Bought my first Land Cruiser (FJ62), promptly pulled the motor...now what

[themarquis78]

Sorry, the title makes it seem like I'm lost. I'm not, just looking for pointers and some words of advice.

This is my first foray into any kind of project car. I bought this '89 FJ62 from a friend for a pretty good deal. It's in fairly decent condition. Only 4 or 5 rust spots. Interior is in pretty good shape as well. 175k miles.

My friend told me he was selling it because it needed work and he didn't need a 3rd car. It had lost compression in 2 cylinders. My plan is for it to become my DD so we decided that a rebuild was probably the smart move.

So, 2 days after buying it we started pulling the motor. We're about 30 minutes of work from taking it to get machined and I wanted to get some input from you all. I've been around cars my whole life but am a bit of a noob when it comes to actually taking on this sort of project so I want to make sure it's done right.

Are there any specific things that I would want the machine shop to look at or do that they wouldn't necessarily if they weren't familiar w/ the 3FE? I know that the oil gallery plug is a good thing to have them drill out and install a real bolt there. Is there anything else beyond the regular machine work?

How are the water pumps for the FJ62? It has been suggested to me that I should probably replace it since we have the motor out. Probably pretty good advice?

Also, take a look at the oil pan. The one side looks fine while the other side makes it look like Two Face. Is that a common occurrence? Should that probably be replaced?

I've spent the last month or so just reading a million posts here and have learned a lot from you guys. Hope I can become a contributor sometime soon. Thanks!

 

[esh]

If it were me looking at the cost of a rebuild, I would consider doing a 2FE.. using the parts below the head from a later (81-87, later years are preferred) 2F and the 3FE head/fuel injection. When all is said and done the 3FE computer will work everything out and you end up with larger cylinders + fuel injection. The A440 needs all the help it can get. If you don't think you'll ever change the tire size, a 3FE should be fine.

It is much easier to do a 2FE on a 40 because all the setup for the block accessories (you use most the 2F block accessories) are in place. That said, there are some writeups of FJ62 2FE builds in this forum. Personally, I would scrap it, find a 13B-T, 3B (turbo it), or 12H-T already setup for an auto and swap it in. Better range, better power, much simpler and cleaner engine bay. I drove a 13B-T/A440 for a couple months while my 62 was under the knife and it made for a sweet commuter truck. But I digress..


If you are set on the 3FE rebuild, definitely change out the water pump and t-stat. Use only Toyota OEM parts. I would replace or at least media blast and see what metal is left on the oil pan.

Search for Rodney flush (it's in the FAQ) and do that after you get things back together. I recommend adding a cooler and temp gauge for the transmission. It is much more sensitive to stress than your engine, but it's a great transmission.

 

[KLF]

I would heave that oil pan into the closest scrap bin and get a new one. Before you install it, give it a light sanding then several coats of Rustoleum satin black. Let it dry for a few days, then fill the cavity between that little skidplate and the actual pan with black silicone.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Why did it lose compression? There's a good chance it has just burned a couple valves (due to lack of maint.) or popped the gasket between adjacent cylinders. In that case, I don't know that the bottom end needs to go to the shop. If bores are OK, then new rings and bearings oughta do it.

Closely inspect the cam and lifters for wear. That is always a weak point on F-series engines with any miles.

If it needs any expensive valve work (new guides or valves), then do the SBC valve upgrade. Bumps compression and flows better, for less money.

 

[slcfj62]

If you wind up needing the machining work done, I've done a little research against the time when I might be facing your situation. I have checked around the Salt Lake area, and had a nice phone conversation with these guys:

JR Automotive Machine

If you haven't already picked out your machine shop, you might give those guys a call. I don't have any personal experience with them, nor do I have any references, but at least I liked how they answered my questions about how familiar they are with these engines, etc.

 

[themarquis78]

If it were me looking at the cost of a rebuild, I would consider doing a 2FE.. using the parts below the head from a later (81-87, later years are preferred) 2F and the 3FE head/fuel injection. When all is said and done the 3FE computer will work everything out and you end up with larger cylinders + fuel injection. The A440 needs all the help it can get. If you don't think you'll ever change the tire size, a 3FE should be fine.

It is much easier to do a 2FE on a 40 because all the setup for the block accessories (you use most the 2F block accessories) are in place. That said, there are some writeups of FJ62 2FE builds in this forum. Personally, I would scrap it, find a 13B-T, 3B (turbo it), or 12H-T already setup for an auto and swap it in. Better range, better power, much simpler and cleaner engine bay. I drove a 13B-T/A440 for a couple months while my 62 was under the knife and it made for a sweet commuter truck. But I digress..

If you are set on the 3FE rebuild, definitely change out the water pump and t-stat. Use only Toyota OEM parts. I would replace or at least media blast and see what metal is left on the oil pan.

Search for Rodney flush (it's in the FAQ) and do that after you get things back together. I recommend adding a cooler and temp gauge for the transmission. It is much more sensitive to stress than your engine, but it's a great transmission.

The 2FE conversion does sound like a good setup but I'm on a bit of a time crunch and I think that trying to locate a good 2F block will take more time than what I've got. Thanks for the heads up on the Rodney Flush. I'll take a look at that now.

I would heave that oil pan into the closest scrap bin and get a new one. Before you install it, give it a light sanding then several coats of Rustoleum satin black. Let it dry for a few days, then fill the cavity between that little skidplate and the actual pan with black silicone.

Ok, that's good to know.

Why did it lose compression? There's a good chance it has just burned a couple valves (due to lack of maint.) or popped the gasket between adjacent cylinders. In that case, I don't know that the bottom end needs to go to the shop. If bores are OK, then new rings and bearings oughta do it.

Closely inspect the cam and lifters for wear. That is always a weak point on F-series engines with any miles.

If it needs any expensive valve work (new guides or valves), then do the SBC upgrade. Bumps compression and flows better, for less money.

Not sure why it lost compression. The previous owners were pretty good about maintaining it. I think we might take the bottom end to the machine shop just the same and let them tell us how much work (if any) it needs. I'm not sure what the SBC upgrade is (haven't seen it in my readings yet) but I'll search for it and check it out.

If you wind up needing the machining work done, I've done a little research against the time when I might be facing your situation. I have checked around the Salt Lake area, and had a nice phone conversation with these guys:

JR Automotive Machine

If you haven't already picked out your machine shop, you might give those guys a call. I don't have any personal experience with them, nor do I have any references, but at least I liked how they answered my questions about how familiar they are with these engines, etc.

Thanks for the recommendation. It's always nice to find people close. And I might come to you for the new headlight wiring harness down the road a bit. The only thing about RJ is that they're pretty close to downtown SLC and for now I'm in Provo. That's a little far to go I think.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone. It's much appreciated.

 

[2020 Rocks]

Pretty sure when he states SBC upgrade he is referring to a Smal Block Chevy, aka Chevy 350.

 

[caserique]

Nice two-tone!

 

[Willman]

Nice 62!

I had a buddy that looked at your 62 when it was on KSL...He didn't like the motor problem...

I just had my head redone by Clegg here in Orem. They did a good job.

 

[themarquis78]

Ha, that's funny. It was going for a good enough deal that he didn't want to invest in the motor rebuild? Even the 2 put together isn't a ton of cost...but I guess most people wouldn't want to get into it...that makes sense.

I was actually planning on taking it to Clegg's so I'm glad to hear that they're trustworthy. Mind if I ask how much the head work was? And what all they did?

Nice 62!

I had a buddy that looked at your 62 when it was on KSL...He didn't like the motor problem...

I just had my head redone by Clegg here in Orem. They did a good job.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Not sure why it lost compression. The previous owners were pretty good about maintaining it. I think we might take the bottom end to the machine shop just the same and let them tell us how much work (if any) it needs. I'm not sure what the SBC upgrade is (haven't seen it in my readings yet) but I'll search for it and check it out.

SBC upgrade= Replace worn OEM guides and valves w/ less expensive Chevy parts.

 

[themarquis78]

Ok, that makes more sense. When he originally described upgrading to the SBC he made it seem like it was something little...which obviously switching out the entire engine is NOT. How much cheaper are the OEM guides and valves? The motor went to the machine shop last night so if it is indeed a better setup then I want to look into this pretty quick before they get going on it...

SBC upgrade= Replace worn OEM guides and valves w/ less expensive Chevy parts.

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Why did it lose compression? There's a good chance it has just burned a couple valves (due to lack of maint.) or popped the gasket between adjacent cylinders. In that case, I don't know that the bottom end needs to go to the shop. If bores are OK, then new rings and bearings oughta do it.

x2. I had two cylinders with no compression when I took possession of my 60. Without really knowing what I was doing, I took the head into the machine shop for a valve job. This alone returned compression on all cylinders to the high end of spec for me.

Butt

 

[FJ40Jim]

Ok, that makes more sense. When he originally described upgrading to the SBC he made it seem like it was something little...which obviously switching out the entire engine is NOT. How much cheaper are the OEM guides and valves? The motor went to the machine shop last night so if it is indeed a better setup then I want to look into this pretty quick before they get going on it...

I dunno how much cheaper the SBC parts are. Don't care about the price difference too much. The bigger valves, increased CR and no need for new guides are all Good Things (tm).