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- #21
You're right! I guess I'm used to owning a 79 FJ40 and now an 85 pickup and these trucks are a lot simpler to me in terms of general maintenance and repairs. Just need time to familiarize myself with it.
Having buyers remorse. New FZJ80 owners blues (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter vegasfj40
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You're right! I guess I'm used to owning a 79 FJ40 and now an 85 pickup and these trucks are a lot simpler to me in terms of general maintenance and repairs. Just need time to familiarize myself with it.
278k on my 80 and the only things that have left me stranded was a dead autozone battery that lasted me 5 yrs and a nail in the tire which Les Schwab fixed for free.
Had my FJ80 for 6 1\2 years now and when I bought it with little knowledge it was 16 years old. Lack of neglect & my lack of discernment led to buying a vehicle overpriced and yet things needing repair or fixing. These were small things but certainly haven't been used to the many fixes continually and fully before long became a restoration project for the remaining years purely because the love of a great vehicle. Finally these vehicles are highly reliable when in great shape and maintenance is only service costs I would say fix what arises and enjoy knowing your in safe hands with a great investment to travel anywhere and everywhere anytime rain, snow and sunshine.
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I had to do a crap ton of maintenance when I first bought mine and felt exactly as you did. I did the fluids, O2 sensors, radiator, front axle rebuild and I still had an exhaust system with a hole, oil light blinking on and off, would go through a quart of oil every 500 miles, and the mpg was in the single digits. Once I got some bigger tires and diff lock, stereo and headed out offroad, the truck will blow you away. These trucks are a labor of love and despite the finicky nature of maintenance they are unbreakable.
- Thread starter
- #25
Man, you guys are great! I appreciate all of the replies about this. Ive been doing maintenance for the past few months slowly getting things right. Ive taken it out a few times on mild trails close to home. Ive got everything working now and just a p0420 code that just popped a couple of days ago. I have ordered new O2 sensors. It is a really cool truck that I know I'll enjoy. It'll take time to build confidence in it but so far I haven't had any problems with working on it. I bought a FSM and have used it a lot!
why not go out wheeling with your local club the first few times ?
once you get the hang of it, you will learn whether your truck has issues
there are also a free FSMs to be had here: For Sale - 40, 50, 60, and 80 series FSM for a hell of a price.
ewillis
SILVER Star
Where you guys hangin out on weekends? Your ability to sniff out the scent of a fresh coon orgy is stellar!
LS1FJ40
SILVER Star
Where you guys hangin out on weekends? Your ability to sniff out the scent of a fresh coon orgy is stellar!
@Comet is stealing my line. Actually, @NLXTACY is the one that came up with it. When he went to look at it and deliver the cash he said “It runs great. The interior looks and smells like raccoons had an orgy in it!”
I flew one way and bought this truck from just CL pics and it was HELLA rough with 4 bald tires. Put some water in the radiator and overflow and dove it home 7 hours with no issues other than the cruise deciding to quit after 4 hours.
This is what the coolant looked like
Intake
I drove my LX for 2 years with the PO401 code (still driving it that way) and over a year with the O2 sensor code (caused by the Bosch sensor). These trucks are like Steven Segal ... Hard To Kill. You are sweating over some small maintenance issues. Invest in the code scanner / multi gauge several people are using and keep an eye on your coolant temp and just fix things one at a time.
When my PHH went, it puddled the driveway for almost a week every night before it finally quit. I thought it was the sunroof drains were clogged and leaving the puddle.
This is what the coolant looked like
Intake
I drove my LX for 2 years with the PO401 code (still driving it that way) and over a year with the O2 sensor code (caused by the Bosch sensor). These trucks are like Steven Segal ... Hard To Kill. You are sweating over some small maintenance issues. Invest in the code scanner / multi gauge several people are using and keep an eye on your coolant temp and just fix things one at a time.
When my PHH went, it puddled the driveway for almost a week every night before it finally quit. I thought it was the sunroof drains were clogged and leaving the puddle.
Aquaint yourself with “80 Series faq” and especially the trouble shooting section:
Emergency Troubleshooting Procedures - FAQ Item (Recommend Keeping Copy in Truck)
Print a copy to have in the rig and a carry spares of the electrical items listed that can possibly leave you stranded. It’s just a hand full of relays, fuses and fusible links. I also carry a spare starter because of the no push start feature of the auto trans.
Drive your 80 as much as you can and in time your confidence in it will grow. Not to mention, the more you drive it on the road the greater the chances are that problems will show signs while you are near services.
I have two vehicles so I drive the 80 about half the time. It won’t be long until all your doubts are forgotten.
Emergency Troubleshooting Procedures - FAQ Item (Recommend Keeping Copy in Truck)
Print a copy to have in the rig and a carry spares of the electrical items listed that can possibly leave you stranded. It’s just a hand full of relays, fuses and fusible links. I also carry a spare starter because of the no push start feature of the auto trans.
Drive your 80 as much as you can and in time your confidence in it will grow. Not to mention, the more you drive it on the road the greater the chances are that problems will show signs while you are near services.
I have two vehicles so I drive the 80 about half the time. It won’t be long until all your doubts are forgotten.
I feel you. I bought my 94 in April, and promptly dropped $3k into it. I'm overwhelmed by alot of what I need to do with it, but I got to say it's an off road beast at stock form. My cousin and i just agreed to do a MOAB trip in 2019, so I've got time to get it highway and long travel worthy. It's renewed my passion for it and why I bought it to begin with. I suspect you will have the same feeling once you wheel it some more and put to bed the rest of the maintenance it needs. Good luck!
I justify throwing parts at it by comparing what payments would be on anything with similar capabilities. Ford Raptor? JK Rubicon? Ram Power Wagon? You'd be dumping $750 a month into one of those options. Once you get everything up to snuff, the 80 will last longer and will always be more reliable, and have a lower total cost of ownership. Also they are increasing in value every year! You can work them harder than an ugly stripper and they always come back for more. You are the owner of the most overbuilt vehicle of all time. There will never be anything so overbuilt ever again. It was the perfect intersection of a booming Japanese economy and manufacturing gluttony. It is the automotive equivalent of sniffing cocaine off a hookers a$$.
A quotable post right there partner.
A quotable post right there partner.
It's true though. Who the heck would ever build a mid sized SUV designed to last a million miles powered by an industrial tractor engine mated to a bus transmission on one ton full floater axles that gets 10mpg and costs as much as TWO corvettes and weighs as much as a Suburban? The Toyota numbers guy must have been on vacation for the entire decade of the '90's, or maybe he was busy keeping the Supra project under control.
Ok, don’t get too carried away.....
Nothing I said was untrue. It cost $50K new, twice what a 'vette did in those days. They really are designed for a service life of a million miles, albeit with several major overhauls. The engine really did start life as an industrial engine, and the trans was used in buses. You could argue the axles are not technically one ton rated, but they are as tough as any Dana 60 I've ever owned. Stronger with aftermarket parts...the Tacoma in my sig has a custom landcruiser axle...sure it cost north of $5K but it is bomb proof and is the same basic design as a factory 80. Also they do weigh the same as a suburban, no doubt most weigh more with added armor! Just sayin'.
DirtScaresMe
Trouble Maker
This morning I watched everyone in my neighborhood unable to get up a complete ice sheet of a road, and my 94 f'n crushed it like I was headed to the salon to get a perm.
The 11K part is your own business; I got mine for $3K and put all kinds of crap into it, still probably under $10K tco.
The 11K part is your own business; I got mine for $3K and put all kinds of crap into it, still probably under $10K tco.
DirtScaresMe
Trouble Maker
Also, I really appreciated my 80 when I went to go work on someone else's car. The 80 is designed to be worked on in third world countries by people with basic tools and materials. It's seriously the choice of African war lords.
Its just money. If youd feel better having paid less, then youre just pining over dollars which is a huge waste of time. Men like to brag about the deals they get on things for whatever reason but sometimes we just dont get lucky. Your truck will be fine. Fix it up and spend some time with it and youll be confident again in it.
