Land Cruiser cherry popped with a 1990 FJ70

[ExpatFJ]

Hello all! I made a slightly impulse buy of a sight unseen ex government 'ruba' with 230K km on last week as the price was right. It's going to be a mostly daily and potentially driving it back to Europe in a year if Iraq remains safe-ish. I've been scouring the forum for info (such an amazing resource) but had a few specific questions you might be able to help me with...

- How important is the fan shroud and will the shroud off any 3F-engined LC work?
- I had the brakes serviced with new rear drums, new vacuum and master cylinder. Before the pedal had to be pumped to do anything, now they still feel a bit spongy/crap. Is this just what they're like? It's got discs up front.
- Any recommendations for tyres? I like the look of the skinny-ish 7.5R16s on at the moment but they are a mystery Chinese brand and not the best condition. 80/20, mostly tarmac, some desert.
- The 5 speed gearbox has a little bit of crunch sometimes when shifting. Is this normal/am I just a bad driver?
- There's a slight oil leak from the front left wheel hub. Is this just a new seal? The other hub has mastic on it /:
- Is there anything else I should get checked or any must do upgrades? Have had a brief look at the Pertronix kits

Cheers

 

[janyyc]

Welcome!

Fan shroud always important, even more so in hot climates.

Tires: you can get quality 225/95R16’s in KSA, but might be hard to find. Other option is 235/85R16, available from BFG etc.

Mechanics: you should take advantage of being in a region with inexpensive labour and easy parts availability. Key is to have somebody you trust do the work, as there’s a lot of shoddy workshops around. Maybe @Meshal can help you…

 

[Tennessee Jed]

Very nice-uh, as Borat would say.
Fan shroud is critical.
You may have a bad brake booster which is harder to find and more expensive, if everything else has been done. Take it back to the shop and tell them the brakes still aren't right and have them keep working unless you think they're incompetent, in which case maybe a dedicated brake shop.
I'll ditto the rec for 235/85R16's. They're ubiquitous. You can get them anywhere in the world in almost any tire brand and style. 255's are much harder to find. 235's are a skinny tire and work great not only with your truck but with your narrow wheels.

Yes, you're probably being too fast on your shifts. I don't know what trans you have, by my H55F is a solid three second pause between 1 and 2, and shorter one between 2 and 3. And downshift carefully, and don't force things. You'll get the hang of it.
I would have the truck baselined completely - all new tires and matching spare, diagnose and fix the brakes, all new fluids, belts, hoses, etc. etc. including repair the leak at the front hub. Probably would have the knuckles and bearings redone before I set out from KSA to Europe. I'd do more too, but that for certain, for starters.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Congrats. Plenty of wrecked 70 series in KSA; you should be able to find a shroud. If it were me, I would have wanted a slightly later model with the 1FZ-F engine but I understand the relatively low mileage and of course the price.

I think both of these shrouds are discontinued but that doesn't mean that someone can't find a NOS one. Regardless here are the part numbers. Guessing you have the 8 blade fan with cooler but you should verify.

16711-61170	OD=430, 8BLADES, W/COOLER
16711-61190	OD=450, 7BLADES

[td]16701[/td][td]SHROUD SUB-ASSY, FAN[/td]

[td]

​

[/td]​

 

[ExpatFJ]

Very nice-uh, as Borat would say.
Fan shroud is critical.
You may have a bad brake booster which is harder to find and more expensive, if everything else has been done. Take it back to the shop and tell them the brakes still aren't right and have them keep working unless you think they're incompetent, in which case maybe a dedicated brake shop.
I'll ditto the rec for 235/85R16's. They're ubiquitous. You can get them anywhere in the world in almost any tire brand and style. 255's are much harder to find. 235's are a skinny tire and work great not only with your truck but with your narrow wheels.

Yes, you're probably being too fast on your shifts. I don't know what trans you have, by my H55F is a solid three second pause between 1 and 2, and shorter one between 2 and 3. And downshift carefully, and don't force things. You'll get the hang of it.
I would have the truck baselined completely - all new tires and matching spare, diagnose and fix the brakes, all new fluids, belts, hoses, etc. etc. including repair the leak at the front hub. Probably would have the knuckles and bearings redone before I set out from KSA to Europe. I'd do more too, but that for certain, for starters.

Brand new brake booster - could just be they didn't bleed it properly? I can hear making a noise with the pedal slightly depressed when the engine is running. As you said, very hit and miss mechanics here.

Another new noise today I noticed with the window down today is a metal clanking from underneath at low RPMs, maybe a drive shaft? I remember safari LCs doing the same thing but I don't think they're a gold standard in maintenance...

 

[ExpatFJ]

Congrats. Plenty of wrecked 70 series in KSA; you should be able to find a shroud. If it were me, I would have wanted a slightly later model with the 1FZ-F engine but I understand the relatively low mileage and of course the price.

I think both of these shrouds are discontinued but that doesn't mean that someone can't find a NOS one. Regardless here are the part numbers. Guessing you have the 8 blade fan with cooler but you should verify.

16711-61170	OD=430, 8BLADES, W/COOLER
16711-61190	OD=450, 7BLADES

[td]16701[/td][td]SHROUD SUB-ASSY, FAN[/td]

[td]


[/td]​

Yeah I maybe should have gone with the 4.5 in hindsight but this was only 20,000 SAR and (stupid reason I know...) it's the only green one I've seen here. Cheers for the part number, toyotadxb seems like a good shout. Retracting seatbelts next on the list

 

[OGBeno]

View attachment 3992587

Hello all! I made a slightly impulse buy of a sight unseen ex government 'ruba' with 230K km on last week as the price was right. It's going to be a mostly daily and potentially driving it back to Europe in a year if Iraq remains safe-ish. I've been scouring the forum for info (such an amazing resource) but had a few specific questions you might be able to help me with...

- How important is the fan shroud and will the shroud off any 3F-engined LC work?
- I had the brakes serviced with new rear drums, new vacuum and master cylinder. Before the pedal had to be pumped to do anything, now they still feel a bit spongy/crap. Is this just what they're like? It's got discs up front.
- Any recommendations for tyres? I like the look of the skinny-ish 7.5R16s on at the moment but they are a mystery Chinese brand and not the best condition. 80/20, mostly tarmac, some desert.
- The 5 speed gearbox has a little bit of crunch sometimes when shifting. Is this normal/am I just a bad driver?
- There's a slight oil leak from the front left wheel hub. Is this just a new seal? The other hub has mastic on it /:
- Is there anything else I should get checked or any must do upgrades? Have had a brief look at the Pertronix kits

Cheers

So, there were no 1990 FZJ70 Land Cruisers. Does this have an engine swap? Or do you actually have an FJ70 with a 3F engine?

 

[janyyc]

I reiterate my suggestion to get in touch with @Meshal - I have 0 affiliation and have never interacted with him, but it seems he runs a good operation and is quite active here. You should get the car looked at from head to toe, and then can decide if you want to get the work done to repair it or get a newer one for slightly more upfront... (always worth considering before you spend too much $$).
You will definitely need some work done based on everything you've described. Best to get it done once and right, vs. patched and later uncovered when you're back in Europe (or stranded in Iraq...)
Land Cruisers shouldn't be leaking... honestly a normal LC should not have any drips, leaks, etc. This is not a Land Rover, which marks it territory by default...

 

[ExpatFJ]

So, there were no 1990 FZJ70 Land Cruisers. Does this have an engine swap? Or do you actually have an FJ70 with a 3F engine?

My bad, it's an FJ70 with the 3F

 

[Meshal]

It would be good if you share photos here so we all discuss yiye matters

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Yeah I maybe should have gone with the 4.5 in hindsight but this was only 20,000 SAR and (stupid reason I know...) it's the only green one I've seen here. Cheers for the part number, toyotadxb seems like a good shout. Retracting seatbelts next on the list

Yes; hard to go wrong for €4500.

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Welcome to the madness.

The front grill is from a post 1995 truck.

As mentioned above, it is good to have it baselined.

Look for any suspicious wiring or cobbled together parts.

OEM parts are available from a number of vendors. It is better not to use substitutions.







Juan