Advice on used PZJ70 (2 Viewers)

[Muskratstew]

Hello All,

I am considering the purchase of a 1990 PZJ70V. This would be my first land cruiser and honestly do not know much about what issues to look for. I read the cruiserFAQ yesterday and browsed this forum a bit but thats about the extent of my knowledge. So here goes, the vehicle has 265,xxx miles/450xxxk. The transmission is R151F and the rear axle is R085. It is an LX trim, so it has power windows and locks which surprisingly still work.

The Good:
Motor runs really smooth and quiet. Starts instantly. There are some signs that it had regular maintenance. Sticker on the timing belt cover indicates it was changed at 400k, oil filter says it was changed july 2017 etc. under hood looks quite good. Rubber hoses are all in good shape with no cracks/ dry rot. Only sign of leaks is some moisture around the injectors. Injector pump seems to be good, so surging/stumbling or driving issues. Radiator was full, fluid was red though, is that normal? Heat works good.

99% rust free. Its really clean under the truck. Almost no rust anywhere, all the paint is still on the frame, no flaking even. springs and shackles all look good, very light rust on one in the front.

Drive shafts and U joints seem good, no evidence of leaking around Trans/Tcase

Both Diffs look good. I did see a small wet spot inside the back wheel, maybe the axle seal or brake cylinder on that side is seeping a bit? other than that

Trans shifts fine, clutch feels fine, Tcase goes in low and no strange noises. It still has electric hub locks, so I dont know for sure if it is engaging but the lights come on the dash.

Everything seems complete, jack it there etc. The information panel on the dash where the temp and inclinometer are is not working.

Exterior paint is pretty good, oxidized but ok. There is some peeling on the roof.

Which leads me to the bad:

A patch panel has been welded in on the side of the roof just above the gutter. its about 2" X 10" (50mm x 250mm) it needs some body work to be finished. There are a few small dents here and there, nothing major. It does not look like it was used off road. There are no dents around the wheel wells or rocker panels and the alum running boards are not damaged at all.

Power steering pump is leaking. I found a small puddle under the truck and there are drips on the pump itself, guessing it will need a rebuild. Expensive?

Pulls to the right a good bit when driving. RH tire is worn uneven so it has been that way for some time at least. Not sure if this could be bad birfields? steering does not feel sloppy and the birfields did not look pitted or grooved. they did have some grease on them... I'm not really sure what I am looking for when it comes to the birfields honestly.

The seller is asking $7700 USD. This feels too high to me but I honestly just dont know where it should be priced. Maybe that is a good price. What is everyone's opinion?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Muskratstew]

Also forgot to mention, the drivers seat is torn...

Thanks

 

[Muskratstew]

Here are a few. They don't show much I know, I did not take pictures of the vehicle while I was there. The two things I worry most about is the mileage and the steering. I know everybody says these things go forever, but nothing goes forever.
Thanks for the input though,

 

[Muskratstew]

You can see the patch panel above the rear window here

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Looks clean.

Driver's seat upholstery usually rips in that place with age.

Suspension looks somewhat sagged but normal for its age. R085 axle has a Limited Slip Differential, or LSD.

Wheel leak might be from a worn seal. Not hard to fix.

The uneven tire wear suggests steering needs repair, either from wear or from collision damage that was not properly repaired.

Power steering repair/rebuild requires a kit. How expensive is labor in your neck of the woods?

There is a CB radio. Check the electrical system for hacks/modifications/upgrades/whatever looks non-factory.

Check the gutter for corrosion and paint bubbles. Same thing for that patched area.

Engine bay looks clean, as do the battery terminals. Check for non-factory wiring.

The 1PZ engine is almost bulletproof.

Overall, the truck looks good and so is the price.

A great project rig in my opinion.







Juan

 

[GreaseMonkeyJP]

From my experience driving a RHD PZJ77 I can say without exception that is the coolest vehicle that $7700 can buy.

 

[Mookies]

That truck is a steal for the price. SODO moto is bringing in some good looking stuff lately. You can spend $7700 on that and know you are keeping a rare beast going or pay the ridiculous prices for a 60 in the Portland/Seattle markets lately.....no brainer for me. If this is your first Cruiser you need to be honest about what repair you can accomplish on your own. I would get familiar with a local shop with experience with them.

 

[roscoFJ73]

The steering can almost always be fixed cheaply. It should veer slightly right on an American cambered road
The pump often leaks from where the metal pipe bolts to it underneath. A $3 o ring can fix it.
Get it bench tested, if its had the fluid changed on time it should be ok
You can get the material on the base of the seat changed, about $212USD.
Over 400000klms, injector pumps can need rebuilds and engine are getting old in the tooth.
Ask them when the injectors were done and if the pump has been opened up.

 

[SNLC]

I have the same truck in LHD in a lot better condition and with over $6k in new parts in it.

It will cost ya a lot more than $7700 though. Pm me if interested.

Cheers

 

[Muskratstew]

Hello,

Looks clean.

Driver's seat upholstery usually rips in that place with age.

Suspension looks somewhat sagged but normal for its age. R085 axle has a Limited Slip Differential, or LSD.

Wheel leak might be from a worn seal. Not hard to fix.

The uneven tire wear suggests steering needs repair, either from wear or from collision damage that was not properly repaired.

Power steering repair/rebuild requires a kit. How expensive is labor in your neck of the woods?

There is a CB radio. Check the electrical system for hacks/modifications/upgrades/whatever looks non-factory.

Check the gutter for corrosion and paint bubbles. Same thing for that patched area.

Engine bay looks clean, as do the battery terminals. Check for non-factory wiring.

The 1PZ engine is almost bulletproof.

Overall, the truck looks good and so is the price.

A great project rig in my opinion.







Juan

I did not notice any obvious hacks on the electrical. No leads coming off the batteries or anything like that. The wiring around the CB's looks decent, I will look closer at that. Is the electrical system on the 70 known to be problematic?

Thanks

 

[SNLC]

Wiring is not a known problem and overall the wiring is extremely simple on these trucks. The engines are all mechanical so no computer to control anything.

Some people may tell you the duel mass flywheel is junk. I disagree because I have seen lots of 1PZ's with lots of miles still running the original flywheel. Now if it ever fails, sure upgrade it but I highly suspect failure rate is less than 5%. Discussion forums just tend to hype up these kinds of things and there is lots of other examples with other models of Cruisers like the 80 & 100 series with the same kind of forum bad mojo hype. Toyota made the 1PZ a 5 cylinder, it is the only 5cyl diesel they ever put in a Land Cruiser and as far as I know they didn't make any other 5cyl diesels. The way a 5 cylinder works it is very smooth without the rattle and shaking or noise that is more prevalent in a 4cyl or 6cyl. That is also why they used a duel mass flywheel on the 1PZ. People may also say the R151 trans is no good. I also disagree with this. It is not as heavy duty as other 5spds put in other Cruisers but it was heavy duty enough for Toyota to put behind factory turbo 22RE's. It is also heavily used by and sought after by mini truck rock crawlers owners and builders. Since the SWB 70 is a light truck, the R151 is a fine trans for it. People may also say the 8" high pinion front diff is weak but no more so than any other Toyota HP diff, i.e. Hilux. Basically don't believe the hype! A PZJ70 is a great truck.

Mine is for sale but I also got no probs keeping it, I love driving it!

Cheers

 

[jblueridge]

I think it looks good,...my only cruiser xperience is my own Bj74 tho.

I would suspect wheel alignment for the pulling and tire wear.
I have found my cruiser very easy to work on. I have had only a few important repairs to make. Power steering box was one. I still have the steering pump to do. Most of the stuff I have done has been minor mods or minor upgrades.

Will it be your only car?

 

[FJ73Texas]

Looks like it is priced well for what it is. I have been eyeing the shorties for awhile myself for awhile and the prices tend to be all over. This one seems to be well cared for.

 

[Muskratstew]

I think it looks good,...my only cruiser xperience is my own Bj74 tho.

I would suspect wheel alignment for the pulling and tire wear.
I have found my cruiser very easy to work on. I have had only a few important repairs to make. Power steering box was one. I still have the steering pump to do. Most of the stuff I have done has been minor mods or minor upgrades.

Will it be your only car?

I have other cars for daily transportation. This would be a project/fun vehicle for me.

Thanks for the replies

 

[Muskratstew]

Wiring is not a known problem and overall the wiring is extremely simple on these trucks. The engines are all mechanical so no computer to control anything.

Some people may tell you the duel mass flywheel is junk. I disagree because I have seen lots of 1PZ's with lots of miles still running the original flywheel. Now if it ever fails, sure upgrade it but I highly suspect failure rate is less than 5%. Discussion forums just tend to hype up these kinds of things and there is lots of other examples with other models of Cruisers like the 80 & 100 series with the same kind of forum bad mojo hype. Toyota made the 1PZ a 5 cylinder, it is the only 5cyl diesel they ever put in a Land Cruiser and as far as I know they didn't make any other 5cyl diesels. The way a 5 cylinder works it is very smooth without the rattle and shaking or noise that is more prevalent in a 4cyl or 6cyl. That is also why they used a duel mass flywheel on the 1PZ. People may also say the R151 trans is no good. I also disagree with this. It is not as heavy duty as other 5spds put in other Cruisers but it was heavy duty enough for Toyota to put behind factory turbo 22RE's. It is also heavily used by and sought after by mini truck rock crawlers owners and builders. Since the SWB 70 is a light truck, the R151 is a fine trans for it. People may also say the 8" high pinion front diff is weak but no more so than any other Toyota HP diff, i.e. Hilux. Basically don't believe the hype! A PZJ70 is a great truck.

Mine is for sale but I also got no probs keeping it, I love driving it!

Cheers

Will flywheel failure take out any of the engine internals? what are the signs of failure?

Thanks

 

[roscoFJ73]

Will flywheel failure take out any of the engine internals? what are the signs of failure?

It will not harm your engine, but your clutch would be non functional. Exedy make a conversion kit and clutch if you want to convert to a single mass flywheel. Others who have done it report no noticeable difference.

 

[JuanJ]

I did not notice any obvious hacks on the electrical. No leads coming off the batteries or anything like that. The wiring around the CB's looks decent, I will look closer at that. Is the electrical system on the 70 known to be problematic?

Thanks

Hello,

70 Series electrics are trouble free if not hacked. Otherwise you will spend quite some time hunting gremlins and removing unnecessary wires.

As for the engine, it is bulletproof. Unless, of course, if it is abused.

Some users have modified the dual mass flywheel, but it does not mean you have to. Leave it alone if is working.






Juan