Build 1995 80 Series Land Cruiser Build Thread - "Red"

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Sitting at a stop light this afternoon Red threw a solid check engine light. I'll get over to the auto store in the morning for them to read the codes. She drove just fine after two stops and a couple miles. I'll report in the morning with the codes.
 
Codes are as follows: P0130 (Bank 1 Sensor 1) Circuit Malfunction, and P0133 (Bank 1 Sensor 1) Heated Oxygen Sensor Circuit Slow Response

Short story is I've got a bad O2 sensor. Now I have to figure which of the two is sensor 1, and where to acquire said part. OEM or aftermarket?
 
To close the loop on the O2 sensor it is the forward one (upstream of the cat) that went bad. The dealership wanted 170$ for the part, the local auto parts store wanted 70$ for a Bosch OEM so I went that route. I haven't replaced it yet because I know the nuts/studs are corroded all to hell. It probably going to turn into a couple hour job.
That being said I did do the front axle rebuild. It took me three mornings (approx. 18 hours of work) to do both sides. Now that I've done it I could probably do it in 8-10 hours. The cleaning takes up a lot of time. I have nothing to add that isn't mentioned in the various How-To threads already available except double check your torque numbers. There are in-lbs and ft-lbs involved so don't muss it up. Also, if you have a break type torque wrench be careful with the conical washer nuts (i.e. the hub nuts). Because the conical washers compress I think it makes it difficult for these types of wrenches to work properly. I snapped a stud before I just went with "Yeah that feels like 26 ft-lbs." You can get to these studs without removing anything so checking the tightness down the road is easy. Easier than replacing a broken stud...
I've driven almost 1000 miles since the job and everything seems to be running just fine. The kit and instruction from Cruiser Outfitters was top notch and I had no questions during the install.
Just to reiterate this is a messy job! I went through 8 rolls of cheap paper towels. Also, I used 5 or 6 tubes of the Palladium grease. I forget now. It was a good amount.
I'm sure I made a mistake so I will probably be doing this job again somewhere down the line.

Now that all of the PM is done it's time to start shopping for wheels. I already know I'm going with the KO2s in 35" variety, I just need to pick out rims...
 
I replaced the O2 sensor yesterday and cleared the CEL this morning. You need to pull the EFI 15A Fuse. Not the EFI Main fuse, although that might work, I'm not sure. I pulled the 15A fuse and the light did clear.
The bad news is it came right back this afternoon so more searching for me. I will also be testing the new O2 sensor's resistance to verify it isn't bad out of the box. If anyone has any ideas I am all ears.
I have been checking out tires. Right now I'm trying to decide between steel wheels or alloys. Again, any input is appreciated.
I've decided on US Wheel. I like several of their offerings and I'm trying to decide between two. It is will be based on the steel/alloy results.
Also, I had the shop weld up my caster correction plates per instruction today while I was getting the truck state inspected.
 
neatus said:
Will you be wheeling in very rocky terrain? If so steel is probably a good investment. Looks wise there are so many good looking alloys.
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Probably not going to be wheeling in rocky stuff much, if at all. I'm thinking more overlanding, end of the world scenario. :-) Everything I can read says steel wheels are heavier, better for snow applications, bad for MPG and unsprung weight. Alloys look better, and are lighter. That's pretty much all the info I can find.
 
Current thoughts on wheels:

US Wheel 17x9 Stealth Crawlers
35x12.5 Pitbull tires

I need to do more research into the tires but I'm excited they're made in the US. The rims are a bit of an experiment. I normally go black on black but since that look is everywhere now I'm trying something different. I'm hoping the desert tan works with the oak interior and the red of the truck. If I hate it I'll sell them and go with the Method 5 spoke alloys or just replace them with the matte black version. But I think it'll look good. If the pitbulls fall through I'll go with the BF Goodrich KO2s everyone seems to like.

From what I can find stock offset is 0 and the stock backspacing is 4.5". This is for a 95 LC so it came stock with the 16" wheels. I'm curious how going up to a 17" rim will affect things. The US Wheel has a backspacing of 5" and an offset of 0 so it should work out alright.
With steel wheels the weight is a concern. These US Wheel varieties will weigh in at 42lbs a piece. I am going to weigh the spare alloy stock rim I've got at the house for comparison tomorrow.

I will need to figure out what the lug nut thread pitch is (M12x1.5) and what I will need for these wheels. And I'm still working on finding the cause of my two error codes.
 
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elhombre said:
Just wanted to add that the problems others had always seemed to involve Bosch sensors. Brought to you by your friendly knowledgeable parts guys and gals at Autozone.
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Wish I had read this first...I've got the Denso unit in my amazon shopping cart. Should be able to replace this weekend. Taxes are filed, waiting on the return for the wheels/tires. Of course now I'm trying to decide if I want to do that or go front bumper, exhaust restoration and seat covers for the same money...Such tough decisions!
 
Great news is that the denso unit cleared my check engine light. Bad news is that I wasted money on that bosche unit.
I've ordered up the wheels and tires. I can't wait to see how the 35x12.5 change the truck. I've got the stock rims with 31" LT tires on the truck now. So I should get a 2" axle lift and it should fill in the wheel really nicely. Since the lift the 31s have looked way too small.
I also spent some cash at blue ridge overland gear. If you haven't been to their website I highly recommend it! They have solutions to problems you didn't know existed. Pictures will be posted as things come in.
 
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Christmas Part 1/2.
Tires arrived. Wife says "they are huge".
 
I swapped out the "oh no" handles for a set from Southeast Overland. They come in orange, silver or blue. I went with the orange. I had to change the hardware and they don't slip over the stock "oh no" handles like in the pictures on Southeast Overlands website, but overall I really like them. They bling up the interior and actually give you something to grab from outside the truck. My wife will appreciate that when I get the 35s on this week.

I ordered 4 of them so I needed 8 6mmx1.00x20 bolts, 8 washers each of 1/4 and 3/8. Just take the line into Lowes and get the bolts and then find the washers to match. That's what I did.

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I received a couple of things I ordered from Blue Ridge Overland yesterday. It is their recovery bag that includes two soft shackles and an ARB snatch strap. I also got a visor organizer. It has molle on one side and Velcro on the other. It also has a zippered pocket on the molle side. I don't plan on attaching anything to it so I put it Velcro side out so that I can attach some morale patches to it. The zipper pocket will be used to store my registration etc. I plan on ordering a second one for the passenger side visor. To that I will attach a basic first aid kit.
I highly recommend their stuff. I have several of their products and it is all high quality with quick ship times.
www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com

My rims shipped yesterday so I should get them by Wednesday of next week. I can't wait.
 
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When I got home this afternoon I had a surprise waiting for me. FedEx had delivered my rims a day early! I called up Discount Tire in Denver NC and they said they weren't busy at all so I loaded up the stuff.
It didn't take them long to mount, balance and install the tires. My now full size spare is in the back. With steel rims and the big rubber I wasn't confident I could unload it from the roof rack by myself if it ever came to it so until I get the rear tire carrier that is where it is going to spend it's time. If I ever go camping with more than one person I'll temporarily stow it overhead.
I think it looks great. The sand rims were an experiment but so far I love it. I am very happy both my rims and tires are made in the USA. The ride home from the tire shop was smoother and drove much better than the prior set. I think with the life it appreciates a little more tire in the handling. I'm not sure how much the extra weight is stabilizing the truck either though.
Even my wife like it! Which is pretty unheard of. So except for small modifications I am probably done until we go with new bumpers all around!

What are yall's thoughts on the color combination? I understand it may not be for everyone I just didn't want to do black on black again.

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Wow Chris, I feel really bad about that front main seal. It was absolutely my fault! When I was replacing it, I couldn't find any information on which side of the seal was supposed to face toward the engine. I'm really sorry, buddy!

Anyways, I LOVE what you've done with the Cruiser. The wheels and lift look great! I love that you left the WVU sticker on it, as well!

I gotta say, I miss her. At the time I sold her, I was really hot on getting a car that would let me row my owns gears. Now I find myself looking at Land Cruisers again. It's the only vehicle I regret selling!
 
jbrewster said:
Wow Chris, I feel really bad about that front main seal. It was absolutely my fault! When I was replacing it, I couldn't find any information on which side of the seal was supposed to face toward the engine. I'm really sorry, buddy!

Anyways, I LOVE what you've done with the Cruiser. The wheels and lift look great! I love that you left the WVU sticker on it, as well!

I gotta say, I miss her. At the time I sold her, I was really hot on getting a car that would let me row my owns gears. Now I find myself looking at Land Cruisers again. It's the only vehicle I regret selling!
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I make it a habit to keep the stickers from the PO if I can. I consider it a part of the vehicles history. Don't worry about the front main seal. I could have done the same thing!!! It is definitely an easy mistake.
If you ever want to buy her back I'll sell it to you really cheap! :-) Probably not, but if I do ever sell the truck you'll be the first person I call. How is school going??
 
Phares said:
I make it a habit to keep the stickers from the PO if I can. I consider it a part of the vehicles history. Don't worry about the front main seal. I could have done the same thing!!! It is definitely an easy mistake.
If you ever want to buy her back I'll sell it to you really cheap! :) Probably not, but if I do ever sell the truck you'll be the first person I call. How is school going??
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If you ever sell her, I absolutely want first dibs! Keep up the good work on the Cruiser. I expect it to be fully decked out when I get it back. :rofl:
WVU actually let me graduate. Can you believe it? I passed the bar last year and got a job, too. Life is good. :beer:
 
jbrewster said:
If you ever sell her, I absolutely want first dibs! Keep up the good work on the Cruiser. I expect it to be fully decked out when I get it back. :rofl:
WVU actually let me graduate. Can you believe it? I passed the bar last year and got a job, too. Life is good. :beer:
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Now that you're a lawyer I imagine you can afford a nicer 80 than "ours". Congratulations on the Bar exam. That is awesome.
 
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