Hey all,
First post. Been reading here for over a month though. I love the search function...I'll go looking for one thing and then learn all kinds of stuff about another. I would like to ge a truck for offroading with the family. Have had my eye on a '91 FJ80 with 180,000mi. Body is in pretty good shape, interior is ok. No rust and no vibrations and ran smooth and straight at 65 on the highway. Few things that have caught my eye:
1. When I look under the truck there is a moderately thick goop of what I believe to be oil build up. It coats the underside of the engine, transmission and even the center differential. I know it won't be clean but this doesn't look like your usual oil leak. I told the seller about it and he said something in the front axle/hub was leaking and slung crap all over the place. He had the left front replaced. He had no idea if it was the birfs, repacked or whatever was done. No clicking with turning. What do you all think?
2. Steering has a loose feel to it. I have searched on this and many report the tie rods or steering links as the culprits. Tie rods look OK but not sure. I does appear to have a new steering dampening shock. I have not driven other FJ80's so I' not sure if this is how they all feel. Just feels loose to me. Looking for a bit more input.
3. It has a quarter horse sticker on the back and a used rear hitch. I'm assuming the vehicle pulled a trailer a fair amount. What would be the general concensus on a truck that probably pulled a trailer for a while? Will the engine last as long or who cares?
4. I've read numerous pages on what maintenance will need to be done but not many have solid prices (except birfs) to get things done either myself or by someone else. Ball park figure to spend on rig maintenance after purchasing?
I'm going back tomorrow. They're going to put it on a lift so I can see everything underneath to get a better idea of where the goop may be from. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for the help,
TR
First post. Been reading here for over a month though. I love the search function...I'll go looking for one thing and then learn all kinds of stuff about another. I would like to ge a truck for offroading with the family. Have had my eye on a '91 FJ80 with 180,000mi. Body is in pretty good shape, interior is ok. No rust and no vibrations and ran smooth and straight at 65 on the highway. Few things that have caught my eye:
1. When I look under the truck there is a moderately thick goop of what I believe to be oil build up. It coats the underside of the engine, transmission and even the center differential. I know it won't be clean but this doesn't look like your usual oil leak. I told the seller about it and he said something in the front axle/hub was leaking and slung crap all over the place. He had the left front replaced. He had no idea if it was the birfs, repacked or whatever was done. No clicking with turning. What do you all think?
2. Steering has a loose feel to it. I have searched on this and many report the tie rods or steering links as the culprits. Tie rods look OK but not sure. I does appear to have a new steering dampening shock. I have not driven other FJ80's so I' not sure if this is how they all feel. Just feels loose to me. Looking for a bit more input.
3. It has a quarter horse sticker on the back and a used rear hitch. I'm assuming the vehicle pulled a trailer a fair amount. What would be the general concensus on a truck that probably pulled a trailer for a while? Will the engine last as long or who cares?
4. I've read numerous pages on what maintenance will need to be done but not many have solid prices (except birfs) to get things done either myself or by someone else. Ball park figure to spend on rig maintenance after purchasing?
I'm going back tomorrow. They're going to put it on a lift so I can see everything underneath to get a better idea of where the goop may be from. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for the help,
TR