HEY GUYS! Newbie here, just bought a '97 FZJ80 today!!! (1 Viewer)

[trowand]

Hey dudes, I'm Todd from South Jersey (near the Sandy Jersey pine barrens) and I literally just bought a '97 Land Cruiser "Collector's Edition" today. It's a '97 with front and rear lockers, white exterior, tan leather interior and 183,000 miles on it. I should point out that my daily driver is a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 10th Anniversary Rubicon that I bought new. I wanted a second/spare 4WD vehicle and decided to look for an older yet reliable vehicle and that research lead me to the FZJ-80. So I'm psyched! The Cruiser has a few issues and annoyances but I'm totally willing to spend the money that it will take to fix them. I bought this 80 Series to have as a back up/spare, as a fun toy, plus for my GF to drive when she needs a 4wd to get to work.

 

[trowand]

FYI,.... the CarFax said "No accidents or damage reported" and it had like 32 service records. I'm the 3rd owner (or am I the 4th?) Kelly Blue Book said it's worth between 7-8,000 and the CarFax said it was worth 600-800 above book value and I got it for $6300 so I'm pretty darned happy. BUT..... it's got some issues. The passenger's side window won't work, the antenna is broken off (radio still works), both front leather seats are pretty beat and need to be re-upholstered, I noticed the dome light doesn't come on when the front doors are opened (and I'm pretty sure the 3-way switch is in the right position) and the rear hatch doesn't lock with the keyless remote lock. When I close all doors and hit the keyless fob to lock the truck, the rear hatch remains unlocked. Which BTW is an aftermarket no-name alarm/keyless entry which turns me off big time. I've seen those third-party, no-name alarm systems wreak havoc when they age and decide not to work. OH!!! And the engine definitely has an oil leak. I'm only hoping that it's minor. I've heard these 4.5L I-6's have some kind of head gasket issues. Is that it? That they leak oil out and not that they leak or bypass internally? Also, my oil pressure gauge reads lowest, bottom marking when at idle and only goes to 25%- maybe the 40% mark when driving at 65mph on the highway. I saw it go as high as 50% when I really got on it and drove at 80mph which I think was around 2500 RPM.

 

[kdxman]

Nice looking cruiser, welcome to the addiction

 

[4G63 POWER]

$6300 seems way too high for NJ. Post some under body and engine pics.

 

[trowand]

I don't know how High Resolution this pic will show up but it should look pretty darned clean. Someone before me sunk some money into it and replaced a bunch of hoses, tubing and sensors.

 

[4G63 POWER]

Yeah as I figured you over paid. Looks pretty rusty. Oh well you said it was going to be a winter beater right?

 

[trowand]

OK......

 

[4G63 POWER]

Any under body pics?

 

[trowand]

Dude, I bought it 12 hours ago, it's 3:30 in the morning. I don't have any undercarriage pics. Sorry.

 

[trowand]

Another angle...

 

[trowand]

And another.....

 

[trowand]

Diff switch looking pretty.

 

[1ststatecruiser]

Mine spent life here in the east coast too but youlle be surprised of the undercarriage my former fjcruiser has more rust on it .

 

[Rifleman]

Trowand, it doesn't matter how much you spent on it if it's what YOU REALLY WANTED. By the way, buying it was the easy part, now comes the fun part, working on it and taking it out 4 wheeling!

 

[1ststatecruiser]

Yearly application of fluid film works

 

[wearsabrowncoat]

Welcome. People love pics here. Just making sure you don't have a 4Runner, RAV4, Land Rover, Jeep, ect. See recent thread.

Head gasket and oil leak are separate issues. Some folks are paranoid about head gasket and there is some peace of mind with replacing it as well as a good time to do some other preventative maintenance whine you are in there. Typically though you have some warning signs that I didn't see you mention.

Your oil leak could be any number of seals. Just keep her topped off until you track them all down.

Window is probably a motor. You can take it out and try to bring it back to life or order a replacement.

Overhead light is probably the little black door switches but might be from the botched after market remote. Try switching the little black rubber switches from back door to front door.

Remote? Could be crap. Could be weak battery, dirty locking motor, bad ground, ect.

You probably have other minor issues you just don't know it - PHH, rear washer diverter valve, shaky side view mirror, lack of cup holders.

Read FAQ. Sell the Heep, reinvest in the LC, and enjoy.

 

[ExpoGeorgia]

Welcome Todd! Look through your service records that you got with the truck and look at whats been replaced (hopefully the head gasket and valve cover gasket have already been done). Leak is from one of the motor seals, common issue with these trucks. Get under there and take a look. Make a list of items you need to replace and buy parts. Get all your baseline maintenance out the way and drive her! Congrats, jealous you've got lockers

 

[baldilocks]

Welcome dude! I mean Todd! Pick up an FSM First thing and FYI the dealership is not the place to buy your OEM parts because their prices are very high. Here on MUD we get a nice discount on OEM parts through Cruiserdan and Beno. Cruiserparts.net in NH does right by us too.

 

[Traakon]

Howdy and welcome

 

[scottryana]

Congrats on the new truck! $6300 sounds like a great deal, you did well. Welcome to mud, and the baselining can be a lot of work, it's very nice to have a solid go anywhere truck in the end! Have fun!