Are these things really unreliable? (1 Viewer)

[MarkBC]

I see some people mention that these old trucks aren't very trustworthy and would be hesitant to take on a long trip. OK, I can see why they might say that but taking a step back and looking at the big picture, for the money, are they really not trustworthy compared to the alternative of buying a new equivalent 4WD for $70k? I have a BJ60 and it's so simple, can't one take the alternative argument that for much less money you can replace / rebuild everything that could fail since the vehicle is so simple? And then you get a simple vehicle with minimal electronics and other fancy nonsense to troubleshoot when it eventually fails. What would go on my BJ60?

• The 3B engine could fail but they typically go for the better part of a million km if well maintained and mine has just over 300k. I hear the precups can break and ruin the engine. I understand the gasoline engines in the US are more prone to failure with all the complicated electrical and vacuum systems but the 3B literally has zero electronics.
• Transmission. But just rebuild the H55F and you're good.
• Electronics -- what electronics? Any electronics I add would be separate to the workings of the vehicle.
• Heating / cooling system -- just replace and update.
• Various motors like wipers etc. Those should be easy to update and in the end aren't really critical anyways.
• Axles -- I intend to put on my to-be rebuilt 80 series axles with a Trail Tailor coil conversion up front and the OME leaf pack in the back. Rebuilt 80 series axles are pretty reliable aren't they?
• Drive shafts -- update the U joints.
• Chassis -- if the rust is good on the frame and body then there's no issue there.
• Steering -- update all the moving parts.

I figure if I take care of those issues, that will make this vehicle very reliable right? More reliable than a brand new Defender LOL.

 

[Gimme a 60]

Cool thread.


I think about this a lot, like ALOT.






When I was buying my first car I wasn’t sure if Toyotas were going to be reliable icons they are held to be - and in my experience it’s true, I have a Toyota pickup with 400,000KM and the Damn thing just goes and goes, I had it all though high school, and now it’s my daily driver to my college class, and I haven’t put any money into it - it’s the gift that keeps on giving, even after it was rolled, it still has proven to be an unbelievably reliable and cheap vehicle - no matter what.




Upon my Later purchase of my FJ62, I wasn’t overly impressed with the reliability - non stop vacuum leaks, air pump issues, transmission issues - left me stranded at the dentist. Not overly reliable but it was also 33 years old - so I can fault it, (if it was truly a unreliable car it would be in a scrap pile)


But later when I eventually 3B diesel swapped it, the game changed - from the second I swapped everything over, the vehicle has been dead reliable, in fact, the first official trip I took in it was a 8 hour drive to Victoria BC! - it was literally the first time that thing had left my town - the dashboard hadn’t even been fully bolted down yet! And right after that trip I took it on a 100km off-road trip. It’s been VERY reliable, partly due to the fact that everything in the vehicle is large and heavy duty, and also the fact that I drive it very nicely and maintain it well.





But at the end of the day it’s still. 35 years old, and things are going to be worn out regardless of the badge on the front.

I guess if somebody somebody asked if my Toyota LandCruizer is reliable, I would say yes - BUT


Quote @MoaByte

“ the 60 series Land Cruiser will treat you best if you use her hard but gentle. She needs your most devoted love in exchange for the same. ”

 

[Gimme a 60]

Just don’t put a turbo on the 3B and be patient - it will be reliable.

 

[bj70bc]

Just don’t put a turbo on the 3B and be patient - it will be reliable.

read-turbo envy

 

[Gimme a 60]

read-turbo envy

Honestly I would turbo at low PSI so I could have the sounds and tell people I have a turbo diesel.

 

[lacalvette]

If your BJ60 is well maintained, it’s probably as reliable as many new 4x4 if not more. Certainly not as confortable but I think it is not too bad, don’t really need axle modifications.
I use to work with engine which have 50k and 80k hours. They are rebuild at 10k hours intervals.
I think those old LC could run forever with proper maintenance and good quality parts. The only main issue I’m thinking is rust.

 

[OSS]

After 35 years I no longer trusted my LC any more. Time has a way of turning everything to dust (or rust)

 

[Godwin]

Over 1 million accumulated miles on our 2 FJ60s and the FZJ80, yes they can be reliable if maintained. If you plan on driving any of these old trucks on a regular basis, long trips, etc. you must educate yourself on maintenance needs, parts availability and lack of, how it drives, the normal and abnormal noises, plus do as much of the work as you can because parts will eventually break or wear out.

 

[NMfjCruiser]

The only time my 60s been on a tow truck was way back when the smog pump seized.
I used to take 1300 hundred mile ski trips with my sons where we hit a bunch of different resorts in the Rockies on the way north and then again south. The highway miles were spent in the right lane but I mostly stick to two lanes anyway.
Ive kept up on all the maintenance and even today with the engine getting tired I’d still drive it anywhere.
On older vehicles (my newest is a 1995) most impending failures give you plenty of warning if you pay attention.

 

[60Works]

If you can do the work yourself; 60's are cheaper to maintain than the payments on a new car. Gas prices change the equation for some. As do state's emissions requirements.

Parts are getting harder to find and what you do find are of lower quality. I've daily driven 3 60's until rust destroyed them beyond saving. 300k+ miles.

I'm in a 62 now and am spending so much time fixing and refixing small issues that I'm about to give up and go for a newer Taco. Sad but reality.

 

[MarkBC]

If your BJ60 is well maintained, it’s probably as reliable as many new 4x4 if not more. Certainly not as confortable but I think it is not too bad, don’t really need axle modifications.

I'm a little concerned about the semi-float axles. True, this guy was pushing that axle to its limit but still it's nice to be able to just pull a FF axle out in the bush if needed and still be able to put the wheel back on.

 

[g-man]

My 87 FJ60 broke down on the road a few times. Stuff that is easily fixed. Seized smog pump , Thermostat locked up, seized water pump, failed coil igniter. Failed starter motor. But all of this happened over the course of over 17 years. All easily fixed once I knew what broke. None of them catastrophic...mostly because I had enough sense to realize .."hey I think I just threw a belt"... or.."wow my temp gauge is almost in the red"...better pull over. (and not overheat).

EVERYTHING is warn out unless it's been replaced or repaired. I keep a record in the back of my owners manual of all the work done and items replaced. I'm running out of room on the spare pages. I keep cobbling things together. Keeping it going because it seems less painful than buying a new vehicle. My neighbor teases me everytime he sees me working on my truck in the driveway. He says, "WHAT'S WRONG NOW!" and "You should just buy a new truck." I tell him... "if I had your money I'd buy two!"

But I'm not sure if the engine or the frame will go first. The frame has lots of patches. The motor could spin a bearing or throw a rod any time now. 322k miles so far. But I keep putting money in the bank for the day it goes.

Lately I've not done much traveling with it. I stay close to home mostly due to gas prices. But, it's peace of mind knowing that a tow truck won't cost hundreds of dollars if I am close to home when things break down.

Yes they are reliable if the maintenance has been kept up. I'd want lots of records of what's been done and be very skeptical of the mechanicals (drive train, suspension, axles etc) if the exterior and the interior have not been maintained.

 

[Roonie]

As mentioned reliable if maintenance kept up. If nothing touched then yes parts will fail now at 35 years old. I have replaced almost every part on the engine to date. Last part I haven't touched is the alternator and steering box. Everything else has been replaced as they started to fail. Last summer it was my power steering pump and fuel injectors. Summer before was my electrical, new battery cables and brake master cylinder. Summer before that was water pump and transmission. Summer before that was transfer case rebuild and knuckles. This summer nothing yet but I think I am ahead of the game and up on replacing everything. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it long distances now.

 

[Gimme a 60]

I'm a little concerned about the semi-float axles. True, this guy was pushing that axle to its limit but still it's nice to be able to just pull a FF axle out in the bush if needed and still be able to put the wheel back on.

Yeah I have been looking at buying one. Very very expensive.

 

[CruiserTrash]

These are old trucks, no more and no less reliable than any other 40 year old vehicle. I think brand new off the lot they were incredibly reliable - in the US especially they were being sold as the family truckster, the predecessor to the soccer mom minivan, and for that they are extremely overbuilt. Even for taking off onto trails in the woods they were well built from the get go. But you add age to all the parts, and yes, old parts will break. Most vehicle owners defer maintenance and only fix what's necessary or what they have the budget for. The key to reliability, in my mind, is getting them back to that near-new state. Yes a vehicle is going to seem unreliable and expensive when you're faced with a tidal wave of 40 year old problems nobody has ever address that pummel you one after the other. But once you address them you've got another 40 years of happy driving - not true for most other vehicles.

So are they reliable, in my opinion? Yes, they're very, very reliable IF they are brought back up to good condition. I've put a lot of hard work into mine and don't sweat hopping in and driving it far or wheeling in it (within my limits). I just drove 1200 miles round trip from Denver to Omaha and back this week and the truck didn't even hiccup. 2700rpm, 70mph, sit in the right lane and go. 195 degrees water temp and perfect oil pressure the whole way. That's with a 2F motor at 144000 miles. I did the same in my previous 60 with 270000 miles as well - but again I put a lot of work into it.

I think it's unfair when people who just got into a 60 get on Mud and crow about how unreliable these trucks are when they haven't address decades of deferred maintenance or PO monkey business in the engine bay. They were reliable from the start, but enough time has passed that they all need to be brought back to that.

 

[MarkBC]

Regarding rust, with the anti-corrosion products out now can't that be halted, especially since most of us don't drive them in salt in winter? 5 minutes ago my Woolwax sprayer arrived. I'm going to try mixing Fluid Film, lanseed oil, ATF, and marine grease. I am hoping that the marine grease will dissolve in the oils to be somewhat viscous so it will spray OK. Then after a few months when the oils disappear from under the truck, the sticky marine grease will be left behind.

 

[TCEd]

Part of the equation is how old is the drivers body and how far do you plan on driving each day.

 

[MarkBC]

Yeah I have been looking at buying one. Very very expensive.

You mean 80 series axles? I got them a few years ago, luckily just before demand for them was picking up. I got the rear from Abbotsford in really great shape. The front was from the Kootenays and dry inside and rusty outside and needs a complete rebuild. But both have e-lockers which I am planning on changing to mechanical actuation with the Chilkat cable kit.

 

[Gimme a 60]

You mean 80 series axles? I got them a few years ago, luckily just before demand for them was picking up. I got the rear from Abbotsford in really great shape. The front was from the Kootenays and dry inside and rusty outside and needs a complete rebuild. But both have e-lockers which I am planning on changing to mechanical actuation with the Chilkat cable kit.

I am very frustrated with the Toyota market.


I can’t afford parts or to buy another Toyota.



Rear axle is 2200 bucks with no e locker.

 

[Gimme a 60]

My Mom and Dad brought my baby sister home (I wasn’t born) in a BJ60 with 550,000KM Dad said he put NOTHING into that vehicle.


I believe that the BJ60 R.I.P. was a true family member, it did its job humbly. - it was reliable enough vehicle that instead of my parents having to dump money into it, they were able to put a down payment on their house, helped them buy diapers for their first child. Never let them down.

Un fortunately it kinda did. - the body and frame had gotten really rusty, the rust turned from “character to a safety concern” and my parents sold it, and it’s a distant memory, it served us well for the 300,000KM we ended up putting on it. ( next we bought a 80 series )




I can’t say the same now,





My moms Volkswagen is regularly having issues that require the vehicle to be taken into a shop, this complicates life and we regularly have to inconveniently carpool or share cars or borrow cars.


The LC, Though the speedometer doesn’t work, and it leaks oil,


My BJ62 hasn’t let anyone down.