Buying a used cruiser question (1 Viewer)

[bill black]

Good Morning all. I am buying a used 92 fj80 with 180k. It has high miles, but appears to be well kept and looks great. I test drove it for 1/2 hour and that will be followed up by an inpsection at my mechanic. Assuming no major snafus, I'll buy it.

I am new to cruisers. I am an above average home mechanic.

During the test drive, I could feel some noticeable "slop" somewhere in the driveline.

Accelerating or deccelerating produces nothing but smooth and normal feedback to me. But, while cruising at a steady state, neither accelerating or decelerating, if I gently do "gass on" "gass off", I can feel and hear a noticeably clunk as the "slack" is taken up.
U joints? front/rear diff? transfer case????? Anything particular or EXPENSIVE that I should know about particular to FJ80's

Based on your experience, what is the source of this slack?

I'll get feedback Monday from my mechanic too, but I value the personal experience of people who live with these things.

One more thing. This thing is SLOW. I know slow is a relative word, but I'd say it's definatley not as powerfull as my old '95 Suburban. I assume that's normal, Yes? I think it's only 150 something horsepowere correct?

That's it for now. I fix everything myself so I bet this sight will be useful and I look forward to sharing.

Kind Regards,

Bill Black

 

[ryanjl]

The source of the clunk is drivline slack, commonly discussed and common in full time 4wd Land Cruisers. You'd probably get it as well if you put the vehicle in reverse, stopped, then put it in drive again.

If you want a Land Cruiser with more power, look for a 93 or newer. Different engine, something like 210 hp or so. There's also lots of options in that range that you won't get in a 91 or 92.

Check Christo's newbie guide for more info:

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbie100.htm

Oh, and wlecome!

 

[e9999]

there is a well known clunk known for the LC that seems harmless. May be that.
The 91 and 92 are also well known slowpokes (as are their owners ).
Lots of particulars to check for the LC, though, before buying.
Welcome to the forum!
E

 

[tusk74]

Hello Bill, I have a '91 with 173,000 on it. The slack you describe is evident in mine but no cause for alarm as far as I know. They are SLOW, but easy to work on. You may notice a little clicking from the top of the engine also. Some say it's noisy injectors, others say you need to adjust your valves. I adjusted my valves and still have a little ticking. If you see an oil leak below the truck, check the valve cover gasket. It is a huge rubber O-Ring that gets hard over the years and breaks....easy fix.

I also have a '96 with the bigger engine. There is a night and day difference in how they drive. You can actually pass people going up a slight grade with the 1FZ engine. With the 3FE engine you don't have a PHH that requires attention to or a head gasket that may or may not last past 100,000 miles. If I had to sell one of my trucks it would be the '96. I simply feel more confident with the older engine and with my ability to fix it.

You are right about this site. I bought my Land Cruiser with no prior knowledge about the trucks. I spent a few weeks just reading past posts. Thanks to the people on this site I feel like I know more about these Land Cruisers than any other vehicle I've owned.

Cheers,
Tusk

 

[jjbodean1970]

even though the 92 may seem slower or sluggish, it's because of the 3FE engine, which should last like, 300,000 miles or more. it's one of the best engines Toyota ever produced. the term "bulletproof" comes to mind.