'93 80 vs. '97 LX (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ChaseTruck
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I may not have mentioned it before, but the LX also got crawler gears recently
one got the Marlin's (which had been sitting on a shelf for several years
), the other got Trail Gear's (with a discount from Low Range Offroad 
)
one got the Marlin's (which had been sitting on a shelf for several years
), the other got Trail Gear's (with a discount from Low Range Offroad )
SmokingRocks
hopelessly addicted to Cruisers
I've been running the trail gear crawler for several years now. It's been great.
at the end of the "German invasion", as the spring turned to summer in Arizona, we were battling high coolant temperatures in the 80
flushed the system, tested several fan clutches (blue and black, with different fluid viscosities), replaced 3FE fan with stock fan, which, on a supercharged truck, also required some innovative work-around to the S/C-specific fan clutch spacer . . .
after much cursing, test-driving, disappointment, more wrenching, some more cursing, more test-driving, yet more wrenching, Michael even replaced the corroded waterneck (what a PITA that was) . . . what finally made the difference was a new radiator, TYC 1918 from Amazon
HUGELY improved coolant numbers according to the Koso gauge (now installed in the waterneck instead of the radiator hose, where it was seeping), so now the truck runs - literally
flushed the system, tested several fan clutches (blue and black, with different fluid viscosities), replaced 3FE fan with stock fan, which, on a supercharged truck, also required some innovative work-around to the S/C-specific fan clutch spacer . . .
after much cursing, test-driving, disappointment, more wrenching, some more cursing, more test-driving, yet more wrenching, Michael even replaced the corroded waterneck (what a PITA that was
) . . . what finally made the difference was a new radiator, TYC 1918 from AmazonHUGELY improved coolant numbers according to the Koso gauge (now installed in the waterneck instead of the radiator hose, where it was seeping), so now the truck runs
- literally 
ChaseTruck
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- Thread starter
- #185
I said I wasn't going to take a wrench to it any more, but got suckered into doing this anyway. For the water neck to come off, the alternator bracket has to come off. I wasn't able to do this with the alternator in place, so... To get the alternator out, I removed battery and tray. Then the Project Creep came. We've had the Photoman alternator bracket on the shelf for a number of years, so now there's a Sequoia alternator; we stayed with the stock 80 pulley. And at the point, changing the radiator wasn't that much more work...... yet more wrenching, Michael even replaced the corroded waterneck (what a PITA that was
we are just in time now that the hot season is over......so now the truck runs
so here's that story:
on Christmas Day, Michael and I decide to take an easy drive into the desert in the LX (I hadn't been feeling well, so we took just one vehicle)
some 10 miles out of town, we turn off the highway, and the LX decides it doesn't want to go anymore
- no prior warningcoolant looks low but we can't figure out where it's lost, fill up some more - but the truck still didn't want to start again - eventually call AAA to have the truck towed home (cell phone coverage nonexistent at the truck since in a valley, requiring a hike up the mountain to get any signal at all - and that's only 15 miles from town . . . )
almost immediately after the drop at the house, 3 neighbor guys scoot over from across the street over to inquire . . . on Christmas Day no less
, we had some nice chats but decided to leave the fact-finding for another day
found out the clamp on the lower radiator hose had worked itself slightly loose and let a very thin spray of coolant out towards the engine block, where it always immediately dried off, obscuring the leak - on top of that, Toyota/Lexus OEM coolant (which is what the truck came with) doesn't smell as distinctively as green coolant
so the next day we had AAA come out again and had the LX towed yet again, this time into "Tools R Us" 's custody - compression test determined that the middle cylinders were way low
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we made the decision to get a new motor - long block NLA, short block available - the dealer with the lowest price e-mailed back the next day that due to weight, shipping would be prohibitive . . .
so I got one of 2 in the US at the time from Camelback Toyota (for considerably more than the other dealer wanted), at least the shipping was free (I believe murf has the other one on a shelf now)
John admiring . . .
so I got one of 2 in the US at the time from Camelback Toyota (for considerably more than the other dealer wanted), at least the shipping was free (I believe murf has the other one on a shelf now)
John admiring . . .
"Tools R Us" and "inkpot" assembled the new engine, with a rebuilt head that used to be on "inkpot" 's 80, new waterpump, oil pump, all new hoses, valve cover, what have you . . .
post-mortem inspection of the old motor revealed this:
total wonder that the cooling system worked at all, and as long as it did
post-mortem inspection of the old motor revealed this:
total wonder that the cooling system worked at all, and as long as it did
Do you happen to remember what the low compression numbers were?
really really low, maybe Michael or Kevin can pipe in . . .
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About 60psi ish.
inkpot
SILVER Star
I think that number was on the " good" cylimders?
@Tools R Us @inkpot Thank you.
at least one of them still had 120
took the truck on an extended trail run today with long inclines - performed awesome
have wheeled the LX several times since, no problems
referencing another discussion related to my 40:
I can't wait 'till you get an 80 series.
Don't stray to the dark side Claudia. The 40 force is strong with this one. Listen not to the sith, stay with us.
so, over Thanksgiving weekend, we rotated the 80 and LX among ourselves and the other trucks:
one overcast kinda coldish day, Michael took the Blazer, I took the LX
next day, the weather was perfect for the 40
, Michael took the Blazer
then we planned to meet up with friends in their real nice LX, and decided to go into an area popular with the "hold-my-beer-watch-this" crowd - so we decided to make it 3 of them silly wagons
- Michael drove the 80, I was in the LX
weather was perfect again the next day, so we planned to go on a long scenic drive, to be followed by some wheeling at the end as time allowed . . . - Michael drove the Blazer, I was in the 80 - as posted elsewhere, that day involved rescue of a crashed bicycle rider, and return to where she had parked her vehicle . . . What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend?
and the day also involved locker failure - although not really the locker's fault at all: What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? . . .
one overcast kinda coldish day, Michael took the Blazer, I took the LX
next day, the weather was perfect for the 40
, Michael took the Blazerthen we planned to meet up with friends in their real nice LX, and decided to go into an area popular with the "hold-my-beer-watch-this" crowd - so we decided to make it 3 of them silly wagons
- Michael drove the 80, I was in the LX weather was perfect again the next day, so we planned to go on a long scenic drive, to be followed by some wheeling at the end as time allowed . . . - Michael drove the Blazer, I was in the 80 - as posted elsewhere, that day involved rescue of a crashed bicycle rider, and return to where she had parked her vehicle . . . What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend?
and the day also involved locker failure - although not really the locker's fault at all: What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? . . .
in reminiscing about the past week of wheeling, both Michael and I compared how we pick our lines in the 80-series as compared to the Blazer and the 40, respectively . . .
1) we both agree that the trucks we have both wheeled the longest time, i.e. the Blazer for Michael and the 40 for me, respectively, feel the most "natural" to us - nevermind that when we ride passenger with the other in those trucks everything looks just totally wrong
2) given that the width of the 40 and the 80 are not all that different, I am mostly focused on length and height when in the 80 or LX - mentally adding some 4 feet to any turning/steering I would do in the 40 . . . of course, I also have that typical "lookout for the evil branches" face all the time in an 80-series, which I don't need so much in the 40 
3) looking at a downhill, choosing the 40 line while driving the 80 series totally works every case I have encountered so far - when it comes to off-camber situations, though, the 80 is far more forgiving
4) looking at climbs, not as many lines will work with the 40 (even on the same 315s and wheels that our 80s run on) compared to the 80s (particularly with large holes or bigger rocks) - but due to the longer wheelbase of the 80s, those same obstacles may require a different approach or more sophisticated steering maneuvers --- [if the rear locker doesn't work, all bets are off though, so I went with the 40 line nonetheless - it sure didn't help that the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see where I was going
]
5) I have yet to compare, in a rigorous same-day truck-by-truck and obstacle-by-obstacle basis the need of locker engagement or not - as it is, I always like to use them; 'cause I have them --- [considering we are both scientists, it'd behoove us to design an appropriate experiment with sufficient repetition and sample number . . . - wait for what we might do in retirement ]
Michael -on a steep rutted and moguled climb- picked a line for the 80 based on his "Blazer-perspective", which the 80 then turned out to be too narrow for, so he found the rear driver tire dropped in a hole, and the rear passenger tire stuffed into the wheel well so much to that it wouldn't want to turn
stay tuned for future reports . . .
1) we both agree that the trucks we have both wheeled the longest time, i.e. the Blazer for Michael and the 40 for me, respectively, feel the most "natural" to us - nevermind that when we ride passenger with the other in those trucks everything looks just totally wrong
2) given that the width of the 40 and the 80 are not all that different, I am mostly focused on length and height when in the 80 or LX - mentally adding some 4 feet to any turning/steering I would do in the 40 . . . of course, I also have that typical "lookout for the evil branches" face all the time in an 80-series
, which I don't need so much in the 40 3) looking at a downhill, choosing the 40 line while driving the 80 series totally works every case I have encountered so far - when it comes to off-camber situations, though, the 80 is far more forgiving
4) looking at climbs, not as many lines will work with the 40 (even on the same 315s and wheels that our 80s run on) compared to the 80s (particularly with large holes or bigger rocks) - but due to the longer wheelbase of the 80s, those same obstacles may require a different approach or more sophisticated steering maneuvers --- [if the rear locker doesn't work, all bets are off though, so I went with the 40 line nonetheless - it sure didn't help that the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see where I was going
]5) I have yet to compare, in a rigorous same-day truck-by-truck and obstacle-by-obstacle basis the need of locker engagement or not - as it is, I always like to use them; 'cause I have them
--- [considering we are both scientists, it'd behoove us to design an appropriate experiment with sufficient repetition and sample number . . . - wait for what we might do in retirement ]Michael -on a steep rutted and moguled climb- picked a line for the 80 based on his "Blazer-perspective", which the 80 then turned out to be too narrow for, so he found the rear driver tire dropped in a hole, and the rear passenger tire stuffed into the wheel well so much to that it wouldn't want to turn
stay tuned for future reports . . .
ChaseTruck
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- Thread starter
- #200
Do we really 'need' another one? The candidate would be a '97 LX; color is 'Aged Guacamole'...
Edit - it sold already...
Edit - it sold already...
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