First-Time Owner of a 2003 Land Cruiser: Need Advice on Several Concerns (3 Viewers)

[7amannnyy]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and excited to be here. I recently acquired a beautiful Land Cruiser, my first one. Previously, I owned a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado J120, which I enjoyed, but I have always wanted an LC100, so here I am.

I am seeking assistance with a few issues I’ve encountered:

The vehicle is a 2003 model year with GCC specifications, featuring a 1FZ-FE engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission.

### Issues:
1. **Performance:** The car feels sluggish and requires significant pedal pressure to reach speed. I suspect it may need a tune-up or similar maintenance.

2. **Fuel Efficiency:** The mileage seems quite poor. It has two fuel tanks, with the main tank holding 90 liters. After filling up, I am only getting between 300 to 340 kilometers, which I find concerning. For context, my Prado with a 2GR-FE engine would achieve over 1200 kilometers with both tanks filled (150 liters combined). In this Land Cruiser, I struggle to reach 500 kilometers with both tanks.

3. **Heat Issue:** The center console becomes very hot, to the point where a water bottle placed there gets excessively warm, and the gear shifter is difficult to touch. I would appreciate any insights into what might be causing this issue.

Thank you for your time and any suggestions you may have. Additionally, if there are any other aspects of this vehicle that I should be aware of or check, please let me know.

Wishing everyone a great day!

 

[Mrpizza]

On mine, the fuel mileage sucks and the thing is slow to accelerate. Big heavy vehicle. Definitely not going anywhere fast.

 

[r4z0rb4ck]

On mine, the fuel mileage sucks and the thing is slow to accelerate. Big heavy vehicle. Definitely not going anywhere fast.

Second this. As far as your performances/gas issues go, the LC100 has a curb weight of ~5,300 lbs and a big old V8 in the front. It doesn't have very much get up and go and needs time to get up to speed. The 2003 is rated for 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. I assume your cruiser has 100k+, maybe 150k+ miles on it, and those ratings are for a brand new car with 0.

 

[mdcoa]

Second this. As far as your performances/gas issues go, the LC100 has a curb weight of ~5,300 lbs and a big old V8 in the front. It doesn't have very much get up and go and needs time to get up to speed. The 2003 is rated for 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. I assume your cruiser has 100k+, maybe 150k+ miles on it, and those ratings are for a brand new car with 0.

His doesn’t have a V8 in the front—he has a 1FZ which gets even worse fuel economy!
OP, we didn’t get this engine in the 100 series in the US, but it’s in the 80 series here and gets under 5km per liter, so your numbers don’t seem too far off of that.

As for the hot console, our water bottles get pretty warm after a while, although our gearshift has never gotten hot, so you may need to pull the console and check insulation.

 

[x8o8drifter]

If what your numbers kinda are saying, these engine suck gas more than the others.
That's 8ish MPG or 28.226 L/100k, 3.5 km/L. (for anyone else who doesn't want to do the math)

As I was researching, another guy in in Dubai was getting 20L/100k, 5km/L or 11ish MPG.
Another person would avg 6.2 km/L or 5.2 km/L towing a teardrop trailer.
Those numbers are a mix of driving HWY and City.

No O2 sensors sucks.
Wonder if the hot center console/gear shift being hot might be a sign of the fluid in the TC being toast. But could also be a coincidence.
It could be a number of things though. The way you dive, road conditions, something mechanical, etc.

TLDR; Fuel usage is all over. From 6.2 km/L down to your 3.5 km/L. The only real way I can see to maybe fix it is get a O2 sensor installed and have it tuned.
Not for more power but stock numbers and hope its running rich. A O2 sensor alone can tell you if its running rich.
And that assumes its just sucking gas because it doesn't have O2 sensors stock.

 

[r4z0rb4ck]

His doesn’t have a V8 in the front—he has a 1FZ which gets even worse fuel economy!
OP, we didn’t get this engine in the 100 series in the US, but it’s in the 80 series here and gets under 5km per liter, so your numbers don’t seem too far off of that.

As for the hot console, our water bottles get pretty warm after a while, although our gearshift has never gotten hot, so you may need to pull the console and check insulation.

Totally missed that. Didn't realize it could get worse...

 

[7amannnyy]

His doesn’t have a V8 in the front—he has a 1FZ which gets even worse fuel economy!
OP, we didn’t get this engine in the 100 series in the US, but it’s in the 80 series here and gets under 5km per liter, so your numbers don’t seem too far off of that.

As for the hot console, our water bottles get pretty warm after a while, although our gearshift has never gotten hot, so you may need to pull the console and check insulation.

Thanks for your reply
its not just about the water bottles

the console gets so hot i can't even touch it
it makes my hand burn

 

[7amannnyy]

If what your numbers kinda are saying, these engine suck gas more than the others.
That's 8ish MPG or 28.226 L/100k, 3.5 km/L. (for anyone else who doesn't want to do the math)

As I was researching, another guy in in Dubai was getting 20L/100k, 5km/L or 11ish MPG.
Another person would avg 6.2 km/L or 5.2 km/L towing a teardrop trailer.
Those numbers are a mix of driving HWY and City.

No O2 sensors sucks.
Wonder if the hot center console/gear shift being hot might be a sign of the fluid in the TC being toast. But could also be a coincidence.
It could be a number of things though. The way you dive, road conditions, something mechanical, etc.

TLDR; Fuel usage is all over. From 6.2 km/L down to your 3.5 km/L. The only real way I can see to maybe fix it is get a O2 sensor installed and have it tuned.
Not for more power but stock numbers and hope its running rich. A O2 sensor alone can tell you if its running rich.
And that assumes its just sucking gas because it doesn't have O2 sensors stock.

maybe it can be relate to being sluggish ?

it might need a tune-up ?

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Ifz-fe is is sluggish in an 80 series. Likely worse in a 100 series. Check your transmission fluid level and see if your transmission cooler is doing its job. It should not get hot. Warm yes. Not hot!

 

[7amannnyy]

Ifz-fe is is sluggish in an 80 series. Likely worse in a 100 series. Check your transmission fluid level and see if your transmission cooler is doing its job. It should not get hot. Warm yes. Not hot!

sure
I'll give it a try

 

[mdcoa]

Wealth of information here in a thread started by a guy with the exact same setup you have—maybe DM this guy?

Why do you guys need oxygen sensors and we don't ?

Hey guys, I am creating this thread not because I have a technical issue, just for the sake of curiosity. I hope you guys don't mind that I am bringing up a different series land cruiser in the 80 series section, its just that there is no other section with 1FZE experience. When I say FJZ100L I...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[7amannnyy]

His doesn’t have a V8 in the front—he has a 1FZ which gets even worse fuel economy!
OP, we didn’t get this engine in the 100 series in the US, but it’s in the 80 series here and gets under 5km per liter, so your numbers don’t seem too far off of that.

As for the hot console, our water bottles get pretty warm after a while, although our gearshift has never gotten hot, so you may need to pull the console and check insulation.

hows the v8 version ?

if chance comes

should i get a v8 lc100?

is it any better ?

 

[mdcoa]

They’re all we got in the US, so we cannot compare them to much, but they’re pretty great. The 2UZ engine is legendary for its longevity, and gets (barely) better mileage than the 1FZ.
I think a lot of guys here would love a 100 series with the 1HDT-FE engine, which was never sold in the US—loads of torque, best mileage of any stock engine, and just kind of cool. But the fact that all of us would love to have one makes them expensive—like 50 percent more expensive than, say, a 2UZ-engined JDM import.
But, yeah, if I had easy access to GCC spec 100s I’d buy a 5-speed manual V8 model in a heartbeat. (No manual-transmission 100 series in the US either)