Charlottesville, Va Roll Call? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Gymboi said:
Hey I need y'all's advice. So in Spring and Summer I burn 1-2qts every 500 or so miles, and I use 15w40 oil. Changed the oil the other week with 15w-40 again and now I'm burning 1-2qts every 230-280 miles. Just added some 10w40 to try and slow down oil consumption. What oil weight should I use for the cold weather? 10w30 dino?
Click to expand...

Read the 10,000 opinions in the 80 series section, but it’s hard to say. You probably just need a valve/head job to the tune of $1000.

I went to 5/30 on my last oil change and my motor seems to love it. Take my advice liberally - my 80 is an extreme beater and I put oil in it. I don’t care what kind or weight or whatever. I care that it has oil. I may not be the best person to listen to.
 
It's $5-6k for a head job tho, and I ain't got that kinda money 😂. Also today for the 3rd or 4th time within a year, I'm having to add coolant to the radiator. The last time I added coolant was about 4000 miles ago. The temp gauge is higher than normal, enough to be noticeably higher. The other 2 times or so, the temp gauge was in the red.

Would this much coolant loss be because my high oil consumption? Or is there a bigger problem at hand? The radiator was taken out of a lx450 and put into the cruiser right before I bought it
I should also add I haven't seen any spots on the ground under my vehicle
 
Last edited:
no. not that much. Take it to James Fowler in Fluvanna. couple hundred dollars. Will magnaflux and machine the mating surface flat. Check the valves, guides etc.
 
Last edited:
But be prepared, worst case senario is that the head is cracked and you need a replacement. For my 2f I found one for a couple hund but some of the asking prices around the country 300-800.00 plus shipping. Get the toyota head gasket kit (bought mine from partsouq) take the kit to him so he can get the valve stem seals or guides or whatever else he needs out of it.
James O Fowler in Palmyra, VA - Listing Details. He's an older guy and owns his own shop. Usually a late riser but knows his business.
 
g-man said:
But be prepared, worst case senario is that the head is cracked and you need a replacement. For my 2f I found one for a couple hund but some of the asking prices around the country 300-800.00 plus shipping. Get the toyota head gasket kit (bought mine from partsouq) take the kit to him so he can get the valve stem seals or guides or whatever else he needs out of it.
James O Fowler in Palmyra, VA - Listing Details. He's an older guy and owns his own shop. Usually a late riser but knows his business.
Click to expand...
OK cool, I had no idea about him at all, that helps out a lot. Also another fear that I've got is that the cylinder walls are scratched, and/or the crank journals have scoring on them, as the oil light has came on a few times for only a few seconds like on a hill.
 
Sounds like removing the head, having the valves resealed, and installing a new head gasket should be on your to-do list.

The oil light comes on when it’s a quart low. Mine does that sometimes so I pull over, check the oil, and if it’s low I add some. Typically only happens when the motor is cold and I’m going uphill.

Odds are the bottom end and cylinder walls are fine. You’ve been doing too much reading on mud. Take your truck to the guy G-man suggested and have him look it over. Tell him what you’ve told us. If it’s not leaking coolant anywhere you could have a leaky head gasket - then a head rebuild and new head gasket should definitely be considered. Or park it and drive a Honda Civic until you can afford to have it fixed.
 
BlueCruiser84 said:
Sounds like removing the head, having the valves resealed, and installing a new head gasket should be on your to-do list.

The oil light comes on when it’s a quart low. Mine does that sometimes so I pull over, check the oil, and if it’s low I add some. Typically only happens when the motor is cold and I’m going uphill.

Odds are the bottom end and cylinder walls are fine. You’ve been doing too much reading on mud. Take your truck to the guy G-man suggested and have him look it over. Tell him what you’ve told us. If it’s not leaking coolant anywhere you could have a leaky head gasket - then a head rebuild and new head gasket should definitely be considered. Or park it and drive a Honda Civic until you can afford to have it fixed.
Click to expand...
Yeah seems like the shop I bought it from didn't do too good of a job putting a new head gasket on. And with the valves I would just have to get new seals and not new valves correct? Also yeah I read on mud daily 😅
 
Gymboi said:
Yeah seems like the shop I bought it from didn't do too good of a job putting a new head gasket on. And with the valves I would just have to get new seals and not new valves correct? Also yeah I read on mud daily 😅
Click to expand...

Correct. Valve stem seals. If you aren’t seeing oil drips it’s got to be burning the oil. Could be tings, but it’s usually valve stem seals. Does it dump blue smoke out of the exhaust on startups in the mornings for a mile or so? That’s usually a retry good indication of bad valve stem seals.

Careful reading on MUD daily. There is a LOT of great information, but if you read too much you start thinking these trucks are delicate little babies that need $1000s of dollars of OEM parts dumped on them monthly.

I got my first cruiser when I was 17 and quickly spiraled on MUD. 15 years later and almost as many cruisers has taught me to drive them and fix them when they break. I drove an 80 with a leaking head gasket for about a year and eventually sold it to a guy who drove it for another year until it finally popped.

These are super tough trucks. Keep checking the oil and coolant (like everyday) and saving your money to rebuild the head and replace the HG. Try not to get sucked into the MUD paranoia - it can really take the fun out of it.
 
BlueCruiser84 said:
Correct. Valve stem seals. If you aren’t seeing oil drips it’s got to be burning the oil. Could be tings, but it’s usually valve stem seals. Does it dump blue smoke out of the exhaust on startups in the mornings for a mile or so? That’s usually a retry good indication of bad valve stem seals.

Careful reading on MUD daily. There is a LOT of great information, but if you read too much you start thinking these trucks are delicate little babies that need $1000s of dollars of OEM parts dumped on them monthly.

I got my first cruiser when I was 17 and quickly spiraled on MUD. 15 years later and almost as many cruisers has taught me to drive them and fix them when they break. I drove an 80 with a leaking head gasket for about a year and eventually sold it to a guy who drove it for another year until it finally popped.

These are super tough trucks. Keep checking the oil and coolant (like everyday) and saving your money to rebuild the head and replace the HG. Try not to get sucked into the MUD paranoia - it can really take the fun out of it.
Click to expand...
Typically only smokes on startups on coldish mornings, smoke seems mostly gray, tbh I don't check that often because I'm usually in a rush to get to class. But probably does dump a little blue smoke if I take off fast from a light. If the head is cracked, I don't think I'll invest much into it because we got it for $4500 with 273k on it with new tires
 
Gymboi said:
Typically only smokes on startups on coldish mornings, smoke seems mostly gray, tbh I don't check that often because I'm usually in a rush to get to class. But probably does dump a little blue smoke if I take off fast from a light. If the head is cracked, I don't think I'll invest much into it because we got it for $4500 with 273k on it with new tires
Click to expand...

Does it have lockers?
 
BlueCruiser84 said:
Weeell, I have a hard time walking away from a locked cruiser that needs a little work. And my '94 is getting a little ratty.
Click to expand...
One of the things that draws me to the 80 series is that you know not many people drive em around here, but when people notice it, they're in love with it. The 80 series is one of my dream vehicles, and thus it's hard to give it up
 
I'd also like to add, while there was no oil dripping. When I did the oil change a few weeks ago, I noticed that there was some oil and crud on the lower oil pan bolts and around the oil pan and on the connector going into the lower oil pan. Is that the crank sensor? I can't post any pics cuz I'm on mobile
 
been on mud awhile, but just now saw there was a cville thread. I rock a 89' fj62 white, been restoring it for a few years. I live right near the University, but always down for a trail or meet up! I've seen a few 62s in the area, but anyone else out there with a 60/62?
 
Jinks11 said:
been on mud awhile, but just now saw there was a cville thread. I rock a 89' fj62 white, been restoring it for a few years. I live right near the University, but always down for a trail or meet up! I've seen a few 62s in the area, but anyone else out there with a 60/62?
Click to expand...
I've got a 97 fzj80. And by the university you mean UVA?
 
Jinks11 said:
been on mud awhile, but just now saw there was a cville thread. I rock a 89' fj62 white, been restoring it for a few years. I live right near the University, but always down for a trail or meet up! I've seen a few 62s in the area, but anyone else out there with a 60/62?
Click to expand...


White with some I think blue pinstripes, usually parked near the laundromat by the stadium?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

KliersLC
RTH: Daughter is broke down between Richmond and Charlottesville
Replies
4
Views
650
KliersLC
KliersLC
RICVirginiaHJ61
Wintergreen FZJ80
Replies
16
Views
1K
matzell
matzell
Land Shark
  • Locked
Club meeting minutes
Replies
1
Views
453
matzell
matzell
Land Shark
11 Oct Meeting
Replies
0
Views
428
Land Shark
Land Shark

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom