Considering purchasing a turbo diesel 80 series (1 Viewer)

[Edgecrusher]

Not only have I outgrown my little Suzuki Sidekick, but it also died a premature death due to a failed connecting rod bearing, and with the cost of repairs plus the mods I had in mind would put me at around the same price as importing an HDJ81V from Japan. After reading up on them Land Cruisers seem to be everything I wanted my Sidekick to be by the time I was finished with it, just more capable and quite a bit roomier. So my questions for you guys what are some common issues that these vehicles have, and what should I look out for? Also, since these vehicles run a 24 volt electrical system what do you guys do for things such as using USB car chargers, and what happens once I get my Land Cruiser and I need a jump, but the guy that is going to jump me only has a 12 volt charging system? I have lots of questions and plenty of time to learn so I am going to stick around and watch and learn from you guys on here.

 

[Pitbull1981]

Looking also to buy a Land Cruiser, turbo diesel as well. The one I am looking at only has the center diff lock and not triple locked. Is this going to be an issue for off-roading?
How is the fuel mileage on these vs the gas engine? How hard is sourcing parts?

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

You may want to inquire about your voltages. I know many Toyota diesel start on 24v and run on 12v our HDJ80 does. Look for a box about 3x3 with bunch of large wire going to it next to the battery

 

[Edgecrusher]

I haven't gotten one yet, but that's certainly good to know. I will definitely be checking that though once I get one.

 

[cme4lyt]

Not only have I outgrown my little Suzuki Sidekick, but it also died a premature death due to a failed connecting rod bearing, and with the cost of repairs plus the mods I had in mind would put me at around the same price as importing an HDJ81V from Japan. After reading up on them Land Cruisers seem to be everything I wanted my Sidekick to be by the time I was finished with it, just more capable and quite a bit roomier. So my questions for you guys what are some common issues that these vehicles have, and what should I look out for? Also, since these vehicles run a 24 volt electrical system what do you guys do for things such as using USB car chargers, and what happens once I get my Land Cruiser and I need a jump, but the guy that is going to jump me only has a 12 volt charging system? I have lots of questions and plenty of time to learn so I am going to stick around and watch and learn from you guys on here.

What are your plans for the Sidekick ?

 

[Tapage]

80 series are complete different animal .. it's the one you consider auto tranny or manual .?

 

[Edgecrusher]

What are your plans for the Sidekick ?

I already gave it to a family member who is going to put a new engine in it.

80 series are complete different animal .. it's the one you consider auto tranny or manual .?

Ideally I would like to have a manual, but it seems they are pretty rare in Japan, so if I have to I will settle for an automatic then once it breaks I will manual swap it.

 

[REKCUT]

Was down at land cruiser direct today @SteveJackson and they had a couple 5spd diesels

 

[M1C4H]

These pop up every now and then on this account... worth a look... and they ship

 

[pawnthatdude]

So I've always been interested in a diesel 80 (visiting the LandCruiserDirect website is dangerous for me), but what I am not super clear on is how much of a can of worms are you getting into for getting parts in the US for a RHD, diesel, 24v truck.

 

[J2P]

HDJ81s are 12volt running and 24v only when starting. Parts are available as they are same as North American except for engine parts but those are available from Australia or some Land Cruiser specialists. I have been restoring my 91 for the last few years. I would recommend you buy a truck that is already imported because in most cases all the maintenance has been caught up on. When you import yourself you then have to service almost everything because the vehicle sat for the last 15 years in Japan. Just my 2 cents.

 

[pawnthatdude]

HDJ81s are 12volt running and 24v only when starting. Parts are available as they are same as North American except for engine parts but those are available from Australia or some Land Cruiser specialists. I have been restoring my 91 for the last few years. I would recommend you buy a truck that is already imported because in most cases all the maintenance has been caught up on. When you import yourself you then have to service almost everything because the vehicle sat for the last 15 years in Japan. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for that correction and information. I'm like a 2 banana mechanic on a good day. But I loathe going on a wild goose chase for parts. The 80 community is big though, so you're usually not the first to have to do it.

 

[Douglas S]

Ideally I would like to have a manual, but it seems they are pretty rare in Japan, so if I have to I will settle for an automatic then once it breaks I will manual swap it.

You'll be waiting a loooong time before that auto breaks.

 

[J2P]

You'll be waiting a loooong time before that auto breaks.

That depends if you have A442F hydraulic. It heats up much more then the electronic

 

[Douglas S]

That depends if you have A442F hydraulic. It heats up much more then the electronic

Yeah it needs a cooler. Trans is still massively oversized for the truck.

 

[SmokingRocks]

How much more? The electric a442f barely ever shows above 140 on my gauge.

I do know that we are spoiled here in the US in the regards that all USDM 80’s came with a trans cooler. This is a must add if you bring a JDM 80 here.

Doesn't Canada have diesel 80’s you can buy and drive into the states now? Would be cheaper than shipping one in

 

[IanB]

You'll want to do the BEB's if there is no documentation proving they have already been done. Adding an OEM trans cooler from a North American truck is easy and cheap insurance, you need the cooler and the hardline cluster for the lines to pass through the rad support.

For parts, life is a lot easier if you can look up your own part #'s. Then you can source them from a number of places, in the US/Canada and abroad. You'll learn to stockpile maintenance parts like filters and stuff ahead of time. It's a good idea to have a 2nd vehicle for when you do experience downtime, which can happen as they need to be 25 years old to import into the US (only 15 for Canada).

 

[Edgecrusher]

Thanks for all the info my dudes, I don't mind importing vehicles myself, I have a JDM Subaru SVX that I imported myself from Japan So I know the risks involved. When it got here I found out that it had a dead transmission, and it took almost 9 months to find a replacement for it since it was a JDM exclusive part. The transmissions on those have heat issues as well so I have no qualms with having to install a trans cooler which would be much needed here in the south during summer. Also what are some of the most common issues with these rigs?

 

[SNLC]

I got x2 HDj81’s I am working on for customers.

Both of the the h151 has major issues with the 1st & 2nd synchros, they are shot.

One of them threw the turbo rod and the turbo imploded.

Both of them the power windows are all wasted and need full rebuilds.

Both are 200,000kms or less. Both got imported, driven a bit and then came to me. Meaning they haven’t changed much since they left Japan.

Just some food for thought if you are buying, in particular if you can’t ciew in person and test drive.

Cheers

 

[Bludozer]

Just order through someone like Land Cruisers direct and be done with it. It may be slightly more than doing all the leg work yourself but that piece of mind is well worth it. They do a lot of maintenance on their imported trucks and take care of all importing paperwork as well. They have a great reputation, no brainer IMO.