HiveMind Q: What To Do at 200-250k Miles with Budget $X? (1 Viewer)

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jaymar

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Looking for some crowdsourced advice here, which should also prove helpful to others down the line...

Let's say you have a fairly-neglected FZJ80 with about 250k on the clock. Pretty common situation. Engine's coming out for a refresh or rebuild, whichever is needed. Tranny coming out too. So there will be machine shop work and likely some tranny work. NOT including that labor, and figuring Amayana / Partsouq prices...

You've got money to spend on parts (oem if available) and 'parts service' (like cleaning injectors / refreshing steering gear). This includes engine and tranny components, and the rest of the truck. Your goal is to keep things reliable for another quarter million miles. Obviously there will be some individual variations from vehicle to vehicle but, generally speaking...

You have $5k. How do you spend it?


How about $10k?


Because while it's nice to see what $20k or $30k or $100k+ gets you, most of us aren't living in that world right now. This is more about knowing, from experience, what's likely to be wearing out and need inspection/replacement (even PM replacement) at the 200-250k mark. Thoughts?
 
What are you up to with all these inquiry posts?

So in the vein, the first thing I did with my '93 with 276kmi at purchase - it having only a winch and front bumper installed - was get a 3.5" lift @ Slee. This enabled the lift to be completed in one go, having the pros deal with all of it. It also highlighted some of the things I would need to address going forward - largely driveline bushes. This was $2100

Second thing was get the tranny rebuilt, regardless of condition because there was no way I was risking getting stranded because the important bits weren't dealt with. This was $4200.

Third was a commitment to baseline. This was also a commitment to do cash only, no charging, credit cards, or the like. As such, I decided to dedicate a car payments worth of parts/labor/whatever a month. No more, no less. Decided a cheap car payment would work for me - $300/mo.
Decided the term was about 24 months.
So, for the next 2 yrs I spent $300 a month on OEM parts collection, install labor if it was something I didn't want or couldn't do, and/or for tools to accomplish certain updates/refreshes/rebuilds/etc. Over the 2yrs, we're talking at least 4k almost exclusively in parts. Tiny a bit of paid labor - just pushing bushings in rods at first, then took to shop to rebush the front LCAs and reinstall in one go (got lazy?)

At the end of it all, the driveline is completely rebushed, power steering completely refreshed, rear drive shaft re-u/j'd lol and whole lot more I can't reiterate here.
Safe to say we're close to 10k by now, and this doesn't include the overland build out (or puchase price for that matter) - which is essentially a renewable air, power, and water bus for base camp scenarios.
 
5k, 10k or even 20k is variable dependant on the mechanical ability of the owner.
When I had leaking front axle seals Toyota quoted $1400AU plus parts, i bought the seals, greases & oils etc for approx $400au and did it myself

as Squeegee said, address whats not right 1st, otherwise how long is a piece of string?
 
Do what it needs. If it’s leaking oil fix the leak, if it squeaks fix the squeak. That’s literally it. Go spend the rest on gas and do stuff when it’s all back together
There are things that can only be accessed when the engine/tranny are out. Would be nice to know which of those should be replaced. Engine and tranny mounts, obviously, and...?
 
5k, 10k or even 20k is variable dependant on the mechanical ability of the owner.
When I had leaking front axle seals Toyota quoted $1400AU plus parts, i bought the seals, greases & oils etc for approx $400au and did it myself

as Squeegee said, address whats not right 1st, otherwise how long is a piece of string?
Parts only, as mentioned. And servicing like injector cleaning from RCE, steering gear by RH. As mentioned, some things will vary truck to truck, depending on usage. Overall, though, the list should be fairly similar for trucks with the same mileage, given a large enough sample size. Some folks here have worked on enough of these rigs to have a sense of that larger picture. I have not.
 
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Looking for some crowdsourced advice here, which should also prove helpful to others down the line...

Let's say you have a fairly-neglected FZJ80 with about 250k on the clock. Pretty common situation. Engine's coming out for a refresh or rebuild, whichever is needed. Tranny coming out too. So there will be machine shop work and likely some tranny work. NOT including that labor, and figuring Amayana / Partsouq prices...

You've got money to spend on parts (oem if available) and 'parts service' (like cleaning injectors / refreshing steering gear). This includes engine and tranny components, and the rest of the truck. Your goal is to keep things reliable for another quarter million miles. Obviously there will be some individual variations from vehicle to vehicle but, generally speaking...

You have $5k. How do you spend it?


How about $10k?


Because while it's nice to see what $20k or $30k or $100k+ gets you, most of us aren't living in that world right now. This is more about knowing, from experience, what's likely to be wearing out and need inspection/replacement (even PM replacement) at the 200-250k mark. Thoughts?
First question I have is WHY is the engine coming out? is there anything wrong with it? what are the compression numbers?

N
 
First question I have is WHY is the engine coming out? is there anything wrong with it? what are the compression numbers?

N
I figure it's time. The vehicle has 23x,000 miles on it, the PO didn't really look after anything else so that goes for the engine too. The headgasket's blown and I've been driving it which means the bearings are likely on their way out. For a while I was dumping water in the rad b/c I couldn't replace it and it needed a gallon or more to go a mile, so that didn't help. I want an engine and tranny (and other essential parts) I know I can rely on for the next 250k. Last but certainly not least, I finally have (maybe) enough cheddar to get a halfway decent start on that.

So, first up: engine, tranny, engine bay, fluid lines. Anything that can't be expected to go another 250k miles, I'd just as soon replace now, budget permitting. Priority to parts that can damage or strand the vehicle if they fail, and things that are a b*tch (or impossible) to reach with the engine/tranny in place.

Why not start with the hard stuff, right?

Next up (budget allowing): driveline.
 
I figure it's time. The vehicle has 23x,000 miles on it, the PO didn't really look after anything else so that goes for the engine too. The headgasket's blown and I've been driving it which means the bearings are likely on their way out. For a while I was dumping water in the rad b/c I couldn't replace it and it needed a gallon or more to go a mile, so that didn't help. I want an engine and tranny (and other essential parts) I know I can rely on for the next 250k. Last but certainly not least, I finally have (maybe) enough cheddar to get a halfway decent start on that.

So, first up: engine, tranny, engine bay, fluid lines. Anything that can't be expected to go another 250k miles, I'd just as soon replace now, budget permitting. Priority to parts that can damage or strand the vehicle if they fail, and things that are a b*tch (or impossible) to reach with the engine/tranny in place.

Why not start with the hard stuff, right?

Next up (budget allowing): driveline.
sounds good, sounds like it needs a rebuild, good luck with the project......
 
Engine and tranny mounts, replace all hoses, replace anything difficult to access. I wouldn't mess with injectors or anything because those are easy to access any time. Get oem when necessary but get aftermarket when you can. For example hoses and mounts can be aftermarket. Get oem seals though for the motor.
 
Engine and tranny mounts, replace all hoses, replace anything difficult to access. I wouldn't mess with injectors or anything because those are easy to access any time. Get oem when necessary but get aftermarket when you can. For example hoses and mounts can be aftermarket. Get oem seals though for the motor.
Mounts and gasket/seal kit already here, will def do all hoses and HCV. But for example, I see people talking about replacing the coolant hard lines while they can be reached. How can I even tell if they need it, without seeing inside?
 
Mounts and gasket/seal kit already here, will def do all hoses and HCV. But for example, I see people talking about replacing the coolant hard lines while they can be reached. How can I even tell if they need it, without seeing inside?
You mean the rear heater pipes? You can buy a boroscope for a cell phone for very cheap and look inside stuff like that to see if it looks OK internally. Are you hoping to do a MLS head gasket?
 
I picked up a 1995 with 289,000 miles on it sight unseen. Shipped it to MA, slapped on a head gasket with no head work other than new valve stem seals. Dropped the oil pans, rolled in new clevite rod bearings, sealed up oil pump and dizzy for oil leaks. Slapped on a TRD SC and started driving it. Now at 315,000 and only burns a 1/2 qt every 5000 miles. Obviously if the bores showed signs of any kind of wear it would kave been addressed, but they were pristine.

Do the minimum, you could roll it on the first trail.
 
You mean the rear heater pipes? You can buy a boroscope for a cell phone for very cheap and look inside stuff like that to see if it looks OK internally. Are you hoping to do a MLS head gasket?
Didn't realize you could get a usable image from inside something so small. Good idea. Cometic if the new stocker isn't thick enough.
 
@jaymar if you wanna waste money send some to me! Rebuid the motor, alternator, starter and replace brake booster, master cylinder and the timing chain components and be done with it. Replace all the ruber hoses while it’s out. Delete the EGR and drive another 250k. Done and done. I just refreshed a tired cruiser with full rebuild new pistons, rings, con rod bearings and main bearings along with rebuilding power steering pump, alternator and starter. New water pump radiator rebuilt drivelines and all the fluids replaced. About $3k in parts and $2k in machine work.
 
@jaymar if you wanna waste money send some to me! Rebuid the motor, alternator, starter and replace brake booster, master cylinder and the timing chain components and be done with it. Replace all the ruber hoses while it’s out. Delete the EGR and drive another 250k. Done and done. I just refreshed a tired cruiser with full rebuild new pistons, rings, con rod bearings and main bearings along with rebuilding power steering pump, alternator and starter. New water pump radiator rebuilt drivelines and all the fluids replaced. About $3k in parts and $2k in machine work.
This is CA so, no deleting smog stuff. I should put up a list of what I know I'm replacing and ask what else. Dunno how you managed that price; I have a VERY small pile of parts and I'm at $1800+.
 
Didn't realize you could get a usable image from inside something so small. Good idea. Cometic if the new stocker isn't thick enough.
The MLS should provide a better seal compared to a fiber head gasket or whatever it's called. Since your on a budget I would reuse all easily accessible components unless they are in poor shape. The important component to be selective on are rings, and bearings, and seals in my opinion as well as having a good quality proper cross hatch surface for the rings to get the rings to seat nicely. Get the head rebuilt and a new timing chain and guides. It sounds like your about good to go. If the pistons and bores are within spec you can reuse them with just a nice hone job for the new rings. Make sure the rings are gapped right and lined up correctly. I hate gapping rings. Takes me forever.
 
There are things that can only be accessed when the engine/tranny are out. Would be nice to know which of those should be replaced. Engine and tranny mounts, obviously, and...?
the only thing that I've had to remove the tranny for was the rear heater lines, that it. If someone is telling you that you need to pull an engine to change the mounts, find a new guy.
 

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