FJ62 reliability beyond 275,000 miles? (1 Viewer)

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Dec 10, 2003
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I'm looking at an '88 Fj62 with 275,000 miles on it. It has been religiously maintained for the last ten years, and everything works great.
What are the chances that it will go another 100,000 with no major failures?
 
My FJ60 has 150K miles. I hope I can drive it to 275K with no major problems, but I am factoring in a major rebuild.

These are used trucks, hard to say what durability they will have.
 
[quote author=hubris link=board=1;threadid=8656;start=msg74156#msg74156 date=1071101130]
I'm looking at an '88 Fj62 with 275,000 miles on it. It has been religiously maintained for the last ten years, and everything works great.
What are the chances that it will go another 100,000 with no major failures?
[/quote]

Has anything been rebuilt/replaced? If not, I would have some concerns about the auto tranny and possibly even the motor. My 88 fj62 had 180,000 on it when the tranny went south, motor was still strong. But alot of other things come to mind, front knuckles, efi components, bearings and seals to name a few. If you know your way around the truck and can turn a wrench it may not be too bad, otherwise be prepared to find a mechanic.
 
340,000 on our 88 before it was totaled, had a head at 300k, no trany work done or needed

our 90 has 240,000 and is the best driving, most powerfull(it hauls ass) 62 I have ever drivin, I KNOW this one will go to 350k without major issue, one owner(the PO), and SUPER preventive maintence sense new, interior/exterior is as NEW.....frickin amazing 62.

it really just depends on the Cruiser, I have driven many of em, some with 150k felt like they were worn out. But if maintened then 300-400k should be possible IMOP.

Key factors on the motor are 3000k(ish) oil changes and no overheating/good cooling system. If you buy this 62 one of the 1st things that should be done are to replace all the hoses on it(unless they have ALL been replaced already)

If I bought a high mile rig with an auto and didn't know the history one thing i would NOT do is have the trany flushed, just drain and refill, drain and refill ect.......flushing an old auto can/will kill em(IMOP)
 
[quote author=Landpimp link=board=1;threadid=8656;start=msg74211#msg74211 date=1071107248]

If I bought a high mile rig with an auto and didn't know the history one thing i would NOT do is have the trany flushed, just drain and refill, drain and refill ect.......flushing an old auto can/will kill em(IMOP)
[/quote]

Sorry to hi-jack this thread, but why is flushing a bad idea?

Brad

(soon to be auto tranny owner)
 
[quote author=Big_Blue link=board=1;threadid=8656;start=msg74232#msg74232 date=1071109037]
Sorry to hi-jack this thread, but why is flushing a bad idea?

Brad

(soon to be auto tranny owner)
[/quote]

on an old trany that hasn;t had the fluid changed when it's suppose to, flushing it can cause crap to get disloged and/or the seals to go. Had a tread on this a while back, there are some machines that work different than others and are supposedly OK. So I sudjest just draining the 4-5 quarts that come out, then repete a feew times to get mostly fresh fluid in.
 
The backflushing is just a bad idea for all the reasons that John said. You will only get 4-5 qts when you drain it. Maybe 6 when you drop the pan. It holds 17ish so it can take 6 or more changes to flush all the old stuff out.

To be honest it wold ned to be in great shape. perfect service record and cheap fo me to buy one with that milage. Too many good ones out there for cheap.
 
The owner has a 6-inch stack of receipts for oil-changes and basic upkeep (belts, hoses, etc.) Besides some rust on the front fenders, it's very clean, and has been well-loved. There has never been any major work on the Crusier--original engine and tranny.
Kind of an interesting philosophical question: If something has never broken, does that bode well or ill for the future?
Yeah, it seems like a gamble to me. I guess the thing could run flawlessly for another 100k, or it could poop-out big time tomorrow.
I'm selling (sold) my rusty 'ol FJ40 because I need something more practical to haul me, my wife, and our new boy around--I figure an FJ62 fits that description, and I still get to own a Cruiser. The budget is tight though, and I can't afford to get into a vehicle that will need a major overhaul anytime soon. My wife is very skeptical about spending $6-7000 bucks on an older Landcruiser (I've tried to convice her of their virtues with very limited success), and I haven't found too many decent 62's in the $4000 range. The owner of this 275k Cruiser is asking $3500, and I'm sure he wouuld take $3000. Cheap, but replacing the engine or tranny would bump it up alot. Not sure.
Maybe we should just try to finance a newer Cruiser...

hubris
 
Get a compression check done, if everything looks good, you probably got another100k in the motor, especially for the use you intend. just be prepared for other replacements, alternator, starter, etc. IMO $3000 is great for one thta sounds as clean as this one.
 
one thing that worries me even on a well loved Cruiser(or any car) is that sometimes cars/trucks just don't take kindly to changes of driver styles. Yeah a 300k cruiser drivin by a little ole man might go anohter 100k without any issues with him driving, but you stuff a 18 year old behind the wheel and he is gonna drive it different.........and problems might very well pop up.

Just a thought. And I have seen it(and had it happen to me........years ago)
 
For reference and what it is worth, I purchased my fj-62 for $3000. It is a 1988 had 117,000 on it, but it needed new springs, exhaust, and had normal rust behind the wheels. After I hit two deer it is starting to shape up quite nice ;).
 
IMO, the fact that nothing major has gone wrong with it so far bodes well for the future. For 3K, I doubt that you could find a more durable truck. A well made car would be a safer investment, considering the costs of maintainance and repair if necessary, but then you probably aren't looking to buy a Corolla. Gas mileage is a big negative with the Cruiser, as you know. I was in the same boat as you are and went for a 62 for 2K more. We can't drive many miles in our town so the fuel bill isn't as much of a factor.
 
Remember the old adage if it ain't broken don't touch it, just do the usual services and enjoy it, fix up all the body problems it'll let you know when it s ready for work :)
 
If you decide to buy it, be sure the oil galley plug has been replaced with a threaded plug. You can lose your oil and thus your engine very quickly if it blows. I was lucky. Mine failed 100 feet before I turned into my driveway. I got out of the rig and saw a trail of oil and a puddle underneath. Do a search. Much has been written.
 
275K that is miles and not Kilometers ...correct
There is lots of us with over 300K in kilometers and still ticking not sure how many in miles are over the 300K range.
300,000 kilometers is aprox 186,000 miles.
275,000 miles is aprox 450,000 kilometers not sure there are many out there still running on original drivetrain.
 
I bought mine with similar questions. Abs 294000 miles.

I replaced everything I could within reason all belts fluids Side cover gasket able rebuild flush tranny.

I now have 298000 no issues runs great and I get 15 mpg.

I am confident in the brick to take it on a 5000 mile road trip next summer.

I'm sure it will take me to 350000 no sweat. The pull the motor when it dies and in goes a 5.3
 
tHrEaD FrOm ThE dEaD! MuSt NoT pOsT!

hee

t
 
I'm looking at an '88 Fj62 with 275,000 miles on it. It has been religiously maintained for the last ten years, and everything works great.
What are the chances that it will go another 100,000 with no major failures?

Depends on how you define "major." For sure something like an alternator or PS pump or rear brake cylinder or front knuckle seals/bearings will fail. These are wear items, and as miles add up, they will fail.

From my POV, they are minor items.

Major to me is headgasket, engine bearings, tranny. No way to say how these will do. However, there are lots of 62's with 300+ that are still running strong. So, the odds are higher than 0%, much higher given the history on that truck.

My advice is...be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.

In the meantime, enjoy driving it!
 
With that many miles your never sure. You can have the stack of receipts, but it's never a guarantee. For 3k not a bad buy, May last, May not. The real question would have to be, how bad do you want it. I bought mine blind. Had to replace things here and there. Finally had to replace engine and tranny. Saved some money, but will be the best money spent. Love my cruiser.
 

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