My 91’ 3FE engine and trans seems to be bone dry lol. No leaks
Car Car Nut talks about 80s
- Thread starter cruiserdan
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Yeah, that engine doesn't seem to be so leak prone. I wonder if the NUT has worked on any of the RHD diesel imports, and if so what he thinks about those engines. Besides not recommending purchasing, that is.My 91’ 3FE engine and trans seems to be bone dry lol. No leaks
thatcabledude
GOLD Star
The 1fz is leak prone? That would be news to me.
Never seen a rear main seal leak. Every single 80 series oil pan leaks oil out of the box and looks like a main leak.
I have noticed oil in the fly wheel housing on mine that supposedly the rear main seal was changed under the PO. I have the records from a reputable shop. Not too bad but it’s the only leak I have in my ‘94. I would also add that all 80’s need a full baseline service. I love mine since I’ve done the baseline( hoses, service all the hubs, etc
Still think it’s an oil pan leak. I’ve re-done a bunch of bad oil seal jobs. Last job was 2 weeks after the shop did the job.
It’s not hard, you just have to get the right products and be meticulous.
I’ll investigate it further, thanks for the reply input.
- Thread starter
- #29
Rick is right on the money. The rear pan arch leaks, almost from day-1. As he said, the surfaces have to be properly prepped and the correct sealant needs to be applied in the proper manner. I had my pans off 21 years ago for another issue. At that time it was wet at the back and it looked like what a rear main would present. It is bone-dry to this day.
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Is this one of those, "pick any 2, you can't have all 4" riddles?
Actually, I think I come up a little short on all of those categories!
I'm off to buy more tools . . .Dammit! Now I need more treasure!
If they leak that early from the factory but hold up for decades after a proper repair then this suggests Toyota did it wrong (gasp!) initially.
- Thread starter
- #32
Likely a missed step in surface prep.
or the customer ordered the automatic anti rust oil seep system
- Thread starter
- #34
That's a British automaker option... um... standard equipment.or the customer ordered the automatic anti rust oil seep system
From what I have seen, The Car Care Nut is probably the most knowledgeable Toyota/Lexus technician on Youtube. The biggest factor he seems to have with the 80 is an idea that it costs a ton to keep on the road. I think this is because he only uses OEM parts which would make driving anything close to this old too expensive. I have found that while OEM is the best option, there are acceptable aftermarket parks for a lot of stuff. He probably would not use them and if he did, he would not warranty them because he is an honest business owner and stands behind his work.
I have been driving my 1991 80 for 7 years, mostly as a daily driver and have not found it expensive to maintain. I put a good bit of work/money in it the first year but nothing really since. It had setup for several years and had a lot of mysterious bugs. Since then I have put 40,000 miles on it in that 7 years and it has never let me down. Except for the first year of my 80 ownership, my LX570 which I have had for 3 years has cost me more which also hasn't been that much. I did the valley plate leak on the LX570 myself so the labor wasn't a factor. I also installed new accumulator globes. I changed the headgasket on my 3FE myself which I would consider about the same level of difficulty as the valley plate on the 200. Well except for lifting the head out engine bay on the 80. That iron head is heavy!
Anyway, I think that the 80 might be easier/cheaper to keep on the road indefinitely. Oh and for all the 3FE haters, it may be slow but that is likely because when it was imported into the US, the national speed limit was 55. I have found it fine around town but it does not keep up with the people on the interstate doing 80 to 90. 75 is fine though. I bought the LX for long trips.
I have been driving my 1991 80 for 7 years, mostly as a daily driver and have not found it expensive to maintain. I put a good bit of work/money in it the first year but nothing really since. It had setup for several years and had a lot of mysterious bugs. Since then I have put 40,000 miles on it in that 7 years and it has never let me down. Except for the first year of my 80 ownership, my LX570 which I have had for 3 years has cost me more which also hasn't been that much. I did the valley plate leak on the LX570 myself so the labor wasn't a factor. I also installed new accumulator globes. I changed the headgasket on my 3FE myself which I would consider about the same level of difficulty as the valley plate on the 200. Well except for lifting the head out engine bay on the 80. That iron head is heavy!
Anyway, I think that the 80 might be easier/cheaper to keep on the road indefinitely. Oh and for all the 3FE haters, it may be slow but that is likely because when it was imported into the US, the national speed limit was 55. I have found it fine around town but it does not keep up with the people on the interstate doing 80 to 90. 75 is fine though. I bought the LX for long trips.
My 5th T would be Two vehicles so can still function while working on one in the garage.
I drove my 80 off the lot new back in 94 and then through the lean 80-hating years. I was 80 when 80 wasn't cool as the song goes.
80's now get all the respect they deserve but the Nut is right buying one sight unseen or true condition unknown and thinking you'll be off to the races for 100,000 miles thru hell and high water is a risky bet.
But I wouldn't trade mine and the memories for the world.
thatcabledude
GOLD Star
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
It wasn't really built for usa roads, ever.
Even though I got distracted a few times I don't recall him mentioning the crappy Toyota paint in the 90s. To fix that is more expensive than the front drivetrain.
Both those 80s are yummy. I thought the grey was an overdone color but in that shop lighting it's beautiful.
Both those 80s are yummy. I thought the grey was an overdone color but in that shop lighting it's beautiful.
405
GOLD Star
That was my 60! I was happy with his work and feel lucky to have him local. He is very much the OEM or nothing approach. He takes great care in his work and you can tell when talking to him he really appreciates these older Toyota vehicles.
I am bringing him my US spec '82 FJ40 next month for some work and he's planning to do a video on that one as well.
