105 Series Questions. (3 Viewers)

[370HSSV]

Hello all,

I have an opportunity to potentially get a 105 series to US now it's 25 years old. I have looked around and googled, can't find much 100% certain information.

The 105 will be from Australia. It only came with 1HZ as diesel there, and the auto R151 not strong enough when boosted. So I am looking at manual transmission.

1. What model of 5 speed manual transmission is HZJ105 in Australia, how much power and torque can it handle, is it a better option than auto?

2. Is there axle the same as 80 series? 5 lug in 105 vs 6 lug in 80. Do they come with factory front and rear lockers in Australia market?

3. Any other general areas I should be looking for / pay attention to when searching for the right car, rust of course, but other than that? 98/99 model years to stay within 25 year rule.

4. First time importing, I know it's going to be a lot of work, if someone has any experience, please let me know, I'd love to know more about the whole process than what google is spitting out.

Thanks in advance!

 

[OEMGUY0720]

2. Is there axle the same as 80 series? 5 lug in 105 vs 6 lug in 80. Do they come with factory front and rear lockers in Australia market?

Yes same architecture except the lug pattern. I haven’t seen a 105 (asia and africa UN units) that came with factory electronic rear or front locker. The GCC 100 series VX and VX•R (which is IFS) has that F & R electronic locker option, can’t speak for a 105.

3. Any other general areas I should be looking for / pay attention to when searching for the right car, rust of course, but other than that? 98/99 model years to stay within 25 year rule.

As long as rust is your #1 non-negotiable item pre-purchase, you should be goo. A 105 is stout model, similar to an 80.

 

[willyroo]

The 105 will be from Australia. It only came with 1HZ as diesel there, and the auto R151 not strong enough when boosted.

Greetings from Oz

The 105 came as 1HZ and 1FZ

The 1HZ is a long lived lump of a thing (I say that with great affection!), and many have been turbo'd. However a lot of anecdotal experience is that unless you really know your stuff, especially managing EGTs, premature death is a distinct possibility. There was a long thread on LCool (LC owners forum in Oz now RIP) which had a lot of discussion about multiple failed 1HZs due to forced induction.

Quite a few people have transplanted 1HD-FTs and 1HD-FTEs into 105s. While your acquisition cost will be much higher, you'll end end with a much more reliable solution.

And if you want boosted diesel and solid axles, why not look for an 80-series 1HD-FT? Pretty much the same chassis, and the 1HD was factory installed, not retrofitted. The models here were HDJ80R and HDJ81V.

With rust, many older LCs here get to do beach work, so absolutely make sure you get a thorough check done.

(Strewth - just had a look on Carsales - good 1HD 80s are $$$)

 

[370HSSV]

Thank you guys for the input. after browsing around, I only saw one FZJ105 with factory front and rear locker switch with axle code A04A. I can't really tell about locker actuator from pictures, because they are taken from the left side of vehicle. I just want to make sure this truck have the lockers and not just a dummy switch. I also acquired the VIN number, does the VIN be able to tell me about the axles are locked or not? If so, which digit tells me about this information. First couple digits are as following JT711UJA5........

I am not 100% set on 1HZ diesel, I think the 105 is a good mixture of some proven chassis and axle and a little bit of modern cab feature than 80 series.

 

[Malleus]

The VIN is a sequential build number; it doesn't have the codes in it like US cars did, once upon a time. However, the axle code will be on the VIN label. That has the info you want. If you have the VIN of the truck they're selling, ask for a photo of the VIN tag with that number on it.

 

[willyroo]

FZJ105 with factory front and rear locker switch with axle code A04A

The FZJ105 and HZJ105 in Australia didn't come with lockers standard - they were an extra cost option.

 

[370HSSV]

The VIN is a sequential build number; it doesn't have the codes in it like US cars did, once upon a time. However, the axle code will be on the VIN label. That has the info you want. If you have the VIN of the truck they're selling, ask for a photo of the VIN tag with that number on it.

It's A04A axle code.

 

[John Young]

I am daily driving Mr. Blue right now, and you know what--I'm fine with the power. It gets me around and the MPG is good. Still contemplating a very mild turbo, but it really would not be essential for my use of the truck. I'd recommend getting what you can get, set up the engine correctly and see what you actually think, after.

 

[beatle_bayly]

You are really gonna struggle to find a HZJ105 in Oz with factory lockers, in decent condition. And LC prices in Oz are very high so you are paying a premium to begin with, on a high mileage car. Don't be fooled into believing you can simply turbocharge a 1HZ to give you 1HDFTE 'performance' and reliability.

There are plenty of aftermarket diff lock options so I wouldn't lose sleep over factory lockers.

You could do better by building a fully-tricked 80 series using a local US vehicle as the base, if you absolutely must have a solid front axle. A nice FZJ80 with aftermarket low-boost turbocharger would be my pick if I were Stateside. You'll save yourself time, money, and heartache. And having the steering wheel on the wrong side is only a novelty for a short period... About the only thing the 105 has over the 80 is slightly more room in the second row seats. All the rest is just more stuff to go wrong (HVAC stepper motors for one....).

You may also find that the Aussie 105 is quite basic compared to a US 80 series. US specifications seem much higher than the equivalent Australian models.

Pretty sure all HZ105s got the weaker R151 manual box. Turbodiesel 80/100 and FZJ80/100/105 got the H151 manual. Auto HZJ105 will be the 4-speed A442F.

I don't know about the 105, but for the 100, people complain about high highway RPM with the manual transmissions. On the other hand, you'll need to wring the neck of a HZ to get anywhere so manual is probably the best match to the engine. But any HZJ105 is going to become very tiresome very quickly on US highways. You might end up needing to swap diff ratios, giving you opportunity to fit aftermarket lockers .