New 80 series owner - Did I make a Mistake? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter UPNorthBckWoods
- Start date
-
- Tags
- 80 series landcruiser owner series
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
You own it. Fix it. Drive it. Rust happens. Live with it or fix it. If it dies, fix it and carry on or sell it. Doesn't seem especially complicated to me.
I observe that people in areas where rust isn't typical have stronger opinions about rust. I've lived in a place where every vehicle rusts for my whole life and it isn't as huge a deal. Yes, it absolutely complicates maintenance, repairs, etc., but it usually isn't the end of the world until it is.
I observe that people in areas where rust isn't typical have stronger opinions about rust. I've lived in a place where every vehicle rusts for my whole life and it isn't as huge a deal. Yes, it absolutely complicates maintenance, repairs, etc., but it usually isn't the end of the world until it is.
I grew up in the Rust Belt and every vehicle I had back then was full of rust holes, didn't bother me because some rust holes and "rust bubbles" were considered normal. I was young(er) and as long as it got me to work, school, or the party, and the girls didn't mind riding in it, it was good enough for me. Rust didn't matter that much also because most of the heaps I owned died a quick death (blown engines, dead transmissions, sliding on ice off the road into a ditch, hitting telephone poles that jumped out in front of me, ----).
So yeah, if you don't have much into it and you can keep it running, why not.
How many miles on the vehicle?
So yeah, if you don't have much into it and you can keep it running, why not.
How many miles on the vehicle?
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #24
215k. So high miles, but seems not especially high miles for what it is...
215k is not bad if it was taken care of, but good to do the basics, change all fluids, grease all driveshaft zerks until you see fresh grease coming out all four caps, Moly grease for the slip yolks (don't overfill) and the steering knuckles if they look empty/dry.
One tip: if you drain the transmission fluid be very gentle when tightening up the drain plug, always use a new crush washer and use the smallest wrench you have while gripping the wrench with three fingers using girly power. It's too easy to spin the bung for the threads in the pan. Just watch/feel the drain plug as you tighten it up until it hits a soft wall (again, using a small wrench). Don't gorilla tighten it, don't give it an extra good-n-tight pull. With a new crush washer and the plug snugged up it will not fall out. If you want to change all the fluid do a search for a "Rodney flush".
HTH's
One tip: if you drain the transmission fluid be very gentle when tightening up the drain plug, always use a new crush washer and use the smallest wrench you have while gripping the wrench with three fingers using girly power. It's too easy to spin the bung for the threads in the pan. Just watch/feel the drain plug as you tighten it up until it hits a soft wall (again, using a small wrench). Don't gorilla tighten it, don't give it an extra good-n-tight pull. With a new crush washer and the plug snugged up it will not fall out. If you want to change all the fluid do a search for a "Rodney flush".
HTH's
- Thread starter
- #26
Well I think I'll drive it till spring anyway since I need a DD for the winter. I'll do the little things I can to try to bolster it against failures and have it present a little better for a sale if I go that route. I can put off the final decision for a bit. If I decided I have to have a Landcruiser after a couple months with this one, I may look for a nicer one. Maybe I'll find a rust free fzj80 with open diffs and I'll swap axles then drive this till it dies picking parts off it as needed. I'll keep an eye on the classifieds for some shocks and springs. If I don't find much used, I will probably start with some OEM new shocks to keep costs reasonable. I'll post pictures of the springs soon to see if I really need them. I'll read some more posts, watch some videos, and count how many more rusty bolts are involved to do the front shocks also. Might as well get all 4 shocks if I'm ordering from overseas.
You make some good points, but I'm not sure I agree that they're not reliable. I think the ones that need constant upkeep are usually ones that've been sitting for a while, perhaps due to gas prices or people being afraid to daily drive an older vehicle. If you use it consistently and let it get up to temp, it should be as reliable as anything. The transmissions don't just randomly fail like domestic trucks, and electronics are ultra-reliable for the most part. The inline six is silky smooth and strong. Leaks happen with age, but top it off and keep trucking.
OP, don't get carried away with preventative maintenance or fixing every little noise and light on the dash. Just drive it. My 96 Tacoma gets driven almost every day and starts every time. The only issues are self-inflicted really. Meanwhile, there's brand new powertrains failing nowadays left and right:
One thing you could do, considering the rust in the lower rockers, is to cut it out and put rockers sliders in place of the failing/missing body panels. It will give some structural support back in and also add some protection in case it goes off the road.
Definitely check the underside and ensure the shock mounts and spring perches are not rusted through before putting money out for shocks. As you already said, a wire wheel and fluid film should be in your near future. In one of your pictures you can see the stock spare tire carrier and it is past its life, you can just remove it and that is one less rusty part to worry about.
Definitely check the underside and ensure the shock mounts and spring perches are not rusted through before putting money out for shocks. As you already said, a wire wheel and fluid film should be in your near future. In one of your pictures you can see the stock spare tire carrier and it is past its life, you can just remove it and that is one less rusty part to worry about.
I totally understand wanting one of these as a family rig. They are some of the nicest built vehicles I've ever had the pleasure to drive or work on.
Your particular one... might be a good one to not think of as a forever car. Might be able to find a low/no rust one with a blown motor and swap yours into it, if you're feeling up for it.
It's hard to say sometimes if the economics are better to buy cheap and buy often, or buy high and cry once. But as has been said, Landcruisers are not cheap at all. I do think they are a good value for what they are, and the parts last a long time. The 80 series is famously slow to rust, but in the right places and with a lack of care, anything can rust out.
Side note, I do think the newer ('95-'97?) Landcruisers don't have the "bus transmissions."
For your case, if not going the engine swap route, I would consider a '91-'92 FJ80. They are even slower, but command less of a premium. 3x locked is overrated in my opinion. It's nice, just not worth the price premium except to a few. You get the impeccable build quality for less money. Or a much nicer one for the same money.
This is a great opportunity to learn the quirks and how these feel before test driving others. I understand if you decide these aren't for you, but take your time to see where these are great. You may also be able to tighten bearings, throw in some grease, and avoid bigger jobs for the time being. Not that steering knuckles is a huge job, but it is involved.
I personally feel that these are very safe vehicles (especially with factory sized tires, from a rollover perspective.) While ours would make great trail rigs, these are mostly just daily drivers because we have to deal with snow and gravel. They're great fun on the trail, but for us we have no need for 35" tires and such.
Edit: The front/back sprayer activating at the same time is common.
Your particular one... might be a good one to not think of as a forever car. Might be able to find a low/no rust one with a blown motor and swap yours into it, if you're feeling up for it.
It's hard to say sometimes if the economics are better to buy cheap and buy often, or buy high and cry once. But as has been said, Landcruisers are not cheap at all. I do think they are a good value for what they are, and the parts last a long time. The 80 series is famously slow to rust, but in the right places and with a lack of care, anything can rust out.
Side note, I do think the newer ('95-'97?) Landcruisers don't have the "bus transmissions."
For your case, if not going the engine swap route, I would consider a '91-'92 FJ80. They are even slower, but command less of a premium. 3x locked is overrated in my opinion. It's nice, just not worth the price premium except to a few. You get the impeccable build quality for less money. Or a much nicer one for the same money.
This is a great opportunity to learn the quirks and how these feel before test driving others. I understand if you decide these aren't for you, but take your time to see where these are great. You may also be able to tighten bearings, throw in some grease, and avoid bigger jobs for the time being. Not that steering knuckles is a huge job, but it is involved.
I personally feel that these are very safe vehicles (especially with factory sized tires, from a rollover perspective.) While ours would make great trail rigs, these are mostly just daily drivers because we have to deal with snow and gravel. They're great fun on the trail, but for us we have no need for 35" tires and such.
Edit: The front/back sprayer activating at the same time is common.
- Thread starter
- #31
So I jumped in the LC to go grab lunch at work, and I had no power steering, and there was a bunch of fluid in the snow. I didn't have enough time to grab lunch and investigate at the moment so I picked up my lunch with no pwr steering then headed back to work. Later I had a chance to crawl under the car saw a power steering fluid line had come off. I was able to reattach it and add 1/2 quart of ATF fluid (dextron III equivalent) drove it home. Still no power steering. Checked fluid again, added about 1/4 Q more, turned lock to lock and the pwr came back, with a groan. I'm guessing this means I need to move up the timeline of flushing my power steering, but is there something I'm missing? It was very cold out, about 10deg. F. the fluid that came out looked yellow, the ATF was red. I was hoping to wait for warmer weather for the power steering system flush. Thanks for the help!
Where you live it gets cold on a relevant level. It's possible that the power steering fluid is getting too thick due to the cold weather causing cavitation of the pump due to insufficient oil flow which could be the source of the groaning you hear. Overthick oil could also lead to an overpressure situation that blew the line off potentially, etc. though that's speculative on my part and I've not experienced it personally. It's also possible that there is moisture or other contaminants in your PS fluid that are making it easier for the fluid to freeze up, etc.
The following is part marketing so may not be totally accurate or it could be misleading but Amsoil does make some decent products in my experience so this could be useful info:
Preventing Winter Power Steering Fluid Problems
In very cold weather, power steering fluid can freeze and the pressure upon start-up can blow steering hoses. We offer an inexpensive preventative solution.
www.oildepot.ca
Per that article and my own experience some lubricants are going to perform better in the cold. For instance I switched to synthetic lube in a transmission that otherwise wouldn't shift when it got cold and the synthetic gear oil in that manual transmission totally resolved the problem.
My guess is that if you keep the system topped up it may do ok once it finishes bleeding the air as you drive. That could end up being the case if you blew out enough of the old fluid, meaning you've essentially just done an involuntary fluid change. After it's had plenty of time to bleed out though if you keep hearing groaning (cavitation) I'd personally go ahead and do the fluid change to something better suited to cold temps. If you run the pump and it's groaning/cavitating a lot it's going to create internal wear that will shorten the life of the pump and wear it out, etc.
A power steering fluid change isn't very hard or expensive. If you run the truck up to temp before you do the change it could help you avoid breaking/fighting rubber hoses or being as uncomfortable during the job. Ideally you could find a heated shop to work in or even have an oil change type of place do the flush for you but neither are likely required if you can just wait til the warmest day of the week and do this quickly in the mid afternoon hour. You can drop this into google to do some reading and prep for the task:
80 power steering flush site:forum.ih8mud.com
If you find a good guide above and decide not to DIY you could print it out to give to an oil change shop. You could also source oil that you think would do better in cold weather yourself and provide that to the shop also if you think they may not have what you want them to use in stock.
Are there part numbers for all those “parts”? 👁👁
The power steering will grumble and groan until all the air is worked out of the system.
You can jack the front end off the ground, and cycle the steering (with the engine running) full lock to the left and right a dozen times or so to help get the air out
You can jack the front end off the ground, and cycle the steering (with the engine running) full lock to the left and right a dozen times or so to help get the air out
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #35
Finished the transfer case and front diff fluid tonight. All had fluid. T-case was full and fluid looked good - first sign of PO maintenance I've seen. Front diff was dark and burnt just like the rear.
I took some photos of the coils as suggested by @Devils Paw 80 . It is nearly sitting on the bump stops on all 4 corners. There's some rust there, but I don't think the rust is the cause if the sagging. I can certainly try shocks and see where I'm at before buying coils. Looks like shocks and coils would be something like $1200 + from OME or Dobinsons. I'm not apposed to that exactly, but that's a commitment to have this a while, and I'm still feeling pretty non-committal at the moment. I can get toyota shocks for less but looks like rear oem coils for a truck equipped with the 3rd sear are discontinued. Would I mix oem front with aftermarket rear I'm this case if i wanted to keep investment low? Is it a big deal to run standard coils in back with it possibly loaded with passengers sometimes?
I took some photos of the coils as suggested by @Devils Paw 80 . It is nearly sitting on the bump stops on all 4 corners. There's some rust there, but I don't think the rust is the cause if the sagging. I can certainly try shocks and see where I'm at before buying coils. Looks like shocks and coils would be something like $1200 + from OME or Dobinsons. I'm not apposed to that exactly, but that's a commitment to have this a while, and I'm still feeling pretty non-committal at the moment. I can get toyota shocks for less but looks like rear oem coils for a truck equipped with the 3rd sear are discontinued. Would I mix oem front with aftermarket rear I'm this case if i wanted to keep investment low? Is it a big deal to run standard coils in back with it possibly loaded with passengers sometimes?
77mustard40
SILVER Star
No issues with OEM coils, these things had full productive lives straight from the factory. Keep a sharp eye on the MUD classifieds, never know what you will find and don’t be afraid to post a wanted there. You can do the same in your local clubhouse section, you never know what someone has laying in their garage a couple miles away.
Tachycardic
SILVER Star
If you want good quality shock that is affordable, get the Tokicos. OEM coils are fine for what you want to do. I think you should decide on whether you want to do a lift on the vehicle. If you want to do one relatively soon, you might as well do it now.
Rust holes in the body don't bother me so much, but you'll want to keep an eye on the left side of the rear axle where the panhard mount and spring perch come together. That area is prone to corrosion and if you lose the panhard mount, the rear axle will try to exit the vehicle.
Also keep an eye on the 8 body mounts. The 4 in the center will want to separate from the body if corroded.
Dealing with a rusty truck is certainly a headache. Yearly coating with Fluid Film can help, but will not completely stop the rust once it has taken hold.
Use OEM parts for everything you can. Aftermarket stuff is usually inferior and will not last. Keep everything under the hood OEM or the 3FE will just spit it out and you'll wind up doing things over again.
Remember that this truck is now 33 years old, regardless of how it looks/drives and how you feel about it. Every rubber part is now way past its life expectancy and will need to be changed out. That includes all 4 soft brake lines (2 for the front calipers and 2 for the axle drops).
Download or purchase the Toyota factory service manual (FSM) and electronic wiring diagrams (EWD) if you intend to work on it yourself. Don't trust any shop that does not specialize in Land Cruisers and forget about going to a dealer. This truck is older than the children that work there.
Check the resources section for documents relating to the 91/92 FJ80 with the 3FE engine and A440F transmission.
Also keep an eye on the 8 body mounts. The 4 in the center will want to separate from the body if corroded.
Dealing with a rusty truck is certainly a headache. Yearly coating with Fluid Film can help, but will not completely stop the rust once it has taken hold.
Use OEM parts for everything you can. Aftermarket stuff is usually inferior and will not last. Keep everything under the hood OEM or the 3FE will just spit it out and you'll wind up doing things over again.
Remember that this truck is now 33 years old, regardless of how it looks/drives and how you feel about it. Every rubber part is now way past its life expectancy and will need to be changed out. That includes all 4 soft brake lines (2 for the front calipers and 2 for the axle drops).
Download or purchase the Toyota factory service manual (FSM) and electronic wiring diagrams (EWD) if you intend to work on it yourself. Don't trust any shop that does not specialize in Land Cruisers and forget about going to a dealer. This truck is older than the children that work there.
Check the resources section for documents relating to the 91/92 FJ80 with the 3FE engine and A440F transmission.
- Thread starter
- #39
Almost resting on the bump stops all 4 corners... rusty spring perch L rear
A set of stock height coils ( oem or aftermarket) would probably give you a 2" lift from where you're at
