'93 FZJ81 Heading to Oahu (2 Viewers)

[HungryJ0e]

Making my way from Japan to Oahu, and picked up a stray to bring with me. FZJ81 VX Limited with 78,000 miles (125,000km). Very stock, with an aftermarket locker. Front/rear a/c systems and center console cooler worked when it left Japan. Rust is minimal, although the exhaust was looking a bit dodgy so I had the shop I purchased it through throw a stainless exhaust on her while she was still in Japan and parts were plentiful (and cheap-ish). I also asked them to spray down the undercarriage with fluid film prior to the ocean voyage. I picked her out from the Toyota auto auction, which is an event, and crawled through about a dozen Land Cruisers there before settling on this one.

She arrive in Hawaii next week... I'm looking forward to getting new fluids in her and down a shakedown. I didn't register it on the road in Japan, so she is very new to me. Interior looked very good, but I'm considering pulling out the seats/carpet for a deep clean. The carpet on the JDM Land Cruiser is plush!

The one day I took her on the road in Japan, it was a hot and humid day and I did note condensation on the outside to the rear of the right hand passenger door... the exterior there is cool to the touch with the rear a/c cranked up. Not sure if that's normal.

Looking forward to learning from everyone here!

 

[HungryJ0e]

I also noted the rear window spray was very weak... I'm sure something in the line rotted out awhile ago and needs replacing...

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Nice rig, welcome to the forum. Hope everything goes smoothly with the move.

 

[simple]

I want to live in your shoes for like a month. Buying a JDM in Japan and bringing it back to Oahu sounds like a dream. Especially if I get to snowboard in Japan and surf in Hawaii

 

[HungryJ0e]

Allright... picked up the 80 from the port and getting it ready to register. Sure got dirty on the way out here! Overall it pulls strong and brakes well.

A few things:
- There is an exhaust leak somewhere up forward, in the vicnity of the right hand forward wheel well. I'll get it on a lift once it's registered to see exactly where.
- The rear a/c system was going strong when it left Japan, but is now fairly weak. It likely has a refrigerant leak somewhere. The rear a/c system also cools the center console chill box, so I'd like to get it working. The front a/c system works fine.
- Steering is like a land yacht. Loose and vague.

After doing a fluid changeout, tackling the exhaust leak will be a high priority. The exhaust system rear of the front axle is a new stainless steel system... but the leak is definitely upstream of there.

 

[HungryJ0e]

Getting my 80 ready for baseline... bought a 70 year old house which has a slew of projects that have been eating at my time. But i did manage to figure out the exhaust leak. The forward O2 sensor bungs had completely rotted out around the studs... the sensor just lifted off in my hand. Found a great local muffler shop (just one guy) who welded a new bung on and I replaced the O2 sensor after swapping out the connector with my old one.

I got a good chance to poke around under the 80 while it was on the lift. I assume these are what weeping knuckles look like... I'll add that to the list...

I was also poking around under the hood trying to check the condition of the heater hose. Looks like the repair was made sometime in the past?

And am I correct that I have a different EGR system than North American models? Thinking of doing a delete at some point but I don't see the temp sensor... would I just plug the vacuum lines to the modulator?

 

[Devils Paw 80]

The knuckles aren't leaking much but the color of the fluid coming out doesn't look great. The discoloration on the right side of heater control valve suggests it's old. There's a new clamp on that side though. Not sure what this means. All the other clamps are OEM so I'm doubting there's been anything replaced in this area.

Not sure about the EGR. I have the newer '95-97 set up.

 

[OffRoadScott]

Getting my 80 ready for baseline... bought a 70 year old house which has a slew of projects that have been eating at my time. But i did manage to figure out the exhaust leak. The forward O2 sensor bungs had completely rotted out around the studs... the sensor just lifted off in my hand. Found a great local muffler shop (just one guy) who welded a new bung on and I replaced the O2 sensor after swapping out the connector with my old one.

I got a good chance to poke around under the 80 while it was on the lift. I assume these are what weeping knuckles look like... I'll add that to the list...

View attachment 3450504View attachment 3450503

I was also poking around under the hood trying to check the condition of the heater hose. Looks like the repair was made sometime in the past?

View attachment 3450507

And am I correct that I have a different EGR system than North American models? Thinking of doing a delete at some point but I don't see the temp sensor... would I just plug the vacuum lines to the modulator?
View attachment 3450508

Totally agree with @Devils Paw 80 that heater control valve needs to be addressed before anything else. As stated that discoloration is concerning, meaning it is getting brittle and could break soon leaving you stranded.

The knuckles do not look bad, the color of the grease is a little concerning too. Looks like bearing grease not moly grease.

For your possible AC leak there is some dye you can put into your AC system to find the leak.

 

[HungryJ0e]

Thanks for the comments!

After poking around the a/c system and seeing it hold good refrigerant pressure (at least on the low side), I think the issue is the heater valve was cracked even when a/c was full cold. I adjusted the cable to fully close now. But I did notice weeping coolant when I was poking around. Looks like I'll be replacing coolant hoses in the near future.

A better shot of the heater control valve in question.