I bought an 80...now what? (1 Viewer)

[chmnyboy]

So, with everyone buying land cruisers nowadays, i figured I might as well jump on the band wagon and see what the ruckus was all about. Here she is, a '92:

Sorry, for the bad pics, they are from the PO when I was first trying to buy the car.

The PO had amazing records of everything in the last 15 years, but in the last 3 years it's only been driven 3000 miles. I've checked all fluids and greased everything, flushed the transmission, changed the oil/filter, cap, rotor, wires, and plugs. Power steering belt was squealing so I replaced that too. What else am I missing?

The car has 186k miles and runs amazing, so I'm just trying to figure out what I should be doing for upkeep.

Some more questions:

There's also a leak coming from the back of the power steering pump. There looks like a large o-ring/lock ring that could be r&r'd...or do I just want a new pump?

There's a clunk inn the driveline that I've traced down so slop somewhere in the front axle. Where would the most likely place be for this slop? Hubs or diff? The front diff is severely overpacked with grease, which I think might of been the last mechanic's way of dealing with some problem, but I'm not sure what it would be. I don't see any signs of leaking or other problems.

Anyway, thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[tahoepow]

Sweet color I wish mine was red. LC's rock. You'll probably get way better advise from others but the front, rear, and transfer case should be 75-90 gear oil. I used Redline last time, not grease. Check the level asap. Front diffs are mucho $. How do your wipers look? Greasy and dirty? Mine looked horrible before a seal blew out and sent bearing grease everywhere. Maybe u-joints? I'm a rookie too, i just bought a bigger cheater bar so frozen bolts break quicker now.

 

[joseywales]

Nice rig, welcome to the world of TLCs. I am the first one to try and answer questions for people, but, in this case I am going to throw out the standard "Use the search function" response. I only say this because while I have read that the power steering pump is easily re-sealable, I haven't done it my self, and there are also 9,000,000 threads on "clunk in my front end". It looks like you have a great starting point! Good luck with it!

 

[iptman]

Now that's a clean interior for a '92. Cloth holds up so much better than leather.

I sure hope there's not "grease" packed in the differential. Should be gear oil. Unless the PO kept up with the 60k mile interval most likely it's due a full front axle refresh. Read through the FAQs to get a good idea of the effort required. It's one of the best ways to get to know your truck so I highly recommend doing it yourself. Welcome and good job including pictures on your first post.

 

[mac9161112]

I Bought a '92 with a spent trans...removed and installed another original. It was some work, but not terrible. After that I did every fluid in the Cruiser. Front and rear diff. My front diff was very greasy as the knuckle seals must be spent. I washed it out with some diesel and flushed twice with gear oil. So I'm going to get the knuckle re-build kit the next time I have a chance. I think I need a new thermostat, because it runs at just under 50% on the dash gauge. What does your temp gauge run at? I'm a neewbie too...Love this Cruiser.

 

[97 40th]

Love the bumper sticker!

 

[busmup808]

Nice LC also in WA. I've seen more 1fz than 3fe here in WA. Clean interior. Mines was the same only different color. You should also change the In-tank Fuel Filter. I haven't change mines yet, but i heard it makes alot of differnce.

 

[chmnyboy]

To be a little more clear about the front axle clunk:

I did search for the clunk, but all I could find were posts that addressed a clunk in the prop shaft due to it binding instead of extending, and posts that addressed a clunk due to the linkage between the axle and the frame. Mine is neither, as there is slop somewhere within the front axle, either the differential or the hubs. I will do a front axle service pretty soon because the last one was about 70k miles ago, but I'm wondering if anyone has heard of a history of the differential pinion developing slop or any similar scenario. The driveshaft will turn about 30 degrees before the wheels turn.

Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome! The car is exceptionally clean and I'm hoping to keep this 3fe in prime shape!

 

[arndog123]

That's a clean 80 you got there.

 

[N20ntegra24]

Crap wish mine was that clean when I got it. The Power steering Pump leak is easily rebuilt with a 30-40 buck rebuild kit. Toyota part number 04446-60021 I did mine and it has been leak free for awhile now.