Engine Blown...Need some advice (1 Viewer)

[jjpainter]

Hi all,

New to this FJ lifestyle and I am in need of some guidance. Looked through other posts and did not see needed answers. Have an 1986 60-series, completely original. Bought last year, have not really done much but putter around town with it,(i.e. driven less than 1000 miles total since purchase). Took it out on its first longer voyage, and all was good until on the way home and she lost power almost instantly on the highway, loss of oil pressure, but no overheating. Engine is dead, try what I can to bring her life-no pulse. Have it towed to mechanic-my worst nightmare has come true. It needs a new motor. Before everyone slings it at me, I had tried to do my due dilligence with this old hog prior to and during trip.

Question is this; What are my options outside of a rebuild or does this even sound rebuildable? Toyota shop said they can't even get it to turnover-it is locked up. I knew this would be a project, but would I be further ahead to part out, cut my losses, or play the long game here-if there is one. I have seen a lot of mods with engine swaps over the years, and wonder if this is a viable path, as I think other issues may arise because previous owner may have been a less than responsible teenager. Love the truck, but it could be an expensive lawn ornament depending upon what the cost of this looks like. Any insight on that would be appreciated.

 

[cps432]

Try to find another engine that's running. I think Cruiserparts.net sells them in varying condition, but I've heard mixed reviews about them. There was one in Denver last month for $250. If I had the space to store it I would have snagged it in a heart beat. Try to find out why it's locked up. How's the rest of the truck?

 

[OverLand Cruisers]

Hello and welcome to Mud

Salute out of the way.

If in fact your motor isn't able to be rebuilt you can find another one here on Mud.

Do you want to get involved with the rebuild or do you want a shop to do it?

If you're looking for a swap Stan is in your neck of the woods and does impeccable work.

Home

Did you mean that it was at a dealership when you said Toyota shop? If so you may want to get it to a Land Cruiser shop fast.

Good luck!

 

[MANUCHAO]

I went through something like this some 17 years ago....
It sat in the driveway for 1.5 year's, until i decided to fix the engine and eventually did an engine swap. ..

If you can hang on to it.. do so.... fix it whenever you can... I'm glad i did... has taken a few years but it's been a fun ride....

 

[cruisermatt]

Quickest, easiest and cheapest will always be to get a running motor off the classifieds here, re-gasket it and put it in. You'll still have a 150-250k mile engine though.

 

[Trapper50cal]

You need to find out specifically what went wrong...that'll dictate repair vs. replace.
Don't just take such an ambiguous assessment as gospel.

 

[micruz60]

Galley plug blowout, oil all down the passenger side cover of engine, or what?

 

[jjpainter]

Galley plug blowout, oil all down the passenger side cover of engine, or what?

No, I did not see engine oil blowout in engine compartment at all when I first went down, nor on the ground. My suspicion is towards head gasket being shot, but had it into a local guy a few months back and had it humming along pretty well. I have no other way of substantiating that other than what I had read in this forum and symptoms. I think previous owner may have known about fatal damage and not disclosed it, either way my fault for not getting to this tear down sooner.

 

[MoaByte]

Put a vortec in it and don't look back.

 

[jjpainter]

Put a vortec in it and don't look back.

That was looking good prior to this incident...a lot more now.

 

[Comet]

Ahhhh, the lifestyle. Old smelly bouncy pile of Japanese iron with the aroma of stale air and fuel vapors. Yes, I like the lifestyle too.

I am not reading a diagnosis of the failure in this thread. If you were happy with the initial performance of the truck then I would consider rebuilding (again, don't know what happened) or used engine. If, however; you are looking for a gentle nudge for an engine swap-GO SEE STAN! I have personally seen two of his creations up close at several ONSC events. The rigs are AWESOME and his V8 knowledge is second to none. Now diesel's on the other hand....I don't think he is partial to them.....

Buying from an unknown entity (teenager) has its own inherent set of risks and you knew that going in. I don't think anyone on here is going to flame you for getting the cruiser (at least not me) but baselining a rig this old takes some coin and patience. 1000K on short trips should have revealed most of the immediate issues and I am sure you took care of them.

Get a real diagnosis, formulate a game plan, execute said game plan holding back twice as much money as you initially budgeted for, give us our pictures of the carnage that we demand, and enjoy the ride. Most if not all of the issues you may encounter have probably been covered on MUD (search in google for MUD links rather than in MUD search engine).

Comet.

 

[roadstr6]

I believe Stan @NCFJ has a 3FE for sale that he pulled out of one of his recent V8 conversions. Your '86 is a 2F so you'd need to do some studying to figure out how to swap it but I guarantee the price will be right for the 3FE. Where in the Piedmont of NC are you? Olde North State Cruisers has all of NC covered and there are some quality folks in the club who may be able to help you. Go over to the ONSC clubhouse and post there as well. You'll get responses from folks close to you.

 

[PCC]

That was looking good prior to this incident...a lot more now.

My rig is with Stan now for a conversion. I originally considered a rebuild of the 2F. Toyota master mechanic quoted me $5,700. Made my decision to swap fairly easy.

 

[60Works]

Good decision.

Be warned, one upgrade will lead to another and another. Since you were already in there, might as well replace...

 

[jjpainter]

Update... and thanks to everyone for the advice. I am just now getting back on here after a hectic week. Have gotten the truck back from the dealership it was towed to and started into my own investigation of the vehicle. Total loss of engine oil and pressure while driving causing the engine to seize. I am by no means a master mechanic, but do know this happened while in operation, not for lack of basic maintenance in that end. Dipstick was bone dry, but plan on draining this weekend to see if there is any residual oil at all. Then, perhaps refill with a quart and try to unseize the crankshaft and perhaps getting her to fire again. Is this heading down the right path? Otherwise, the swap is going to be on the horizon. By the way for all that asked I am in Greensboro, NC and I see more and more older FJ's around, but it is kind of hard to jump in with a non running truck at this point. Again, thanks to all.

 

[wngrog]

I looked at all the options when I had to replace my 1984 FJ60 motor. I got a rebuild. $3500. With all the new accessories I bought it was about $5000

No way you can put a V8 in for that.

Running 2F is cheapest but spend the cash. Get a new Motor.

 

[MoaByte]

Where did you loose two gallons of oil at? Maybe drag it around with a tractor after you fill the crank case and squirt some ATF in the spark plugs and holes. You might luck out.

 

[Seth S]

@Trollhole : is in your neck of the woods. I'd give them a call and see what they might have engine wise.

 

[cruisermatt]

Update... and thanks to everyone for the advice. I am just now getting back on here after a hectic week. Have gotten the truck back from the dealership it was towed to and started into my own investigation of the vehicle. Total loss of engine oil and pressure while driving causing the engine to seize. I am by no means a master mechanic, but do know this happened while in operation, not for lack of basic maintenance in that end. Dipstick was bone dry, but plan on draining this weekend to see if there is any residual oil at all. Then, perhaps refill with a quart and try to unseize the crankshaft and perhaps getting her to fire again. Is this heading down the right path? Otherwise, the swap is going to be on the horizon. By the way for all that asked I am in Greensboro, NC and I see more and more older FJ's around, but it is kind of hard to jump in with a non running truck at this point. Again, thanks to all.

Don't waste your time and $40 worth of oil. Seized motor = dead motor.

 

[jakerudy]

Don't waste your time and $40 worth of oil. Seized motor = dead motor.

Afraid I have to agree with this. If it is seized there isn't really any hope. Even if you get it to turn the damage done will have to be addressed. Years ago I had an oiler break on an overhead cam engine, heard the cam squeak and it was ruined before I could shut it down.

The is it rebuildable question depends on how deep the scarring is and there is only one way to find out.

If you liked the 2F it is a reliable and durable engine. A swap can transform the character of the 60 so the decision comes down to what vehicle you want because the financial payback of a swap isn't there but if it's the truck you want the swap is cheaper than a new SUV.