2F engine longevity question (1 Viewer)

[CarDude]

Is a hundred and ninety thousand miles a lot of miles for a 2F? I know there is a lot of factors that go into determining the life span of a engine I was just wondering if it is unheard of to have a 2F with that kind of mileage and not need a rebuild.

PS: its in a 1981 FJ40

Thanks

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Relax. They last a long time. I've got and original one at 260K miles and it still runs strong. I think well maintained, they will just very gradually loose compression.

There's a guy on the FJ60 forum with >400k on an untouched motor.

Longevity is not the problem, but all motors wear over time.

Keep fresh oil in it, adjust the valves, and stay way on top of the cooling, and it could last the rest of your life.

 

[CarDude]

Relax. They last a long time. I've got and original one at 260K miles and it still runs strong. I think well maintained, they will just very gradually loose compression.

There's a guy on the FJ60 forum with >400k on an untouched motor.

Longevity is not the problem, but all motors wear over time.

Keep fresh oil in it, adjust the valves, and stay way on top of the cooling, and it could last the rest of your life.

Thanks I am looking for a second FJ40 that I can just drive and have to do very little to while me and my son work on my 1970 FJ40. I found a 81 and it looks to be in great shape but it has 190 thousand miles on it. The good thing is it's only about a hour away so I will be able to check it out in person.
Thanks

 

[honk]

Thanks I am looking for a second FJ40 that I can just drive and have to do very little to while me and my son work on my 1970 FJ40.

Good luck with that.

 

[Ristretto]

140 K miles on my 82 and its pretty strong.

 

[cjgoode]

It all depends on how it was maintained or abused. real low oil pressure would indicate possible end of life and need or a rebuild as well as low compression. We always called them gas powered diesels back in the day because they have a lot of low end torque, sound like a diesel and can run for ever. If it is running good now, no reason it will not keep running good for a long time to come, plus the likelihood of finding one with a lot lower miles is slim, with the odometers rolling over at 100k, the true millage on most of these old FJ40's is unknown. 50k, 150k, 250k hard to know for sure, and that is assuming the odometer was working its entire life and the correct odometer for that engine.

 

[1911]

Relax. They last a long time. I've got and original one at 260K miles and it still runs strong. I think well maintained, they will just very gradually loose compression.

There's a guy on the FJ60 forum with >400k on an untouched motor.

Longevity is not the problem, but all motors wear over time.

Keep fresh oil in it, adjust the valves, and stay way on top of the cooling, and it could last the rest of your life.

This.

The 2F was designed to be a long-lasting high-torque motor that was easy to maintain and service, sacrificing hp, fuel economy, and weight to obtain these goals. Hence, it is made of cast iron, has relatively low compression, simple (but inefficient) intake and exhaust, pushrod-operated valves, timing gears (no belt or chain), runs at low rpm's, etc.

 

[Indygbd]

I had a 2F engine with 362,000 miles that still ran strong. I would not worry about miles. Someone else said it best. If it has been maintained I would drive it until the wheels fell off. I would have taken mine on a trip across the country.

 

[micruz60]

All the above...
The '77 I have has just under 198,500 miles. Having corrected PO issues, and maintained as per fsm it should be a strong runner up to and beyond 300k.
The '87 I have ran great up to 304k before a detonated sparkplug created a blowby symptom, and has a rebuilt 2f replacement...

 

[Tysano]

Mine went 340,000 and only failed due to a loss of oil pressure
( but that's a whole different story not the motors fault)

 

[JohnnyC]

Mine that went ~ 500,000 was still running as my DD ... Only pulled it because of all the oil leaks

Mine was a 74' 'F and a half' engine ... Replaced it with a 30k 74' F.5 ... Should be good for a while

 

[Landpimp]

81+ have million(999,999.9) mile(not 100k odometers.

My 82 has 145k. Burns no oil, runs like new, I expect it to last the rest if my life

 

[RustyR]

Is there any way to figure out the 1st digit of your mileage once the odometer has rolled. It only shows 5 figures so I don't know if my '77 FJ40 has 108,000 miles, 208,000 miles, or what. Thanks.

 

[honk]

Although asking only about engine longevity initially in post #3 PO expresses his hopes to have a second FJ40 which will not require he or his son's distraction from the work on their existing 1970 FJ40.

There's more to an FJ40 than its engine. Who here has a very reliable engine in a truck which requires a considerable amount of time and funds simply keeping things roadworthy and also making things better in so many ways? Let me be first to raise my hand.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Funny-I think the OP just wants another FJ40 and this justifies it to his wife. It's always a good dodge to involve the offspring!

All FJ40s need work, as the parts and systems are just worn out after 40 years. Brakes, steering, electrical will all need attention. It's likely the mechanical parts will be sound-like engine, transmission, axles etc, but even those will need maintenance work. As @honk says, there's a lot more to an FJ40 than just the engine.

@CarDude post up pics when you go and get the new beast!

 

[CarDude]

Funny-I think the OP just wants another FJ40 and this justifies it to his wife. It's always a good dodge to involve the offspring!

All FJ40s need work, as the parts and systems are just worn out after 40 years. Brakes, steering, electrical will all need attention. It's likely the mechanical parts will be sound-like engine, transmission, axles etc, but even those will need maintenance work. As @honk says, there's a lot more to an FJ40 than just the engine.

@CarDude post up pics when you go and get the new beast!

Hey what happened to the code of silents I mean man hood no ah fj40 owner ship we can't be posting things like this in case our wifes decide to do some reading .

Cruiserdrew you are so correct but I do have my wife on my side .my son is big into computers he also has a robotic club that he belongs to st school.
So the thinking on this is he will learn how to work on the 1970 fj40 and when he get his drivers license he can use it to drive to school. The hope is he will learn the mechanical stuff not just compthing and have a appreciation for the vehicle that he is driving .

 

[CarDude]

This is one that I am going to check out.I think the Price is a little high

Toyota: Land Cruiser

 

[Cruiserdrew]

This is one that I am going to check out.I think the Price is a little high

Toyota: Land Cruiser

Pretty nice looking Land Cruiser. The only negative I see is the Weber carb and the partial desmog. And the weird add on steering stabilizer leaving the factory one in place. Lots of good in that truck though-factory power steering, lots of new parts. The seller is also a bit heavy on the "I'm not a mechanic" thing, but if he isn't a mechanic, he's paid for a whole lot of work.

Given the paint, I'd take a magnet and make sure the rear quarters are metal and not bondo. Look very carefully near the rear spring hangers for frame rot.

Make sure you get the hard top and all of it's parts, as well as the ambulance doors.

Good luck, I hope you end up with a 40 that nice.

 

[CarDude]

This is my 1970 .it is in need of a transmission and transfer case rebulid. It makes a clunking noise at a low speed while in first gear.and it no longer holds transmission oil .we are going to pull it our selves and then see if its worth rebuilding are just find a replacement. Then I need to replace the bed floor and it has a little rust on the drivers side rocker.

 

[drnekFJ40]

Sweet trucks-both blue and green....On ebay today there is yellow mustard one from Cali with dark windows-looks like a great truck too...same price as your blue.Enjoy your new truck if you will get it..Mike