It begins.....

[Sniperx]

....MAYBE.

Hi, my name is Paul and I live in Japan. I recently rolled my Pajero 2800 SWB off a small mountain road and am searching for a new car. I had 3 choices...BJ40, Pajero 2800 LWB, or in the far off wing...a 70. After looking at some Pajs and being jerked around by over priced dealers, I looked harder at the 40. Found one, a pickup, but he wants around 6k for it plus shipping. So I was out driving yesterday and saw a 4x4 for sale at a small shop. Eh, lets stop and check it out. Hey, pretty nice looking 70 series. Lets look a little more. Total after tax they want 6500usd. So I him and haw at it. Crawl around the underside....some cancer growing on the under side of the body panels. Pop the hood fire it up, starts easy no smoke. Push the gas, little puff (very little). Go back to the hood and rev the engine...hmmm..no turbo sound. Excess oil around the hose joint on the intake...bearings must be gone...20 years w/o a turbo timer might do that. Knock off 800usd+. Ok, electric winch, handy. Lift kit (inch unknown). Custom wheels, tires cracking. Inside, diff story. Its an FRP top in good condition. Recaro seats, custom sound, no leaks or rust. Huh...what are these whacky looking handles near your shins, theres 2, looks like 4wd symbols. Whats this? Can it be...rear AND FRONT diff locks...FACTORY. WHy didn't someone tell me this....theres no way a Paj can compete with that. To build a comparable rig, traction alone would add about 3-4kusd to my total.

So what do you guys think? I'm thinking go for it, I need a hauler for firewood and things and the MWB has got the Paj SWB in that area and I don't want a long Paj as I know I'll drop the rear off a mountain on some of the roads I go on.

What should I look for on this car? What should I deduct from the price tag...besides rust and turbo.


On the front, I see these massive balls where the axle meets the wheels, should there be rubber boots here?

I'm going to chekc this ride out again in a couple hours, take it for a drive....any pointers would be great ASAP.

 

[Sniperx]

Gearin up to go, any help?

 

[Jimmy B]

Hi Paul,from your description I think you are looking at a BJ74 MWB.If you are in Japan you should be able to get the pick of the litter over there.We import the trucks here from there and most have very little or no rust at all.
I am in no way a expert but will try to help a little.The turbo on the 13BT I had was not really that noticable for sound,so I think they are hard to hear just from revving the motor,the oil on the intake pipes on some trucks are wetter then others,I was told the thing to look out for is excess amounts of residue from the turbo housing itself.The locking diffs are great feature,most trucks have suspension front seats as well.
The knuckles or massive balls do not actually have a cover or boot as a cv joint has,the best way I can describe it is they have a felt seal with a rubber scraper seal,with a metal flange plate.thing to look out for on this set up is excessive leakage of grease or if dripping oil the inner diff oil seals are gone,requires a rebuild.
Best I can say is you might want to look around abit ,I do not have a clue how the used car market runs in Japan.Eg: for car lots,dealers etc.

Hope this helped some.
James.
and welcome to mud

 

[brownbear]

also might not be a turbo motor...could it just be a 3B naturally aspirated version.

 

[Sniperx]

...

BB: USUALLY when you pop the hood and a turbo is looking at you....its a turbo. JK. No, its definately a turbo, it has the badge, the aluminum bit under the hood that says turbo, and of course, the turbo. The green turbo light comes on under accel., but my little pudge has more kick to it than that car. The goobers who are selling it won't budge. The steering linkage feels a bit loose as there seems to be a lot of bump steer and things. They say its due to the big tires...my PUdge has fairly big tires and it doesn't wander like that. The AC also isn't as cold as I'd expect and apparently the temp adjust doesn't work. The thermomter/ALT doohiki is malfunctioning in the computer or display. Its an auto and seems to shift hard, doesn't miss or anything, just a jerk, kickdown is ok and OD seems to come in early. Rear diff lock light doesn't come on. Theres a wierd button that says Transfer GEar on it.

Whats the value of this thing? They want 5833usd, due to the turbo, steering, and rust...I want to pay 5000usd.

 

[roscoFJ73]

BB: USUALLY when you pop the hood and a turbo is looking at you....its a turbo. JK. No, its definately a turbo, it has the badge, the aluminum bit under the hood that says turbo, and of course, the turbo. The green turbo light comes on under accel., but my little pudge has more kick to it than that car. The goobers who are selling it won't budge. The steering linkage feels a bit loose as there seems to be a lot of bump steer and things. They say its due to the big tires...my PUdge has fairly big tires and it doesn't wander like that. The AC also isn't as cold as I'd expect and apparently the temp adjust doesn't work. The thermomter/ALT doohiki is malfunctioning in the computer or display. Its an auto and seems to shift hard, doesn't miss or anything, just a jerk, kickdown is ok and OD seems to come in early. Rear diff lock light doesn't come on. Theres a wierd button that says Transfer GEar on it.

Whats the value of this thing? They want 5833usd, due to the turbo, steering, and rust...I want to pay 5000usd.

Well its about 20 years old so its not going to be perfect. You dont say how many klms its done.
Is it blowing black smoke indicating injectors need doing or overfuelling?
The bump steer could be from the lift(a lot of the jap lifts have those ghastly extended shackles)
The steering probably needs a thorough going over with new tie rod ends etc.
It going to need another $2000 to get it going right ,its your call.

Ive never seen a button saying transfer gear ,but there is one on the RH side saying H4 which engages the front diff.
Probably not fair to keep comparing it with the Pajero. There is a big difference in durability between a BJ74 and a Pajero.
If you dont get this one ,there must be plenty more for sale.

 

[Sniperx]

...

Not expecting perfection, just priced accordingly. 130,xxxkm

No, not blowing, just a tiny puff (quickly disappaited) when you stomp on it in neutral. Under hard accel, no smoke in the mirror.

Yep, extended shackles.....

I do as much wrench work myself as possible. The locals think I'm nuts. When I was shoulder deep in my BMW 850 changing spark plugs they almost had me committed...you just don't do that sort of thing here...you pay someone else to do it.

I only have this and a 1966 Jeep with offroad trim to compare it to....the jeep was tighter and pulled better and was severely out of maintanance. I like the rugged build and design of the car, and plan to use it for everything from hauling firewood to climbing mountains. I compare because, in everyway I would expect more of the LC. Most of all power, the engine is what, 3.0, 3.2? The Paj is only 2.8. I chalk that up to the turbo possibly being out. I should be able to hear the turbo running when I crank on the fuel pump right? I'm under the hood right next to the turbine...should hear something I would assume.

On of the MAJOR turn on for this car, the locking diffs from the factory. How common is this? Will I find another? Are they good quality?

 

[Japan4X4]

If it has a turbo and lockers and a FRP top it is a BJ74.

Decent truck.

 

[Sniperx]

...

Hey a local!

Based on what you've seen here in JP, whats the pricing like on this, assuming the turbo is shot. Worth pursuing?

 

[Sniperx]

Well, I've got 2 other FRPs in the area I guess I'll check out.

 

[Jimmy B]

Not really sure of the price,best if you can contact a local mudder,might give a good comparison.
The lockers are a welcomed option and stand up well,have seen many with them here,my 91HZJ73 came with electric ones as compared to the BJ74 which are cable operated.Engine sizefor the BJ74 is a 3.4 liter,should go fairly well,has good low rpm torque and should have more power than the Paj,but I guess depends on the tire size,might have regeared etc,I also have no experience with the auto tranny so I do not know how they run,accelerate etc,but for me I always like manuals.
Another problem spot,keep a eye out on transmission,transfer oil levels-manual or auto,seal between them fails and fluid starts flowing from one to the other.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Not expecting perfection, just priced accordingly. 130,xxxkm

No, not blowing, just a tiny puff (quickly disappaited) when you stomp on it in neutral. Under hard accel, no smoke in the mirror.

Yep, extended shackles.....

I do as much wrench work myself as possible. The locals think I'm nuts. When I was shoulder deep in my BMW 850 changing spark plugs they almost had me committed...you just don't do that sort of thing here...you pay someone else to do it.

I only have this and a 1966 Jeep with offroad trim to compare it to....the jeep was tighter and pulled better and was severely out of maintanance. I like the rugged build and design of the car, and plan to use it for everything from hauling firewood to climbing mountains. I compare because, in everyway I would expect more of the LC. Most of all power, the engine is what, 3.0, 3.2? The Paj is only 2.8. I chalk that up to the turbo possibly being out. I should be able to hear the turbo running when I crank on the fuel pump right? I'm under the hood right next to the turbine...should hear something I would assume.

On of the MAJOR turn on for this car, the locking diffs from the factory. How common is this? Will I find another? Are they good quality?

Ive heard the locals are not much into doing their own repairs but there are dedicated owners who have their own little workshops.
This site hasnt been updated for while but you may find something or someone.
http://homepage1.nifty.com/landcruiser/

The 13BT is a 3.4 and the 74 series weighs about 2000kg,they are not the fastest but most owners consider it adequate.
The fuel filters could be way overdue for a change.
I would have thought it would blow clouds of black smoke if the turbo was not working.
130000klms is very low mileage for this unit.
The diff lockers are top notch and highly sought after. If the lights not coming on ,it could be electrical or maybe they are seized at the diff from lack of use.
Send some pics of the vehicles you are looking at.
The correct alpha numerical codes for the model and options is on the aluminium plate on the firewall. It gives the model,engine,gearbox,diffs colourand trim info

 

[Sniperx]

...

Leave it to an Aussie to have all the right answer in regards to bush beating cars. I'll look into this stuff. Hopefully one of the next FRPs has cable diffs, they are both cheaper anyway. Can you hear the turbo spinning when your head is in the engine compartment?

 

[Japan4X4]

If the turbo is cooked I would only buy the truck for parts.

And the price would reflect this.

 

[Sniperx]

...

Hmmmm...not buyig parts cars here. Any foolproof way of checking the turbo?

 

[clintnz]

Hmmmm...not buyig parts cars here. Any foolproof way of checking the turbo?

If the green light is coming on, that means it's making boost.

Seems a little expensive, here average condition standard BJ74s that were imported used from Japan a few years back start at around the US$3k mark. Lockers, winch & suspension do add up though.

Cheers
Clint

 

[prado t]

checking, the turbo: every piece of machinery and all of my vehicles are turboed. If you can pull the inlet of the compressor(silver)casting , make sure motor is not running look at the inconnel (fins) see that they are not scarred up,2 with clean fingers see if you can spin the turbine freely with no noise or grinding effect, 3 check end play, there should be very little within thousands 4 when you pull your hand away check for oil, that means the compressor side seal is gone. now you be the judge!
aaron kuit