FJ60 needs engine rebuild - Suggestions??? (1 Viewer)

[cbenowen]

I live in Jacksonville and have a desmogged 1984 FJ60 that needs an engine rebuild. Four cylinders have low compression and there is oil and smoke coming out of the valve cover breather. Any suggestions?

 

[boots4]

Are you looking for a shop to perform this work? Do you want to keep the 2F? Do you want to do any of the work yourself?

 

[cbenowen]

I'm looking for a shop to do it. I would like to keep the 2F but am open to other options. I can do a lot of work on my cruiser myself but and engine rebuild is a bit out of my comfort zone.

 

[justacruiser]

Diesel.....

 

[OGBeno]

ACC Toyota in the ATL metro area.

Give Brian or Mike a call and see what their time frame is for an engine rebuild. They do top notch work.

 

[cbenowen]

I will call them. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[cbenowen]

I would like a diesel but probably too expensive.

 

[Elbert]

a GM V8 swap is a good choice to consider....

 

[daytonadogie]

IMHO, any good engine rebuilder could go thru your 2F. Find a good, honest, local shop. These engines are simple to work on. If you can find a good machine shop, many of them do rebuilds, or can recommend a good mechanic that they work with. Just a thought.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

I live in Jacksonville and have a desmogged 1984 FJ60 that needs an engine rebuild. Four cylinders have low compression and there is oil and smoke coming out of the valve cover breather. Any suggestions?

yeah...do a seafoam, valve adjustment, change the oil, and test it again. then if it still fails, a good used runner can be had cheap, and a full blown rebuild shouldn't cost more than about 3200(with extra work done). HTH

double take...the valve cover "breather" is routed to the air cleaner right? and just how is it desmogged?...

 

[norsk]

This link shows my 2F blowing smoke out that valve cover breather intake

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/do...torque-is-too-much.541922/page-3#post-8127483

Cause was ring blowby. Engine was sluggish

Would require a total lower end rebuild. I researched the cost to rebuild the 2F and it came between $3500 and $4500 - others could come up with better numbers. Given many parts will be NLA in the future, I decided to do an engine that had better torque and more common parts.
Since I was building up a Gen I SBC at the time I continued with that.

Another great option is the 5.3L install. Engines are cheap.
My second project in the future will be one of those in a FJ40

rest of my rebuild linked in my sig

dougbert

 

[daytonadogie]

Lots of recommendations for an engine swap. Problem is that the engine is only a small part of the total cost, especially if you are not comfortable doing it yourself. Prices quoted in this thread for a complete rebuild look pretty much in the ballpark. Another option would be to leave the engine in the truck, pull the head and oil pan, and knock the pistons and rods out the top. Throw a set of rings in it, do a valve job on the head, and get it back on the road. Not ideal, but it would solve the essential problems that you have; blow by, and low compression. My dad was a professional mechanic and engine builder, and did a "ring and valve job" routinely for folks that didn't want, or couldn't afford a complete engine overhaul. It really depends on the condition of the bottom end of your motor, IE the crankshaft and main bearings. How's the oil pressure? If it's good, then there is a good chance that the journals are ok too. How long do you plan on keeping this beast? Just thinking out loud. Maybe a good used engine?

 

[tag3]

I don't have seat of the pants experience, I hear V8 is the way to go and will do so myself someday.

 

[gregnash]

Couple of good recent threads with costs revolving around dumping Vortec engine into a FJ60/62, from those with labor, adapters, other parts, etc. you are looking at somewhere in the $15k range for the thing all said and done. Ultimately the best way to look at it is that this will be an INVESTMENT vehicle. If you are not planning on holding on to the vehicle for next-to forever then dump a used 2F into it and be done with it. Now most of us plan to keep these vehicles for that life of ourselves/the vehicle so dumping $15k into something we LOVE is much more digestible than something we know will be sold off in a few years.

When the time for me comes, it will be a serious consideration of the parts availability for the 2F vs. the funding I have for a swap. What that swap is I do not know as I would love a diesel but the availability and simplicity of the Vortec is also a weighing factor.

 

[cbenowen]

Thanks for all the information. I think i might try to find a good used engine, replace seals and gaskets and go. If i can't find one I might just do a ring a valve job.

 

[gregnash]

Talk to Jason at CruiserYard (@arcteryx) or Georg at Valley Hybrid (@orangefj45) ..