92 Landcruiser noobie (1 Viewer)

[crahdaddy]

Hi guys,

Noobie here. I’ve never owned a diesel, let alone Landcruiser before so this is a new experience for me. I’m looking to pick up this one this weekend for a price I’d rather you not ask .
I’ve always loved the look of the 70 and 80 series and now that I’m financially stable enough I really want to pull the trigger on this one. It has a 1-hdt which I’ve read is pretty bullet proof.
This is just a basic cry for help on what I should look for when going to pick up and what I should generally expect as mileage goes up. Vehicle was imported from Japan last year and has 110k on it. I would love to do maintenance on it myself but was thinking parts may be hard to find as it’s an import. I’d love any input you guys can offer!

Appreciate the add!
-Clint

 

[Road Apple]

Here are random buying notes I’ve kept from other posts.

BUYING INSPECTION

80 Series Newbie Guide - Slee Off Road

As soon as the excitement of the purchase starts to fade, the questions start popping up. What modifications can I make? What are those 4 bolts on the back

sleeoffroad.com

Land Cruiser Repair Bealeton VA - Mechanic Near Me - Oil Change

Full Service Land Cruiser Repair in Bealeton VA, Specializing in Oil Changes, Brakes, Engines, Transmissions, Tires, Maintenance, & More.

www.otramm.com

Pre-buy inspection



Don’t settle for an abused truck. Take the time and wait for the right one. Anything under 200k is a winner, but, not necessary.

Worth paying a premium for no rust and/or an enthusiast maintained vehicle. Check New Mexico and AZ rigs. Rust free and you can find some gems down here for a decent price.

Consider looking in the Southwest and ship it home or make the journey. No rust on these old Toyota’s is such a treat. Makes working on them fun instead of a nightmare with broken bolts and stripped nuts at every turn.

When you go to look it in person the most common areas for rust on these are the rear wheel wells where the seat belt bolts come in, rockers and then theres some areas on the fire wall. When looking for trouble areas on the fire wall crawl under the vehicle and there will be a gap between the fender skirt and fire wall where you can look up and see. You will need a flashlight for that. Also check for rust on the rear windows, top of windshield, the gutters and roof rack mounting areas.

Look underneath for leaks from the drivetrain, suspension and axles. Also have a look at the condition of various bushings. Inspect all doors/door jambs for rust or signs of past body work. Inspect under the hood to check all fluid levels, look for leaks and condition of all hoses and vacuum lines. Then start engine and listen for abnormal noises. Check overall interior condition and test all buttons/functions. Finally a test drive. Make sure to test lockers (if applicable) and 4 Lo.

Miles are less important than maintenance. Look for something with documented maintenance if possible, but not a deal breaker. I want to see receipts galore & do a very good inspection from running every last control to doing full lock circles to see if the birfields are ‘clicking’ AKA need replacing or swapping side-for-side.

I’d want to know if it uses oil & how much. Ideally, I’d wanna do an oil analysis and compression test before buying, but that might be a tall order.

I’d ask if the headgasket is original or a replacement? If replaced, was the head surfaced & were the stem seals changed?

I’d also want to know the last front axle service done? Look for caked on crap on the front knuckles since they are rarely serviced.

MODEL DIFFERENCES

‘91-‘92 have smaller front disc brakes, no ABS, semi-float rear axle with drum brakes, and 15” wheels.

The ‘91-‘92 3FE engine parts are starting to become scarce. Most of the heater hoses on the 3FE are discontinued The 3FEhad such a limited run, there is really no aftermarket support for anything.

The 3FE is slow, dead reliable, super simple, easy to work on, and relatively impervious to neglect. It is pushrod in-block cam, direct drive (no timing belt or chains). Bullet proof. Non-electronic A440F transmission, no ABS system, no airbags, no PHH and fewer head gasket issues as it has an iron block and iron head.

The 3FE also has a lower torque apex than the 1FZ. Put 33’s on and you’ll hit third gear before you hit 20 mph, lots of low end control off road!

The ‘91-‘92 are slow on the highway, slower on steep highway grades, and happiest cruising in the mid 60 MPHs, which was the speed limit for which they were designed back then.

Some say the ‘93/‘94 are the best year, OBD1, best engine, best tranny... etc....

93 and up has a good following for aftermarket stuff or OEM.

Also keep in mind that the 93 and 94 model years had the slightly shorter birfields which makes them easier to find Aisin hubs for if you choose to convert to part time 4x4. And they also have the better looking front grill without the space cowboy emblem.

Lockers are a bonus, but if not locked, you can always add them later. Better to find a good condition, well maintained truck. ‘93 - ‘97 were available with lockers.

‘93-‘97 have larger front disc brakes, full float rear axle with discs, ABS, and 16” wheels. '93 & '94 were available without the ABS option, in which case the rear axle will be semi-floating. This is why you should exercise caution when you see Craigslist posts that say, "has the center diff lock option!" If it came from the factory that way, it means it's *missing* the ABS option.

‘95-‘97 have airbags, full float rear diff, OBD-II, and you can still get engine wire harnesses and o2 sensors.

‘95-‘97 has a mass air flow sensor, not a MAF meter, so you don’t have to worry about the MAF meter failing.

For turbo diesel’s, make sure that the owner doesnt have the truck warmed up when you get there! Make sure it doesnt take forever to start or has a hard time starting. Once started get it up to operating temp and watch for what color smoke you can see. If you get a white cloud and it could be the turbo is leaking causing oil to get by.

BASELINE

It's reasonable to expect deferred and ongoing preventative maintenance. Sunroofs leaks, cracked dashboards and front seat bottom cushion sidings are common. Also expect to replace rubber parts, especially suspension bushings, hoses, and belts, but also door seals, window runs, etc.

Plan on spending $2500+ to get it baselined (hoses, gaskets, cooling system updates, knuckle rebuild, fluids, etc). If you get a cheaper rig, budget for more funds for baseline maintenance.

 

[Road Apple]

Here’s some comparisons that might help?

1HDT had 12 valves

1HDFT has 24 valves
1HDT has better simplicity

1HDFT has a good intercooler
The the torque peak is at a higher RPM on the 1HDFT with better overall power. Arguably better for freeway driving.
Not sure, but one engine might be easier to transplant? Bolt patterns are different from what I’m reading.
1HDT

Pros:

Factory Turbocharged

More headroom for power upgrades

Conventional Glowplugs

“Short” common A/C compressor

Cons:

BEB Issues

The HDJ parts are unavailable at US dealers (mainly only engine stuff, everything else is the same) but it is very easy to get parts from overseas and from US companies that support these beasts.
1HD-FT

Pros:

Highest factory power/torque figures out of the box

24 valves

Most Sophisticated Toyota Mechanical Diesel

Lots of Headroom for more power/torque
Cons:

Limited Availability

Expensive

Added Complexity

Challenging Valve Adjustment

"Long" A/C Clutch - Limited Availability

Switch to Glow Screen instead of conventional Glow Plugs
It sort of depends what your total budget will be. For example, if going the FT means you can't afford an intercooler/exhaust then i would stick with a 1HDT. However if down the track you'll have budget to do basic upgrades to the FT, then its probably worth spending a little extra.

The Glow Screen on the FT can be removed when you add an intercooler (you won't need it here), the valve adjustment is actually pretty straight forward once you figure it out and doesn't require swapping in different shims (i find the FT much easier to adjust), the only issue with the FT is parts can be a little harder to find.
As for looms, the 1HZ/1HDT/1HDFT should all pretty much work with the same loom with minor modifications. I mean you have power to the pump solenoid, oil pressure sender, glow screen/glow plugs (not required), water temp sensor... that about it.
However both engines desperately need an upgraded/free flowing exhaust at minimum, they also both really benefit from an EGT gauge, an intercooler and and upgraded airbox (late model 1FZ airbox is a good upgrade).
Will you be running auto or manual?

It’s probably better/easily to just sell your current cruiser and buy a HDJ80... instead of swapping motors. Good deals do come up from time to time and you'll have far better resale in future. If you can be bothered going to the effort of swapping an engine, id personally upgrade to a 105 series and drop an FTE engine in (if it was me personally).

 

[crahdaddy]

Thank you so much for the reply. Been doing more research and found a reputable dealer near Charlotte to do a pre-purchase inspection. YotaTechs. The engine is 1HDT and it’s automatic. For a 92 everything looks pretty immaculate on it with only 110k on it. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.

 

[codgn]

Do yourself a favor and run a carvx.com report on it. If its gone through auction in japan itll have a auction sheet with it that you can have translated for 5 dollars by carvx. When you go to look it in person the most common areas for rust on these are the rear wheel wells where the seat belt bolts come in, rockers and then theres some areas on the fire wall. When looking for trouble areas on the fire wall crawl under the vehicle and there will be a gap between the fender skirt and fire wall where you can look up and see. You will need a flashlight for that. Also make sure that the owner doesnt have the truck warmed up when you get there! Make sure it doesnt take forever to start or has a hard time starting. Once started get it up to operating temp and watch for what color smoke you can see. I use to get a white cloud and it turns out the turbo was leaking causing oil to get by. Also check for rust on the rear windows, top of windshield and the gutters on the roof.

 

[codgn]

I should add that carvx will tell you if the vehicle has been in a accident, used in a radiation zone, mileage discrepancy and itll have pictures of what the vehicle looked like at auction

 

[crahdaddy]

Man, you guys are very helpful. Also, I’m going to be paying a pretty penny for it but still plan on driving at least 4K miles a year. Not sure if it constitutes collectors insurance, but just curious who you guys get insured with because I’m sure the kbb value pales in comparison to actual price in current market. Just want to make sure the total amount is covered in case of total loss. I currently use USAA for my other two vehicles but they can’t give me an answer as to how much is actually covered.

 

[codgn]

Man, you guys are very helpful. Also, I’m going to be paying a pretty penny for it but still plan on driving at least 4K miles a year. Not sure if it constitutes collectors insurance, but just curious who you guys get insured with because I’m sure the kbb value pales in comparison to actual price in current market. Just want to make sure the total amount is covered in case of total loss. I currently use USAA for my other two vehicles but they can’t give me an answer as to how much is actually covered.

View attachment 3266717

I walked into a state farm office and they came out and looked at my 81. I got antique insurance and its covered on an agreed upon value of 30k

 

[preveng]

I should add that carvx will tell you if the vehicle has been in a accident, used in a radiation zone, mileage discrepancy and itll have pictures of what the vehicle looked like at auction

Not relevant to this thread, but what other info does carvx give? I'm looking to get a report but want to make sure it'll have all the information I'm looking for before I pay for it. One of the things I'd really like to figure out is previous registration / license plate, as I'd like to get a duplicate made of one that belonged to the vehicle, thanks!