1991 newbie help

[wamma]

Guys, Im new to the site and I must say wow! its some great info.Last year I bought a 1991 80 with 145,000 miles on it from Arizona,in my eyes mint condition between the 3in lift the rims and tires rancho suspension,front pushbar,and the mint body no ruuust!!! I brought it to a local toyo dealer(my wife is a manager at) to have it checked out and the mechanic offered me 7800.00/considering I bought it for 5,600.00 I was very happy.Anyway mechanically nothing wrong except for a cracked battery wire.I have a couple of questions the truck is very slow/horrible pick up and it sought of sounds a little pingy/it now has 158,000 should I get the motor rebuilt?about how much? anything I can do to the gearing etc?Is it worth the investment?I absolutely love this truck.I am not very mechanical so doing myself is out.Thanks Mike I will post some pics as soon as I figure out how

 

[wamma]

Sorry

I forgot to say Im from Long Island NY

 

[MoJ]

Congrats and Welcome!

A 3FE shouldn't need a rebuild for a long long time - think closer to 300k providing its had average preventive maintenance. The 4.0 3FE in the 91-92 FJ80's is a bit of a dog. I used to own a 91 and never really considered it unsuitable but it definetely was a little underpowered. Consider it a trade off for more than excellent reliability of the 3FE. I would concentrate on making sure it's in tip top shape. If you have larger than stock tires regearing may be a help.

 

[Jason Andrews]

Welcome!

First check the FAQ for some easy tune-up ideas. Any maintenance records on it?? To help the gearing drive it in third most of the time up to 60mph. Start with new plugs,wires, cap and rotor, air and fuel filter, all new fluids in 3diffs+ rad,+tranny.....and some BG44K

 

[wamma]

newbie

THANKS GUYS KEEP EM COMING I AM IN THE PROCESS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE WHAT IS BG44K PLEASE?

 

[tarbe]

You just need to concentrate on changing your attitude when driving this thing.

Take your time, enjoy the scenery and don't be in a hurry. You'll learn to appreciate different things...

You gotta get the 3FE attitude adjustment

 

[wamma]

newbie

just sat down and went through all the service records dating back to sept 2001 i was astonished to see whats been done to this truck all totaling a whopping 13,337 dollars Ill keep the list short 3" power lift rancho 9000 suspension 33-12.5-15 Goodyear ATS with black 15x10 rims$ 4,400 kenwood sound system with 6 cd changer subwoofer etc $1300/ axel bearings/seals,a/c,new lines,new radiator,gaskets.belts/valve cover gasket,reardiff,resealed front trunnions,new alternater,oil pan gasket,optima battery,smog pump,etc etc I dont even know what half these things are/seems like he brought the truck in every year for tune up and all records of oil changes back to 2001/I am amazed at how well this truck has been taken care of.now I have to continue/ what Ive done since I bought it last year new air filter, plugs, wires front and rear brakes new front rotors,new bearings and wheel seals,brake master cylinder thats it for now I love this site never thought so many people were into LC again thanks MIKE

 

[Beowulf]

Mike,
Work on making your posts more lucid. It helps us understand what you are asking of us.

If you are asking us to review the list of mods and attempt to identify what might have been done (or not done) that would cause it do be a dog as far as performance, then I would suggest changing back to stock tyre size. You have 33" tyres (IIRC, stock was 30") with a 3FE so that changes your effective gearing.

The other option, assuming you want to keep the 33" tyres, is to regear; 4.56 would be what I would recommend.

-B-

 

[Beowulf]

THANKS GUYS KEEP EM COMING I AM IN THE PROCESS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE WHAT IS BG44K PLEASE?

BG44K is a fuel additive to clean the system. It is good stuff as is the Red Line product and the Techron product. It's spendy though.

In this new fangled internet world, using all upper case indicates you are shouting at us. If this was your intent then fine. If this was not your intent then it is considered rude to shout at people.

-B-

 

[GXO]

Love the 3FE, it will love you back.

 

[wamma]

newbie

Beowulf sorry about the upper case/I guess my questions are confusing I really dont know much when it comes to the whole off road thing as far as mods to the trucks/I bought the truck cause I love the body style of it and the truck is just so clean/I plan on keeping it and I was just wondering what I could do to make it better as far as the mechanical side of it.Then when i saw what was done to it and the money that was invested it makes me want to better it even more and I would enjoy it if i could do some stuff myself.Is it costly to change the gear to 4.56 and what would it do.I just dont know and thanks for the explanation of BG44K.My main question besides the gearing would be the pinging noise,I was thinking the valves but dont know thanks Mike

 

[psfpilot]

Beowulf sorry about the upper case/I guess my questions are confusing I really dont know much when it comes to the whole off road thing as far as mods to the trucks/I bought the truck cause I love the body style of it and the truck is just so clean/I plan on keeping it and I was just wondering what I could do to make it better as far as the mechanical side of it.Then when i saw what was done to it and the money that was invested it makes me want to better it even more and I would enjoy it if i could do some stuff myself.Is it costly to change the gear to 4.56 and what would it do.I just dont know and thanks for the explanation of BG44K.My main question besides the gearing would be the pinging noise,I was thinking the valves but dont know thanks Mike

Hello Mike,

It might be a bit easier to read your posts if you double space between paragraphs.

As far as the pinging, yes, having the valve lash adjusted might help it be a bit smoother and remove some of the pinging. I know ours felt smoother and just a little bit more powerful after having the valve lash adjusted by a mechanic. If you are mechanically inclined, you could do it yourself by following the instructions in a FSM (Factory Service Manual).

The FSM is more exepensive than the cheap aftermarket manuals, but it is more detailed and covers a greater number of maintenance procedures that you can perform to keep your vehicle running in tip-top shape. I highly recommend the FSM because it can more than pay for itself in saved mechanic's bills.

The factory tire size is 31x10.5 R15.

Beo drives a FZJ80 ('93-'97), which is why he had to guess on the stock tire size. The '91-'92 years have the same body but a smaller, less powerful motor along with some other differences and are referred to as an FJ80.

If you want to learn a lot about your rig, try the FAQ at the top of the 80 Series Tech forum page.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Beowulf]

Beowulf [ramble... ramble... ramble] Mike

Mike,

It may seem like I'm picking on you but your posts are very difficult for me to follow. I am old, have poor eyesight, and cranky. It seems like you are just spurting out thoughts as they come into your head and quite frankly, I can't follow where you're going and I can't parse out the questions from the commentary.

A good way to call attention to your questions is to make them clear and concise, followed by a question mark. Most of us browse these posts very quickly and we will be unable to follow your thoughts and find your questions if you don't make it easier for us. Am I making myself clear?

To answer your hidden question about the price of gears.... Yes, they are relatively expensive. You should expect to spend ~$1,000 for 4.56 gears plus the labor to install them. More or less depending on the labor rate where you live. More if you go for genuine Toyota gears. Selecting lower gears will compensate for the larger tyres you have. The trade-off for "over-gearing" is that your RPM/mile will increase and your speedo and odometer will be off unless you address this issue (more $$.)



-B-

 

[tusk74]

Mike,

The noise your engine is making might be loud injectors. Mine ticks and a valve adjustment didn't help. Actually, the valves were almost all within specs but I needed to replace the valve cover gasket anyway.

Hold a long screwdriver to one of the injectors and put your ear to the other end (the end with the handle. Sorry, don't know how much of a newbie you are). You should be able to locate the source of the noise, but my $$ is on the injectors. Nothing to worry about. It doesn't mean they are bad. Get used to the school bus acceleration characteristics. That's the nature of the 3FE. Look on the bright side, I bet your head gasket is in fine shape!

 

[wamma]

Tusk thanks I will definitely give it a try.If it is the injectors,is that costly to have replaced?

Also since you have the same truck,when taking my foot off the brake to go every once in a whaile I get a loud clunk?

Thr front end also shakes at around 60-65 then once you hit 70 it goes away is this in need of a balance(not my guess) or something else?

THANKS IN ADVANCE MIKE

 

[tusk74]

Mike,

I get the clunk once in a while too. There is a grease fitting on the driveshaft. Put some grease in there and the clunk might go away.....not too much though, you can actually start jacking your axle forward by pumping the grease in. I just pump a couple of times with my grease gun.

As far as the injectors go, why bother replacing them just because they are loud? If it runs good leave it alone. The injectors on the '91's seem to have a noticable clicking, but maybe they've been doing that forever?? Do the screwdriver "stethescope" trick and see if you get the most noise from the injectors. If you do, we are on the same page.

The front end shimmy seems familiar to me also. Check the tie rod ends and tire inflation. You may need to have the tires balanced.

These trucks seem to hold up pretty well. I was the same way you are right now pondering every rattle, click, leak, wobble, and lack of braking power. The things I've learned over the years are:

The valve cover gasket is the cause of most oil leaks even though you'd swear the rear main was leaking.

Working on the '91 is simple and even better if you buy a factory service manual.

When removing the oil filter have plenty of rags ready and position the drain pan wisely.

Keep an eye on the coolant hose directly under the oil filter. It will get soft from the oil bath it gets every 3000 miles.

Cruise control problem is probably speed sensor, but service manual guides you through a systematic troubleshooting process.

Cruiser Dan is the only guy to buy parts from. Your dealer will rip you off.

Sunroof leaks are common. Actually the sunroof is designed to leak, it's when the drain holes get plugged that it leaks inside (do a search).

The converter heat shield will rattle horribly.

It costs you $3.00 to drive 10 miles.

The only rust problem is on the liftgate.

They are bullet proof trucks that are hard to part with. I paid $3800 for mine and would refuse any offer to buy it (within reason).

Good luck

 

[Lka1988]

Thr front end also shakes at around 60-65 then once you hit 70 it goes away is this in need of a balance(not my guess) or something else?

I believe it's the tie rod..I've got the same problem. I checked mine out yesterday, the seal thing on the passenger side is torn, so I think that's the problem. A wheel balancing may help out, though.