Getting back in an 80 series (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Threads
1
Messages
5
Location
Milwaukee
I will be purchasing a 1992 FJ80 with 130k for $600 later this week. It needs some TLC with a rough idle and some drivetrain noise. I am looking for someone with some knowledge about these cars in Southeast Wisconsin in that could look it over for me. Obviously I would be willing to pay for a good inspection. My first car was a 1991 and I always told my dad that one day I would get him one. I plan on fixing this up and giving it to my dad one day. Thanks in advance for your help. This is my first post!
 
Have you tried posting in the WI clubhouse page?
 
Where in SE Wisconsin?
 
My sister used to live in Whitefish Bay. I still get up there for Brewers games. Have family on the west side of WI by LaCrosse.

You don't need someone to inspect it. You need to get your hands dirty. Explain the drivetrain noise. Is it speed relative? Is it a vibration? Is it a clunking noise? Need more info. When does it do it?

As for the rough idle. Start with this. This is from @jonheld. He is the resident guru on all things 3FE (the motor in your 91 80. Do this, then revisit the rough idle if it still exists.

http://www.sdsysdesign.com/tlc/images/Strife/3FE TuneUp.pdf
 
Thank you! I am buying the car tomorrow so I will get back to you after I have some more time with her. I am confident that I will be able to fix her myself and hopefully with some help from this site! I am a Saab enthusiast so I am used to working on cars...
 
Hey there - I live just north of Milwaukee (Cedarburg) and have a 1995 FZJ80. Spent most of my time with this truck in Africa. Shipped it home to the States before moving to Wisconsin. Not going to let winter ruin it, so it's garaged right now.

I'm no mechanic, but have had my 80 since 1999 and know about basic maintenance. I'd be glad to get together and share my experiences.

I'm out of town next week, but could link up with you the week of 14 December.

I know a lot of people gripe about dealers, but if you really want a good inspection I'd highly recommend Willie at Andrew Toyota in Glendale. He's a service manager there and has helped me out quite a bit on some items that were out of my league. Unlike many newer dealers, they actually have a tech that knows 80s.

Let me know in a PM if you'd like to get together. Good luck with the purchase tomorrow.
 
I'm in Milwaukee too, south side, near Wilson Park, with a 1997 fzj80. I'm far from an expert mechanic (wouldn't trust me with a pre purchase inspection for someone else), and have only had my cruiser two years, but I'd be happy to give you what help I could, as my schedule allows. It sounds like you already bought it, and the price seems pretty good unless it;s really in terrible shape. From my experience, not just with a land cruiser but vehicles in general, the biggest problem in our area is rust, look underneath, especially stuff like brake lines, gas tank etc, delving into those systems if they are all rusted up can be a much bigger hassle and maybe more costly than a lot of those mechanical problems, assuming you are going to try to do the work yourself - small projects tend to snowball. But you probably knew that already if you've lived here for a while.

I would also indirectly second Congo Cruisers recommendation for Andrew Toyota - my wife bought her Rav4 there and has had most service done there also, and has been quite happy with them overall.

Let me know if there is anything I can help you with, I don;'t visit here every day, or even every week though so please be patient if you don;t hear back right away.

Cheers, Eric
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom