2LTE fuel pump issues

[gatier]

Well i have been in this business over 30 years,my english are not that good,,, so excuse. this nice person came to me this afternoon & i check it out for him free & tell him what is going on. he left, thanks me for that, welcome & now i c him post on the net asking for help, what more can i do to help. the breather has so much blow by to the point that you can see visible blue smoke! engine do not sound healthy ,sound rough to me,,, now you tell me should i just keep quiet or,,, help me out.thanks in advance. infect i am just trying to help him out on that situation ,it is up to him to decide what to do,his injectors are just done by fred holmes. compression are tested by others shop with 480 psi across & bunch of others test are done by other mechanics & finally come to me for advice.so tell me did i make a bad post?

Hey, Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your help, also from John and Jeff! Every opinion is taken and I am still thinking what will be the next step. I know, oil goes through the seals of the turbo back into the engine and this could cause the blue smoke? I don't get any smoke under load, or using engine brake.
I will try to have the pump fixed first and start or finish right there.
cheers Tomas

 

[crushers]

might be stupid but did you reset the odometer?
more than once i have seen people shocked with sudden fuel mileage change till they realize something as simple as forgetting comes into play.

is your fuel mileage still terrible this tank?

as for John the man barron, i share his opinion. the LJ is a troubled beast, sadly the engine is the problem, the rest of the truck is a wicked little beasty.

i would say sell it and buy a real cruiser but then some other sucker would be stuck with it.

 

[gatier]

might be stupid but did you reset the odometer?
more than once i have seen people shocked with sudden fuel mileage change till they realize something as simple as forgetting comes into play.

is your fuel mileage still terrible this tank?

as for John the man barron, i share his opinion. the LJ is a troubled beast, sadly the engine is the problem, the rest of the truck is a wicked little beasty.

i would say sell it and buy a real cruiser but then some other sucker would be stuck with it.

yeah, that was a good one... I forgot reset the odometer.
Hey wayne, don't you think if everybody would drive an HZJ 77 or an MB, there would'n be any Ih8mud, and also you guys would be without work?
I like this car and I try to keep it as long as possible.
Anyway, "new" pump is on the way, I'll let you know (if you are interested) how it works. I still don't know why, when I disconnect the connector for injection timing control, the car starts just perfect smoke free. Could be problem the sending unit causing the excessive diesel consumption?

 

[crushers]

too bad, i have a pump for a 2LTE sitting here looking for a new home. it was supposed to have been rebuilt (looks like it but who knows for sure) and off the LJ78 converted to PZJ78.

see here is what most of you don't understand or appreciate, 4 or 5 years ago now i put a stop to importing the LJ/LN series trucks because i saw the issue with the head. if all i cared about was money and not cared about my customers then why would i do that? i tried to talk numerous individuals AWAY from buying them including mister postman and that bloke from Calgary who bought one and headed off to Vancouver and never made it because the head cratered. i refuse to work on the 2LTE (and now have a similar distaste for KZTE engines) so, no, i am not "out of work" because of these engines.

sooner or later i see a post from someone that didn't listen to stay away. i make a warning based on experience, people respond with "but it is a Toyota" and buy one. then after a few more thousand invested they sell the dreaded engine to someone else and they in turn come on mud complaining about the fuel mileage, the lack of power, the head went south, the electrics are acting up and so on and so on.

like i said before, i love the LJ78 but hate the heart murmur. i now have a PZ installed in a LJ78 and i have to say this is what Toyota should have done. lots of power, one wire operation, smooth ride, cushy interior, lots of room and wicked off road.

yes, the ECU could be your issue but i hate electronics so i don't know.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

This is one of those rare occasions where both individuals have opposing views yet both are right. It is common knowledge that the stock 2L-TE has issues that most on the Forum are aware of however there are those who choose to ignore the information or in my case did not know the Forum even existed prior to buying the Cruiser. ( NO..I have had no issues with my LJ78 and YES..it has had the 3L head conversion.) Everyone on the Forum
says "change the engine" which is indeed good advice however not very practical for those on a limited budget. It is difficult to justify putting an engine in a Cruiser where the engine and installation is more costly than the vehicle it is going in. So there will be Forum members like me who will spend the money for required repairs and hope all goes well. From time to time I will ask Forum members for advice and it will be their decision to help or not. What other LJ owners nor I need is to be told over and over that we were idiots to buy the vehicle ( only my wife has that privledge). Obviously I am not going to drive 2,000 + miles to have my LJ worked on by a Canadian garage so I don't have a dog in that fight however my advice would be to put up a sign that states you "do not work on LJ's " if you do not want their business. I assume these garages have more business than they can handle and don't need to work on LJ's in the first place.
Simply my opinion......1978HJ45

 

[crushers]

actually, it isn't that we have so much work that we "don't need" the work. the problem is the clientel that come with the trucks. these are those frugal people that bought a LJ because it is cheaper than a real Land Cruiser. they show up and when they see the $4000 bill for a new head whine like babies and when they see the $2500 for recommendations they have a s*** fit.
AND
once this is all done there is still no guarrantee that the head won't crack or the electricals won't quite or the bottom end won't spin out.
so
instead of having a whining customer that is dumping huge amounts of money into a time bomb, some of us would rather they take their work elsewhere.

for me, it is the inability to feel secure that the head won't crack down the road so i would rather NOT take the customers hard earned money in the first place.

<disclaimer, not all LJ owners are whiners but a large number are.>

a Canadian garage so I don't have a dog in that fight however my advice would be to put up a sign that states you "do not work on LJ's " if you do not want their business. I assume these garages have more business than they can handle and don't need to work on LJ's in the first place.
Simply my opinion......1978HJ45

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Good Morning Wayne , First of all my "rant" was not directed at you. I actually appreciate the ( sometimes caustic) advice that you have given me in the past. I would like to think I am only whiney when my grits are runny and undercooked. ( its a Southern thing). Obviously I have no experience with the LJ market in Canada, however I can say they are not "cheap" by the time they eventually show up in the U.S. I guess us gullable Americans will buy anything that is as unique as the 70 Series.
I actually had a fellow Forum member here in the States tell me what a piece of crap the 2L-TE was and I should get rid of it. When I ask him what experience he had with the 2L-TE he admitted that he had never owned one but had read they were troublesome. These are my favorite people
Take care...........1978HJ45

 

[pradocruzer]

"the problem is the clientel that come with the trucks" I must admit there is a lot of truth in that statement. I find it even worse with the many Delica owners also. I bought my cruiser for the fact it was a people mover, solid axles and coiled all the way around. After it was in my drive way for a while I found this site. Almost threw up that day because I had know Idea Toyota screwed up so badly on their 2lte diesel. I have been very lucky on mine. Head and rad ect. are all original. The previous owner in Japan took care of my truck and I'am grateful for that. When I see my family in Japan I have stopped asking how there vehicles are running because every time I check the oil nothing shows on the dip stick. Excellent attention to detail on the in and out of their vehicles but seriously lacking in the maintenance department.
I do apoligize John Barron you have helped so many people out with your diagnostic skills and good advice. It's frustrating when have a great answer for the vehicles you like and the sell it answer for the ones you don't.
We SERIOUSLY need a sticky post for information on 2lte powered vehicles. I would rather see look at sticky in a post then you screwed up sell it.

Take Care

 

[prado t]

Good Morning Wayne , First of all my "rant" was not directed at you. I actually appreciate the ( sometimes caustic) advice that you have given me in the past. I would like to think I am only whiney when my grits are runny and undercooked. ( its a Southern thing). Obviously I have no experience with the LJ market in Canada, however I can say they are not "cheap" by the time they eventually show up in the U.S. I guess us gullable Americans will buy anything that is as unique as the 70 Series.
I actually had a fellow Forum member here in the States tell me what a piece of **** the 2L-TE was and I should get rid of it. When I ask him what experience he had with the 2L-TE he admitted that he had never owned one but had read they were troublesome. These are my favorite people
Take care...........1978HJ45

It sounds like you are IN LOVE with the man

 

[Gun Runner 5]

It sounds like you are IN LOVE with the man

He is one of my favorite Canadians among the handfull I know
.........1978HJ45

 

[crushers]

whew, i was thinking i might make some serious enemies with that post. glad you guys realized what i was trying to say instead of how i said it.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

He is one of my favorite Canadians among the handfull I know.

Don't get to excited...I thought Richard Nixon was a good president, so what do I know. ...........1978HJ45

 

[Chang-kuao-lo]

i went down the dusty 2lt road. the anemic little 1l went gerschput, and went looking for a drop-in replacement (for an '82 hilux not a landcruiser, i already have 2 "real" diesel landcruisers). bought the 2lt actually from wayne, and heeded all his advice and warnings on it. it was going into a 2wd truck, which is much much lighter than a 70/prado, complete rebuld, new head, steam-bleed kit, upgraded the rad, 2" exhaust, intercooler, drove it nice (egt kept under 1,000 F), even an auxiliary fan/water pump. in spite of all this it went for a s*** anyway, just like wayne said it might. the head cracked and i'm pretty sure it dropped a pre-ignition chamber, all after only 50,000 miles. that sucked.

i sure-as-s*** wasn't about to throw good money after bad on that turd. i found a 3l engine for a fair price, and got myself a 2lte turbo and manifold from some other poor soul whose 2lte went bye-bye for cheap. this is what i should have done in the first place. pretty much a drop-in replacement for the 2lt/1l. the 3l seems to have a much better reputation than the 2lte, that's not to say that head problems are a total non-issue. i was considering a kzt, but there was too much modification involved, and the kzt's reputation seems only a little better than the 2lte. i wonder if a 5l (3.0l) with a turbo would make a nice replacement for a 2lte in the lj70? same mounts, same transmission bolt pattern.

 

[markhc]

To the mechanic: Quit whining and just fix the damn engine.
To the owner: Quit whining and just pay the damn bill.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

To the mechanic: Quit whining and just fix the **** engine.
To the owner: Quit whining and just pay the **** bill.

A true capitalist .........1978HJ45

 

[pradocruzer]

A true capitalist .........1978HJ45

LOL!!!! Well your now on my list of thing to do and see. It's a very long list, but would love to have a beer and some wonderful Southern cooked food.
P.S is there a lot of long steep hills?? if so might just a phone call from a repair shop.

Take Care

 

[Gun Runner 5]

LOL!!!! Well your now on my list of thing to do and see. It's a very long list, but would love to have a beer and some wonderful Southern cooked food.
P.S is there a lot of long steep hills?? if so might just a phone call from a repair shop.

Take Care

You are welcome to drop by anytime. The land is flat as a pancake so your pyrometer will stay firmly planted in the green range. By law all Southern food has to be deep fried so I can't promise what your arteries will look like on the return trip but heck you are not going to live forever anyway. You should visit in the Fall or Spring ( you Canadian fellas would not survive the Summer down here). ..............1978HJ45

 

[pradocruzer]

You are welcome to drop by anytime. The land is flat as a pancake so your pyrometer will stay firmly planted in the green range. By law all Southern food has to be deep fried so I can't promise what your arteries will look like on the return trip but heck you are not going to live forever anyway. You should visit in the Fall or Spring ( you Canadian fellas would not survive the Summer down here). ..............1978HJ45

Every thing is deep fried, awww yeah. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Take Care

 

[Radd Cruisers]

Hey John how long have you been in the automotive repair business??? It took me about one year to figure out that people live in huge denial about the vehicles they drive and there is no way to change them. People also fall in love with them and can't see any of the bad stuff only the good. As mechanics we are always put in a position of being the mediator. All vehicles can be fixed. We may think it's not worth it but it's not always up to us. If you don't have a reasonable answer to a question then don't post, especially negatively.
I'am getting just as tried of hearing you complain as you are of trying fixing these monsters. Every manufacture of vehicles have monsters in the closet and it isn't going to change.

The whole "jack up your rad cap" thing comes from my high school days when we were all driving piles of junk and it was a joke amongst friends. I had the pleasure of driving a '63 VW beetle - no heat to speak of, crappy wipers, and a 6V electrical system that was not capable of supporting more than the stock AM radio.

The answers...

Been an owner of Land Cruisers for some 22+ years, and have been working on vehicles both professionally and as a hobby since about the time I could hold a wrench in my hand.

I am total agreement about people being in denial about their cars - but I have managed to change a few people over the years by persuading them to move away from their money pits and move into something that is more reliable and less costly. Many of these people take some time to come to realization that the best thing to do is just move on. Most thank me once they've settled in, and I end up not seeing them at the shop for quite some time while they are enjoying their more reliable vehicular choice.

Some actively want to keep their troublesome vehicles and sink lots of money into them - recently I tried very, very hard to persuade an elderly gentleman, of very meager means, to NOT put a new engine in his very worn out & rusty Caravan. No amount of polite persuasion on my part could tell this guy that it was a complete waste of money to put $3500+ into his $500 van as it had no future and was verging on being a hazard on the road. I even wrote it all down, had him take my estimate and estimation away for the weekend to think about, and he still went ahead with the work (albeit very well informed about his vehicles condition). He was absolutely delighted with what we did (and exactly on our estimate and his budget).

<rant>
The trouble for me is, that I get MANY phone calls and emails at work from people who own these (2LTE) powered vehicles who want me to work miracles for them in diagnosing their troubles. Sometimes I can be of help, many times not. I also have quite a few people stopping by and asking for help, or a diagnosis for the reason why their Prado or Surf belches copious amounts of smoke during start up (and during driving).

The biggest issue for me is that I have spent hours and hours and hours talking to 2LTE owners who stop in, email, and phone. Npw I like talking about Land Cruisers and all (though not too fond of email anymore), but I am not earning a living unless I have a wrench in my hand and it's working a fastener.

When people want me to provide endless information about their vehicles - especially really useless ones - it gets my goat just a little each time, because a good majority of them have no intention of buying anything or getting something as simple as an oil change service done.

Then there's the ones who call asking for help, but won't be quiet for long enough more me to make any suggestions about what to do. These are usually the same ones who think they have it all figured out, and proceed to call me in any case, ask me a list of questions but won't let me get a word in edge-wise to help them out.

So, as for my complaining, I am not much of a complainer, but these 2TLE powered pieces of sh$t really piss me off. And a good many of the unlucky people who got duped in to buying them come looking for answers that just don't exist.

Am I being negative? No, not at all. I am being realistic.

</rant>


~John

 

[Radd Cruisers]

I started the above post a few days ago and just posted it now.

As for support for the 2LTE (Prado & Surf) - I have lots of parts available for these, including brand new Toyota Injection pumps. Why a certain percentage of them smoke badly on start up is a mystery to me. Some have had bad grounds on the engine (there are multiple grounds that need to be hooked up), some have had mis-adjusted valves (fairly common), and others have had weak injection pumps or injectors.

The KZ engine, for the most part, has most of the electronic injection issues sorted out. They 1HD-FTE seems to be pretty good as well. There are many other makers that have used electronic diesel injection to good effect (in the 1990s) but some have had troubles. The GM 6.5TD is one that comes to mind... was just working on one the other day (EGR issues).

I would suggest that installing a new or a known good used injection pump would be a good start. Make sure that your fuel filter housing/primer pump is not leaking air & installing a small fuel assist pump such as the Mr. Gasket #12D is a good idea.

Other than that, check your wiring, especially the grounds to all the firewall and block connections very carefully.

Blow by... there's lots of things that can cause that, but if your compression is good, it is not likely going to be the cause of your smoky start up. Usually too much fuel (or not enough air, or both) and a cold engine are the key elements there.

~John