1996 80 series needs new motor is it worth it?

[RedCruiser80]

Wait a minute. Are you saying that your truck had overheating issues at 34k. And ten years later the problem manifested itself as a blown HG???? Sorry to hijack the thread. Is that typical???? I just have this crazy picture that all if a sudden, while you are driving, the engine or the radiator just blows. Or if I read between the lines you stalled or slowed down the head gasket from blowing for ten years??????????

Well, I guess I made it too much like the Reader's Digest version. My apologies.

Here's what happened: For the first year or so after I bought RedCruiser she ran fine. Not a whimper. I took her out all over So. Cal. to the Upper Mojave (Jawbone Canyon, etc.), Anza Borrego Desert, Big Bear, etc. I think it was during the 3rd year (maybe 2002) the little heater hose behind the engine popped a very small leak. I didn't really notice it but during the summer I was on the freeway out by Palm Springs and the coolant level dropped enough to send the hot needle all the way to max. I pulled over as quickly as I could and filled up the radiator and went on my way--filling up periodically until I got home.

After a couple of trips to a guy that didn't know LC's that well, we found that pesky hose and replaced it. Then the next year or so (again in the summer) the radiator sprang a leak and the engine, again, overheated pretty badly on the freeway. So I had two episodes of serious overheating within a couple of years. A couple of years after that I started losing coolant and nobody, including the guys at TLC in Van Nuys, CA, could find a leak.

Well, finally, I found a guy at Arrow Automotive in Azusa, CA who was recommended to me that found the leak (a very small crack) inside the head. He replaced the head with a rebuilt and off I went. Everyone I spoke to said that the worst thing you can do is overheat any engine with an aluminum head or block. So now with the head fixed off I went on many more 'wheeling adventures with no troubles.

The other thing I should tell you is that for several years I pulled a 7x16' Haulmark enclosed cargo trailer often with a gross weight of 3,500lbs to 5,000lbs from California to Arizona. In that three years I probably made that trip 40 to 50 times. So RedCruiser's original engine had quite a workout by the time it got to 200,000 miles and died.

I was very happy that it lasted so long considering the beating it took taking me hither and thither and yon off road and pulling a fairly heavy trailer back and forth from Arizona to California. The best advice I can give if you live in a hot area is swap the radiator for a 3-row (stock is a 2-row) and check the heater hose in back of the head periodically and if it's at all suspect, replace it. Do that and you should never have an overheating problem.

So that's the story. IMHO, a Land Cruiser's engine is one tough puppy and able to take massive punishment. I made the mistake of letting it super overheat a couple of times and that cost me a head and I'm sure weakened the rest of the internals. Then I beat the stuffing out of it 4-wheeling and pulling my trailer which, of course, is my fault. I'm very happy with the replacement Toy engine and although it would be very cool to have 300+hp and 500+pound feet of torque under the hood with a diesel, until I put another few hundred thou on this one, I'm cool enough. No tractor pulls for me.

 

[OG 91 LC]

Well, I guess I made it too much like the Reader's Digest version. My apologies.

Here's what happened: For the first year or so after I bought RedCruiser she ran fine. Not a whimper. I took her out all over So. Cal. to the Upper Mojave (Jawbone Canyon, etc.), Anza Borrego Desert, Big Bear, etc. I think it was during the 3rd year (maybe 2002) the little heater hose behind the engine popped a very small leak. I didn't really notice it but during the summer I was on the freeway out by Palm Springs and the coolant level dropped enough to send the hot needle all the way to max. I pulled over as quickly as I could and filled up the radiator and went on my way--filling up periodically until I got home.

After a couple of trips to a guy that didn't know LC's that well, we found that pesky hose and replaced it. Then the next year or so (again in the summer) the radiator sprang a leak and the engine, again, overheated pretty badly on the freeway. So I had two episodes of serious overheating within a couple of years. A couple of years after that I started losing coolant and nobody, including the guys at TLC in Van Nuys, CA, could find a leak.

Well, finally, I found a guy at Arrow Automotive in Azusa, CA who was recommended to me that found the leak (a very small crack) inside the head. He replaced the head with a rebuilt and off I went. Everyone I spoke to said that the worst thing you can do is overheat any engine with an aluminum head or block. So now with the head fixed off I went on many more 'wheeling adventures with no troubles.

The other thing I should tell you is that for several years I pulled a 7x16' Haulmark enclosed cargo trailer often with a gross weight of 3,500lbs to 5,000lbs from California to Arizona. In that three years I probably made that trip 40 to 50 times. So RedCruiser's original engine had quite a workout by the time it got to 200,000 miles and died.

I was very happy that it lasted so long considering the beating it took taking me hither and thither and yon off road and pulling a fairly heavy trailer back and forth from Arizona to California. The best advice I can give if you live in a hot area is swap the radiator for a 3-row (stock is a 2-row) and check the heater hose in back of the head periodically and if it's at all suspect, replace it. Do that and you should never have an overheating problem.

So that's the story. IMHO, a Land Cruiser's engine is one tough puppy and able to take massive punishment. I made the mistake of letting it super overheat a couple of times and that cost me a head and I'm sure weakened the rest of the internals. Then I beat the stuffing out of it 4-wheeling and pulling my trailer which, of course, is my fault. I'm very happy with the replacement Toy engine and although it would be very cool to have 300+hp and 500+pound feet of torque under the hood with a diesel, until I put another few hundred thou on this one, I'm cool enough. No tractor pulls for me.

No need to apologize. Thanks for clearing up and painting a better picture of RedCruiser's life. The reason I asked this question is that my 206k mile '96 LC had its radiator changed a few years back. Found some sludge on radiator cap. It's about 2 months new to me. No signs of HG issues. No white smoke or misfiring. No overheating. Of course I like everyone else here is trying to avoid HG failure. My cousin, being a Toyota Technician, claimed that there is signs of electrolysis around the head. He claims that's typical. Weather and elements. And to relate this to the OP and this thread: I'm trying to avoid HG failure. And if it failed I'd swap in a used engine. Thanks.

 

[allan man]

The other thing I should tell you is that for several years I pulled a 7x16' Haulmark enclosed cargo trailer often with a gross weight of 3,500lbs to 5,000lbs from California to Arizona. In that three years I probably made that trip 40 to 50 times. So RedCruiser's original engine had quite a workout by the time it got to 200,000 miles and died.

I was very happy that it lasted so long considering the beating it took taking me hither and thither and yon off road and pulling a fairly heavy trailer back and forth from Arizona to California. The best advice I can give if you live in a hot area is swap the radiator for a 3-row (stock is a 2-row) and check the heater hose in back .

So from the time you got it with 34k up to 200k .....any tranny issues?

 

[RedCruiser80]

So from the time you got it with 34k up to 200k .....any tranny issues?

And there's the other issue that's very nearly a miracle to me. After all the towing I've done and hard 'wheeling, after I put in the new engine I figured the tranny was sure to be next. It wasn't showing any signs of failure; shifting was positive and little slippage was apparent. I made sure to change the fluid at regular intervals to put off problems as long as possible.

Even so, I figured I was in for a failure simply due to a strong engine put in front of a well-used tranny. So I found this outfit in So. Cal. and began preparing for a fairly major output of funds for their turnkey tranny.

That was nearly three-and-a-half years ago. The OEM tranny is holding up well but I'm keeping an eye on it and keeping the fluid fresh. I've thought about changing to Royal Purple tranny fluid but I'm fearful of doing anything that might upset her.

I don't tow much anymore but I still regularly take RedCruiser out to play in the dirt quite often so I suspect one of these days I'll start feeling some slippage and know it will be time to cough up some dough for the hot rod tranny.

Again, I'm so impressed with Land Cruiser toughness I can't begin to express it. I just really need a set of rock sliders--saving more pennies. Since my son-in-law painted RedCruiser last summer I regularly get offers to buy her. No probability of that happening.

I wonder what it would cost to be buried in a Land Cruiser?