of the garage.

My first question is pretty simple. Where do I add grease? He said it was on the knuckle but I am not entirely sure what to look for? Is there a nipple?

Lastly, how far can you go with an axle leak? I know its not good but I plan on doing the rebuild. I haven't heard the clicking sound but I might not be paying close enough attention for it.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Hey guys, I am new to the crowd. I picked up a beat to hell 92 or a small chunk of change. My taco is feeling under the weather and the engine is being pulled to take to the local machine shop. I thought I had found a decent clunker that could get me from point A to point B for a month or so. Soon as I paid the guy I took it to the gas station and the axle seal developed a leak.

Good news is my girlfriend is absolutely in love with the cruiser. She named it bruiser and has full intentions to take it from me. She has agreed to do the axle rebuild with me and other general maintenance. I have no clue what was actually done to the truck maintenance wise. The previous owner had it for 5 or so months as a means to get around but found it to be to large to fit in the garage. He now has a 4runner. He had some of the basics done but didn't know about the major things like head gasket, etc.

I need this truck to hold up for a bit. The drives are short to work (10 minutes) and I am going to take it easy on the tranny. Another forum member said I can add grease to the birfs/knuckles and monitor the gear oil to get me by for a bit. The full axle rebuild will have to be postponed for a bit until I can get my truck situtated and out of the garage.

My first question is pretty simple. Where do I add grease? He said it was on the knuckle but I am not entirely sure what to look for? Is there a nipple?

Lastly, how far can you go with an axle leak? I know its not good but I plan on doing the rebuild. I haven't heard the clicking sound but I might not be paying close enough attention for it.

The 91-92 80s with the 3FE motor are not known for head gasket issues. They are VERY rare. The 3FE is bombproof. It is slow, steady, and will always get you there. It may not do it fast but it won't let you down.

The knuckle is the big ball looking thing. To check your knuckle the best thing to do is to jack up your front axle and take off both wheels. On the top of the "ball" aka knuckle is a square fill plug. Take a 13mm open end wrench and remove this plug. Take a zip tie and stick it down in the hole. It should go no more than one inch before you hit grease. If you go further you need to add Moly based grease. I use Valvoline Moly based grease from any of the parts stores. It comes in a tub and says it's for Ford-Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. Grab a ziploc freezer bag, turn it inside out, stick your hand in it like you are going to pick up dog poop, scoop out the grease in to the ziploc, pull your hand out so the grease is in the bag, squeeze it down in to one corner, clip a 1/4" hole off the corner, squeeze in to the knuckle. Do not fill it all the way up. Just to about 1" from the top. You will have to use the zip tie to kind of push it around in the knuckle. Put the fill plug back in and drive.

As for how long you can do this: As long as you wish. You won't hurt the knuckle itself you will just make a mess as it leaks out past the wiper. It won't hurt anything. BUT you also need to check your diff fluid. Check to see if it is like diarrhea. This is called "birf soup". This happens when knuckle grease is pulled in to your diff. If too much of this happens it, in theory, could be bad. Having said that, I personally don't think it is the end of the world if run this way for a short period of time (couple of months).

Anyway, use the search box in the upper right corner. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum. Lots of great guys (and girls) that know their s*** and are willing to help.

Welcome to the addiction!

 

[Trutta]

Thanks for the quick reply and not scolding me for not searching! Pretty stoked to get the lady into wheeling and the 3fe pulls good enough for me. I have a 4cyl taco on 35s so I am not used to speed.

Ill be around as this place is an awesome resource. Glad to join the club! Ill post more in a few months when I have time for the cruiser .

 

[LS1FJ40]

Thanks for the quick reply and not scolding me for not searching! Pretty stoked to get the lady into wheeling and the 3fe pulls good enough for me. I have a 4cyl taco on 35s so I am not used to speed.

Ill be around as this place is an awesome resource. Glad to join the club! Ill post more in a few months when I have time for the cruiser .

Where in Wyoming are you? I'm heading through on i-80 on my way back from LA in a few weeks. Picking up a 93 out in LA then hitting SLC and stopping in Green River at Trail Tailor to pick up a roof rack and sliders. @reevesci is Trail Tailor. He's a good dude.

 

[Trutta]

I am located in Laramie so you will likely pass through on your way if you stick to i80.

 

[alltel05]

Hi everyone, I so happy to finally be part of this exclusive club. I just recently bought a '92 LC with 175k miles. Some of you may have seen Caribou post the initial pics on another page (he's my dad). But more pics can NEVER hurt right?! Seems like it sat for a couple years so we've been baselining it since we picked it up last weekend. So far we done flushes on most of the necessaries + a new thermostat. The frame is in fantastic shape and I was attracting a decent size crowd when I dropped it off at my local Toyota shop for service. Guess I'm gonna have to get used to that lol.

Same color on my 92. I did some black out on front and rear and pulled the flares. You have a good looking rig!

 

[jkdowty]

91 FJ80 serial number 1000... Thought that was kind of cool...

East central Kansas...
Bone stock 297,xxx miles on the old bird, well everything but the stereo...
Bought it from a doctor in 2013 who was the original owner making me the lucky second owner (woo Hoo)
31x10.50x15 factory wheels (mini truck SR5 wheels)

Tranny went out 2 months ago and the ole 3fe is getting to where I kill the mosquitos in the neighborhood so I'm going to be doing an LS swap if anyone is needing any 3FE or A440F parts I've got em just shoot me a PM and let me know what your looking for...
I'll put up a post in classifieds saying what I have and delete the items I've let go of once I get it all pulled out...

 

[Alleycats]

Just thought I'd say, I'm really starting to like my 3FE powered 80 series.

 

[Random Hero]

Hello everyone
I recently won a 92 80 series with 89,xxx KM from an auction. It will be my 1st Land Cruiser and my 1st 4wd in like 12 years. I have a few plans in mind but well see how it goes. Hope to make some online friends! And learn a few things about this Land Cruiser.

 

[Zdeech]

Hi folks, I just picked up this '91 FJ80 a couple weeks ago. I also recently joined mud, this is just my second post. I don't mind the 3FE so far. I like the torque, and the 4600 rpm redline on a gas engine seems pretty unique. I am currently base lining the rig, and can't wait to take it camping. I also posted in the 80 series registry, so I don't want to get redundant.

I haven't done much to it yet, so I am not a great resource at this point. I do appreciate all the previous posts / and shared information on this forum though!

Here it is pictured with 15x6 OEM steel wheels (doh!, wish I had the 15x7's) and 30" x 9.5" tires mounted. Very tiny looking tires, it looks brutal! I want to get some new wheels and tires once I finish base-lining. I want to go up to 33"s or the equivalent.

 

[cwwfj60]

Hi folks, I just picked up this '91 FJ80 a couple weeks ago. I also recently joined mud, this is just my second post. I don't mind the 3FE so far. I like the torque, and the 4600 rpm redline on a gas engine seems pretty unique. I am currently base lining the rig, and can't wait to take it camping. I also posted in the 80 series registry, so I don't want to get redundant.

I haven't done much to it yet, so I am not a great resource at this point. I do appreciate all the previous posts / and shared information on this forum though!

Here it is pictured with 15x6 OEM steel wheels (doh!, wish I had the 15x7's) and 30" x 9.5" tires mounted. Very tiny looking tires, it looks brutal! I want to get some new wheels and tires once I finish base-lining. I want to go up to 33"s or the equivalent.

Cool truck, is that factory without fender flares? I think thats kinda rare