Budget Constraints - Can't Keep Up (1 Viewer)

[94 TLC]

Hi All.

I LOVE my '94 with 240k miles on the clock. But, I'm on a budget and have a repairs mounting that all seem BIG. Looking for encouragement on working thru them, prioritizing them, and economical recommendations here in Phoenix. Landy has the following aches n pains - listed in what I think is order of importance:

After longer period of highspeed driving, brakes soft and go close to floor to stop vehicle
Groan/Rumble coming from drive train (yikes!). This sounds $$$$
Front factory diff lock control wiring completely severed from actual diff lock at transaxle. Front diff lock dash light flickering.
Whining power steering when engine is cold
Super high idle (1100 rPm) at cold start.
Leaking oil in a few spots
Drivers side view mirror guts are broken and can't adjust mirror position
Front passenger window control non-responsive. And moody from the drivers seat

HELP!

Thanks

C

 

[Kernal]

So many possibilities, but here's some things to think about;
Possible bad Master Cylinder, a few hundred to pay someone to replace it and flush the braking system with new fluid.

Groan from the drivetrain, do you mean under load, coast, deceleration, or only in the first few miles on a cold vehicle?

Have you added grease to the steering knuckles, greased the driveshaft slip yolks and U-joints recently? Try using Valvoline Palladium, NAPA stores sell it. Do not over grease the slip yolks, just a touch, stop the instant you see the shaft move.

Do you mean the locker harness has been cut or has the harness connector broken off from the front locker motor? You can find used harness sections in the parting out section of classifieds.

Whining of the power steering pump is common, doesn't affect operation or longevity, try replacing the fluid with Mobil 1 ATF, or pick up some Mobil DTE 24 hydraulic fluid.

High idle on a cold start is normal, should drop down to ~650rpms once the engine warms up in a few minutes.

Used mirrors also available from the Classifieds parting out section.

Did you mean to say the driver's seat doesn't move? If so, a common problem due to a stripped seat gear, you can purchase new seat gears and replace them yourself using simple tools.

If the passenger front window works normally from the master switch on the driver's side, then the problem may be a bad door window switch; parting out section for used switch, Switch Doctor for a new (Chinese) switch.

Some engine oil leaks are common; valve cover gasket, distributor O-ring ($5),
oil pump cover gasket (do a search, lots of discussion), front crank seal, rear main oil pan arch leak (almost never the rear main crank seal, so the engine doesn't have to be pulled).

That's a starting point. Sounds like your truck needs some preventive maintenance but nothing that's terminal.

 

[tiptoez]

You have the right idea on order of priority. Brakes are going to be the most important. I'd go thru the system, replace all the soft lines and rebuild the calipers. Then address the groan.

That long list seems daunting but just take it one issue at a time.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

I would start by completely flushing the brake system and by ensuring the LSPV is working for you.
Groaning and rumbling maybe driveline angle issue. Depends on if its stock or lifted. Also I would start by greasing the U-joints and checking that there is no slop in the pinion on the diff as well as marking and removing the slip yoke of the driveshaft and greasing that too...don't try and use the zerk for the slip yoke.
As far as diff wiring goes, not a big deal. Just solder and shrink tube it back together and be done.
Dash light will resolve when you repair the diff wiring.
1100 is not super high for cold start its actually low. It's supposed to idle up to around 1600-1800 and work its way down.
Mirror can be disassembled and cleaned, then I use hi strength epoxy and chopped fiberglass fibers to build new ears up and then drill out neccessary slots.
Passenger window not responsive from driver side. Mine did the same thing, ordered a cheap aftermarket replacement switch...it worked great, also realized the wiring in the passenger door had a break, so I removed the harness and sliced a new length of wire in and reinstalled it. Works great. All of these are small problems. Just have to tackle them one at a time and don't let it overwhelm you. The repairs will be worth the trouble in the end.

 

[White Stripe]

80s are expensive vehicles to maintain, they were Toyota's offroad king in their day, and so parts are heavy duty, and high quality. A vehicle owner should own a vehicle that is within their budget to maintain up to safe standards so as not to harm themselves, or the cars driving on the same road. I see this problem from time to time at the luxury dealer I work at-broken mirrors, inop switches, and multiple oil leaks are big red flags. People find themselves in financial situations in which their car is above the financial level they can afford to maintain it. It may be time for you to look into a vehicle that is simpler and cheaper to own and repair, or look for ways to improve your budget it you wan't to keep it. Or perhaps park it until you can afford to repair it. Oil leaks alone can cost several thousand dollars. When I was going through tough financial times I drove a toyota camry, it had 350k on it when I finally sold it. It was in good shape the day I sold it because it was cheap to buy parts for and was within my budget at the time. I couldn't afford my cruiser, so I took it off insurance and parked it for years underneath a nice cover. Yes the camry was kind of lame and boring, but hey, you do what you gotta do, and in the grand scheme of things its not really that big of a deal. Now I have more resources to drive and maintain the cruiser-which takes a lot, I enjoy it, but its a lot to keep up with. Since I pulled the cruiser back out, I have spent a good 5k on it getting it up to speed, and that with doing the work myself. It would have been double or triple if I had the work done by someone else. Now if you can find used or aftermarket parts and do the work yourself that will save you considerable money, but will also cost you considerable time. So weigh things carefully before you make your next move.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

@White Stripe , I'm curious how you managed to spend 5k on just maintenance with doing all the work yourself? My cruiser has been gone through mechanically and had crap interior parts replaced with new all parts from Toyota and I haven't spent 3k this includes doing the head gasket and replacing the timing components etc.. 5k goes a LONG way if you do the work yourself, unless you're paying full list price for everything instead of shopping around. I find your argument to be ridiculous and absurd, telling the OP that a broken mirror and a few fluid leaks is reason enough to get rid of his vehicle of just park it, brake issues are probably something simple and oil leaks do not cost thousands to repair...especially if you're doing the work yourself. They may cost thousands at a stealership, but any honest repair shop wouldn't charge even 1k for a rear main replacement and transmission input seal replacement. I owned and operated a shop and most vehicles we did rear mains on were no more than $3-600. Oil pan leak is the likely culprit anyway and can be done by the OP with a tube of FIPG, other likely culprits are the valve cover gasket and rear main, or the one nobody thinks to check on the 1FZ-FE, the power steering pump seal to the back of the timing case.

 

[Funner]

@White Stripe , I'm curious how you managed to spend 5k on just maintenance with doing all the work yourself? My cruiser has been gone through mechanically and had crap interior parts replaced with new all parts from Toyota and I haven't spent 3k this includes doing the head gasket and replacing the timing components etc.. 5k goes a LONG way if you do the work yourself, unless you're paying full list price for everything instead of shopping around. I find your argument to be ridiculous and absurd, telling the OP that a broken mirror and a few fluid leaks is reason enough to get rid of his vehicle of just park it, brake issues are probably something simple and oil leaks do not cost thousands to repair...especially if you're doing the work yourself. They may cost thousands at a stealership, but any honest repair shop wouldn't charge even 1k for a rear main replacement and transmission input seal replacement. I owned and operated a shop and most vehicles we did rear mains on were no more than $3-600. Oil pan leak is the likely culprit anyway and can be done by the OP with a tube of FIPG, other likely culprits are the valve cover gasket and rear main, or the one nobody thinks to check on the 1FZ-FE, the power steering pump seal to the back of the timing case.

Sounds to me like the OP doesn't think he has the ability to handle this himself, so cost of having everything done would mean taking it in for service. It's also likely the list of things above would not be anywhere near all that is uncovered. If this is a typical old 80 not previously owned by one of the nuts on this site, it would be ridiculously expensive to get everything done by someone else.

 

[Funner]

Hi All.

I LOVE my '94 with 240k miles on the clock. But, I'm on a budget and have a repairs mounting that all seem BIG. Looking for encouragement on working thru them, prioritizing them, and economical recommendations here in Phoenix. Landy has the following aches n pains - listed in what I think is order of importance:

After longer period of highspeed driving, brakes soft and go close to floor to stop vehicle
Groan/Rumble coming from drive train (yikes!). This sounds $$$$
Front factory diff lock control wiring completely severed from actual diff lock at transaxle. Front diff lock dash light flickering.
Whining power steering when engine is cold
Super high idle (1100 rPm) at cold start.
Leaking oil in a few spots
Drivers side view mirror guts are broken and can't adjust mirror position
Front passenger window control non-responsive. And moody from the drivers seat

HELP!

Thanks

C

I am in Phoenix and we have a great local club and support of Camelback Toyota with incredible discounts and reliable and honest service. Shoot me a PM and I can possibly meet up and help you out.

 

[White Stripe]

Rust repair, replace worn out front seats,new birfields(one Toyota birfields is about 700 bucks I believe) trunions, gear oil which is 6 bucks a pint for high quality stuff, new shocks all around, new springs, new bushings, tcase making noise bearings were shot and ruined the gears replaced that, replaced power steering box and pump and hoses, replace rear main, replace tires, fix cracked dash, new rear calipers, pads n hardware, new o2 sensor, new tps, new IAC valve, new radiator, coolant, have drive shaft repaired, I still need a new windshield so I guess I'm not done. Keep in mind some of my stuff I used high quality, some just normal Napa or advance auto stuff.
Just in tires and rebuilding the front axle you are around 2500ish typically. If you use cheaper chromoly birfields u might as well get axles too so that is around 700 bucks. I suppose you could get cheapo tires for like 600 bucks. So u could do it cheaper maybe. But often cheap costs more in the long run. I've seen birfields on eBay for 130 bucks, but that's a roll of the dice their. Shocks typically go for 100 bucks a piece. You did rear mains for 300 bucks? How much did you pay your tech? Why are you no longer the owner of a shop? I've been a tech at several independents and dealers. Rear mains typically starts at 600 bucks for easy ones everywhere I've been. It costs a lot to keep the lights on at a shop.



l

@White Stripe , I'm curious how you managed to spend 5k on just maintenance with doing all the work yourself? My cruiser has been gone through mechanically and had crap interior parts replaced with new all parts from Toyota and I haven't spent 3k this includes doing the head gasket and replacing the timing components etc.. 5k goes a LONG way if you do the work yourself, unless you're paying full list price for everything instead of shopping around. I find your argument to be ridiculous and absurd, telling the OP that a broken mirror and a few fluid leaks is reason enough to get rid of his vehicle of just park it, brake issues are probably something simple and oil leaks do not cost thousands to repair...especially if you're doing the work yourself. They may cost thousands at a stealership, but any honest repair shop wouldn't charge even 1k for a rear main replacement and transmission input seal replacement. I owned and operated a shop and most vehicles we did rear mains on were no more than $3-600. Oil pan leak is the likely culprit anyway and can be done by the OP with a tube of FIPG, other likely culprits are the valve cover gasket and rear main, or the one nobody thinks to check on the 1FZ-FE, the power steering pump seal to the back of the timing case.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

Rust repair, replace worn out front seats,new birfields(one Toyota birfields is about 700 bucks I believe) trunions, gear oil which is 6 bucks a pint for high quality stuff, new shocks all around, new springs, new bushings, tcase making noise bearings were shot and ruined the gears replaced that, replaced power steering box and pump and hoses, replace rear main, replace tires, fix cracked dash, new rear calipers, pads n hardware, new o2 sensor, new tps, new IAC valve, new radiator, coolant, have drive shaft repaired, I still need a new windshield so I guess I'm not done. Keep in mind some of my stuff I used high quality, some just normal Napa or advance auto stuff.
Just in tires and rebuilding the front axle you are around 2500ish typically. If you use cheaper chromoly birfields u might as well get axles too so that is around 700 bucks. I suppose you could get cheapo tires for like 600 bucks. So u could do it cheaper maybe. But often cheap costs more in the long run. I've seen birfields on eBay for 130 bucks, but that's a roll of the dice their. Shocks typically go for 100 bucks a piece. You did rear mains for 300 bucks? How much did you pay your tech? Why are you no longer the owner of a shop? I've been a tech at several independents and dealers. Rear mains typically starts at 600 bucks for easy ones everywhere I've been. It costs a lot to keep the lights on at a shop.



l

We're not talking included cost of tires and lift, we're talking maintanence only. Not luxuries like new f'ing seats and dash pads and silly crap like that. You obviously can't argue within the context of the situation. Maintanence and restoration are two different things. What you're doing in making a whole lot of assumptions about the OP's rig based on your experience with what sounds like a very under-cared for and abused rig. You're also trying to jack up realistic maintanence costs by throwing in non-maintanence items like your seats and dash pad and trying to throw in new tires and shocks and crap that that isn't necessarily the OP's situation. What you're doing is telling them to get rid of a rig for stupid things that are common problems that have been covered in depth on this forum like shakey mirrors and poor braking etc... And who are you to say that the OP is incapable of doing any of the work based on their short post? Maybe they can follow instructions from a manual or from a post or video... Or maybe they have a local club they can contact and find people to help with issues, having a mechanic do everything isn't always the only option. It sounds like the OP may be overwhelmed and worried and you're not helping by trying to tell them they don't have the money to keep their vehicle and telling them it isn't safe to drive. Maybe the OP has a different vehicle with good brakes that operate properly and they just aren't accustomed to the factory unmodified underpowered braking system of the lumbering land cruiser we're all used to. As for paying my tech my shop was Owner operated...seems you have a reading comprehension problem. My brother and I owned and operated the shop, we did quite well...but 8 years of injuries sustained while in the Marine Corps, the very thing that ended my career early, was too much for me to continue dealing with, being a mechanic is hard on the body, especially when you have a lot of injuries. And by the way, there is a BIG difference between a "Tech" and a Mechanic. Lastly, reiterating the fact that if you shop around for your parts, you can get them for much cheaper than you would at the dealerships. I have used almost exclusively Toyota parts on my cruiser and haven't had to put $5k into it for maintenance. And that is with replacing the column armor and an interior vent other misc.. Non critical items. If you want to through all the non criticals in, yeah it can get up there quick, but that's not what is being Discussed.

 

[White Stripe]

We're not talking included cost of tires and lift, we're talking maintanence only. Not luxuries like new f'ing seats and dash pads and silly crap like that. You obviously can't argue within the context of the situation. Maintanence and restoration are two different things. What you're doing in making a whole lot of assumptions about the OP's rig based on your experience with what sounds like a very under-cared for and abused rig. You're also trying to jack up realistic maintanence costs by throwing in non-maintanence items like your seats and dash pad and trying to throw in new tires and shocks and crap that that isn't necessarily the OP's situation. What you're doing is telling them to get rid of a rig for stupid things that are common problems that have been covered in depth on this forum like shakey mirrors and poor braking etc... And who are you to say that the OP is incapable of doing any of the work based on their short post? Maybe they can follow instructions from a manual or from a post or video... Or maybe they have a local club they can contact and find people to help with issues, having a mechanic do everything isn't always the only option. It sounds like the OP may be overwhelmed and worried and you're not helping by trying to tell them they don't have the money to keep their vehicle and telling them it isn't safe to drive. Maybe the OP has a different vehicle with good brakes that operate properly and they just aren't accustomed to the factory unmodified underpowered braking system of the lumbering land cruiser we're all used to. As for paying my tech my shop was Owner operated...seems you have a reading comprehension problem. My brother and I owned and operated the shop, we did quite well...but 8 years of injuries sustained while in the Marine Corps, the very thing that ended my career early, was too much for me to continue dealing with, being a mechanic is hard on the body, especially when you have a lot of injuries. And by the way, there is a BIG difference between a "Tech" and a Mechanic. Lastly, reiterating the fact that if you shop around for your parts, you can get them for much cheaper than you would at the dealerships. I have used almost exclusively Toyota parts on my cruiser and haven't had to put $5k into it for maintenance. And that is with replacing the column armor and an interior vent other misc.. Non critical items. If you want to through all the non criticals in, yeah it can get up there quick, but that's not what is being Discussed.

You are getting a little offending here and I really don't appreciate that whatsoever, it is not ok. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I give my opinion, you give yours. Telling me I have a problem with reading comprehension is not appropriate. I never said he couldn't do it himself, I did however say that if he did take on the work himself, it would cost him time, but save him money, and encouraged him to think about his options and to make a wise decision. I spent 100 dollars on used seats, and I spent another 100 recovering my dash myself, and yes springs are optional. So yea, I guess you can knock off 1k for those optional non critical items. Tires are critical maintenance items, shocks, a driveshaft, rust repair is all critical maintenance items, birfields-which typically go bad before 200k he probably needs as well. I never told him his vehicle would cost 5k to fix himself, I said mine did. You talk about whats being discussed and whats not being discussed, really I have the right to discuss whatever, and I truly believe my post is relating to the OP topic. I am sorry your shop didn't work out for you. I hope you found something easier on your body. As far as a difference between a tech and a mechanic, to some they are the same thing, to some they are different from what I have heard. I just do my work and get my paycheck, some call me a tech, some call me a mechanic. I really don't care because whatever it is it pays the bills. I do hope the OP gets what he wants if its beneficial for him to do so, but fj80s are expensive, especially when they are old, I wanted to convey that. Whatever the case, I am done dealing with you, I don't put up with those who feel that just because you can't see a persons face because you are behind a computer screen you have the right to throw out insults.

 

[Romer]

Simmer down boys. Everyone has a perspective, but lets keep this positive and help the OP

Drive line groans can be as simple as a slack of grease in the drive shaft or too much. How old is your brake fluid, if you don't know it could be low or just old. Flushing is a cheap and easy method to check.

Have you checked your Brake Pads?

There are fixes posted here for the shaky mirror, search on those I don't remember the exact fix

There is a thread on adding a spoonful of downy to the power steering to remove the whining

I believe there is a thread where the person cleaned the contacts on the window control and it fixed it. If not you can troublsehoot and determine if thats bad and get one from a salvage yard for cheap

If you can reach both parts of the severed harness, you can fix that your self. Wires are color coded, just splice wires in and protective wrap to prevent damage

Brakes first, the rest are a lower priority

Much of this can be fixed with low $ and some elbow grease

 

[94 TLC]

HELLO ALL,

It's been 9ish months since my original plea-for-encouragement post and I've had the shaky driver side mirror replaced (sanity regained), front diff wire harness repaired, rear diff serviced and free'd up so all diff locks are working again, oil changed, steering fluid topped off, front spindals, front wheel bearing, front brake pads replaced, front drive shaft u-joint replaced, front drive line repaired and rebalanced, two O2 sensors replaced, and two minor oil seals replaced.

I now live in my cruiser full time since my house got repossessed... Kidding. Lol

My front passenger window is still moody and it might be a wire short in the door since opening/shutting the door sometimes fixes the problem when the window is non-responsive. Thoughts?

I fried my BFG muds (KM2's, I think) a while back by driving to Flag on too low a tire pressure and now have some pretty horrible waivering noise while driving. Definitely "cupping" issues. It also has this more bone shuttering sensation when accelerating/coasting up/down thru the speed range while highway driving. I really hope that all goes away with a new 4-pak of tires. And, on that note, my question:

I have a 2" OME lift, and I currently run 285/75R16's - which I *think* are also referred to as 33's? It's already a slow process getting up to highway speed, and maintaining speed on hill ascents, so I was wondering, will it make much more difference to go to 315/75R16's (aka 35's?), or do all you peeps have gear modifications in order to run that size? My tires look and seem a lil small in the wheel well. I want fatter as well as a lil larger overall diameter.

Thoughts. So I can go sell a semi-non-essential body organ and get new rubber in the near future??

Thanks in advance! I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times, but I couldnt find it in the FAQ or in my search of this forum.

 

[ewillis]

285/75R16's are 33s. I went from 33s to 35s and the difference was noticeable. If my rig wasn't pretty much adventure dedicated, I would drop back to 33s.

 

[Rifleman]

If you think your truck is slow getting up to highway speeds now, It'll be even slower with 315's, and stock gears. So Unless you've got the $$$$ to buy a set of 4.88 gears front, and rear, I'd forget the idea of installing 315's

 

[LINUS]

I liked both above comments - and really I hope this is taken simply as I mean it.

If you didn't follow your own thread for ~9mo. - and the followup doesn't include mention of your brake issue, and all others sound like you paid to get fixed, all under the umbrella of "cost cutting / smart $$".

Buddy, really think if you'll use 35's since it's adding to your acceleration complaint, and you let your tires roach out as is --- AND it'll wear your brakes out sooner than going back with either 285/75 or 305/70.

Try looking at 305/70's - they fill the well & will keep about the same rolling diameter.

Again, not trying to bash - you just seem to have more pressing priorities.