Just bought a 2002 HDJ100 - What's next?

[Lupu88]

Hello everyone,

After 18 months of searching a satisfactory 100 series, my dream of owning a Toyota Land Cruiser came true this January. It took so long because it was a must for me to have it registered as a truck and not a car which in my country translates in 2000$ less per year in terms of taxes. All the trucks I have seen in this period were either poorly maintained or were having big issues in terms of rust.

2002, 4.2 HDJ100 4-Speed Automatic, with 214.000 km (~133.000 miles) on the ODO, 2 previous owners. Even though it has only superficial rust on the chassis and nearly none on the body (just 2-3 spots), mechanically-wise it has seen some better days. Nothing major but this being a Land Cruiser, my target is to get it in the best possible condition.

Here are some photos:

Sorry for the black cat, that's not mine

My friends 80 series on the left is the reason I decided to get a Land Cruiser

The first trip I made with the truck was to my friend who is also a mechanic. There it received a new timing belt, change in all the fluids (all means all, I lost count after 30 liters) and a thorough service in terms of brakes and air intake.

5 pictures limit is not helpful at this point so I will post some photos later in the day.

Even though is still has some issues (which I will post soon) I really love this truck. In my opinion is the perfect balance between comfort and reliability, no matter which condition it is driven in (I am quite sure you already know this ).

Greetings from Bucharest, Romania.

 

[mongoose2231]

Hahaha, un roman norocos! La noi nu se pot inca importa HDJ100's.
Translation: A lucky Romanian, we can't yet import HDJ's in the States.
Good luck with your truck, my brother has a 70 series up in Campina, works for the State Forest Department. I coaxed him into getting a 70 series, as they are pretty indestructible.
His is an 89 with the limited slip diffs and coil over suspension!
Sorry for the hijack, will follow this thread closely.
Romanian brother from abroad!

 

[Lupu88]

As I said earlier, here are some photos which were taken during the visit to the mechanic.

Rear brakes were a complete mess so they had to be rebuilt:

The air intake went from this:

To this:

Luckily, my friend was able to salvage the factory rear locker.

Before (non-working state):

After:

Once installed, the locker is working perfectly!

In the same visit the truck received a new timing belt (including the entire kit + water pump), a snorkel, new 17 inch wheels (coming from a 200 series) and also 8mm aluminium skid plates from N4 for both gearbox and transfer box.

As my plan is to keep this truck as much as possible, all the parts were replaced with OEM ones.


The fun began with my second trip, 5000 km from Romania to France and back. After 80 km, with 4 people and full of luggage (I think that my mom and my girlfriend each packed everything they had), obviously that the AHC system went in "L" mode for the entire trip. Comfort wise you can imagine it was a delight for all our spines.

On top of that, with 500 km still to go, a pipe in the EGR system failed and it started to make a quite loud noise which didn't help either.

After removing all the luggage, along with a big smile on my face, the AHC system came back to life. However, after 2 weeks the same system developed a new fault: L&N mode were the same (really low and extremely bumpy on the rear side). Also, the fluid level is way too high. "H" mode took a little longer to achieve on the same rear end but once reached it acted normally (stayed high until 30 km/h - aprox 18mph)...

Sensors, accumulators?

Either way, it was enough for me to realize that I will never trust on the reliability of the AHC system (especially with the kind of trips I am planning - really heavy truck) so I will have it changed with either OME Nitrocharger Sport or the Ironman Foam Cell - not yet decided which way to go at this point. For sure I will continue to search the forum for this topic but any input will be highly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[mongoose2231]

Great work and write-up, keep it up!

 

[Lupu88]

Hi again,

Since the interior was not at it's best, the truck received a well-deserved detailing.

Before (front part) and after (rear part):

I found a really good deal for these all-new 200 series wheels and went for it. I am currently using them for city travelling on my way to some BFG KO2s (once I figure out which suspension I'll buy, therefore what will be the size that will fit).

Front end is basically screaming for that bull-bar to be removed and for a retro style grille. It will certainly come sometime soon.

In other news, I just spent 2 hours reading the "Tough Dog review thread" and now my choice of a suspension kit became even harder.

OME, IronMan, TD, Profender? Man, I don't know; I just want something that won't rattle my teeth out in the cities and will withstand the extra weight (+400 Kg) while off-roading. Simple, right?

Does anyone know if the OME BP-51s can be mounted on these trucks?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Stay safe!

 

[CBeckFJ]

Hi again,

Since the interior was not at it's best, the truck received a well-deserved detailing.

View attachment 2261108

Before (front part) and after (rear part):

View attachment 2261103

I found a really good deal for these all-new 200 series wheels and went for it. I am currently using them for city travelling on my way to some BFG KO2s (once I figure out which suspension I'll buy, therefore what will be the size that will fit).

View attachment 2261097

View attachment 2261098

Front end is basically screaming for that bull-bar to be removed and for a retro style grille. It will certainly come sometime soon.

View attachment 2261101

In other news, I just spent 2 hours reading the "Tough Dog review thread" and now my choice of a suspension kit became even harder.

OME, IronMan, TD, Profender? Man, I don't know; I just want something that won't rattle my teeth out in the cities and will withstand the extra weight (+400 Kg) while off-roading. Simple, right?

Does anyone know if the OME BP-51s can be mounted on these trucks?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Stay safe!

OME BP-51 are not available for the 100's. I went with Ironmans foam cell pro kit, and it's currently on sale right now. Gives almost stock ride quality off road with the advantages of foam cell technology (better heat and oil dissipation within the shock).

 

[Lupu88]

OME BP-51 are not available for the 100's. I went with Ironmans foam cell pro kit, and it's currently on sale right now. Gives almost stock ride quality off road with the advantages of foam cell technology (better heat and oil dissipation within the shock).

Could you please tell me what was the deciding factor for you choosing Ironman over the others? Weight of your truck, type of trail, etc.

What I learned until now is that OME suspension is way to stiff/rigid in towns and that the opinions for TD are 50-50. Would be great to find some ideas directly from someone using Ironman.

 

[CBeckFJ]

Could you please tell me what was the deciding factor for you choosing Ironman over the others? Weight of your truck, type of trail, etc.

What I learned until now is that OME suspension is way to stiff/rigid in towns and that the opinions for TD are 50-50. Would be great to find some ideas directly from someone using Ironman.

Stock weight with an ARB deluxe upfront. I went with the 0-444 Ib springs because I would only have trailer tongue weight and a spare back there, but if you have a rear bumper or plan on it, I'd recommend the 444-880 Ib springs. Here in the northeast, we have very tight, rocky trails, so I: wanted a shock that would stand up to repeat abuse and compression, and the foam cell technology allows for a much longer-lasting shock compared to the nitro gas shock.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

how did the intake get cleaned? i need to clean mine. wondering about your method.

 

[Lupu88]

how did the intake get cleaned? i need to clean mine. wondering about your method.

it was cleaned using "Carburol", a substance used to clean carburetors. Soaked everything then washed away. Hope it helps.

 

[hickuptruck]

Would recommend 2866 springs, as they are progressive springs. First part of the spring has 240ft/in rate for when unloaded. Then the second part of the spring has 320ft/in when you get loaded up. Would not recommend a heavy rate spring for around city unloaded driving.