Just checking in - I'm out west, BJ60 didn't make it...

[peterdouglas]

Hey folks. Some of you may recall in October I was getting ready to move from Barrie, Ontario (Toronto area) to Kelowna, BC (central BC, Okanagan Valley). I spent a lot of time, effort and money on my 1984 BJ60 to get it ready for the trip, even a nice little lift. My friend and I changed a ton of gaskets, but the mysterious oil leak still persisted. But, the straw that broke the camel's back was when the alternator died a few days before I was ready to drive out west. Plus, I couldn't find anyone willing to drill (tap & dye) into the exhaust manifold so I could hook up the Pyrometer. It's installed, just not hooked up.

The alternator was so badly damaged, it could not even be rebuilt. I could not locate a used one. A new one from Toyota was $440, so I got it since there was nothing else available on short notice. But, it was defective, so where the next 2. The BJ60 was delaying me and draining my money, so I gave up on it and headed out west without it. I got so disillusioned with it, I signed the registration and told my parents to sell it for whatever they could get for it. They still have it, and to be honest, I'm half ready to tell them to sell it this spring as I'm doubting its reliability. They dealt with Toyota Canada and after the 4th alternator, finally got a good one. They had to put new batteries in too. It still needs a clutch slave cylinder.

I'm flying out for a visit in late May. The question is, should I risk driving the BJ60 out to Kelowna? I'd very much like to be driving it again. But, it suddenly became a high maintenance money pit. Maybe everything came up at once and it will be fine for a while? At the moment, I'm driving a high mileage, rough-looking, 1986 Jetta diesel. Although it could use a bit of work, it hasn't cost me a cent in repairs yet. Also picked up a mint, low-mileage granny-owned 1985 Oldsmobile Calais. Surprisingly, it's a real gas guzzler. So, it's my "back-up" car. If I brought the BJ60 back, I'm not sure which I'd sell.

If I go ahead with the WVO project, I could run the Jetta and the Land Cruiser on WVO. Problem is, now I'm in an apartment, so no room to store or filter WVO. Plus, the cost of the kits for 2 vehicles would take a while to break even on.

Question: if you were to drive a BJ60 from Ontario to BC, would you go through the US or Canada? I won't have much cargo, so a border crossing shouldn't be a problem. I'm worried about the higher elevations. The Jetta belched plumes of black smoke on a trip up the mountain to Big White last week. The rapid change in elevation gave me coolant system pressurization problems. That makes me leary driving an older diesel, namely my BJ60, a long distance through the mountains. I hear it's less mountainous driving through the US vs Canada.

Cheers!

Peter

 

[Granite Grinder]

You do realize that your BJ is 24 years old. Parts will wear out, but not likely the 3b, tranny, t-case or diff's will let you down. I say drive it. I believe the quality of diesel is a bit better in Canada, but diesel will probably be cheaper on the Interstate. I've heard it's faster to go through the States, but I don't know for sure.
GG

 

[bj70_guy]

I'm with GG, go get it. It can be disheartening when a bunch of stuff goes wrong at once, but it doesn't happen very often. What you're describing doesn't sound that bad anyway.
I've put 150,000km on my 3B powered BJ70, done lots of mountain driving, never had a pyro. Just keep the truck in the powerband - and often that means going really S L O W up the hills in 3rd gear.

Come on, you're in BC now. You wanna drive a Calais, or do you wanna drive a Cruiser?!

 

[cruiser_guy]

You're worried about a couple of hills on a well travelled route from Ontario to B.C. where 'Cruiser parts are available without having to send out of the country?

I drive my '82 BJ60 from Central America to Canada each year. The road high point is well over 3000 meters and in Mexico there are no BJ parts to be had anywhere!

I think you had a spat of bad luck with things wearing out at the same time.

 

[rchalmers3]

Peter,

I encourage you to do something that involves some degree of uncertainity! Driving in either North American country hardly qualifies, but you get the point. I mean, thats what makes life spicy!!!


And as for route, take the route that interests you the most. Personally I'd rather see Canada on a trip. Eh?

Rick

 

[canucksafari]

I say drive it back. To save yourself the "Endless Northern Ontario" on the transCanada, go though Michigan and come back up into Canada South of Winnipeg. Most of the truckers go this route as well.

 

[MOTERRA]

sounds like you should go save it Peter D....i just bought a bj60 and it was neglected for the last 20 years.I replaced water pump, starter, fuel separator, filters etc...there is more to come.. but this is normal for old vehicles. once alt's or starters are replaced you get 20 more years sucks when things all go at once eh.

I would go the quickest route back to kelowna stopping for timmys and diesel.....

 

[peterdouglas]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

You guys have no idea how much money I've put into the BJ60 in the year I've owned it - each time thinking that would be it for a while. Granted, some of the last things I did were more enhancements and upgrades in preparation for the trip out west. With the amount of money I've put into it, I could have almost imported a nice, low mileage JDM turbo diesel Cruiser. But, what's done is done. The real kicker is that the sh!tbox $500 1986 Jetta Diesel I picked up in Kelowna hasn't cost me a thing in repairs, other than an air filter, oil change, fuel and insurance. Granted, I got freaked out on a trip up the mountain to Big White recently when the elevation caused coolant pressure problems and huge clouds of black some while accelerating uphill.

That's what makes me leery about driving another 20+ year old vehicle over long distances. My current finances don't have much leeway for unexpected repairs. But, I have an idea... when I go back to Barrie in May, I also have to go to Montreal. I was going to take the bus or borrow my parent's car, but maybe I'll take the BJ60 for a "test drive" so to speak. It's 600 kms each way, so if it makes it to Montreal and back without any issues, I'll take it to Kelowna. There's a chance I might fly to Montreal first, and take a bus to Barrie though, but I'll try to drive the BJ60 around town as much as possible. It needs a clutch slave cylinder. It may last a while yet, but then again, it may not.

As for which route to take out west, I've done the Canadian route several times in the past. Never did the US route. I'm not too fond of driving through northern Ontario, or through the Rockies between BC and Alberta. Google Maps suggests this route: crossing at Sarnia, Ontario entering Michigan then driving to Washington and re-entering Canada at Oosoyos, BC. Although I've driven through many states in the US, I've never taken that route Google maps suggests. As we all know, BJ60's don't exactly have neck breaking acceleration, so the fewer steep mountain highways, the better. I already got a taste of that in diesel Jetta going to Big White and would love to avoid it if at all possible. Lower diesel prices would be a bonus.

 

[canucksafari]

Through Canada or the US, you still have to get over the Rockies. It has been a very long time since I did the US but I can tell you it isn't any better than the Roger's. It is as high or higher.

 

[peterdouglas]

Hmmmm... maybe I should do as you suggested earlier and drive through the US and enter Canada south of Winnipeg. A sort of combination of the US and Canada routes. For some reason, I thought the Rockies weren't as steep on the US route.

But, it sure would be nice to be back behind the wheel of a Land Cruiser. The Jetta diesel is OK for a change of pace, but the Calais is totally not my style!

 

[The Dude]

I say go home and get it. And then drive through the US on the first half of your trip and come across the prairies on your second half. Lots of guys between Winnipeg and BC that would be willing to help you out if you run into trouble.

I'm in Saskatoon, if your travels bring you this far north, and there's a place to crash and fix.

 

[brownbear]

the notherrn ontario route should be avoided. It's almost worse than the rockies. All hills.

I would do the route suggested by canucksafari too.

The Canandian prairies are slow and lots of cruiser help along the way.

I'm taking my BJ60 on a 7500km trip in a month, and I have not driven it in 3 yrs. Adventures are only adventures if you do them!

 

[rstl99]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

You guys have no idea how much money I've put into the BJ60 in the year I've owned it - each time thinking that would be it for a while. Granted, some of the last things I did were more enhancements and upgrades in preparation for the trip out west. With the amount of money I've put into it, I could have almost imported a nice, low mileage JDM turbo diesel Cruiser. But, what's done is done. I'll try to drive the BJ60 around town as much as possible. It needs a clutch slave cylinder. It may last a while yet, but then again, it may not.

Sorry to hear about your current BJ60 problems, Peter. Yeah I suppose some of them turn into (partially self-inflicted) money pits... All water under the bridge, and lessons learned.

I support others in saying you should give it a go. I haven't followed your earlier threads about engine oil leak (?) but assuming the leak isn't significant, and your 3B and tranny are in good health, you shouldn't be too concerned about the drivetrain getting you to BC. It would be an advantage to drive out there before the Summer heat, to prevent overheating. Like someone said, you'd want to take is slow and easy, 90-100kph most of the way, stay in the power band etc.

About the clutch slave, as long as you're able to shift reasonably well and keep an eye on the levels when you do The Drive, it should get your there. After all, you won't be doing much shifting driving hours on the highway (except in the hills where you will likely have to shift up and down a certain bit).

I once drove a Land Rover 110 I had purchased sight-unseen in Goose Bay Labrador, and drove it back 1500 kms (more than half of which was very remote gravel roads - ie. translabrador highway). Great trip, I wish I hadn't been so worried about the truck breaking down somewhere in the middle of nowhere! As it turns out the trip was uneventful, mechanically speaking (the truck had only 70,000 kms on it and was diesel - I had it checked out by a garage there before leaving).

On your trip, you are going to be on major highways with plenty of service stations to bail you out should something start acting up. If you don't have it already, get yourself a CAA membership with long-distance towing option. Maybe try to identify some good diesel/LC repair shops along your route, just in case. Take a good selection of spare parts and things for emergency repairs (I took a whole Rubbermaid container of stuff with me for the 110 trip - all kinds of sealants, gasket goop tubes, hose repair kits, fuses, wire, nuts and bolts, etc. etc.).

As someone said, aim to do a lot of driving, stop for rest and coffee/food. Bring yourself some nice music to keep you company.

Anyway, barring some unfortunate malfunction that may stop you in your tracks, you'll probably look back on this trip with fond memories some day.

Good luck!

 

[street tractor]

I had a similar experience with with my HJ60 shortly after I purchased it. Tha alternator, starter, batteries and various other things had to be rebuilt or replaced within a very short period of time. I thought I was getting in over my head and was kind of bummed out on my purchase. Since then, 1.5 years have passed without any issues and I use this vehicle to commute approx 150km/day. 50000 problem free km's! Pretty good for an old truck.

As far as your route goes, most of the interstate passes in Montana are moderate grades(if my memory serves me correctly) but you will be dealing with higher elevations than comparable passes in Western Canada.

I had my HJ at 9000' in WY and ID on STEEP grades...it wasn't pretty, but she made it! Pull over when needed.

Go get that truck!

 

[kim]

the notherrn ontario route should be avoided. It's almost worse than the rockies. All hills.

I would do the route suggested by canucksafari too.

The Canandian prairies are slow and lots of cruiser help along the way.

I'm taking my BJ60 on a 7500km trip in a month, and I have not driven it in 3 yrs. Adventures are only adventures if you do them!

The 'Northern Ontario route' isn't bad at all, as long as your not talking driving along the north shore of Lake Superior. I found that the drive 'up and over' through Nippissing to Kapuskasing to North Bay is quite flat, ****ing loooong, but flat.

Peter, go get the truck and bring it to BC. Don't fret, it'll make it.

 

[prado t]

Go get the 60 take via highway 11 get somebody to team drive with you. You can do Northern Ontario team driving Barrie - North Bay and 11 in about 20 hours . Back in the day I used to do Van - Montreal twice a week on 11 . Now after 911 I would not go south through the Sault - Michigan but fuel is cheap in Gary INdianna. I would not do 7 through WAWA too many hills. Just get it here there are many cruiserheads that can help.

 

[peterdouglas]

Once again, thanks for the suggestions and support. That's why I bought a Land Cruiser, and in particular a BJ60. Part of my concern is that with so many new parts, repairs and upgrades done in the weeks before I planned to leave, there's less than 75 kms on the truck since then, so it's really not "proven" itself yet. It's almost like driving an unknown vehicle, which I've certainly done in the past, and like rstl99 did with his Land Rover. I'll be alone - nobody will ride along with me or in another vehicle. There's not much else that could go wrong - unless one of the few older parts gives, or one of the new parts or repairs is bad. If I can, I'd like to change the clutch slave cylinder before leaving, since it's a known issue. But, as mentioned already, I shouldn't be doing too much shifting on the highway - except through the mountains...

I could have the truck shipped, but even with the cost of a plane ticket, fuel, hotels and food, I can drive it back for almost half the price. Providing there are no unexpected repairs. Plus, I can bring along some more of my belongings. And, despite all the encouragement from you guys, I am still a bit concerned based on the past never-ending repairs. The BJ60 has left me stranded once already, but luckily it was in-town, just a few days before I was to drive it out west.

If I get a chance to drive the BJ60 to Montreal and back to Barrie, that will be a 1200 km round trip, and on a well traveled road that I know very well. I'll definitely get a CAA membership with LD towing just in case. But if it makes that round trip without any issues, I'll drive it to Kelowna, which is around 4000 kms. The route several of you suggested that avoids northern Ontario, instead going through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota sounds good, then to head up Winnipeg. That will avoid the never-ending trip from The Soo to the Manitoba border that I hate so much. I'm not too fond of traveling through the Rockies either, but it's shorter than the Northern Ontario part of the trip and sounds like it's no better south of the border, so may as well drive that half of the trip through Canada.

 

[peterdouglas]

Oh yes, and of course, this will be first time I'll be driving my BJ60 on steep mountain roads. I know it struggled with some moderate hills around Barrie, but then again, I can just do as the truckers do and put my 4-ways on and climb up in 2nd or 3rd gear at 40 km/hr I guess.... right? And many of you have taken a 3B on mountain roads before. I do recall one member telling me last year that he melted a 3B doing that, which is why I got a pyrometer, to keep an eye on the EGT's. The naturally aspirated 3B is not known for its demon acceleration. If my diesel Jetta on the trip to Big White recently, is any indication, I know that's what I'm in for. (it struggled to do 60 km/hr in 3rd gear while spewing out huge clouds of thick, black smoke, and those hills weren't as steep at some through Roger's Pass). As long as i make it without a breakdown or damaging anything, I'll be happy!

 

[cruiser_guy]

My kid hauled the '55 from Minot, ND to Vancouver, BC with a tired naturally apirated '84 BJ60. That was all I-90 and it made it.

 

[kim]

You don't really have to worry about EGT's in the mountains as you'll be climbing all the hills in 3rd, sometimes 2nd.

I say pack the truck, leave your worries in Barrie, and enjoy the drive.