Not long ago, I became the proud owner of my first Land Cruiser — and at the same time, my first diesel vehicle.
After the purchase, I immediately set off on a trip and drove it for 1,600 km. Every 400 km (at each fuel stop), I checked the oil level — and it never changed. The engine doesn’t burn oil: the level stayed consistent the entire time.
Fuel consumption during the trip home averaged around 12–13 liters per 100 km, which I think is ok for 3B.
But to fully understand the situation, I need to share a bit of the vehicle’s background.
This Land Cruiser was originally purchased new in Toronto in 1985 and stayed with its first owner until 1991. During that time, it clocked 122,000 km. Then it was sold to a second owner, who drove it only 22,000 km over the next 26 years, using it exclusively during the summer months.
In 2017, he gave the Land Cruiser to his neighbor, who also worked for him. According to the last owner, he wasn’t really a fan of the model — he simply kept the car as a sentimental gift, taking it out for a short drive once a year.
Finally, in May 2025, the vehicle came into my hands. The last owner mentioned that ever since he got it, the engine had trouble starting cold and would blow out a cloud of smoke — a mix of gray, white, bluish, and black — right at startup. However, it never consumed oil.
After the purchase, I drove it home without any issues — another 1,600 km — and once again, there was no oil loss.
After a bit of rest, I started working on the interior, fixing a few annoying little things. Now that all those are sorted, I’m ready to tackle the cold start issue.
I’d really appreciate hearing the community’s thoughts — feel free to share your opinions and say exactly what you think. Where would you start the diagnosis? Which steps make the most sense, and in what order would you approach the issue?
Thanks so much for your time and attention!
Video Overview:
In this video, I want to highlight a few issues and observations about the operation of my Land Cruiser (1985, diesel) that I have some questions about.
1. Clock and interior lighting dimming:
When I turn on the parking lights or low beams, the clock backlight slightly dims. The brightness adjustment knob doesn’t affect this at all.
Is this normal behavior, or should I be looking for an issue in the electrical system?
2. Engine behavior after a cold start:
The video shows the engine shortly after a cold start. After running for 4–5 minutes, a grayish-white-blue smoke appears with light throttle.
When revving harder, the smoke turns gray-black.
What could be causing this?
3. Injection pump:
I also show which type of injection pump is installed — maybe that will help with the diagnosis.
4. (Coming in the next video) Cold start:
Unfortunately, I forgot to record the actual cold start, but I’ll definitely film it tomorrow and upload it separately. The smoke is even more noticeable during that moment.
5. Engine shutdown:
In the second clip, you can hear how the engine shuts off — not smoothly, but with a few jerks or thumps.
It feels like one of the cylinders was about to fire, but the combustion was suddenly cut off.
Additional note:
The final video was recorded during my trip home. At that point, the engine was fully warmed up and wasn’t producing any smoke — neither at idle nor under throttle.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 3 - https://youtube.com/shorts/0UBzn9dP_zs
After the purchase, I immediately set off on a trip and drove it for 1,600 km. Every 400 km (at each fuel stop), I checked the oil level — and it never changed. The engine doesn’t burn oil: the level stayed consistent the entire time.
Fuel consumption during the trip home averaged around 12–13 liters per 100 km, which I think is ok for 3B.
But to fully understand the situation, I need to share a bit of the vehicle’s background.
This Land Cruiser was originally purchased new in Toronto in 1985 and stayed with its first owner until 1991. During that time, it clocked 122,000 km. Then it was sold to a second owner, who drove it only 22,000 km over the next 26 years, using it exclusively during the summer months.
In 2017, he gave the Land Cruiser to his neighbor, who also worked for him. According to the last owner, he wasn’t really a fan of the model — he simply kept the car as a sentimental gift, taking it out for a short drive once a year.
Finally, in May 2025, the vehicle came into my hands. The last owner mentioned that ever since he got it, the engine had trouble starting cold and would blow out a cloud of smoke — a mix of gray, white, bluish, and black — right at startup. However, it never consumed oil.
After the purchase, I drove it home without any issues — another 1,600 km — and once again, there was no oil loss.
After a bit of rest, I started working on the interior, fixing a few annoying little things. Now that all those are sorted, I’m ready to tackle the cold start issue.
I’d really appreciate hearing the community’s thoughts — feel free to share your opinions and say exactly what you think. Where would you start the diagnosis? Which steps make the most sense, and in what order would you approach the issue?
Thanks so much for your time and attention!
Video Overview:
In this video, I want to highlight a few issues and observations about the operation of my Land Cruiser (1985, diesel) that I have some questions about.
1. Clock and interior lighting dimming:
When I turn on the parking lights or low beams, the clock backlight slightly dims. The brightness adjustment knob doesn’t affect this at all.
Is this normal behavior, or should I be looking for an issue in the electrical system?
2. Engine behavior after a cold start:
The video shows the engine shortly after a cold start. After running for 4–5 minutes, a grayish-white-blue smoke appears with light throttle.
When revving harder, the smoke turns gray-black.
What could be causing this?
3. Injection pump:
I also show which type of injection pump is installed — maybe that will help with the diagnosis.
4. (Coming in the next video) Cold start:
Unfortunately, I forgot to record the actual cold start, but I’ll definitely film it tomorrow and upload it separately. The smoke is even more noticeable during that moment.
5. Engine shutdown:
In the second clip, you can hear how the engine shuts off — not smoothly, but with a few jerks or thumps.
It feels like one of the cylinders was about to fire, but the combustion was suddenly cut off.
Additional note:
The final video was recorded during my trip home. At that point, the engine was fully warmed up and wasn’t producing any smoke — neither at idle nor under throttle.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 3 - https://youtube.com/shorts/0UBzn9dP_zs