Help for a newbie (1 Viewer)

[rsm]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and have enjoyed reading the various posts regarding other's cruisers.

I own a 1997 Collectors Edition and it is about to pass the 100,000 mile barrier. I love this car and hope to keep it for many, many, more years. IMHO it is the the best SUV ever made and I want to keep it in top condition. In that regard I have a few questions as I am not mechanically inclined.

Are there certain things that I should start lookiing at maintaining/replacing such as springs or shocks?
What starts to wear out at 100K miles that i should look at as far as preventative maintenance goes?
Any other major components that I should look to take care of before they break or wear out (i.e. engine, drivetrain, suspension related items etc.)?
Do KN air filters improve performance, hosrepower etc. and does anybody recommend them?
The only problems I have ever experienced have been minor such as O2 sensors, clogged fuel injector, etc. That is pretty amazing considering the mileage I have put on the beast.
Anyhow, I hope this is not too many questions but I love this car and want to keep it running good, but do not have full faith in my local Toyota dealership to give me the straight scoop.

Thanks again.

rsm

 

[turbocruiser]

Well I am not extremely experienced with the landcruisers in particular at this point, but in general always follow the mantra of fluids and filters, fluids and filters. At this mileage, I think that you are overdue for the front and rear axle service that these vehicles need. I would also look at all the steering and suspension componentry and also at chassis componentry. You mentioned you are not mechanically inclined so I would recommend researching a reputable and reasonable independent toyota repair place, not the dealer, but someone specializing in toyotas or japanese vehicles specifically. Lastly, I would not recommend the use of the K&N filter for many reasons, look at the posts from a few days ago, this was discussed at length. HTH, For All and a Happy New Year!!!

 

[landtoy80]

Welcome rsm
To keep on good standing with "some' on this board. There is a "search" thatyou kan find hours of good info on most of your newbe ??'s.
If you kant find any info or need more help, just ask.
Or you could do like others and say the "search doesn't work" and ask anyways.

 

[Beowulf]

rsm,
Hello and welcome to the 80/100 section here on ih8mud.

Some of your questions can be answered from your post but first, I have a few questions for you.

How long have you owned the truck and at what mileage did you buy it?
How do you use the truck? (i.e. daily driver, long hauls, soccer practice, dedicated trail machine)
What accessories do you have and what accessories are planned?

>> Do KN air filters [ ... ] and does anybody recommend them? <<

I don't recommend them for several reasons, some reported recently. They don't filter as well as the OEM paper filter. If over-oiled, they can mess up some expensive parts in your intake system (MAF ?) The latter reason is new information for me. The former has been my main reason for avoiding the K&N.

-B-

 

[rsm]

Thanks for the replies and welcoming me to the forum. I know how it is with the new guy on intrnet forums so theanks for the patience.

I bought the vehicle here in Tampa at 20K miles in 1999.
It is my daily vehicle so it is mostly city driving.
i do pull a flats boat which weighs 3500 lbs with trailer, so I pull up some steep boat ramps that are often way off the beaten path.
I like to keep things simple, so i don't plan many mods EXCEPT those that increase engine perfomance (i.e. hp) tha's why I was asking about K&N filters.
As I am getting to the 100K mi plateau I want to take care of those things don't get taken care of at regular factory services (i.e. chassis, suspension, engine). What the heck are birfields anyway?.

Thanks again and Happy New Year!

 

[cruiserdan]

Birfields are the joints in the steering knuckles that allow the axle shafts to turn when the wheels turn (corners). They are lubricated by grease and the differential or center section of the axle is lubricated by gear oil. If one leaks into the other it is not a good combination.

There are really only two ways to effectively boost the power output of a 1FZ engine, both cost a significant ammount of money.
The easiest way is to add forced induction in the form of a Supercharger or a Turbocharger.
A careful blue-printing of the engine with an over-bore and cylinder head work along with port-matching and polishing the manifolds will yield power about equal to a stock motor with a Supercharger installed (as demonstrated by the custom engine job performed by Robbie on his personal rig.) I have no idea how many dozens of hours he spent but I imagine if you had to pay him to duplicate it there would be some very tall dollars involved.

Welcome, D-

 

[landtank]

If you were mechanically inclined or wanted to start to be. I'd toss in a set of alternator brushes and starter contacts. Cheap money and not that bad to do. Also search on the dreaded PHH. This is a small 5/8" hose that if lets go will ruin your day. Another easy repair. The axle job should be looked into but for a beginner that might be a little daunting. Of course at 100k front rotors are probably getting close to needing replacement, most likely at the next pad change. And as others have mentioned the fluid changes.

 

[Beowulf]

RSM,
That gives us a good background. Rick and Dan have covered a couple of things you'll need at 100k and for new owners we would recommend starting fresh with all new fluids. Since you've been driving your truck for 80k miles, you know when the fluids have been changed so just stick to the factory intervals on the fluids with 1 exception.... the cooling system. I recommend going to an annual flush/fill with a good brand of coolant. This is very important since you live in a hot climate and the cooling system works overtime.

I will add another thing to your to-do list and that is the rear axle. Since you trailer a boat and frequently back it into brackish and salty water, you should be sure to service the rear wheel bearings, replace the axle tube seal, and keep the rear diff fluid checked and serviced. You should consider extending the rear diff breather if you find yourself backing it into deep water occassionally.

The other 2 items that get overlooked are a brake system flush and refill with Castrol synthetic brake fluid and a flush and fill of the Power Steering fluid. These are usually not done by the corner Jiffy lube.

For more power without spending big bucks you should stick to the basics. Dizzy cap, rotor, plugs, plug wires; using OEM parts. PCV valve. New OEM air filter. Maybe a little ignition advance if you're feeling adventuresome. +6 BTDC will pick you up a little bit of performance without risk of detonation (see recent posts in this section.)

Have you replaced the original belts? If not, add this to the list and save the old ones for spares. Use OEM belts.

If you are still on the original springs you will get some ride improvement by replacing them with OME (Old Man Emu) springs. They offer a set that keeps a close-to-stock height. Almost everyone that has upgraded to OME has liked the difference. You can also choose their matching shocks or just stay with new OEM (Toyota) shocks.

That's all I can think of right now. (How much $$$ do you want to spend? )

-B-