Builds My LC 80 thread. (2 Viewers)

[Dave 2000]

OK I got me an 80

This thread will follow my progress and report on anything and everything to do with my 80.....am I allowed to do that?

I will document baselining, mods ect hopefully with pictures.

So start licking your lips:

1994 HDJ 80 4.2 Turbo Diesel MANUAL VX!!....GREEN!!

I do not know what it is about GREEN that I just cannot seem to get over.

OK it has a full service history starting with the first owner using Toyota and the second owner using a local (non Toyota) garage in Cumbria UK but it is all there, printouts, every annual MOT to date two owners from new ect but anyone who knows me will guess I'm pretty chuffed at getting a MANUAL version and oh did I mention the lockers front and rear? And did I mention it is also GREEN? The rear locker is U/S at the moment. I flew over to the UK to purchase this as 80's are rare and expensive in Spain, so this a RHD UK spec model.

OK where do you (I) start? well the pre purchase inspection showed a number of issues, the A/C condenser was missing for starters!! The gearbox is a little reluctant to select second when changing down but nothing too serious. The clutch has been replaced recently as have the starter contacts.

One of the swivel seals has seen better days as have the two batteries (24v starter) and the bracket that adjusts the alternator is broken, the fuel gauge is also toast, as is one of the rear shock absorbers. The engine cooling radiator although not leaking the core 'fins' are all but gone, the factory alarm is U/S and the windows (all) are very slow with the drivers one needing a little help in going up, it appears the car has stood for quite awhile as there is a lot of fine surface rust underneath, no serious leaks just a little damp around the speedo drive seal ect and the aforementioned swivel.

The paintwork is quite bright but did I mention the colour? This will be given a good wash and polish for now and the respray can be done after the mods because you can bet it will get scratched. Inside it is quite clean and tidy, a previous owner took out the leather and replaced it all with the cloth versions although part of the electrics on the seat does work and the seat heater switches light up but again I assume the cloth seats do not have the heating pads as the seats do not actually get warm. Tommorow it will get a 'mini' service in preparation for the drive to Spain at the weekend where it can be dried out and slowly brought back to it's former glory.

Pics to follow.

regards

Dave

P.S. I added this baseline/mods/repairs list so I/we can keep track of my progress and of course feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions or suggestions:

This list is quite dynamic in that it changes quite often, if you fancy a mod/repair and can see it has been done in the list, feel free to call up with any query.

Fit two new batteries DONE
Fit new rear shocks DONE
Remove old Toyota alarm DONE
Fit new alarm system/immobiliser DONE
New radiator/hoses/fan belts DONE
New A/C condenser and dryer DONE
Recharge A/C DONE (AC mega cool with electric fan)
Big end bearings DONE
New Cam belt and tensioner DONE
Overhaul front axle DONE
Fit new horns DONE
CDL switch DONE
Pin 7 mod DONE
Fix heating pads and lumber support in seats DONE
Fix interior lights DONE
Fit a fourth interior light (over luggage area) DONE
Repair air conditioning DONE
Speedometer drive oil seal leaking. DONE
Fit new windscreen rubber DONE
Repair leak when filling with fuel DONE
Change all oils in gearboxes/axles, twice DONE
Fix fuel gauge DONE
Remove ACSD DONE
Fit low coolant sensor
Fit low oil pressure sensor DONE
Fit low oil pressure light and buzzer DONE
Investigate 'lower than normal' oil pressure DONE
Do temp gauge mod DONE
Remove 24v starter and replace with 12v system DONE
Upgrade alternator to 150 amp DONE
Fit marine grade split charge system DONE
Fit National Luna dual battery monitor DONE
Upgrade all starter/charging cables DONE
Fit electric engine cooling fan DONE (AND IT WORKS BRILLIANT!)
Fit fan status LED's DONE
Fit engine over heat warning DONE
Fit shark fin ariel DONE BUT IT SUCKS!
Fit dual start/deep charge batteries DONE
Remove rear heating system DONE
Fit on board air in place of rear heater Heater has been removed, WIP!
Fit solar panel and controller Done
Fit fridge, have fridge. DONE
Fit drawer system DONE
Fit water storage 'Flexitank' inside rear panel DONE
Steam clean underneath and 'Waxoyl' everything. Steam clean DONE
GB and TB replaced @233,100 miles with reconditioned items. DONE
Renew UJ's in prop shaft, still no vibes, so on back burner for the moment
Refurbish road wheels DONE
Replace all coolant hoses DONE
Fit second solar panel DONE
Fit shower pump DONE
Fit solar panel on garage roof. DONE

Other repairs water pump for example are mentioned in the day to day running of the 80 and will be reported in this thread.

I used go say watch THIS space, but I have done so much, it it easier follow the thread.

regards

Dave

 

[mshelby]

What color (colour) is it?

Congrats on the purchase, if you ever want to trade that old diesel and put in a great gasser I will be reluctant but will eventually give in and trade you.

Any pics?

 

[Dave 2000]

What color (colour) is it?

Congrats on the purchase, if you ever want to trade that old diesel and put in a great gasser I will be reluctant but will eventually give in and trade you.

Any pics?

I'm sure you would, I am told these do 25 plus MPG but I will let you know, of course your gasser will easily do that right

Pics to follow

regards

Dave

 

[CycloSteve]

Dave, nice find. So, are there HDJ80's aplenty in Espana, or were you exceptionally lucky? Split my time between the US and France, and would love to pick up a nice Diesel 80 for our Euro-adventures. The ones in France are overpriced, overused, and abused from my experience.



Steve

 

[ERG80]

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Lets see the pics

 

[Dave 2000]

Dave, nice find. So, are there HDJ80's aplenty in Espana, or were you exceptionally lucky? Split my time between the US and France, and would love to pick up a nice Diesel 80 for our Euro-adventures. The ones in France are overpriced, overused, and abused from my experience.



Steve

Sorry Steve I have edited my first post to clearly state I flew to the UK to get this car, although I mentioned the cars UK service history and the fact that I would be driving it back to Spain I suppose it was a bit vague, sorry about that.

Anyway, yes here in Spain the cars are rare and the car dealer cartels keep the prices over inflated, many people turned to importing so the government turned to higher import taxes in an effort to kick start spanish car sales ect. The car is worth three times more here than what I paid for it, of course it has had the ravages of UK weather thrown upon it so this has to be taken into account. but the last owner (a surgeon) did lavish his pennies on this one fortunately so it is not too bad.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Lets see the pics

I will get some today and post them up, it will get a 'mini' service today in an effort to reduce any problems on the long drive home.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

So the mini service did get done but not the photo's...sorry maybe today? The mini sevice entailed an engine oil change along with the oil and fuel filters. The air filter was spotless which makes sense as it has not stopped raining in the UK for months particularly in the area this car came from.

I have used 'Comma' oil, it is a 10/40w semi synthetic and the car took the best part of 10 litres, this is a well known brand in the UK and as a mechanic for many years I have never had an oil related issue with their products however this oil is not available in Spain where I live. I know that using synthetic can bring on leaks or burning problems with older high mileage engines so I will keep you informed, the engine is absolutely bone dry at the moment so we will see a little later on after a few miles have been driven. The fuel filter was filled with injector cleaner before being replaced and a bottle will be added to the tank probably once every six months to make sure it is nice and clean. All other oil levels checked out OK but the oil in the front axle was very dark and there was a 'puff' of air as the level plug was removed confirming the breathers are blocked. That will be attended too when I service the front axle with seals/bearings ect, did I read somewhere that the stock breather hole is too small and they were being drilled out? As mentioned earlier the rear shocks were toast and the replacements were OE Toyota, not too expensive either, the lower bolts took some heat to free them and plenty of WD40 for the upper ones. I also purchased two new Toyota OE batteries and fitted them along with new retaining bars and bolts. Ultimately I hope to be swapping out the 24v starter for a 12v version and gain space for my aux battery under the bonnet. There is not a lot of room under there as a lot of space along the bulkhead is taken up by the clutch master cylinder which is also servo assisted.

The car was then taken for an MOT (annual inspection) and it flew through with just a mention about the one hub seal being a bit' grubby', emissions were good too with the pass mark as 3.00 or under, mine was IIRC 0.95 so that area seems all good . I often heard water swilling up and down in the sills so took out the rubber grommets front and rear both sides and clean water ran out, they can stay out to let the inners dry and then I will rust proof and replace the the grommets at a later date or perhaps leave them out........suggestions?

I will start to compile a list of 'to do's' and post it later, it least it will give me something 'to do' whist on the ferry for a couple of days.

Again sorry about pics, I will try again today.

regards

Dave

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

As far as pm goes. From what I understand, the diesel folks swap out the bottom end bearings unlike us gassers who swap out headgaskets and the phh.

 

[96r50]

...All other oil levels checked out OK but the oil in the front was very dark and there was a 'puff' of air as the level plug was removed confirming the breathers are blocked. That will be attended too when I service the front axle with seals/bearings ect, did I read somewhere that the stock breather hole is too small and they were being drilled out?

...

I often heard water swilling up and down in the sills so took out the rubber grommets front and rear both sides and clean water ran out, they can stay out to let the inners dry and then I will rust proof and replace the the grommets at a later date or perhaps leave them out........suggestions?

Congrats on the 80!

IIRC it was Landspeeder who posted about drilling out the breather nipple on the axles. I don't think it's necessary if you are extending the breather hoses and you remove the little flapper inside the breather valve. The expansion/contraction doesn't occur fast enough to overwhelm the hole size IMO.

There are three plugs on the inside of each rocker, and below each there is a small slit about 2cm long that is supposed to drain the water. They tend to get clogged up with dirt and cause the water accumulation you experienced. You can clean them out using a small plastic ziptie/pipe cleaner/bobby pin/cafeteria knife on the ferry etc and leave the grommets alone. A search for "water sloshing rocker drain" or similar should pull up some photos of the slits.

I'd be interested in reading about your 24V to 12V starter conversion if you document it.

 

[Dave 2000]

So, time to leave the UK with my new toy. Prior to leaving the UK I decided not to put too much fuel in as it costs a lot less in Spain. Those following this thread may recall the fuel gauge did not work? So erring on the side of safety as I did not want to be stranded at the side of the motorway with a boat ferry to catch, I went for about 6 gallons for the 120 mile journey, I also had a gallon in the boot 'just in case'. I had no idea what a manual 80 would do to the gallon so over the week I had been putting in about 5 gallons working on a 20 to the gallon basis. Well just as the sixth gallon was going in I heard a gurgle and yep the tank was full! Not the ideal situation but this did bode well for fuel figures. A I leave the filling station forecourt I notice a puddle of fuel where the 80 was parked, this was about the size of a large dinner plate, hmmm was that me?

So I am driving along and well hello, the fuel gauge is reading full! Perhap the float was stuck? 30 miles later the gauge dropped to empty again, ah well wishful thinking and all that. Friday evening and onto the ferry for an uneventful crossing and arrived Sunday morning.

The eagle has landed............well alright the 80 has reached the shores of Spain. We arrived yesterday (Sunday) morning and got to checking the tyre pressures/lube/coolant ect and filled the tank. This time looking underneath as I did and sure enough just as the fuel come to the top of the filler neck it started to drip, not much but a leak all the same, as soon as the fuel found it's level about three inches from the filler neck the dripping stopped so I must assume a broken/corroded pipe in there somewhere. Well I started the journey across Spain North to South...ish and stopped for fuel at 378 miles. It took 65.18 Litres which by my reckoning is 14.33 gallons which equates to 26.37 miles to the gallon. I am not to concerned about 'economy' from one of these beasts but was just curious from the 'pub talk' point of view.


The car was not heavily laden, a spare radiator/A/C condenser, axle overhaul kit a few spare filters ect and a couple of overnight bags and me (a sylph like 100 kilos) on board. I was travelling steady between 65 & 75 MPH max which ties in with the max 120 KPH here in Spain. The sunroof and windows were shut (I was driving through snow blizzards for quite awhile) and spent a lot of times climbing steep hills ect I think it would be fair to say that if I repaired the tank and and repeated the test allowing the tank to run down low....ish (lowering the weight) the car would return somewhere between 27 & 29 MPG! I do tend to keep an eye on consumption if only to warn me of a problem so I will post figures again in the future.

Other than the fuel gauge doing it's 'now you see me now you don't' trick the journey was uneventful, 800 odd miles in a little over 9 hours with two five minute stops, one for fuel and one for some low calorie chocolate and crisps.

Pics will be done today....I promise!

regards

Dave

 

[Cannon88]

How can you tease us with this LC and not have pics?

Can't wait to see the new ride!

And I hear you about the green, I just dont really care for it either.

 

[Dave 2000]

As far as pm goes. From what I understand, the diesel folks swap out the bottom end bearings unlike us gassers who swap out headgaskets and the phh.

Thanks for that, I have picked up a set of BEB's and 'mains' so will set up a day to do that.

regards

Dave

 

[mshelby]

Glad to see you made it back safe and with no major issues to come up and good luck with the fuel gauge, wish I could offer some advice but that is an area where I am clueless.

 

[9180ltd]

It is only the con rods that are problematic for some. These can be done very easily with the removal of the oil pan, the mains however require removal of the engine. Dont waste your time with the mains, they were not the problem.

 

[Dave 2000]

It is only the con rods that are problematic for some. These can be done very easily with the removal of the oil pan, the mains however require removal of the engine. Dont waste your time with the mains, they were not the problem.

Is there a particular reason the mains cannot be done at the same time? I have done this many times on other engines except the fiat/renualt diesel where the mains are held in place by a 'girdle'.

Also have been looking around should the bolts be replaced on the BEB's? If they are the 'stretch' type I would do it anyway, does anyone know if they are torqued or is an angular guage used?

regards

Dave

 

[Dutchy]

Congrats on the purchase Dave... sounds like a great ride and knowing you it will only be getting better and better.

I guess persuading me about getting an 80.. ended up in getting one yourself... not to mention one with front AND rear lockers.

How many km's or miles are on the rig?

Grtz
Jean-Paul

 

[Dave 2000]

Congrats on the purchase Dave... sounds like a great ride and knowing you it will only be getting better and better.

I guess persuading me about getting an 80.. ended up in getting one yourself... not to mention one with front AND rear lockers.

How many km's or miles are on the rig?

Grtz
Jean-Paul

Thanks Dutchy, the car has 182,000 miles as near as dammit, all MOT's (annual inspections) are present so the mileage is verified.

I suppose you want to sell the 100 and get an 80?

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

So, I popped over to the beach today and took the diff locks for a walk and gave them some exercise and bingo all working perfectly, scrub that job off the list

Next some pics: I am not exactly 'bathe it daily' so apologies in advance.

Just the three for the moment but you get the idea.

thanks for comments so far.

regards


Dave

 

[Dutchy]

Well it looks really....ehm..... very .... greenish?

No serious.. judging from the pics it seems to be in good shape... i like the fact you can open the rear windows aswell. Previous owner didn't do any mods at all? Is this the older or lastest model 80 with the new dash etc?