Bruiser

[jeremyg]

Look mom, I bought a Land Cruiser! 1985 FJ60! I just moved back to Los Angeles after living in London for a few years and was determined to land with the loudest "I'm back in the US" that I could. Originally was looking at 4Runners, but came across this beauty, viewed it, and couldn't say no. With no previous research or desire, I was completely sold on the vibes. Now I'm realizing what a cool project and community I'm stepping into.

The owner had bought from his friend for $17k - a used car dealer - about 2 years ago and driven it about 4 times since. CA registration expired Dec 2022 (along with last smog) so I'm currently trying to pass smog and get it registered. Bruiser will be my daily driver, although I'm able to cycle a lot around here so I don't need 100% reliability. Excited to update you on the repairs and inevitable upgrades! I appreciate all the welcomes in advance and, yes, I've downloaded all the manuals I can find.

The first drive in true CA style.

It turned over and drove around the block fine when purchased. Didn't notice any engine knocking or anything that immediately would be a showstopper. Here were some issues I quickly identified (and yes, I will be asking for your help later):

• Needs new fuel pump (currently running on one of the emergency electrical ones from autoparts store)
• Needs new liftgate gas cylinders
• Needs new VCV for EVAP system to pass smog (ordered)
• No air intake hose to grill
• Oil leak (hoping to just replace the oil pan gasket and call it good)
• Very loose steering (will be asking more on this later)

Otherwise, it looks like it has about a 3" lift, new tires, minimal rust on the frame all around, paint is fading (it's worse on the other side), about 360XXX mi, came with roof box and roof bike racks. Interior is pretty incredible condition, will post more pics later.

And the price was....... $10k on FB marketplace. What do you guys think? Fair for what it is? Keep in mind the (likely inflated) central LA prices

 

[Tancruiser]

Great looking rig. Welcome

 

[Smithtec]

I remember seeing that one. I keep an eye on the local rigs, at one time I counted 20 60 series for sale between Ventura and San Diego! I'm out by Temecula with my BJ60, if you ever need help with fab or welding projects.

 

[jeremyg]

Worked on the beast for a few hours last night. The easy part was installing the VCV for EVAP I bought from City Racer. Fit perfectly and, as they note on the site, two of the connections are reversed. It's pretty obvious due to the size of the hoses.

Installed the new fuel pump (was about $20 at autozone). I ran into the same issues described in this youtube video for replacing the fuel pump. Basically, the non-OEM fuel pump has a small metal tab connecting to the spring of the mechanism that is inside the engine block. The OEM spacer doesn't have enough clearance to fit over that metal tab and create a clean seal with the engine block. I was able to modify the OEM spacer by drilling out the bolt holes such that it had enough play to fit over the metal tab on the fuel pump. The bolts were tough to get to, even from the bottom. I think an engine mount or some other bracket was in the way. Might remove the AC condenser for easier access for next time.

What did I learn?

1. Take more pictures as I'm doing work, both to share here, for future repairs, and for the memz
2. Don't fall into the "I'm replacing 2 bolts and it will only take 10 minutes" trap. Murphy's law. It will take longer than you think. I had my 2 bolts for the fuel pump installed 2 HOURS later...

 

[jeremyg]

I remember seeing that one. I keep an eye on the local rigs, at one time I counted 20 60 series for sale between Ventura and San Diego! I'm out by Temecula with my BJ60, if you ever need help with fab or welding projects.

I think people were just scared away by the 360XXX miles listed? We'll see how it works out; it seemed to be a solid price for a running cruiser compared to what else I was seeing on the market for $20k-ish. Once I get the basics up and running, I'll let you know if I want to do any more fun projects!

 

[OSS]

Lesson #2:
Use genuine Toyota parts if they are still available. They are more expensive to buy at first but cheaper in the long run because they last much much longer.

That aftermarket fuel pump purchase was a mistake. You’ll discover that for yourself down the line.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Lesson #2:
Use genuine Toyota parts if they are still available. They are more expensive to buy at first but cheaper in the long run because they last much much longer.

That aftermarket fuel pump purchase was a mistake. You’ll discover that for yourself down the line.

The only aftermarket pump I've ever used on a 60 failed in a few months. A story told over and over in the annals of Mud. Kyosan/OEM or nothing.

 

[kirvesmies]

man, you guys are slackin'!!! welcome down this rabbit hole called mud there, an official welcome from the guys that posted head of me. here's mine. n a heads up, if you're lookin' for alice, too late, she left with me

 

[jeremyg]

Lets start with the less spicy updates: The single key I received with the car was too worn to copy so I got new keys made from my gas cap lock, which seemed like the easiest to lose for a day. The new keys were a bit fresh and sticky at first, but shot some lubricant in the ignition and door locks - everything is now feeling buttery. He's also breathing better with a new air filter (didn't have one when I got him).

And now for a little 5 hour oil pan gasket replacement recap:

I was leaking oil from the front of the oil pan and instead of accepting it like a normal cruiser owner, I decided to go full force. Tossed in a motor flush and idled to get some of the gunk out, drained the oil, and dropped the oil pan off to completely clean the system and replace the gasket. There was probably about a half inch of sludge at the bottom of the pan - not sure if that was all from the motor flush or had just built up over the years. So satisfying to clean that guy out.

I ordered a cork gasket... in hindsight I wish I would've spent up on a better one. This thing was 4 different parts and was a mission to fit well. I smashed some liquid gasket on both sides and popped it back on with the help of a friend. Luckily it's pretty easy to get under my rig with a 3" lift. Torqued all the bolts to spec (7 ft-lb I think) and crossed my fingers. Looks like it leaked a bit from the drain plug the next morning so I cinched that down... now it's wait and see. At least I have new oil (20W-50 with extra zinc) and a filter.

 

[Roonie]

You can get the key code for your vehicle in the passenger door key lock cylinder. Its stamped right on it. All Toyota dealers can make new keys from the key code. I did this it was fast and easy and not reinventing the wheel.

My best advice to you is use the search function here. All things dealing with the cruiser have been done before. Use their knowledge and mistakes. Welcome. Courageous to daily drive it. I did this for 3 years and it was eventful.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Welcome and congrats on buying the best vehicle ever made - the 60-Series Toyota Land Cruiser! Nice to see your enthusiasm and willingness to tear into this thing. Looks like it's ended up in the right hands.

As has been said, to make your life easier, do these things:

1 - Use Toyota OEM parts whenever possible. The oil pan gasket is a great example of this. The OE gasket is one piece, which makes it more reliable and much easier to install.

2 - Get a copy of the Factory Service Manual, if you don't have one already. It'll have all the torque specs etc. - so that you never have to guess (the oil pan bolts are actually 69 in-lbs). You may be able to find a pdf copy of the manual here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/resources/categories/60-series.1/

Enjoy!

 

[jeremyg]

Thanks for the welcomes and tips. I’ve downloaded all the manuals I can and referring to them often!

@Roonie good to know about that key code. That’s something I wouldn’t have even thought to search…

All the action is on my California Smog thread at the moment.

 

[jeremyg]

In the process of removing my smog pump (documented in my smog thread above), I noticed a lot of oil and general grime around the crank pulley and surrounding parts.
best guess is that I need to replace the crank pulley seal. I’m also noticing additional oil leaks (I replaced my oil pan gasket about a few weeks ago). Can anyone tell from some of these pics if my diagnosis seem correct?

1. Oil on the bottom of the timing cover. From where it’s dripping, looks like this is leaking through the crank pulley seal. I think I can replace this without replacing the timing cover gasket?

2. Oil drip from either the front of oil pan gasket or the timing cover gasket. This is pretty minimal so I might just leave it instead of replacing those gaskets. Probably need to re-torque the oil pan bolts again after the replacement.

3. Lots of oil/grime on the hose (I think called the oil cooler hose). I think this is partially from oil being flung from the crank pulley seal and maybe some leakage from that tiny hose at the top. I don’t really want to drain the coolant but might do it to replace the hose while I’m in there.

4. This is above the crank pulley. As noted above, I can see oil splatter but not actually too much coolant leak from that hose.

5. More oil splatter on smog pump side of the crank pulley. Again from crank pulley seal oil leak spray?

6. Different area, oil leaking onto the flywheel cover. I’ve only noticed an increase drip after reinstalling the oil pan gasket so I’m going to assume it’s that, rather than a rear mail seal or valve cover gasket. I’ll torque the oil pan bolts again (although the cork gasket is already bulging so maybe need to take a look at that first).

 

[CruiserTrash]

In the process of removing my smog pump (documented in my smog thread above), I noticed a lot of oil and general grime around the crank pulley and surrounding parts.
best guess is that I need to replace the crank pulley seal. I’m also noticing additional oil leaks (I replaced my oil pan gasket about a few weeks ago). Can anyone tell from some of these pics if my diagnosis seem correct?

1. Oil on the bottom of the timing cover. From where it’s dripping, looks like this is leaking through the crank pulley seal. I think I can replace this without replacing the timing cover gasket?

2. Oil drip from either the front of oil pan gasket or the timing cover gasket. This is pretty minimal so I might just leave it instead of replacing those gaskets. Probably need to re-torque the oil pan bolts again after the replacement.

3. Lots of oil/grime on the hose (I think called the oil cooler hose). I think this is partially from oil being flung from the crank pulley seal and maybe some leakage from that tiny hose at the top. I don’t really want to drain the coolant but might do it to replace the hose while I’m in there.

4. This is above the crank pulley. As noted above, I can see oil splatter but not actually too much coolant leak from that hose.

5. More oil splatter on smog pump side of the crank pulley. Again from crank pulley seal oil leak spray?

6. Different area, oil leaking onto the flywheel cover. I’ve only noticed an increase drip after reinstalling the oil pan gasket so I’m going to assume it’s that, rather than a rear mail seal or valve cover gasket. I’ll torque the oil pan bolts again (although the cork gasket is already bulging so maybe need to take a look at that first).

View attachment 3638024View attachment 3638025View attachment 3638026View attachment 3638027

That's Toyota's automatic anti-rust system at work my friend

 

[jeremyg]

Had a shop replace the timing cover gasket and crank pulley gasket because I was lazy and didn’t want to deal with it. When they pulled off the crank pulley, they found a ton of scoring/wear on it where the collar connects to the pulley gasket/seal. I read a few posts that said you could try JB weld to fill in the wearing and then sand it to the right shape. Other options are to find a new crank pulley or bring it to a machine shop to weld and then lathe to trim it back to shape.

Anyone have any root causes of this? Is it actually a huge issue or just a 350k mile vehicle wear and tear? I was thinking of putting it back on and just dealing with the oil leak but the mechanic said it’ll ruin the gasket/seal and continue to leak profusely if I don’t get a new pulley.

 

[Smithtec]

The cause is grit under the lip of the seal. Either find a new harmonic or look at getting a speedi sleeve.

 

[jeremyg]

The cause is grit under the lip of the seal. Either find a new harmonic or look at getting a speedi sleeve.

Thanks for pointing to the speedi sleeve. I'm going to go that route instead of dropping $951 for a new pulley at Rockauto.

I'm going to use SKF 99177 per this thread.