Import Prado Purchasing... (1 Viewer)

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

I will just add my fuel to this fire since I work on Land Cruisers a fair bit at my shop on Vancouver island...

I do not consider the Prado to be a Land Cruiser. It is really a Hilux or 4runner with a few goodies that come from a Land Cruiser (Transfer Case, coils...is there anything else...? ).

I would not buy one of these units. They are not worth the headaches and additional cost to repair. The 2LTE is problematic and there is no source for a repair manual that I have been able tl locate.

If you want a real Land Cruiser, get a xB or xH powered 7x series unit. If you can find a nice one, the HJ6x are really wonderful, and the 8x series are grand.


John
 
UpsideDown said:
I do not consider the Prado to be a Land Cruiser.
Click to expand...

John, thanks for the laugh ! So what makes a truck a real or a fake landcruiser ?
It is really a Hilux or 4runner with a few goodies that come from a Land Cruiser
Click to expand...
So what are the differences between a KZJ78 and a PZJ77 please ?
Have you ever had a look at the different 70 series and hiluxes ?
When did toyota start using coils and an avanced suspension design in their 4x4 line ?
(Transfer Case, coils...is there anything else...? ).
Click to expand...
Well...frame and body for starters...

The fact is, if it wasn't for its underpowered engine the "light duty" 70 series landcruiser could have been the best landcruiser ever made. And this is coming from someone who wasn't a huge fan of those... until I got the chance of actually owning and experiencing one. :doh:
 
Denis,
i have to agree with you.
the only real difference that makes the LJ78 a LD cruiser is the hiluc rear diff and the small engine. the rest of the mech and most of the body can be found on other makes of the HD LC series...
 
UpsideDown said:
I will just add my fuel to this fire since I work on Land Cruisers a fair bit at my shop on Vancouver island...

I do not consider the Prado to be a Land Cruiser. It is really a Hilux or 4runner with a few goodies that come from a Land Cruiser (Transfer Case, coils...is there anything else...? ).

I would not buy one of these units. They are not worth the headaches and additional cost to repair. The 2LTE is problematic and there is no source for a repair manual that I have been able tl locate.

If you want a real Land Cruiser, get a xB or xH powered 7x series unit. If you can find a nice one, the HJ6x are really wonderful, and the 8x series are grand.


John
Click to expand...
If you have worked on a prado you will notice that it is more of a landcruiser than a hilux. I also have a 74, . when I go on trips with C.C. the lwb prado stock keeps up with the locked and lifted 74s 40s and 61s it may need some coaxing on the technical stuff. I find the 8" axles can take the punishment. The 2lte is problematic I totally agree. That is the weakist link. Whith a few upgrades that I have(it came with a 2yr warranty) I use mine for very long distances,(no overheating). Now that the prado is locked and lifted it is an exellent machine for the trails, in stock form it is also very capable.
aaron kuit
 
my wife and i were talking about this exact thing this morning and after 2 years of her wheeling the LJ78 she is still amazed how it can keep up with the V8s running 35s and the other lifted and locked cruisers on the nasty trails...

i told her it was the talented driver...
 
Yeah, we can find springs, brakes, wheels, seats and all kinds of things on different makes and models of cars. It's kind of a common thread in the automotive industry that so many similar parts are shared on many different kinds of trucks, cars, buses etc...

If you do an evaluation of the build similarities between a 4Runner/Surf and a Prado (and perhaps, some of the other light duty cruisers), you see more in common between them than you do between say Surf and a BJ42 or an HJ60.

For example, in the mid 80's the rear brakes became basically the same - upgrading the Hilux brakes to be very much like the Land Cruiser (in sizing).

I think one of the things that really defines "Land Cruiser" for me is the heavier duty components versus the lighter duty components found on Hilux-grade units.

I regularly argue the merits of Toyota axle design, for example, and I don't have any issues with the 8" parts vs. the 9.5" parts, but for me there's just a fundamental difference between light and heavy duty compenentry that distinguishes the separation between what is, and what is not a Land Cruiser (or a Surf, or a Hilux etc...).

If one was to put Land Cruiser decals on a Surf and sell it as a Land Cruiser, does that all of a sudden make it a Land Cruiser? Uh, not in my books it sure doesn't. I think it's more akin to using the marketing strengths of nostalgia of a Land Cruiser to sell related/similar models.

(And don't even mention some of the latest of Toyota's offerings that are badged Land Cruiser - they just don't fit in the same league afaik). Oh, and more brackets.. (The FJ Cruiser is based on what drivetrain??)

~John
Land Cruiser "old school" elitist :cheers:

now, if they'd just bring back the BJ42 again...



crushers said:
Denis,
i have to agree with you.
the only real difference that makes the LJ78 a LD cruiser is the hiluc rear diff and the small engine. the rest of the mech and most of the body can be found on other makes of the HD LC series...
Click to expand...
 
clintnz said:
But to answer the original question; get the 80 series!
Click to expand...

That was, ultimately, my point. The 80 series is by far the better choice between the two.
 
and yet:
the 81 and the 78 both share the same suspesion design (the coils from a 81 can b used on a 78 even)
the 81 and the 78 share the same front diff design
the 81 and the 78 share the same strenth of t/case
the 81 and hte 78 share the same auto tranny (the 78 shares the same auto tranny as the 100 series)

as discussed before:
the 77 and the 78 share the same cab/body from the firewall back
the 77 and the 78 share the SAME frame (except the very front cross section and suspesnions mounts)
the 77 and the 78 share the EXACT same t/case
the 77 and the 78 share the exact same front diff design
the PZJ77 and the 78 share the same manual tranny (different imput shaft)
the 77 and the 78 share the same glass
the only REAL difference between the 77 and the 78 is hte full sized rear diff and the engine size.

so the 78 is more Full size heavy duty Land cruiser 77 and 81 series than you think.
the LJ78 is the HD77 series with all the benefits of the 81 series EXCEPT the rear diff and the engine.

sorry buddy but unless you take a step back and curse the 81 series and ALL the 1990+ full size land cruisers your statement now makes no sense at all...

cheers
 
78 also shares brake components with 80 series, including discs and calipers.

Also, to answer backpacker's question, I get 10l/100km on the highway in my LJ78. I routinely exceed 700km on a tank, and it's a 70l tank, so that's how I arrived at those numbers. Around town I am probably close to 25mpg, but I have a light foot.

I love my LJ, but I did have to replace the head, which I did myself at a cost of approx $1200 in parts, including timing belt and water pump, gaskets, etc. No problems since then, and the truck is my DD. Nevertheless, I would say that unless you're mechanically inclined and willing to take on the truck as a project, the 81 is a the safer bet. But as already mentioned, the narrower LWB 70 series truck are very nimble off-road, and a heck of a lot of fun to wheel.
 
my LJ70 I think, is about the only car I drove I never got out of fuel with.
In spite of knowing the real tank capacity I have always been too chicken to drive 100kms past the point the gauge hit the bottom stop. even after I redid the rear harness it was still way off. Maybe something inside the gauge or sender wore of or whatever, I never had to fill more than 60L, which was usually between 500 and 600km after the previous fillup, depending on the driving conditions.
 
crushers said:
ummm, the tank is 90L in the LJ78...
Click to expand...
So there is another common item to the HD cruisers...

they all seem to have 90 litre tanks.
 
light_duty said:
Hmmm...well when it gets to the empty mark, I put 70L in it and drive 700km until it hits empty again. So that means I've got 20L in reserve? No wonder Denis talks about never running out of fuel!
Click to expand...

LOL!!

if you keep filling when it reads empty you will never need to bleed the system...
 
1990 Prado Repair Manual

Hey Folks, anyone turn up an adequate repair manual for the Prado LJ78? I purchased an Ellery but it doesn't have the engine repair stuff, everything else seems similar.

Now, I'm not contemplating too many repairs, but need info for the cooling systems changes I'm thinking of.

Appreciate your comments!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Prado 70 parts compatibility
Replies
1
Views
353
JuanJ
JuanJ
B
1994 LC prado modernization
Replies
5
Views
1K
99krusah
99krusah
C
Prado kzj71 Brakes?
Replies
2
Views
532
chegs27
C
BTV
The Best Front Mount Intercooler for KZJ78 Prado.
Replies
0
Views
260
BTV
BTV

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom