Just bought FJ80 and preparing for road trip: mechanical things to look for

[kilbywill9]

Excited to say I'm new to the forums because I just purchased a 1992 Land Cruiser! It's in pretty good shape with 190k but I'm no mechanic and I do have some concerns. I'd like to take it to the beach this summer (4 hours) and possibly on a longer trip, so I'd like to see if you guys have any feedback on my concerns.

Oil/trans leaks: Valve cover gasket and both rear main seals leak (trans and motor). Probably going to fix the valve cover but not the rear mains. I'll just keep an eye on the levels.

Starter: it seems like it takes a lot of turnovers to start the truck compared to other vehicles...like a good 2-3 seconds. Is this normal or could the starter be going?

Gas mileage: As expected, gas mileage is HORRENDOUS. I've calculated 10.5 MPGS on two tanks. Plug wires look pretty new, anything else I should look for that might be bringing it down?

Shudders in reverse: When I put the truck in reverse, the motor seems to "shudder" a little bit and is a little louder. Torque converter maybe?

Also, both mirrors shake (the glass inside them) and one of them is almost not even usable. Anything quick fixes so I don't have to pay $250 for new mirrors to be painted?

Anything else I should check? I'm pretty thorough when it comes to my vehicles so I want to make sure its in pretty good working order. Excited to join the forums, thanks!

 

[Ghostrider I]

For the starting issue, I would check the terminals to see if they are clean and free of corrosion. How old is the battery?
I don't have an automatic in my 80 check my profile, but you might want to consider doing a ATF change.
Mirrors- I am about to repair mine- go through the forum, there are fixes. Painting? I would be more concerned about function first.

Hope to see you at the beach- I will be in a silver DIESEL 80.

 

[Technician1985]

Bring a spare efi relay and fusible link on trips apparently.

I’ve heard 10.5 is about what they get but I also suspect people have original o2 sensors. You can get denso ones for pretty cheap it’s just that they’re a bitch to access.

 

[red mud fj]

Having only 190K is a positive if your truck was maintained correctly. About every system in this truck should be considered as a potential failure point now that its 26 years old! Cleaning agents in today's gasses along with off the shelf additive will send allot of gunk into the fuel filter, CHANGE your fuel filter.

 

[kilbywill9]

Thanks for the replies so far! Didn't even think about fuel filter, so it and the o2 sensors will probably get replaced soon. Like I said I'm not much of mechanic, but it seems like this is the best site possible to guide me through everything!

 

[kilbywill9]

For the starting issue, I would check the terminals to see if they are clean and free of corrosion. How old is the battery?
I don't have an automatic in my 80 check my profile, but you might want to consider doing a ATF change.
Mirrors- I am about to repair mine- go through the forum, there are fixes. Painting? I would be more concerned about function first.

Hope to see you at the beach- I will be in a silver DIESEL 80.

I think it's a newish battery, but I will check the terminals. Definitely will do an ATF change soon. As for the mirrors, the ones my body guy found were black and the 80 is white, so I thought that might look a little funny and definitely not how they're supposed to be. My OCD wouldn't allow them to stay black

 

[gummycarbs]

To own an 80, you have to have deep pockets, or normal pockets plus good shade-tree mechanic skills. I hope you're planning to learn. Locate the Factory Service Manual and start reading.

 

[kilbywill9]

To own an 80, you have to have deep pockets, or normal pockets plus good shade-tree mechanic skills. I hope you're planning to learn. Locate the Factory Service Manual and start reading.

That's what I've heard. Where's the best place to get a factory service manual?

Also, I'm sharing it with my dad for now and will probably buy him out of it a little later, but we both have other vehicles and don't drive it much. Replaced a '79 Suburban we had and it didn't have the problems I've already seen in the 80 but it was eaten up with rust, so the 80 should be a good challenge!

 

[gummycarbs]

Most of your questions could be answered with a simple search, and you're going to have to do baseline maintenance before looking for help diagnosing things.

General 3FE Tune Up Info

shakey sideview mirror FIX

For Sale - 40, 50, 60, and 80 series FSM for a hell of a price.

Get a Toyota Information Service subscription for a day and download any documentation you can't find there.

 

[Technician1985]

You can buy a hard copy of the FSM on ebay or amazon instead of dealing with the cluster that is attempting to get the digital copy, then needing to reference it on a computer when what you need is a physical book in front of you that you can fondle with your greasy hands near the truck. I got my '92 FSM for $75 and passed on a '91 manual that was $55 since I already had the 92 manual. This was only a few months ago, so maybe you can get a good deal too.

 

[Demonic92]

I did this shaky mirror fix. Easier than waiting for epoxy to dry, works great.
Shaky mirror fix 2 minutes 2 zip ties

 

[BILT4ME]

Welcome! Congratulations on the 80!

Look in the FAQ section for answers to all your questions! SEARCH is your friend. We will bag on you about not searching, but then we'll help. At least show an attempt and we won't get belligerent........

Vendors for parts are also a big part of what you need. Check out the VENDORS section above. Please support the vendors that support this forum.
Toyota Parts | Toyota Online Parts | Genuine Toyota Parts | Toyota Parts Online
Will supply you with Toyota parts reasonably priced. Also check with your local dealers.

These trucks tend to spit out aftermarket parts, so you do what you want. None of my GM or Chrysler products ever did that, but these do.....

I highly recommend you buy a basic metric tool kit and start learning. It will save you THOUSANDS on playing with the truck (and allow more room for gas money!)

A basic tune-up is probably in order. Also, if you keep your speed at 60 MPH or under, it WILL improve your mileage.

Always drive downhill....both directions and make sure the wind is always at your back.......

Oh....and yours is an FJ80....The head gasket will NOT normally be an issue for you.... That is for the FZJ80's.

 

[kilbywill9]

Thanks for all the replies. Me and a friend replace the valve cover gasket this week and went to start it after putting it back together and it wouldn't fire. Unplugged the MAF/AFM and it fired right up with the check engine light on. Seems weird that it'll start with it unplugged entirely but I guess that has to be the issue? Also weird that it failed at the exact time we replaced the valve cover gasket.

O'Reilly's wanted $120 for it, has anyone had luck finding them cheaper? I did a quick search on here but the ones I found were actually more than $120.

 

[Alleycats]

Shudder in reverse? Is this like a clunk sound?

For the shaky mirrors search "shaky mirror fix".

I'd recommend a starter rebuild DIY, again search starter rebuild 80 series.

Slow starts? search cold start injector cleaning.

 

[Marco Lau]

Replaced my fuel pressure regulator and the hot start long cranking/no start went away. But this was only when the truck is warm tho.

 

[Kaninja]

Make sure your steering knuckle studs/nuts are TIGHT.

No....those aren't mine.