Is The 1FZ-FE A Good Motor ??

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SierraMtns

SierraMtns

10 Year
Joined
Feb 11, 2013
Threads
14
Messages
157
Location
Idaho
I have had my 1995 FJ80 for about a month or so. So far I have had to fix all the lower seals, front & rear main seals, power steering pump and water pump. Now the check engine light came on (PO401). I am working on fixing all of that. The Land Cruiser seemed really appealing because of its really low miles (149 K), but now I am thinking the reason for the low miles is because it brakes down so much. From reading so many people pulling these motors out and putting in Chevy and diesel motors in, it seems like these motors were not Toyota's strongest motor? Low horse power output and bad gas mileage.

I don't know, maybe the rig will be fine once everything is fixed...Almost ready to put it up for sale
 
SierraMtns said:
I have had my 1995 FJ80 for about a month or so. So far I have had to fix all the lower seals, front & rear main seals, power steering pump and water pump. Now the check engine light came on (PO401). I am working on fixing all of that. The Land Cruiser seemed really appealing because of its really low miles (149 K), but now I am thinking the reason for the low miles is because it brakes down so much. From reading so many people pulling these motors out and putting in Chevy and diesel motors in, it seems like these motors were not Toyota's strongest motor? Low horse power output and bad gas mileage.

I don't know, maybe the rig will be fine once everything is fixed...Almost ready to put it up for sale
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I'll give you $1,000 for your truck, they are really terribly built vehicles. :smokin:
 
Low powered? Have you driven a 2F or 3FE equipped Land Cruiser? I think it is a great engine with a lot of years under its belt. Low mileage engine tend to develop oil leaks due to dry seals.

I don't mind the power.
 
You mean 13.6 mpg is bad fuel economy.......:D
Now I am really depressed. :)
 
smiley_confused.gif
 
These vehicles are a product of their environments and previous owners. Sometimes you get ones that were maintained, other times you end up with ones that were completely ignored for part or most of their lives.

If you don't know what you're doing when you buy them, you can end up with one of the latter units, then you'll end up paying to get it back into decent shape so it can then return the favor to you and be as dependable as you expect it to be.
 
These motors are hit and miss. Some go 300k miles some only go 200k. Mine only got a measly 230k before the rod started knocking. Or only 9 times around the circunfrence of the earth in stop and go traffic. Your has went around 6 times now. And it is 18 years old also. So there will be issues as with any car of its age. Rubber seals dry rot and things wear out. You just gonna have man up and take care of some PM. Or cut your losses and buy some thing only a few years old. How much did you give for it? And can you afford to put another $1000 or so into it in the next year or so? Will it be a labor of love?
 
SierraMtns said:
I have had my 1995 FJ80 for about a month or so. So far I have had to fix all the lower seals, front & rear main seals, power steering pump and water pump. Now the check engine light came on (PO401). I am working on fixing all of that. The Land Cruiser seemed really appealing because of its really low miles (149 K), but now I am thinking the reason for the low miles is because it brakes down so much. From reading so many people pulling these motors out and putting in Chevy and diesel motors in, it seems like these motors were not Toyota's strongest motor? Low horse power output and bad gas mileage.

I don't know, maybe the rig will be fine once everything is fixed...Almost ready to put it up for sale
Click to expand...

Nothing you mentioned above is anything more than maintenance, just some oil leaks and such. The truck is almost 20 years old. You said it "brakes down so much", but nothing you listed would equate to a brake down ie it wont drive. The reason the LC is so renowned is because it doesn't brake down and leave you stranded. You can nearly pee in the gas tank, run your fluids for 50K miles and still expect to be able to drive through a 3rd world country without incident.
Maybe you would be happier with a new car that hasn't been neglected for the past 10 years.
 
NLXTACY said:
Wrong. The motors are not hit or miss. Previous owners are hit or miss.
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Apparently you missed the sarcasism in ONLY 200k and ONLY 300k like yours:flipoff2:

I do disagree about the HG issue. It doesn't matter how well you take care of it. The replacement motor I got hadn't blown YET. But it was so close. When I pulled the head. Number 6 sealing ring was almost blown.:eek:
He has a fully locked one complete with ARB up front. Looks like a keeper to me.:D
 
NLXTACY said:
Wrong. The motors are not hit or miss. Previous owners are hit or miss.
Click to expand...

Exactly, any vehicle can be a pain in the ass if not maintained. Pm is your best friend and you just might be playing catch up from the previous owner.
 
My opinion, the only better 6cyl engine would be a Cummins Diesel! DOHC, 24 valve, crossflow head, piston and chain oilers, heavy forged crank and rods, cast aluminum all over the engine for durability and weight savings, and the engine/gear drive power steering pump... PM is a necessary function when buying a used vehicle, finding a pristine example is often times better than purchasing a hacked basketcase...

For a big old straight 6 it's a well built gas engine... It's downfalls are mileage and a weak power steering pump which doesn't seem to have an aftermarket performance version available... ( power steering works good enough for most though.). The strengths is in its design which offers good durability...
 
rockrod said:
it's a good engine but horribly underpowered for the vehicle. see my sig for the cure :)
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No more underpowered than many Toyota normally aspirated diesel Cruisers.
What you lose in power you gain in reliability. :)
 
CruiseOrlando said:
These vehicles are a product of their environments and previous owners. Sometimes you get ones that were maintained, other times you end up with ones that were completely ignored for part or most of their lives.

If you don't know what you're doing when you buy them, you can end up with one of the latter units, then you'll end up paying to get it back into decent shape so it can then return the favor to you and be as dependable as you expect it to be.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think your right. From what I saw of the PO they just drove this rig in to the ground.

Sorry guys for just posting this thread. I guess I was just venting from being worn out with all the work I have done so far and haven't be able to enjoy the rig yet.
 
I felt the same way after blowing head gasket a month after purchase...I was one of those naive buyers and should have asked more questions.
That being said, I love my stupid (said in a kind tone) truck anyway. It grows on you after a while. I've done the repairs and maintenance and am enjoying the fun times
 
It really is a love hate. I love my cruiser more than any vehicle I've ever had. I really have no desire for anything other than adding more cruisers. I bought mine with 252k replaced head gasket and a bunch of pm. I'm now at 282k drive it daily with 4 kids. At 282k a front end rebuild is just now rearing its head. What more could you ask for. Of course you always have to think what will go next but. It's better to have a 18 year old vehicle and fix it than a 5-8 year old vehicle that needs to go in under warranty all the time.
 
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