Crawl under it and check for Oil leaks.....Our rear main seal leaks ~ 1.5 qts/3000 miles with 81K on the odo. :'( and the auto climate control is great if you like hot air coming out of your dash whenever you dont have the ac on ...gonna be great in the winter...and go ahead and count on replacing the factory springs...and uh make sure you keep the sun roof weep holes debris free....and well give me another month in our LC and I'll see what else I can warn you about :-X
Looking at a '97 FJ80 - newbie questions!
- Thread starter alia176
- Start date
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LOL - the 97 is the WORST year to get - at least the 40ths and CE's are pure poison. Trust me, I have the 40th beater edition and it's poison.
[quote author=Rogue link=board=2;threadid=4530;start=msg34274#msg34274 date=1061603578]
93-94 are the best years.
- Bigger, better tranny
- More front leg room
- No Auto-climate
- No airbags
- Junk don't got one...
[/quote]
Correction:
- Junk don't want one...
93-94 are the best years.
- Bigger, better tranny
- More front leg room
- No Auto-climate
- No airbags
- Junk don't got one...
[/quote]
Correction:
- Junk don't want one...
DLJ,
I think you should broom that POS and give it to me for "proper" disposal. :
The oil leak will cause it to explode at the most inopourtune moment. In addition, the climate control blows ice cubes in the winter and, as you have already observed, heat in the summer. The main reason for the climate control issue is that they were intended to be used only in the Australian market and were programmed as such : The only way to correct it is to export it to Australia or drive it around upside down.
Besides, it's rusting away under the roof rack feet anyway.......
I think you should broom that POS and give it to me for "proper" disposal. :
The oil leak will cause it to explode at the most inopourtune moment. In addition, the climate control blows ice cubes in the winter and, as you have already observed, heat in the summer. The main reason for the climate control issue is that they were intended to be used only in the Australian market and were programmed as such : The only way to correct it is to export it to Australia or drive it around upside down.Besides, it's rusting away under the roof rack feet anyway.......
[quote author=cruiserdan link=board=2;threadid=4530;start=msg34302#msg34302 date=1061609822]
Besides, it's rusting away under the roof rack feet anyway.......
[/quote]
You never know. Eventually, that rust could get to the frame. :
Besides, it's rusting away under the roof rack feet anyway.......
[/quote]
You never know. Eventually, that rust could get to the frame. :
- Thread starter
- #27
Ok dudes,
What's a FJZ80? FJ80 on steroids?
The trouble with adding a blower in my mind is that you have to run premium...at nearly $2/gal that can and will get expensive on those cross country hauls. Besides, finding good 92 octane gas at podunk towns that I go through while wheelin is questionable. The new 4.6 v8 engine that I'm about to finish building is still retaining 9.35 c/r so any crappy, watered down gas won't bother me, I hope. I remember wheelin in Baja one year, when I needed gas for the RR and found a shack with a hand pump for a gas station! I had couple of octane boosters left just in case and I was praying that I wouldn't blow my engine up!
I checked out another FJ80 last night. It was the famous 40th anniv edition. NIce two tone accents and the automatic HVAC controls but no diff locks. Wife says to stay away from anything w/o diff locks! :'( Got a good look underneath finally. Do the cats ever get hit while rock crawlin? Should be very easy to install a skid plate of some sort I s'pose. I was a little disappointed to see that the rear seats don't fold down flat. I'm also trying to figure out where the extra space is with the 112" vs my 100" RR. Looks like it's mostly in the cargo area. I can see that the fender flares may end up being removed for rock work. I'll have to see how goofy the vehicle looks without them.
Those of you with roof racks and such; are you installing them on the oem roof bars? Or are you using the rain gutters for Thule, Yakima, etc towers? If so, are you removing the oem bars from the roof?
I was amazed at the amount of room left in the engine bay! Pulling that engine out should be a breeze when it comes time to fix the rear main. What's with that huge honking air filter canister? Looks like it came out of a 18 wheeler !
Have a good weekend. I'll let you guys know how it goes today.
Ash
What's a FJZ80? FJ80 on steroids?
The trouble with adding a blower in my mind is that you have to run premium...at nearly $2/gal that can and will get expensive on those cross country hauls. Besides, finding good 92 octane gas at podunk towns that I go through while wheelin is questionable. The new 4.6 v8 engine that I'm about to finish building is still retaining 9.35 c/r so any crappy, watered down gas won't bother me, I hope. I remember wheelin in Baja one year, when I needed gas for the RR and found a shack with a hand pump for a gas station! I had couple of octane boosters left just in case and I was praying that I wouldn't blow my engine up!
I checked out another FJ80 last night. It was the famous 40th anniv edition. NIce two tone accents and the automatic HVAC controls but no diff locks. Wife says to stay away from anything w/o diff locks! :'( Got a good look underneath finally. Do the cats ever get hit while rock crawlin? Should be very easy to install a skid plate of some sort I s'pose. I was a little disappointed to see that the rear seats don't fold down flat. I'm also trying to figure out where the extra space is with the 112" vs my 100" RR. Looks like it's mostly in the cargo area. I can see that the fender flares may end up being removed for rock work. I'll have to see how goofy the vehicle looks without them.
Those of you with roof racks and such; are you installing them on the oem roof bars? Or are you using the rain gutters for Thule, Yakima, etc towers? If so, are you removing the oem bars from the roof?
I was amazed at the amount of room left in the engine bay! Pulling that engine out should be a breeze when it comes time to fix the rear main. What's with that huge honking air filter canister? Looks like it came out of a 18 wheeler !
Have a good weekend. I'll let you guys know how it goes today.
Ash
What's a FJZ80? FJ80 on steroids?
[cs] 1991/1992 = FJ80 - 3FE motor , FJ80 1993-1997 = FZJ80 - 1FZ-FE motor
The trouble with adding a blower in my mind is that you have to run premium...at nearly $2/gal that can and will get expensive on those cross country hauls.
[cs] If you buy a cruiser the last concern should be cost of gas and how much gas it uses. Not to be funny, but they are not economy boxes.
Besides, finding good 92 octane gas at podunk towns that I go through while wheelin is questionable.
[cs] That is a valid conccern with any forced induction.
I checked out another FJ80 last night. It was the famous 40th anniv edition. NIce two tone accents and the automatic HVAC controls but no diff locks. Wife says to stay away from anything w/o diff locks! :'(
[cs] She is wise, however you have to be sure the rest of the truck that you find with diff locks are up to snuff as well. Otherwise the $'s will just go into maintenance. We do a lot of pre-purchase inspections and we hardly ever see a truck that does not need about $1k to $3k worth of maintenance to bring it back to spec. Typically the older they are they more they need.
Got a good look underneath finally. Do the cats ever get hit while rock crawlin?
[cs] Sometimes, but with sliders they are pretty well protected.
Should be very easy to install a skid plate of some sort I s'pose.
[cs] True
I was amazed at the amount of room left in the engine bay! Pulling that engine out should be a breeze when it comes time to fix the rear main. What's with that huge honking air filter canister? Looks like it came out of a 18 wheeler !
[cs] Lots of people think the leak they see is the rear main. Typically it is the 2nd oil pan at the back, and not the rear main.
[cs] 1991/1992 = FJ80 - 3FE motor , FJ80 1993-1997 = FZJ80 - 1FZ-FE motor
The trouble with adding a blower in my mind is that you have to run premium...at nearly $2/gal that can and will get expensive on those cross country hauls.
[cs] If you buy a cruiser the last concern should be cost of gas and how much gas it uses. Not to be funny, but they are not economy boxes.
Besides, finding good 92 octane gas at podunk towns that I go through while wheelin is questionable.
[cs] That is a valid conccern with any forced induction.
I checked out another FJ80 last night. It was the famous 40th anniv edition. NIce two tone accents and the automatic HVAC controls but no diff locks. Wife says to stay away from anything w/o diff locks! :'(
[cs] She is wise, however you have to be sure the rest of the truck that you find with diff locks are up to snuff as well. Otherwise the $'s will just go into maintenance. We do a lot of pre-purchase inspections and we hardly ever see a truck that does not need about $1k to $3k worth of maintenance to bring it back to spec. Typically the older they are they more they need.
Got a good look underneath finally. Do the cats ever get hit while rock crawlin?
[cs] Sometimes, but with sliders they are pretty well protected.
Should be very easy to install a skid plate of some sort I s'pose.
[cs] True
I was amazed at the amount of room left in the engine bay! Pulling that engine out should be a breeze when it comes time to fix the rear main. What's with that huge honking air filter canister? Looks like it came out of a 18 wheeler !
[cs] Lots of people think the leak they see is the rear main. Typically it is the 2nd oil pan at the back, and not the rear main.
- Thread starter
- #29
Christo,
Checked out your site finally. Very nice indeed. I'll have to look you up when I'm in Denver area in Oct to do some wheelin with the LR folks from down here. Hopefully I'll have the 80 by then. That'd be a hoot!
Thanks for the good info.
Checked out your site finally. Very nice indeed. I'll have to look you up when I'm in Denver area in Oct to do some wheelin with the LR folks from down here. Hopefully I'll have the 80 by then. That'd be a hoot!
Thanks for the good info.
- Thread starter
- #30
**Update**
Well,
We went for a two hour test drive yesterday. Dealer didn't appreciate the long drive too much I guess! Thanks Christo for the phone conversation. From my little FJZ experience, I thought she drove great. The engine seems to have a sort of "lugging" vibe feel to it around town. Sort of the same feeling when you are one gear too high with a stick shift. The lockers engage way too slowly. The front took about one minute to engage. My dog gave us his seal of approval by totally lying down on the cargo floor and just hanging out while I was inspecting it!
Offered the dealer $18 out the door but didn't go for it. They wouldn't go below $19.6 + tags + tax. Oh well, there'll be more. The rust issues were limited to the axle housings, sway bar ends, brake junction valve in the rear (i think). The parking brake wasn't functional. I looked at it but didn't really have the time to figure out the problem. The two oil pan seals weren't leaking, some moisture around the T case and Tranny. But what was interesting was that there was a thin coat of either undercoating or some kind of lube all over underneath the vehicle. This coating was under the floor, all around the Tranny and T case but it came off with the finger. The coating was consistent with grease and didn't smell like 90wt. Maybe it was the T case fluid. The pattern went toward the back a little ways.
Interior was immaculate. I don't think there was a kid in this vehicle, ever! Leather is in fine shape and everything is operational.
If anyone is in the Chicago area, send me an email. I would love to get some education. Also, if anyone is going to the Badlands in Attica, drop me a line too. I have never seen these things in action! :-\
Later,
Ash
alia176atyahoo
Bolingbrook, IL
Well,
We went for a two hour test drive yesterday. Dealer didn't appreciate the long drive too much I guess! Thanks Christo for the phone conversation. From my little FJZ experience, I thought she drove great. The engine seems to have a sort of "lugging" vibe feel to it around town. Sort of the same feeling when you are one gear too high with a stick shift. The lockers engage way too slowly. The front took about one minute to engage. My dog gave us his seal of approval by totally lying down on the cargo floor and just hanging out while I was inspecting it!
Offered the dealer $18 out the door but didn't go for it. They wouldn't go below $19.6 + tags + tax. Oh well, there'll be more. The rust issues were limited to the axle housings, sway bar ends, brake junction valve in the rear (i think). The parking brake wasn't functional. I looked at it but didn't really have the time to figure out the problem. The two oil pan seals weren't leaking, some moisture around the T case and Tranny. But what was interesting was that there was a thin coat of either undercoating or some kind of lube all over underneath the vehicle. This coating was under the floor, all around the Tranny and T case but it came off with the finger. The coating was consistent with grease and didn't smell like 90wt. Maybe it was the T case fluid. The pattern went toward the back a little ways.
Interior was immaculate. I don't think there was a kid in this vehicle, ever! Leather is in fine shape and everything is operational.
If anyone is in the Chicago area, send me an email. I would love to get some education. Also, if anyone is going to the Badlands in Attica, drop me a line too. I have never seen these things in action! :-\
Later,
Ash
alia176atyahoo
Bolingbrook, IL
Ash,
The black goo you describe is a factory applied body sealer and is quite normal. The lockers will not engauge unless the dog clucthes are lined up. In order to line them up the vehicle must be moving in an arc. The tighter the arc the faster the dogs will line up. The front should lock faster than the rear as the splines are finer. In any case, I would insist that the e-brake be repaired to be made functional. It should be able to support the vehicle weight. Mine does just fine and Landtank recently repaired his to function perfectly so it can be done and should be done. Did you find the jack and all the tools? Does the CD work? does it have the owners manual and warranty supplement booklets?. Since they want all the money for this thing it damn well better be perfect in every way...............
Dan.
The black goo you describe is a factory applied body sealer and is quite normal. The lockers will not engauge unless the dog clucthes are lined up. In order to line them up the vehicle must be moving in an arc. The tighter the arc the faster the dogs will line up. The front should lock faster than the rear as the splines are finer. In any case, I would insist that the e-brake be repaired to be made functional. It should be able to support the vehicle weight. Mine does just fine and Landtank recently repaired his to function perfectly so it can be done and should be done. Did you find the jack and all the tools? Does the CD work? does it have the owners manual and warranty supplement booklets?. Since they want all the money for this thing it damn well better be perfect in every way...............
Dan.
The emergency brake problem is quite common on these rigs. I first attacked it by cleaning and lubing the frozen parts. That lasted maybe a year. Just a few months ago I did a complete rebuild on the system at each wheel. It has never worked so good. It now actually holds the truck on hills and releases every time.
My e-brake seems to hate me. It doesnt hold completly but still does. Not to long ago I had an incident involving my e-brake. The little button had worked itself loose. While I was driving that little button flew off and hit the trim around the gear selector bounced off of that and hit me in the face :-[.
Alia, the lockers often take a little while to engage if they have not been used much, (sign of a mall cruiser). They need to be exersized, (engage and disengage alot on a gravel road or field), and they will soon work quickly. Once you are familiar with them you will know exactly how much and in what direction to turn the wheels to get the dog clutches to line up quickly.
As for the seats, The rear 3rd row seats fold down and then to the side, against the rear windows. They do not stay on the floor when folded. Check the manual for instructions. They also remove in a snap. the 2nd row seats are also easily removed with 4 bolts. I hope I understood your rear seats not folding flat comment, or did you want them all to go flat with the leather side up to make a bed?
Sean
As for the seats, The rear 3rd row seats fold down and then to the side, against the rear windows. They do not stay on the floor when folded. Check the manual for instructions. They also remove in a snap. the 2nd row seats are also easily removed with 4 bolts. I hope I understood your rear seats not folding flat comment, or did you want them all to go flat with the leather side up to make a bed?
Sean
- Thread starter
- #35
No worries, I figured out that the 2nd row seats don't fold down flat like I thought. I'll end up removing them on long trip anyhow.
Good to know about the corrosion muck under the body. I didn't think they're so easily removable with a finger swipe!
Thanks for the inputs. Keep them coming.
Ash
Good to know about the corrosion muck under the body. I didn't think they're so easily removable with a finger swipe!
Thanks for the inputs. Keep them coming.
Ash
C-dan...you are absolutely correct our 97 was intended for the Aussie market. I ran the weedeater line down the sunroof weep holes again and followed with a douch ... when I poured the water in it swirled clockwise..... 
. It also has all these extra pouches....and the ole lady seems to keep it in the track much better after a few 25/32s of a quart cans.............
. It also has all these extra pouches....and the ole lady seems to keep it in the track much better after a few 25/32s of a quart cans.............
- Thread starter
- #38
More questions....did all FZJs come with inflatable lumbar on the driver seat? Was the wood package an option? What's with the Gold trim package? I assume all things that are chrome are now gold? Also, where is the OBDII socket located at? Should be near the driver side of under dash area, no?
Thanks.
A. ???
Thanks.
A. ???
My lumbar is a crank
Gold was an option
wood was an option
OBD II socket is behind the fuse cover just to the left of the steering wheel
Gold was an option
wood was an option
OBD II socket is behind the fuse cover just to the left of the steering wheel
OK, its a 97 with lockers, 64k miles, and dealer wants about 20k - right? Others are saying thats too much money, and to back it up, they tell you how much less they spent to buy a truck with close to twice the miles!
Well, you are going to find out that locating a 97 or earlier with lockers, low miles, and in very clean condition is likely to be a challenge. There are not a whole lot of them left. If I were buying I would pay a premuim for that truck. When you look at what you will finally end up spending on a Land Cruiser that you take offroad (maintenance, gas, sliders, front bumper and winch, rear bumper & tire carrier, on board air, cb, taller springs, new shocks, yada yada yada) an extra grand or two to keep the dealer rolling in the dough is no big deal.
The way I look at it, all I get out of any vehicle is miles. Presuming the condition is good, the lower the miles are when I buy, the more I miles I get out of the vehicle, and therefore the more it is worth to me.
You can spend the next couple of years looking for a great deal for a good truck. Meanwhile the age and miles on the fleet keep going up. I think you may have already found the good truck and I'll bet a few of the readers on this site are already reading through the Chicago used car adds looking for your dealer!
A prepurchase maintance check that you should perform is to drain enough coolant from the radiator so that you can see the top of the core. Check the tubes for gunk that looks like grey mud. If the radiator is gunked up then it is time for a good engine flush, and a rodded out or replaced radiator. There is a drain plug on the lower driver's back side of the radiator. It is surrounded by tranny cooler lines so is hard to see or find, but it is there. Gunked up radiators are one of several quirks that some Land Cruisers have. I haven't come across a definitive reason - some say its left over casting sand, others say its from mixing incompatible coolant, etc. Whatever, check for it before you buy. I would expect the dealer to eat the cost of a radiator replacement if a visual check shows it to be clogged. The radiators are big enough that even a partially clogged radiator keeps the engine cool under normal conditions. Meaning a highway test drive, even for hours, won't necessarily show any problems.
Rich
Well, you are going to find out that locating a 97 or earlier with lockers, low miles, and in very clean condition is likely to be a challenge. There are not a whole lot of them left. If I were buying I would pay a premuim for that truck. When you look at what you will finally end up spending on a Land Cruiser that you take offroad (maintenance, gas, sliders, front bumper and winch, rear bumper & tire carrier, on board air, cb, taller springs, new shocks, yada yada yada) an extra grand or two to keep the dealer rolling in the dough is no big deal.
The way I look at it, all I get out of any vehicle is miles. Presuming the condition is good, the lower the miles are when I buy, the more I miles I get out of the vehicle, and therefore the more it is worth to me.
You can spend the next couple of years looking for a great deal for a good truck. Meanwhile the age and miles on the fleet keep going up. I think you may have already found the good truck and I'll bet a few of the readers on this site are already reading through the Chicago used car adds looking for your dealer!
A prepurchase maintance check that you should perform is to drain enough coolant from the radiator so that you can see the top of the core. Check the tubes for gunk that looks like grey mud. If the radiator is gunked up then it is time for a good engine flush, and a rodded out or replaced radiator. There is a drain plug on the lower driver's back side of the radiator. It is surrounded by tranny cooler lines so is hard to see or find, but it is there. Gunked up radiators are one of several quirks that some Land Cruisers have. I haven't come across a definitive reason - some say its left over casting sand, others say its from mixing incompatible coolant, etc. Whatever, check for it before you buy. I would expect the dealer to eat the cost of a radiator replacement if a visual check shows it to be clogged. The radiators are big enough that even a partially clogged radiator keeps the engine cool under normal conditions. Meaning a highway test drive, even for hours, won't necessarily show any problems.
Rich