3FE Owners Check-In (12 Viewers)

[seatosummit]

1991 TLC FJ80

Where does the coolant go? No leaks, I just have to continually top off...

I have a 91 FJ80 with 305,000 miles on it. It runs flawlessly with the exception of the curious disappearance of coolant. My coolant is oil free and vice versa. No leaks as far as I can tell, but approximately 1 liter per 500 miles required to keep my plastic coolant reservoir within tolerances.

 

[LukasJ]

Oregon
1991 fj80 152k
Stuff I've done:
Egr delete
Cat delete
Snorkel
Ps pump
Water pump
Brakes
Tow package delete
Welded a custom front bumper
7 in touch screen radio
Aftermarket speakers
3rd row seating removed and built custom storage box and sub box combo
Roof rack light bar wired to high beams
33in tires 16in rims with flush offset
Aftermarket alarm system

 

[Aggiesdm]

According to Cdan the later model 95-97 flanges will not fit on the 91-92 sorter splined Birfields due to not being able to install the outer snap ring? FJ80 Front differential - replace or rebuild Are you sure ACC didn't replace your Birfs as well?

Update: I touched base with ACC and Dugan advised that I would just need to use a washer (or two) and a bolt to hold the axle in place. I will update again as we get into the repair. Thanks WarWagon for your assistance.

I'm watching this closely and look forward to your info and results. I have a '91 with 286K miles on it. I rebuilt the knuckles last Dec '15 and swapped the birfs from side to side. Since then, I have a pretty bad clunk (worse than it was before I swapped). I believe someone had done the side:side swap before and they were pretty worn already once I got to them. I also believe the flanges are worn out. I didn't replace the flanges at the time, but probably should have. If you see good results, I may just do that. Replacing the flanges is pretty easy/straight forward job.

Lastly, I've replaced all 4 u-joints with Toyota OEM units. Clunk is still there...sadly.

Thanks in advance for your tenacity.

 

[Shickalee]

10-4 Shick.....worked for me.

Installed the 95-97 flages and clunking sound elimanated. Dugan at ACC advised the installation clearly and my mechanic had no issues installing without the C clip by using an extra washer to keep the axle from walking and a 8mm x 1.25 bolt instead of the snap ring.

 

[tacosupreme]

I have a 91 FJ80 with 305,000 miles on it. It runs flawlessly with the exception of the curious disappearance of coolant. My coolant is oil free and vice versa. No leaks as far as I can tell, but approximately 1 liter per 500 miles required to keep my plastic coolant reservoir within tolerances.

Mine had a similar issue. It turned out there was a pinhole in the overflow res cap. It would push coolant into the overflow when hot, but could not draw it out of the res when cooling.

 

[Strand4x4]

Are the comments below from Curtis on MUD from another thread likely referencing the same drive flange issue that you are describing?


I'm tellin' ya: 91-92 80's clunk. Put it in reverse, "Slam-clunk!" Put it back in drive, "Slam-clunk!" Let off the gas anything other than as gently as possible, "clunk." Get back on the gas, "clunk." Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk!

It's generally believed that it's just a result of all the accumulated AWD slop, and, in fact, I'm starting to think the mysterious VC in the later models is there for no other reason than to reduce this.

80 series(91-92): Embrace the clunk.

62 series(88-90): Fear the clunk.

Curtis

I owned a 1991 with locking hubs and No Clunk.

 

[Josey1972]

Maybe this is the wrong place to ask. I have a 1992 3FE. The PO told me it had a turbo on it which he removed because it wasn't working right. I've looked and not been able to find anyone with a turbo/had a turbo and if they noticed any issues with the engine.

 

[Shickalee]

Oregon
1991 fj80 152k
Stuff I've done:
Egr delete
Cat delete
Snorkel
Ps pump
Water pump
Brakes
Tow package delete
Welded a custom front bumper
7 in touch screen radio
Aftermarket speakers
3rd row seating removed and built custom storage box and sub box combo
Roof rack light bar wired to high beams
33in tires 16in rims with flush offset
Aftermarket alarm system

Give us some pics please...

 

[2 E L O]

I have yet to check in...

1992
120k miles
Desmogged 3FE
Cup holders
Fair bit of PM (axles rebuilt, water pump, aluminum rad with aux fan, etc.)
TJM front bumper with 12" light bar
TJM 2" lift
Bilstein 4600s
'96+ master cylinder, front calipers, rotors
EMS stainless steel exhaust (needs work... )
295/75-16 General Grabber AT2s on 4Runner 16x7s and 1.5" SpiderTrax wheel spacers
Viper 4105V remote start/alarm
Extremely clean interior

It needs some love/maintenance/cleanup, but it's a great platform to start with. I purchased it about 6 weeks ago sight unseen. It definitely wasn't as "cherry" as the PO made it sound, but it was still a good deal. At this point I have exactly $5,000 invested which includes the purchase/shipping, some maintenance/repairs, new tires, etc. Quite a bit of vehicle for only $5,000!

Build thread: Full Circle Reintroduction/Build - '92 FJ80 3FE

Edit: Updated to better photos.

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

 

[tacosupreme]

Maybe this is the wrong place to ask. I have a 1992 3FE. The PO told me it had a turbo on it which he removed because it wasn't working right. I've looked and not been able to find anyone with a turbo/had a turbo and if they noticed any issues with the engine.

You can turbo a lawnmower if you want, but if you want a reliable rig keep it stock. If you want more power swap in an LS motor!

 

[Josey1972]

1992 FJ80 "Patina"
229k
In for the long haul.

Known PO mods:

2.5 OME lift
New fuel and oil pumps
Fuel relay move to cab
Complete fluid change about 2 months before my purchase!
New vacuum hoses
LX 450 wheels Grabber AT2 33" painted.
Manga flow exhaust
Brake work...
Used to have a turbo but PO removed it as it was no longer working properly. I'm prepared for a rebuild when it comes. And yes the engine will stay 3FE unless I can come up with the money to switch to a V8 and have it done by a quality shop. Reliability is priority 1 and that kind of upgrade is beyond my comfort zone.

My Mods/Significant Repairs:

Slee Short bus bumper w/m8000 which up front.
Slee dual swing rear bumper with jerry can rack.
White knuckle off-road rock sliders
New radiator and associated hoses
New front calipers
Snorkel (hardest dang chore Ive ever done on a vehicle)
Hi Lift Jack
Front diff seal
Repack front bearings
Herculiner on flares, rockers and sliders (lost about 1 million brain cells).
Remove old pin striping.

Planned Mods:

Rebuild doors! (Window sliders and motors, new handles and actuator on the passenger front).
Install front spots and floods (already have the spots).
Install Tuffy 013 console with 4 switch aux. panel with USB and Cig. lighter charger. (Console on way and switch bank is here). DONE
Home made rear drawer system (already done these in the past on my work trucks).
Dual batteries
Aux fuse box
Inverter (800 watt)
Fridge (working on second mortgage now)
CB Purchased (with PA function for giggles and NOAA) DONE
Firestick Antenna DONE
Remove OEM rack and fill holes (new rack planned but low on the priority list). ALMOST DONE
Paint hood black, install cooling louver first.
Yes, its a frame on restoration. Not really. Well yea, it kind of is.

 

[Josey1972]

You can turbo a lawnmower if you want, but if you want a reliable rig keep it stock. If you want more power swap in an LS motor!

No way would I put a turbo back on. My concern was how hard it was on the lower part of the engine.

 

[Josey1972]

I have yet to check in...

1992
120k miles
Desmogged 3FE
Cup holders
Fair bit of PM (axles rebuilt, water pump, aluminum rad with aux fan, etc.)
TJM front bumper with 12" light bar
TJM 2" lift
Bilstein 4600s
'96+ master cylinder, front calipers, rotors
EMS stainless steel exhaust (needs work... )
295/75-16 General Grabber AT2s on 4Runner 16x7s and 1.5" SpiderTrax wheel spacers
Viper 4105V remote start/alarm
Extremely clean interior

It needs some love/maintenance/cleanup, but it's a great platform to start with. I purchased it about 6 weeks ago sight unseen. It definitely wasn't as "cherry" as the PO made it sound, but it was still a good deal. At this point I have exactly $5,000 invested which includes the purchase/shipping, some maintenance/repairs, new tires, etc. Quite a bit of vehicle for only $5,000!

Build thread: Full Circle Reintroduction/Build - '92 FJ80 3FE

Edit: Updated to better photos.

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Schmitt, on Flickr

I checked in below. My understanding was that mine same color cruiser was in Nebraska for a time.... I put money down on mine without driving it. It felt right. Nice rig. Good luck with it.

 

[Shickalee]

Update: I added retro emblems to the lower tailgate Products | BH3D Printing and fender to complement the two tone paint job and FJ40 steelies. In the rear lower hatch badges, you can't really tell from pic but I had Brad at BH3D paint the emblems white and silver instead of cream and silver.

 

[jasonc]

Sorry for posting this here, figured most of everyone sub'd to this thread could help me.

I'm reassembling a 3FE right now, and have everything except two pesky head dowells. These are the things that help guide the head gasket and head onto the block, they are typically lightly pressed into the block on the driver's side front and rear. Has anyone had any luck buying these? I would prefer to buy them from a local parts house, so if anyone could throw me a part number or tip, it would GREATLY be appreciated. TIA.

 

[taccruiser97]

I have a 91 FJ80 with 305,000 miles on it. It runs flawlessly with the exception of the curious disappearance of coolant. My coolant is oil free and vice versa. No leaks as far as I can tell, but approximately 1 liter per 500 miles required to keep my plastic coolant reservoir within tolerances.

You might have a pinhole leak in your radiator. I experienced the same symptoms with my 94 Camry for a long time and I could never figure out where it was going. Until the day the pinhole leak blew out. The leak was on the bottom of the radiator. Lucky for me I was in front of my house when it finally blew. Replaced the radiator and no more coolant loss, and that was about a year ago.

Yes, I own a Cruiser, the Camry is just my work car.

 

[seatosummit]

@taccruiser97 thanks for the thoughts. I quite hope it is not the radiator, as I replaced it about 9 months ago, though it certainly could be a pinhole elsewhere in the system that has escaped me thus far.

 

[taccruiser97]

Good luck with tracking it down. I know until mine finally blew I just kept topping off the coolant reservoir every couple of weeks or so. Since getting the radiator replaced, the coolant level has remained constant. BTW, the Camry had about 260,000 miles on it when the original radiator blew.

I don't know if you have done it but maybe a pressure check of your cooling system might show where the problem is?

 

[UsedLuxury]

1992 With 239xxx Miles.
Bought it about 2 weeks ago.
Rear windows INOP, Front windows slow.
Leaking exhaust, Working on that this weekend.
Stereo is only running the 4 door speakers, was 2.
Just did rear brake shoes, auto adjuster isn't working (surprise)
Sunroof leaks.
Massive dent in driver front quarter panel, gonna try to pull it out.
Blower motor high speed doesn't work.
Trans has a weird slip so a fluid change is coming up.
Need to verify the oil pressure gauge is reporting accurately
Both motor and chassis ground points need to be checked and sealed.
Gas mileage blows and the heater doesn't but I am still glad I bought it.

 

[Josey1972]

1992 With 239xxx Miles.
Bought it about 2 weeks ago.
Rear windows INOP, Front windows slow.
Leaking exhaust, Working on that this weekend.
Stereo is only running the 4 door speakers, was 2.
Just did rear brake shoes, auto adjuster isn't working (surprise)
Sunroof leaks.
Massive dent in driver front quarter panel, gonna try to pull it out.
Blower motor high speed doesn't work.
Trans has a weird slip so a fluid change is coming up.
Need to verify the oil pressure gauge is reporting accurately
Both motor and chassis ground points need to be checked and sealed.
Gas mileage blows and the heater doesn't but I am still glad I bought it.

My next project is rebuilding the doors. Ive been amassing parts for three months. I got pulled over for a seat belt violation the other day and the only thing on my mind was, "I hope i can get the window back up, its gonna rain any time". Good luck with your truck!